If you're an author with a published book, but you're sitting there watching other authors seem to take off faster than you are, this video is specifically for you.
I'm Jenn Hanson-dePaula, and I’m a marketing expert with over 25 years of experience - I’ve seen it all. And I want to talk to you about something that I see happening all the time with talented authors, just like you, who have great books to share with the world.
You wrote your book because you have a story to tell or expertise worth sharing. Whether you're a fiction author with an amazing story or a non-fiction author with valuable insights, you know your book has something special to offer. But now you're watching other people - maybe people who just started writing - and their books seem to be getting all the attention while yours feels... invisible.
Here's what I'm going to share with you today: why speed isn't actually the metric that matters, what's really happening behind those "overnight successes," and the sustainable approach that actually builds long-term readership and success. Plus, I've got a complete book marketing system that'll help you build a real audience of people who actually want to read your books.
So, let me paint a picture for you that might feel familiar. You wake up, you check social media, and there's another post about someone's book hitting a bestseller list. Or you see someone celebrating their book launch with what looks like thousands of engaged followers.
Meanwhile, you're over here thinking, "I've been working on my platform for months. I put my heart into this book." or "I have real expertise to share. My book could genuinely help people." So why does it feel like you’re shouting into the void?
You start questioning everything. Maybe you're not posting enough. Maybe you need to be more dramatic in your marketing. Maybe you resort to thinking that dancing on TikTok will do the trick. I promise you, it’s not. Maybe you start to think that you need to hire a publicist you can't afford.
If this resonates with you, I want you to know - you're not behind. You're not doing it wrong. And you're definitely not alone.
What I want to share with you today is something I call the "Sustainable Authority Approach." It's the opposite of what you see people doing online, but it's what actually works for authors like you who want their book to build their author business for years to come, not just create a quick spike in sales.
Before I dive into the three parts of this approach, I want to offer you something that'll help you implement this immediately. I've created a complete Book Marketing Starter Kit specifically for authors that gives you everything you need to get started marketing your book effectively - step-by-step strategies, templates, and a clear roadmap. You can grab that at the link in the description.
The first part is choosing depth over speed.
Here's what I mean by that.
Those "overnight successes" you're seeing? Most of them aren’t even real - and if they are they aren't sustainable. They're built on trends, on viral moments, on tactics that work for a few weeks and then disappear, or on complete accident.
What you want is different. You want people who read your book, become genuine fans, and then become repeat buyers. If you're a fiction author, you want readers who eagerly await your next book and recommend you to their friends and book clubs. If you're a non-fiction author, you want readers who not only buy your book but also seek out your other work, maybe hire you for speaking, or refer you to others.
That doesn't happen just by chance from one viral TikTok about your dog or gimmicky marketing. It happens from consistently showing up and connecting with your readers in a way that makes them think, "This author really gets it. I want to read everything they write."
The authors I work with who see the best results from their books? They focus on building real relationships with their readers instead of chasing follower counts.
The second part is Systems Over Scrambling
One of the biggest mistakes I see authors make is treating their book marketing like a side hobby. They're posting randomly, hoping something sticks. They're trying every new platform. They're saying yes to every opportunity, even if it's not a great fit for their book or their audience.
But here’s what I want you to remember: effective book marketing doesn't require you to be everywhere. It requires you to be strategic about where you are.
The authors who see real results have simple systems. They focus on just one or maybe two platforms. Maybe they send one really good newsletter a week. Maybe they do one quality podcast interview per month instead of saying yes to every podcast that will have them.
Systems give you the freedom to focus on what you do best while your marketing continues working for you in the background.
And the third part - this is the most important one - is relationships over reach.
I would rather you have 500 people on your newsletter list who actually read your emails and love your work than 5,000 followers who scroll past your posts.
Your book isn't just competing with bestsellers on Amazon for everyone's attention. Your book is competing for attention with everything else in your ideal reader's busy life. And the only way to win that competition is to make them feel seen and understood.
When someone reads your content and thinks, "How does she know exactly what I'm going through?" or "This author totally gets the challenges I’m facing" - that's when the magic happens. That's when they buy your book. That's when they recommend you to others. That's when they become lifelong fans.
This is why I love newsletters for authors. Email is personal. It's direct. It builds real relationships. You own that list. And those relationships turn into book sales and loyal readership.
Let me tell you about one of my clients - I'll call him David. David's a leadership coach who had written this really valuable book about team dynamics. But six months after publication, he felt like he was spinning his wheels.
He was trying to keep up with Instagram, posting on LinkedIn, attempting TikTok - all the things everyone said he "had to" do as an author. But he was exhausted, and frankly, none of it felt authentic to who he was as a person or as a professional.
So we implemented this sustainable approach, but instead of focusing on social media, we decided David would focus on what he was actually good at - having conversations. We mapped out a podcast guest strategy.
Here's what we did: Instead of trying to be everywhere online, David committed to being a guest on just two quality podcasts per month. But here's the key - he created a valuable free resource specifically for podcast listeners: a team assessment tool that related directly to his book's content.
Every time he was on a podcast, he'd mention this free tool naturally in the conversation. He’d say something like, "If you're struggling with team dynamics like we just discussed, I have a free assessment that helps you identify exactly where the friction points are. You can grab the link in the show notes."
Within six months, David had been on 12 podcasts. His newsletter list grew from basically zero to over 1,200 subscribers. But here's the important part - these weren't random people. These were leaders and managers who had heard him speak about exactly the problems they were facing.
His book sales tripled. But more importantly, he started getting speaking inquiries and coaching clients directly from people who said, "I heard you on [podcast name], downloaded your assessment, and knew you were exactly who we needed to work with."
David didn't build a massive social media following. He didn't go viral. He just had authentic conversations with the right people, and those people became his readers and clients.
If David's story sounds like something you want for your author career, here's what I want you to do.
First, grab that Book Marketing Starter Kit I mentioned. You get the complete step-by-step system to set up your marketing authentically and effectively. It includes everything David and I implemented, plus strategies for every type of author. Link is in the description below.
Second, if you want to dive deeper into building that reader relationship system - the newsletters, the email sequences, all of that - check out my Newsletter Starter Kit. It's the perfect complement to the book marketing foundation and gives you everything you need to nurture those readers for the long term.
Remember, you're not behind. Your timeline doesn't have to look like anyone else's timeline. Your book has value, your story matters, and there are readers out there who need exactly what you offer.
The question isn't whether you can build an audience around your book. The question is whether you're willing to do it in a way that actually serves your writing career and aligns with who you are.
I'll see you next week.
