The Modern Author: How to Market Your Book in 2025

The Modern Author: How to Market Your Book in 2025

Jan 30, 2025

The most successful authors today are strategic marketers of their work. This might sound daunting, especially if you see yourself purely as a creative! Don’t worry, lots of writers feel the exact same way. But as industry experts reveal, embracing the business side of writing doesn't mean compromising your artistic integrity. Instead, it opens new ways to connect your stories with the readers who will love them most. And who doesn’t love that?

To help us figure out what it takes to connect with readers, we called in some reinforcements. Tor’s incredible marketing and publicity leaders Emily Mlynek and Alexis Saarela are the masterminds behind so many campaigns designed to launch an author into the zeitgeist. I sat down with both of them at Dragonsteel Nexus 2024 to chat through their strategies. And, the wonderful Ben and Lauren Grange from Books on the Grange shared their top tips for getting into a marketing mindset. 

In today's digital-first publishing landscape, understanding how to market your work effectively could be the difference between your work getting in the hands of readers who are going to fall in love with it or not. So, without further ado, let’s explore how you can develop the skillset to do that.

The Marketing Mindset: More Than Just Sales

Brandon Sanderson discussed this concept in a recent lecture, emphasizing how important it is for writers to distinguish between their artist and business selves. He recommends "locking your artist self in a closet" during the revision process and letting your business self be ruthless about the selling angle. Why? So you can accurately assess your book's position and be better prepared to get it in the hands of readers.

This separation of roles might feel unnatural at first. Again, totally normal! For the sake of this article, though, we’re going to assume that part of your goal as an aspiring author is to reach your readers. When you're writing, you're creating art, but when you're selling that art, you need to think like a publisher. What does thinking like a publisher even mean, though? Basically, it’s the art of learning how to translate that vision into language that resonates with your target audience.

Let’s tie this concept to something tangible. For authors gunning for a traditional publishing deal, this mindset begins with the query letter. "Most of us don't have the skills, unless we practice them, to craft a query letter, which in essence is a sales pitch," explains Ben Grange, former literary agent and current publishing professional. 

For indie authors, the principle remains the same—you still need the material you would include in a query letter for other sales materials, whether that's your Amazon description, website copy, or social media posts. 

For more info on the idea of thinking like a marketer regardless of indie or traditional publishing paths, check out the video below from Books on the Grange (Ben and Lauren Grange’s publishing industry social media account). 

Crafting Your Perfect Pitch

Alexis Saarela, Senior Associate Director of Publicity at Tor, shares great tips for crafting your book pitch: "I think that the basics of a [pitch] should include a very concise plot description—maybe even a quick elevator pitch of one or two sentences. Then later, you could go more into detail. It's also very important to include read-alikes. For example, you might say 'it's perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson.' In terms of publicity, you should call out some of the actual pitching angles for the book or the author."

Coming from a publicity professional in the publishing industry, this is an interesting angle. While there are a plethora of book pitch templates and tips available, Saarela’s perspective may help you refine that pitch even further and get it closer to what agents and/or readers expect from the industry. 

Now let’s attack this from the marketing side. Understanding what makes your book unique while also showing how it fits into the existing market is incredibly important.

Emily Mlynek, Director of Marketing at Tor, suggests studying the marketing copy on retailer sites, particularly the "keynote" section at the top of book descriptions.

You can see the “keynote” copy that Mlynek refers to in bold on this Wind and Truth listing.

"There's a whole bunch of research behind what to put in that keynote that will help your book surface or speak to the audience you're looking for," Mlynek explains.

Let’s take a look at another one. 

Another example from our very own Dan Wells.

This one is interesting, since we’re using comparable stories to pull the reader in. Fans of The Hunger Games, Battlestar Galactica, and Blade Runner immediately know that they’re going to be the target audience for this book. The reader is also getting a brief introduction to the author and the types of books they typically write. In this case, it’s fast-paced, action-packed, and aimed at teens. 

If you can master that “keynote” copy for your book, you can use that to pitch your story to literary agents or directly to readers. (Plus, it makes it easier when you tell your family members you’re working on a book and they ask the dreaded question: Oh, what’s it about?

Elements to Include in Your Pitch

When crafting your pitch, check your copy for these elements:

  1. A compelling hook that captures attention in the first sentence
  2. Clear genre positioning that helps readers understand what to expect
  3. Relevant comparisons to well-known books or authors
  4. Unique selling points that set your book apart
  5. A clear indication of the emotional journey or intellectual experience readers can expect

This isn’t an exhaustive list, nor is it a prescriptive one. Instead of using it as a checklist, use it to diagnose potential problems with your pitch or to help you brainstorm pieces of it. You don’t need to include every single element that other authors do, but know that these elements are tried and tested so think carefully if you choose to omit them!

Understanding Your Audience: The Concentric Circle Approach

Now, another part of the process is getting to know your audience. To effectively speak to your future readers, you’ve got to know who they are! This can also be an important step as you craft your pitch. The way you pitch your book may shift depending on what segment of your audience you’re talking to. 

Learning how to do that takes marketers years of practice. But, you can learn the basics and easily apply it to how you talk about your book. Mlynek introduces a valuable framework for understanding your readership through the "concentric circle" model:

  1. Core audience at the center: These are your most dedicated readers who connect deeply with your specific style and themes. They're likely to read everything you write and recommend your work to others.
  2. Affinity audiences in the middle ring: These readers are drawn to specific elements of your work—perhaps they love books about time travel, complex magic systems, or strong family dynamics.
  3. General genre readers in the outer ring: These readers enjoy your genre but need more convincing to try a new author.

