How to market a book in India.
Publishing the book is half the work. The other half is getting it in front of people who have never heard of you — and that half runs on a timeline that starts weeks before your launch date, not after it.
Most authors start marketing a month too late.
By the time a book is live on Amazon, the work that decides how it sells has already happened or already been missed. Here is the order things need to go in.
Build something to launch to
Reviews take weeks to arrive and cannot be rushed on launch day. Reviewers need the book in hand well before it is on sale, and an audience takes time to assemble.
- Sample chapters out to reviewers and bloggers
- Author website live, so there is somewhere to send people
- Social accounts posting before you have something to sell
- Launch event date set and venue confirmed
Concentrate everything
Retail algorithms respond to concentrated activity. Sales spread evenly across three months do far less for visibility than the same number in one week.
- Launch event with press invited
- Promotional banners across every channel at once
- Video trailer released
- Newspaper and media coverage timed to the date
Keep it alive
The most common mistake is stopping. A book that sold in week one and vanished in week four had a marketing problem, not a writing one.
- Reviews continuing to land over months
- Email marketing to readers who already bought
- Bookmarks and physical collateral in circulation
- Retail and airport placement — see distribution
Eleven things we can do for your book.
Most of these are already part of your publishing package. The label on each card tells you which.
Social media promotion
Your book promoted across Facebook, X and Instagram, with posts built around the book rather than generic announcements.
Promotional banners
Designed graphics for social channels and listings. From five on the entry packages up to twenty on the flagship.
Book reviews
Your book placed with book bloggers and reviewers so that it arrives on retail listings with reviews already attached.
Email marketing
Campaigns to reader lists, timed around your launch and follow-up promotions.
Newspaper & media coverage
Placement in national and regional press. See where our authors have appeared.
Trailers & video
A short promotional film for your book, built for YouTube and social feeds.
Book launch events
Organised launches with press invited and coverage coordinated around the date.
Bookmarks & collateral
Physical promotional material printed and put into the hands of actual readers.
Sample chapters
Your opening chapters distributed online and through retail bookstores, so readers can try before they buy.
Author website
A personal site under your own name — somewhere to send readers that isn't a retail listing, and somewhere your next book already has an audience waiting.
Android application
A custom app for your book, handling direct sales and sample content without a retailer's margin in between.
Check what your package already includes
Marketing is not a separate purchase you make after publishing. Most of it is already in the plan you chose — this is exactly what changes between the packages.
| Marketing feature | Pocket Book | Leopard 1 | Leopard 2 | Jaguar | Cheetah | Lion | Tiger |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social promotion | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Promotional banners | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
| Book reviews | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | 5 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| Email marketing | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Media coverage | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Bookmarks | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | ✓ | ✓ |
| Video trailer | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | 25% off | ✓ |
| Book launch event | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | ✓ |
Author website, Android application and sample-chapter distribution are add-ons on every package. Anything marked Add-on can be bought with any plan — ask your project manager for a quote. Compare all seven packages.
What actually sells books.
And the thing nobody says
Marketing cannot fix a book that isn't ready. If your manuscript needs another edit, spend the money there first — a well-promoted book with poor reviews is worse off than an unpromoted one, because the reviews are permanent and the campaign isn't. See editing services.
Book marketing in India, answered
How do I market a self-published book in India?+
Start before the book is on sale. Get sample chapters to reviewers weeks ahead, because reviews cannot be rushed on launch day. Have somewhere to send people — an author website rather than a retail listing. Concentrate your activity into launch week, because retail algorithms respond to concentrated sales far more than to the same number spread over months. Then keep going: most books stop being marketed four weeks after launch.
Is book marketing included in the publishing packages?+
A lot of it is. Social promotion and promotional banners are on every package. Book reviews come in from Jaguar upward, email marketing from Cheetah, media coverage from Cheetah, bookmarks on Lion and Tiger, and video trailer and launch event on Tiger. Check the table above before buying anything separately.
How do I get reviews for my book?+
Reviewers need the book in hand well before it goes on sale, so this starts in the pre-launch phase. We place titles with book bloggers and reviewers so that the listing goes live with reviews already attached rather than sitting at zero. Book reviews are included from the Jaguar package upward and available as an add-on below that.
Do I need a website as an author?+
It helps more than most authors expect. A retail listing belongs to the retailer and disappears when the book stops selling; a site under your own name is somewhere to send readers, somewhere press can find your details, and somewhere your next book already has an audience waiting.
How much does book marketing cost?+
Most of it is already priced into your publishing package. Anything beyond that is quoted individually, because it depends on the title, the genre and what you already have in place. Tell us which package you are on and what you want to add, and we will quote against it.
When should I start marketing my book?+
Weeks before publication, not after. By the time the book is live, the reviews that decide how the listing performs have either been secured or missed. Talk to your project manager about the launch plan while the book is still in design.
Tell us the book and the date. We'll build the plan backwards from it.
Which package you're on, when you want to launch, and who you think reads this book. That's enough for us to tell you what to do first.
