The best books about how to market and promote a book

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a book publicist and President of Westwind Book Marketing, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. I work with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it's their first book or their 15th book. I’ve handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers, and Adventurers. My clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman's World, and Howard Stern. 


I wrote...

Book cover of Book Title Generator: A Proven System in Naming Your Book

What is my book about?

As a Book Publicist I have helped title hundreds of books and promoted hundreds more. I am a student of book titles and share my nearly three decades of book marketing experience with authors in this book.

 

I ask authors to consider all options in the quest for the perfect book title. From using numbers, alliteration, idioms, and keyword research, Book Title Generator covers them all.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Media Secrets: A Media Training Crash Course

Scott Lorenz Why did I love this book?

When I arrange for my clients to do a radio or podcast interview, some sell books, while others do not. Why is that?

In many cases it’s the little things said during an interview that make people want to buy that book. That’s why Media training is important, because what good is landing an interview if you can’t get the listener/viewer to take action and buy the book? If you take your interviews seriously then read this book. Besides learning tips and techniques you’ll gain confidence which is an important element of any interview. This book is for anyone who is planning on getting media coverage including: Authors, C-Suite Execs, Politicians, and Sports Figures. 

The author Jess Todtfeld worked as a national TV-News Producer at NBC, ABC and FOX News. He coached guests on how to look and sound good for years. Now he brings that experience to his book which is filled with solid advice.

As a book publicist, I recommend this book and give it to my clients to read. Nothing could be more useful. 

By Jess Todtfeld,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Media Secrets as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Strategies for Getting the 
Most From TV, Print, Radio, Internet & 
Social Media Opportunities. The most up to date media training book on the market. The idea of Media is more than just TV, Print, and Radio. Media now includes social media interviews, Skype, Periscope, Facebook Live, Blog interviews. It means Leveraging Traditional and Internet Media. All are important. Includes “Media Training Quick Start” Free Audio Download “Jess Todtfeld is a media training expert.” —The Washington Post


Book cover of How NOT To Write A Book: 12 Things You Should Never Do If You Want to Become an Author & Make a Living With Your Writing

Scott Lorenz Why did I love this book?

Michelle Kulp is a real pro. She works with authors on many levels to help them write and promote their books.  She wrote 12 books in 12 consecutive months thereby creating $3,000 a month in passive income. Not bad eh?

By learning what not to do, authors will have greater success publishing books and making a real living with their writing.

By Michelle Kulp,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How NOT To Write A Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Writers are troubled people. 

Not only do we suffer from writer’s block, but we also battle with intense and persistent resistance that is so powerful we will often do anything and everything… except sit down and write.

How many industries use the word “BLOCK” when talking about their trade or job title, as in Writer’s BLOCK?

Why is writing so hard?  Why do 90% of people say they want to write a book, but according to statistics, only 1% do?  And why are there so many broke and struggling writers that there is a special term for them – STARVING…


Book cover of PyroMarketing: The Four-Step Strategy to Ignite Customer Evangelists and Keep Them for Life

Scott Lorenz Why did I love this book?

Sales of Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life and Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ were driven in part by techniques outlined in PyroMarketing by Greg Stielstra. The essence of the book is to get small groups of people to buy and read your book and tell their friends. You start this by going to the people most likely to want to read your book and expand from there.

This book covers the essential elements of how to motivate people to buy a book and start word-of-mouth marketing. I’ve listened to the audiobook several times as it's just as packed with solid information authors can use.

By Greg Stielstra,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked PyroMarketing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The era of mass marketing is ending-replaced by the power of customer evangelists unleashed through a systematic approach to word-of-mouth called PyroMarketing. Learn how the system that sparked a revolution in the Christian marketplace can fuel the success of your business. Word-of-mouth is the biggest influence on consumer purchases and its influence is growing. How do you tap its power? The key is not some new technology or advertising fad. The best way to understand the marketing process, the way messages are sent, received, acted upon, and spread, is to think of fire. PyroMarketing simplifies word-of-mouth to a four-step system…


Book cover of Let's Get Visible: How To Get Noticed And Sell More Books

Scott Lorenz Why did I love this book?