Expanding on the idea of tailoring your book pitch, Lauren Grange, publishing industry veteran, emphasizes the importance of segmentation: "Understand who your target market is, and where they are consuming media. Remember that as authors, we're targeting readers who have huge reading lists. You have to be able to cut through the noise and convince them your book is worth their time."

This segmentation approach helps you craft different messages for different audience groups. For your core audience, you might share deeper insights into your writing process or world-building details. For affinity audiences, focus on the specific elements that might draw them in. For general genre readers, emphasize how your book delivers on genre expectations while offering something fresh.

Building Your Platform: Quality Over Quantity

When you get into the publishing industry, you might hear that you need to have a platform to get published successfully (traditionally or independently). According to all of the panelists at Dragonsteel Nexus’s traditional publishing panel from 2024, that is not the case. You shouldn’t be discouraged if you don’t already have a thriving online platform. 

While building a platform is important to cultivate community down the line, raw numbers aren't everything. "Most readers pick up a book because someone they trust recommended it," Lauren Grange notes. This highlights an important point: authentic engagement with fewer dedicated readers often proves more valuable than a larger but less engaged following. What does this mean for you? Don’t stress about doing everything all at once. 

Successful platform building in 2025 focuses on:

  • Creating valuable content that serves your target audience
  • Engaging genuinely with readers and fellow authors
  • Maintaining consistency in your brand voice and message
  • Building relationships with bookstores, book bloggers, and other industry professionals
  • Developing a distinctive author brand that reflects your work's unique qualities

Not doing everything all at once also applies to social media platforms. As Alexis warns, "If you hate Twitter, don't be on Twitter. Do what feels authentic to you." It's better to focus on fewer platforms and build meaningful connections than to spread yourself thin across every channel. Choose platforms where you can consistently engage with your target audience and create content you genuinely enjoy producing.

The Marketing Funnel for Authors

Think of your book's journey to readers as a funnel:

  1. Top of funnel: Your initial hook or pitch, customized for each audience segment. This might include social media posts, blog articles, or newsletter content that attracts potential readers.
  2. Middle of funnel: Deeper engagement through content and community. This is where you build relationships through more detailed content, behind-the-scenes looks at your writing process, or discussions about themes in your work.
  3. Bottom of funnel: Devoted readers who champion your work. These readers not only buy your books but also recommend them to others and engage actively with your content.

"If you understand how it's pitched to the consumer down the chain, you'll know how to pitch it yourself," Ben Grange explains. This means developing different pitches for different audiences—emphasizing world-building for fantasy fans, historical elements for history buffs, or drawing comparisons to recent bestsellers when appropriate.

Your marketing strategy should include specific tactics for each level of the funnel. At the top, focus on discoverability and broad appeal. In the middle, provide value through engaging content and community building. At the bottom, nurture relationships with your most dedicated readers through exclusive content or early access to new work.

Starting Early and Building Resilience

Marketing begins long before publication. This is even more of a reason to get in the mindset early, or at least working to develop it. Publicists and marketers often look for a book's "publicity potential" even during the query process. The Granges recommend that new writers spend time in spaces where their target audience lives online—reading book blogs, watching TikToks, and understanding how readers communicate with each other.

Early marketing activities might include:

  • Building relationships with other authors in your genre
  • Engaging with book bloggers and reviewers
  • Creating content that showcases your expertise or unique perspective
  • Developing a mailing list of interested readers
  • Participating in writing communities and industry conversations

The path to publication involves rejection—sometimes hundreds of rejections. But as Ben Grange advises, "Don't self-reject. Let others say no, but don't give up on yourself or your book." This resilience becomes easier when you're clear about your fundamental motivations and have a solid marketing strategy in place.

Moving Forward

The modern publishing landscape going into 2025 pushes authors to embrace both their creative and business sides. By understanding marketing principles, you're doing so much more than selling books. You're building bridges between your stories and their ideal readers.

Marketing isn't the antithesis of creativity—it's an extension of it. The same imagination that helps you craft compelling narratives can help you find innovative ways to share them with the world. Success in today's publishing environment comes from understanding both the art of storytelling and the science of reaching readers.

What marketing challenges have you faced as an author? Share your experiences in the comments below, and let us know if you'd like to see more content about the modern publishing landscape.

Comments (4)

  • A fellow fantasy lover sent me this article after I told him that I’m writing a fantasy trilogy just for myself, as a side project and away from my work as a full-time professional author. I love my role as forward-facing author, but I’m really interested in exploring the self publishing world, where I can jump through the hoops or not as I see fit. As I started wading into how the heck to do this, I felt overwhelmed with all the information I was being given on clicks and ads and blah blah blah. Suffice it to say: this article saved me! Thank you!!!

    Question: are there reputable freelance publicists/marketing peeps out there who love this aspect of the job and who take on the business side of a project for a fee?

    Celeste Sutton
  • Wow! This is very helpful as it’s easy to neglect the marketing side of things. It can be hard to find where to even start, I like the part about “locking the artist self in the closet”, but how do we even start figuring out the business stuff we may be unfamiliar with? Thank you!

    Oisín W
  • Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment, Winzlow! :) Feel free to let us know if there are any specific topics you’d like us to dig into within the indie and broader publishing sphere. But, I’m happy to say that it is a topic that’s top of mind for us this year!

    Tayan Hatch
  • This is a really insightful article! If I recall, it’s definitely one of the more involved ones put out on the Cognitive Realm so far, and for good reason! This is a really intimidating subject, but one I appreciate getting such loving attention. So far, the hardest part for me has been knowing where to start, but the advice of not spending time on platforms you don’t use can help me narrow my focus that. Thank you for this article! I’d love to see more on this. and other (especially indie) publishing-related topics.

    Winzlow Ford

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