Human-Centered Book Marketing Strategies & Tactics: My Interview With Jessica Lahey

What happens when a celebrity with 11 million followers tells them all that she loves your book? Today, author Jessica Lahey and I discuss that exact situation, and dig deep into the tactics and strategies of book marketing.

Some highlights of our conversation:

  • The specific things Jess did (and didn’t) do in the days after the celebrity shared Jess’s book.
  • How she continues to actively market her book 3+ years after publication. She framed this in some truths in publishing, that aren’t often talked about: “A couple weeks after your book comes out, your publicist is done.” What that meant is that Jess made sure that she took action so that she feels her book has the best chance of success.
  • Why after she signed her book deal, but before the book came out, Jess sent 2,000 letters to people she hoped would bring her in for a public speaking opportunity on the topics of the book.
  • The importance of thank you notes, and how she decides when she sends them.
  • How she created a database of contacts for potential speaking gigs, and how she leverages it to connect with more people around her book.
  • Why she sends out free books at her own expense, all the time.
  • The reasons she makes time to co-host a podcast (the #amwriting podcast.)
  • Why she thought it was important to show her publisher that she would “work her guts out” to promote her book, and how this benefited her next book deal.
  • How luck factors into book promotion.
  • And so much more!

Everything that Jess shared focused on meaningful connections with real people. She does so much to promote her book, and the effects have been incredible! She connects with the people who she feels would love her book, she does it consistently, and she follows through on a wide range of strategies and tactics to do so. It was so inspiring to talk to Jess about all of this.

You can listen to our entire conversation in my podcast by clicking ‘play’ below, or in the following places:

Jessica is the author of the book The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed, and the co-host of the #AmWriting podcast. You can find her online at:
jessicalahey.com
Twitter: @jesslahey
Instagram: @teacherlahey