I Spent $11,000 Marketing My Debut Novel (002)
It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time
I Spent $11,000 Marketing My Debut Novel
When my debut novel was published last fall (6 months ago this week!), I knew up front that I was going to spend my own money on the marketing. I’ve been a book marketer for 15 years now—formerly at Simon & Schuster, PRH, HMH, and HarperCollins, and now at my own book marketing agency—and I have enough experience to know that, even when the publishing house is invested a little extra investment from the author can go a long way. You can always tell the difference when an author is engaged and hustling.
Because I was also busy running a company when my book came out, I was willing to spend money on promotions that I have found effective for other book campaigns, but also on anything that made my life easier, such as outsourcing graphic design and an influencer/Bookstagram campaign.
I admit, I’ve been avoiding looking at this number for a while. My publication came right in the middle of a tight financial period for me personally, as I was digging out of some of the credit card debt that had accrued while I was starting my company. I felt guilty for spending the money, even on something as important as the publication of my debut novel, which has been my #1 goal for the last 8-10 years. I felt guilty for spending money and not doing the marketing myself.
That is the trap that gets many of the smart, marketing savvy authors that I work with. They know what to do, they understand marketing, but they just don’t have the time or energy to do it themselves. The productivity hustle culture-guilt inverse is real, though.
So, I just diligently went through all of my receipts for book promotion for the last 2 years. Even as I’m writing this, I’ve been thinking of additional expenses (author photos, website domain, hosting, etc.) that weren’t directly tied to the fall launch, but still a part of my overall personal P&L.
Here’s the Breakdown
PROMOTION
Author photos - $755.00
Makeup for author photos - $130.00
GoDaddy domain hosting - $49.65
Squarespace annual - $336.00
Google Workspace annual - $73.00
Sponsored Instagram post - $1,200.00
Instagram tour - $489.00
Design hours - $375.00
Award submission - $89.00
SUBTOTAL: $3,496.65
ADVERTISING
Goodreads premium giveaway - $599.00
BookClubs.com Book of the Month feature and advertising package - $3,000.00
SUBTOTAL: $3,599.00
INFLUENCER BOXES*
ShippingEasy.com membership - $19.99
Silver mailers (150) - $149.94
Custom tote bags (150) - $318.00
Black cat bookmarks - $81.60
Stickers - $82.32
Bookmarks (500) - $163.00
Mailing costs (100) - $430.00
Nail polish - $104.90
Tissue paper - $23.00
SUBTOTAL: $1,372.75
*Books were provided by my publisher, Alcove Press (100)
EVENTS**
Capri Hotel Southampton for Bedside Reading event - $277.38
Southampton Meals - $180.00
Gas Southampton - $41.28
Candy to give away at events (didn't end up using) - $50.00
Plastic cups to serve wine at events - $26.00
Sharpies and signing pens - $23.00
Witchy pencil pouch for signing materials - $13.00
Event promo postcards - $54.63
Flight LGA-BNA - $98.50
Flight BNA-LGA - $98.50
Nashvhille Ubers - $279.00
Nashville Meals - $59.00
Amtrak NYC-WAS - $56.00
Flight IAD-MSP - $128.00
DC Ubers - $178.00
DC Meals - $46.00
Flight MSP-LGA - $246.00
MSP meals - $16.00
MSP Ubers - $73.00
Cat Sitter - $131.00
Bookstore purchases at events - $28.00
SUBTOTAL: $2,102.29
**I only scheduled my 4 launch book tour events in cities where I have friends and family that I could stay with. My people were so generous and celebratory and treated me for much of my visits, otherwise I would have more related travel expenses. All of my MSP “meals” receipts were actually Caribou Coffee trips.
One Regret
One of the tactics we know is most effective at driving sales is digital advertising. When I look at this breakdown, I wish I had devoted time, energy, and budget to Amazon and Meta ads (~$2500 each). But I didn’t have the bandwidth at the time to get something going, and my budget was feeling maxed out. I even had one of the brilliant advertising freelancers that we work with offer to run them for me. I just didn’t have the mental capacity to strategize the campaign, direct the creative assets, and get everything to her.
When there is growing/existing buzz for a book, we see digital advertising work as that last nudge to convert someone to buy a book. For better or worse, as much as I hate our billionaire overlords, Amazon and Meta ads are two of the best-performing tools we have to reach book buyers who are already considering purchasing.
In my next missile, I’ll break down the full results and return-on-investment in terms of book sales, income/royalties, what worked, and what didn’t.
What I’m Watching
I recently tore through Season 4 of Shoresy on Hulu. If you like hockey, whip smart humor (with a lot of profanity and bathroom jokes… literally bathroom jokes) or a MMC*** with a tough exterior and gooey soft center, this one’s for you.
Shoresy follows a senior AAA men’s hockey team in a small town in Canada. Season 4 hit me in all the feels as our hero, Shoresy, is figuring out what to do after hockey. (Season 3 addressed what happens when your body won’t let you play anymore 😭). Minnesota hockey runs in my veins, and Shoresy is my perfect fix for days when I’m missing that world.
Shoresy and the b’ys mentor a group of 18-year-old hockey players in season 4, and man, this season really helped answer a lot of Qs for me for my next book: My WIP (work in progress), a rom-com very tentatively titled Christmas Cookie Miracle, takes place in a similar small town obsessed with hockey and hockey culture, and features the teenaged hockey bro nephews of the MMC.
***To my parents, whom I know are reading this, and anyone else unfamiliar, MMC = male main character.
Coming Up…
Stick around for Part 2 of “I Spent $11,000 Marketing My Debut Novel,” i.e. the results of all my book marketing efforts for What We Sacrifice for Magic.
This transparency is so valuable to both readers and writers on what happens behind the scenes! So much more goes into marketing planning and execution than I previously thought. Love this insight and the breakdowns— ready for part 2 on impressions, sales, royalties etc. ! 👏👏👏
Having been on both sides of the desk like you, I often feel like I know both too much about “how the sausage is made,” and not nearly enough! I appreciated this transparent take from a book marketing pro, and especially knowing your regrets. I was surprised that you generally find digital advertising so effective in driving sales—but then again, we can barely do it for my books because both A*azon and M*ta censor the titles and therefore the cover art 🙈🙈🙈