Creating an Author Marketing Budget
Taking your marketing plan, and putting dollars and cents behind it.
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Hi Authors!
Last time, we talked about creating an author marketing plan.
As we said, a marketing plan not only helps you promote your book and build your brand, but it also puts you in the mindset of being an author. The purpose of a marketing plan is to create discoverability of you and your book, get your book into the marketplace, and create interest so readers will buy it.
Once you’ve created your plan, the next step to create a budget for it.
Creating a Budget
You can’t have a marketing plan without a budget. Some authors have a limited budget and will therefore have to concentrate their marketing on free things like social media posts or creating videos with their smartphones. Some authors will have a larger budget to attend events that have costs associated with them, or paying for advertising.
A realistic marketing budget for a debut book often ranges from $200–$2,000 for a modest launch, though more ambitious campaigns can reach $3,000–$5,000.
There are many resources available to guide you on how to make a budget, so please do your research or ask for help. When marketing a book, there are a few things you should consider for your budget:
Website expenses - Every author should have a website. You can create and manage one yourself, or pay someone else to do it.
Book purchase costs - You should always have personal copies on-hand for signing events, donating, etc. Also, prior to your book launch, you’ll want ARCs (Advance Review Copies) for soliciting reviews and endorsements.
Bookmarks, event posters, and other physical marketing material - This are the things you’d bring with you to public author appearances.
Travel expenses - This includes the cost of traveling to events, and lodging (if necessary).
Paid advertising - This includes things like Amazon ads, Facebook ads, BookBub promotions, and newsletter sponsorships.
Help with social media postings - A lot of people these days are comfortable managing their own social media accounts. If you’re not, make sure to factor in the cost of paying someone else to do it.
Publicist (if you hire one)
Event costs - Some author and vendor events are free. Others aren’t, including your own book launch party.
Book trailer - Online videos are a great (and increasingly popular) method for bringing attention to your books. It’s possible to make your own, but there are video professionals that do a very good job.
Award entry fees - Winning awards is a great way of creating attention and legitimacy for your book. Most awards require an entrance feel from authors.
It’s important to update your marketing plan every year because the market changes and so do budgets. But remember, books do not have expiration dates. Keeping your book seen and relevant can help you have sales for many years.