In my years as a book marketer and book publicist I have found the real experts in this field are other authors. These are the people whose livelihoods depend on selling books. This is not a hobby for David Gaughran, being an author is how he makes a living. As a result, he’s studied, analyzed, and written about what makes a successful book and graciously shared this knowledge with fellow authors.

The fact that he is a bestselling author himself and has taken the time to analyze Amazon in every way conceivable way is reason enough to buy this book. I highly recommend Let’s Get Visible and consider it a must-read for all authors.

By David Gaughran,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Let's Get Visible as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Take your sales to the next level! The author of the award-winning, bestselling Let's Get Digital is back with an advanced guide for more experienced self-publishers.

There are over 4 million books in the Kindle Store, with thousands more added every day. How do you get yours noticed? Visibility isn't a challenge that can be bested once - it requires continual work. But there are tools and strategies to do much of the heavy lifting for you.

In Let's Get Visible: How To Get Noticed And Sell More Books, you'll discover how to:

* Leverage Amazon's famous recommendation engine to…


Book cover of Book Funnels & Amazon Ads: Use Your Book & Amazon Ads To Attract Customers and Build a 6+ Figure Business

Scott Lorenz Why did I love this book?

In Book Funnels & Amazon Ads, Alex draws from his experience of working with hundreds of authors. He delves into Amazon Advertising and reveals how to leverage this unique opportunity to your advantage. Amazon ads can be very effective for authors but you need to educate yourself before diving in. There is too much to know to just ‘wing it.’ This book was written by a person who is first a techie guy and understands Amazon algorithms like you and I will never comprehend.

Follow Alex’s advice and use Amazon ads.

By Alex Strathdee, Gabi Youssef, Josh Navarro

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Book Funnels & Amazon Ads as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Your book was meant…

…to help build your brand.

Why can’t you find the readers?

Alex Strathdee can help. He’s built a successful Amazon Ads consulting business with over $300,000 in ad budget and this book shows you how he did it. If you need to scale your marketing, then you must learn these techniques.

Do you understand book funnels?

He will walk you through every step to build profitable book funnels. You’ll learn the importance of social proof and how to pick a winning title.

Do you know how to run AMS ads profitably?

You’ll learn the art of…


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Trial, Error, and Success: 10 Insights into Realistic Knowledge, Thinking, and Emotional Intelligence

By Sima Dimitrijev, PhD, Maryann Karinch,

Book cover of Trial, Error, and Success: 10 Insights into Realistic Knowledge, Thinking, and Emotional Intelligence

Sima Dimitrijev, PhD Author Of Trial, Error, and Success: 10 Insights into Realistic Knowledge, Thinking, and Emotional Intelligence

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

My core value is realistic education—learning from each other’s errors and successes, but with full awareness of the difference between the determined past and the uncertain future. We can benefit from uncertainty, which I’ve been doing for a living as an engineer, academic researcher, and inventor. I make use of knowledge and science as much as possible, but I also know that strategic decisions for the uncertain future require skepticism and thinking to deal with the differences in a new circumstance. With my core value, I am passionate about sharing insights and knowledge that our formal education does not provide.

Sima's book list on realistic knowledge and decision making

What is my book about?

Everything in nature evolves by trial, error, and success—from fundamental physics, through evolution in biology, to how people learn, think, and decide.

This book presents a way of thinking and realistic knowledge that our formal education shuns. Stepping beyond this ignorance, the book shows how to deal with and even benefit from uncertainty by skeptical thinking, strategic decisions, and teamwork based on enlightened self-interests.

This bottom-up thinking is thought-provoking for leaders who wish to build teams rather than herds. The insights in the book will help you to be better prepared for the unexpected, less likely to conform when you…

Trial, Error, and Success: 10 Insights into Realistic Knowledge, Thinking, and Emotional Intelligence

By Sima Dimitrijev, PhD, Maryann Karinch,

What is this book about?

Everything in nature evolves by trial, error, and success. They didn't teach you this in school, even though you should know why the rigid laws of physics don't rule nature and don't inhibit your free-will decisions to try, fail, and succeed. As a guide to success, this book shows how skepticism, prudent use of science, and thinking lead to strategic decisions for the uncertain future.
 
Presenting real-life examples, the thinking in the book combines sharp analyses with broad analogies to show:
 
How to identify realistic knowledge and avoid harm due to overgeneralized concepts. How to create new knowledge and solve…


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