Marketing a book today is more demanding than ever before, given that a record number of books are published every year – it's an intense competition that doesn't let up. It's why professional book publicists and their marketing firms are in great demand. If you're an author, you need an excellent working relationship with your publicist, regardless of whether you have a publisher or do it independently. Authors also need to do their part before, during, and after a book launch. For example, in the pre-publication stage, building a social media following is essential for marketing.

Nearly every author today is present on social media, and learning what posts resonate most with fans and help you gain followers is crucial. The only way to build a following is to become active socially, and time (and practice) will teach you how to write successful posts. Try to avoid being overly promotional and make your social media entertaining and information. Unless you write about politics and highly charged social issues, avoid those when you can. It's easy for what you feel is an interesting post to alienate some people who might later buy your book. There are many non-controversial things to post.

Your publicist will keep an eye on news and current events while promoting your book, and you can do the same thing. You might be the one to come across something that is a helpful angle for pitching your book to a particular show, website, or publication. Timeliness and newsworthiness are crucial to media relations campaigns, and you want to give yourself and your book every advantage. When your book can become part of a discussion about a trending issuer or event, the media may interview you on the topic. It's one of the ways you can earn the kind of coverage that raises your book's visibility.

Make sure you stay organized and take advantage of every opportunity. A lot of people are competing for the media's attention. Doing something as simple as being slow in returning a phone call or email could cost you an excellent publicity opportunity. Much of success in media relations relies on being a source who is easy to reach and has helpful information. Keeping your website is also a non-negotiable in today's internet-driven world. The content needs to be updated as required, and if you have a blog, there need to be recent posts. People will check it before contacting you – make a good impression.