While we often talk about authors as a collective whole, the truth is that the advice we give to nonfiction writers often doesn’t apply to those who write fiction—precisely because each set of authors is involved in such a different process (and product).
When publishing traditionally, nonfiction authors need a book proposal while fiction authors need a query letter. Nonfiction authors need a chapter outline, while fiction authors need a completed manuscript. Despite what they say, what’s good for the goose isn’t always good for the gander. Especially if that gander is looking to market a book to a niche audience.
Though their marketing approaches might be broadly similar, there are still key differences in how nonfiction and fiction authors must think about strategy. Let’s get into some of the most important considerations that you should have for your book marketing, depending on which genre you write.
Four differences to consider…
1. Social media
One golden rule of marketing, of course, is to go where your readers are. If you’re an author, that means you should take time to get in your audience’s head: who are they? What websites do they frequent? What bookshelves do they browse? Where can you uniquely reach them? Where are they when they’re in the mood to buy some books?
Because your target audience is so central that it will likely inform everything about your book marketing strategy, this is also likely where you’ll see the marketing plans for a nonfiction and a fiction author first beginning to diverge.
- Where might you find fiction readers on social media? TikTok is a juggernaut here, particularly in genre fiction like romance and mystery — though the odd literary fiction title has also been known to take off thanks to the thriving #BookTok community.
- Conversely, where will you find nonfiction readers on social media? LinkedIn, the social network for serious professionals, is a good bet. TikTok, less so. That’s not to say that it’d be impossible for nonfiction writers to go viral on TikTok, but the chances are lower.
Of course, some social media platforms have broad appeal: both nonfiction and fiction authors should consider Instagram, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter), for instance. And both groups should think seriously about creating an author website for themselves.
However, to get the attention of your ideal demographic, you’ll need to tailor the content of what you post on all of these social media platforms to your target reader, which leads me to…
2. Book descriptions
Ever come across a blurb for a rom-com book that stoically goes, “This book will offer you a fresh perspective on ten rules that are guaranteed to help you find love again”? Or a description for a nonfiction book that tells you all of the tropes that you should be prepared to find inside?
Probably not! And that’s because book descriptions are also acutely tailored to the genre.
Nonfiction authors will want to get straight to the point in their book descriptions. Readers pick up nonfiction books because they want to learn something—to that end, a nonfiction author should be looking to use their book descriptions to answer questions such as these:
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- Who is the book for?
- What problem does it solve?
- What can a reader expect to learn?
- How does your nonfiction book promise to be different from all of the other nonfiction books in your niche? (Does it contain new, cutting-edge information? Are you tackling the topic from a previously ignored angle?)
- What unique expertise do you bring to the table as an author?
Fiction blurbs, on the other hand, often appeal to a reader’s curiosity. They want to make a reader wonder: “What would happen in this premise?” or “Well, how would that scenario play out?” That directly impacts the book description for a fiction book, which usually tries to capture questions like these:
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- What’s the "hook?
- Can you hint at the book’s plot, themes, and key characters?
- What’s the central conflict in your book?
- What are your book’s comparable titles in the genre?
Your book description is a critical marketing tool—it’s a deciding factor in the conversion funnel, since a reader’s decision to purchase your book will hinge on how much they want to read on after they skim your blurb. Needless to say, you’ll want to get it right, depending on which book you’re writing!
3. Author platform
Make no mistake: all authors need some kind of author platform (this is where the social media that we talked about earlier, along with an author website, comes into play). How you frame your author platform may differ depending on whether you’re a nonfiction or fiction author, however.
For nonfiction authors, credibility is key. As I mentioned, readers tend to pick up a nonfiction book because they want to learn something new. You have to convince them that you’re the right person with the right knowledge to teach them that missing piece of knowledge — which is why you should lean heavily on any credentials in your author bio. Don’t be shy when it comes to talking up your qualifications, previous publications, media appearances, and awards!
Building this trust with readers in your author bio through your past experience and background is also important if you’re a fiction author, of course. But you have a little bit more leeway to add a fun fact about yourself or two, and tailor your bio more specifically to your specific genre (if you’re writing a comedy novel, for instance, you may want to write your bio in a more humorous tone).
4. Book cover
You may have repeatedly heard that a book cover is your #1 marketing tool, and that’s for a simple reason: because it’s true. A good cover can convince a reader to click on a book’s thumbnail while they’re browsing online.
Because covers are so important, we always suggest hiring a professional book designer. That’s not just because a professional knows how to use Adobe Illustrator better than you; they will also know the genre conventions that come with the book cover in question.
To see this in action, all you need to do is take a look at existing book covers. It’s very likely, for instance, to see a book cover for a nonfiction book rely solely on typography and bold colors to communicate a clear message. Meanwhile, the imagery on a novel’s cover might be a little bit more creative to appeal to the reader’s emotions. If you’re not sure what to go for—just take a lead from the bestsellers in your category and you won’t go far wrong.
. . . and one similarity
I’ve covered a couple of the differences between marketing for a fiction book versus a nonfiction book by now, so let’s end on a unifying note by talking about one similarity.
All nonfiction and fiction authors have to put all of these different ingredients together, and do the real, hard work of marketing a book—whether it’s by spreading the word through advertising platforms (like Amazon Ads or Facebook Ads), using book promotion services, or acquiring book reviews.
And though it might seem overwhelming at first, don’t forget that once you publish a book, you’re part of the supportive indie publishing community. You should never feel afraid to reach out to your fellow authors for advice, because (like I wrote about in a previous post) it might be called “independent” publishing, but that doesn’t mean you’re in it alone. At the end of the day, the biggest similarity is that we’re all authors who are in this together.
