In many ways, fiction is more challenging to market than nonfiction. Novelists must think creatively to apply the marketing tactics commonly used for nonfiction books.
Fiction authors need to find promotional "hooks" within their books. It might be the profession or hobby of the main character in a novel, or the town or historical era where the story is set, or some aspect of the book that relates to current news or events.
The key is to market to "like-minded people" or people who have an interest in some specific aspect of the story.
If one of the main characters is a horse trainer, then horse lovers are a natural target market. A story involving corporate scandal could be tied to today's headlines. Southerners identify with novels set in the South. If the story line involves a particular health condition or ethnic group, that could be a hook. A book that's set during the civil rights movement will appeal to people who are interested in that topic or era.
Phyllis Zimbler Miller has done an excellent job of marketing her Vietnam-era novel, Mrs. Lieutenant, to military audiences. Can you think of other examples of promotional hooks for fiction?
July 10, 2009
Oddly enough, I stumbled across this concept in my novel. I've had a lot of feedback from nurses saying they got interested in my book because the lead character is a nurse.
Posted by: Bryce Beattie | July 13, 2009 at 01:16 PM