Discover essential marketing tools for authors to boost your book sales, build your audience, and grow your brand. From email marketing and social media management to book promotion platforms and content creation tools, explore the resources you need to succeed in today’s competitive publishing world.

1. Email Marketing Tools

Building an email list allows you to engage directly with your readers and promote book launches, events, and updates.

  • Mailchimp: Easy to use, free up to 2,000 subscribers, and has automation features to create welcome sequences, newsletters, and campaigns.
  • ConvertKit: Tailored for creators and authors, it offers powerful automation and audience segmentation.
  • MailerLite: A simple, affordable option for building email lists, with good landing page creation tools.
  • BookFunnel: Great for delivering free books to your subscribers as a lead magnet to grow your email list.

2. Social Media Management Tools

Maintaining a social media presence is key to building a community around your books.

  • Buffer: Allows you to schedule posts across multiple platforms (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) and track performance.
  • Hootsuite: Manages multiple social accounts from one dashboard and provides analytics.
  • Later: Focuses on Instagram scheduling but also supports other platforms. Great for visual-heavy posts.
  • Tailwind: Ideal for Pinterest and Instagram marketing with scheduling and analytics. Especially helpful for visual book promotions.

3. Book Promotion Platforms

These tools help authors get more visibility through targeted promotions and book deals.

  • BookBub: A leading platform for promoting books through its daily email of discounted books. It has paid ads and free promotion options.
  • Goodreads: Authors can create profiles, connect with readers, host giveaways, and participate in book discussions.
  • Bargain Booksy: Helps authors promote discounted books to targeted readers.
  • Freebooksy: Focuses on promoting free books for a limited time to increase downloads and reviews.
  • StoryOrigin: Helps authors build mailing lists, arrange newsletter swaps, and promote books via group giveaways.

4. Content Creation Tools

Creating content like blog posts, social media graphics, and book trailers is essential for author branding.

  • Canva: A versatile design tool for creating book covers, social media graphics, promotional images, and more. It’s beginner-friendly with templates for all types of content.
  • Book Brush: A tool specifically for authors to create professional-looking 3D book covers, ads, and social media graphics.
  • Piktochart: Useful for creating infographics and other visual content for blogs and social media posts.

5. Book Reviews and Beta Readers

Reviews are essential for building credibility and social proof for your books.

  • NetGalley: Connects authors with professional readers (reviewers, librarians, and media) who provide early reviews for books.
  • Reedsy Discovery: A platform for authors to get reviews from a community of dedicated reviewers.
  • StoryOrigin: Also has a tool to recruit beta readers and send advanced review copies (ARCs).

6. Author Websites and Landing Pages

A professional author website acts as a hub for your books, blog, and other marketing efforts.

  • WordPress: Highly customizable, great for author blogs and websites. Thousands of plugins are available for marketing, SEO, and e-commerce.
  • Squarespace: Offers beautiful templates that are easy to set up and perfect for authors who want a simple website.
  • Wix: Another easy-to-use website builder that’s customizable and user-friendly.
  • LeadPages: Useful for building high-converting landing pages for book launches or email list signups.

7. SEO and Analytics Tools

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps drive organic traffic to your author website and blog, while analytics tools help you track marketing efforts.

  • Google Analytics: Provides detailed reports on website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates.
  • Yoast SEO (for WordPress): Helps optimize your blog and author website content for search engines.
  • Ahrefs: A powerful SEO tool for keyword research, competitor analysis, and tracking backlinks. Great for authors who blog or create long-form content.
  • Ubersuggest: Offers keyword research and SEO insights for improving blog and website performance.

8. Book Advertising Platforms

Paid advertising can help you reach a larger audience and drive book sales.

  • Amazon Advertising: Run sponsored product ads for your book on Amazon to increase visibility.
  • Facebook Ads: Target specific readers based on interests, behaviors, and demographics.
  • BookBub Ads: Another paid advertising option that allows you to target readers based on genre preferences.
  • Google Ads: Good for targeting readers who are actively searching for books similar to yours.

9. Book Launch Tools

Organizing a book launch is crucial for generating buzz and sales.

  • Launch Plan (by Reedsy): A comprehensive, free tool that helps authors create a timeline and plan for a successful book launch.
  • Pubby: Helps authors get reviews from other authors, which can help boost your credibility on platforms like Amazon.

10. Reader Engagement Tools

Building relationships with readers is key to long-term success.

  • Patreon: A platform that allows authors to get financial support from fans in exchange for exclusive content like early access to chapters, signed books, or personalized experiences.
  • Discord: Create a community around your books by setting up a server where fans can chat, discuss your works, and share content.
  • ReaderLinks: A tool for managing book marketing, sales tracking, and reader engagement all in one place.

11. Audiobook Creation and Marketing

Audiobooks are growing in popularity, and creating them can help you reach new audiences.

  • ACX: Amazon’s audiobook creation platform for producing audiobooks and distributing them on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.
  • Findaway Voices: Another platform for creating and distributing audiobooks across multiple retailers.

12. Affiliate Marketing Tools

Many authors use affiliate marketing to promote other books or products and earn additional income.

  • Amazon Associates: The Amazon affiliate program where you can earn commissions by recommending books and other products.
  • Geniuslink: A tool that helps you create smart Amazon links that direct international users to the correct Amazon store.