Marketing Basics on a Budget: An Interview with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of The Frugal Book Promoter
Indie authors often assume that marketing will cost an arm and a leg. Or they're embarrassed to promote themselves at all. Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of The Frugal Book Promoter, shares advice for bold and effective marketing on a budget.
Annie Mydla, Managing Editor
Book marketing is among the top stressors for many of our North Street Book Prize entrants. Enter Carolyn Howard-Johnson, book promotion expert, marketing coach, and North Street co-sponsor. Her forthcoming new edition of How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically will show authors how to leverage "forever reviews" to keep books selling far into the future. This interview covers her effective (and frugal) approach to marketing, how to choose your marketing strategies, forever reviews, and more.
ANNIE MYDLA: Many authors assume that promoting their own books will be expensive. Meanwhile, you're an expert on marketing frugally. What in our culture is perpetuating the idea that marketing must cost an arm and a leg? And what makes your approach so effective?
CAROLYN HOWARD-JOHNSON: Culturally? It's evident most every day on the web. You may recognize the frequent re-occurrence of promotions that claim to be "shameless!" The subtext of that, of course, is there is something to be ashamed of, which for starters makes it ineffective. The second thing that occurs to me is that this approach never seems to occur when the item being advertised or promoted is blatantly commercial like a luxury car or satin pillowcases. We creatives are more prone to be infected with a notion that somehow what we do is head-and-shoulders above the occupations of others, more desirable or ethical, et cetera. My biggest challenge is somehow breaking puritanical misconceptions.
After that, I need to convince my readers, students, clients that the "same old" methods used since Steinbeck's time and the invention of the Gutenberg press still work, but need to be updated. The web can change gears in any given moment. Even the Big Five publishers have different expectations than before. Their budgets are slimmer! I can quote my own amazing agent, Terrie Wolf, ad infinitum on that. Publishers expect authors to have great "platforms" that display both know-how and a willingness to participate.
So, what is the main driver behind these changes in recent times? It wasn't until the dawn of this millennium that the advent of the web and the increasing independence of authors began to be more inclusive and make us all more knowledgeable, more in control of our own destinies. Frankly, that made my job easier. Authors—indies or traditionally published—generally have an independent streak of their own. Maybe even a frugal streak fostered by parents and grandparents who lived through the Great Depression.
AM: Working in the Winning Writers critique service, I often come across authors who aren't sure whether they'll self-publish or try for traditional publishing. Are there any differences between marketing a manuscript to an agent or publisher, and marketing a self-published book directly to readers? How can authors decide which is best for them?
CHJ: Fewer differences all the time. And it never hurts to emulate success. The industry still operates on the mechanics of query letters, reviews, ARCs. The differences are in the details. Someone in the process of writing a book—their first book—should spend some time learning not only the basics the industry expects from a query letter, but how to tailor it for different occasions, and when it might work in their favor to break the rules.
As a new author, even though I had a background in journalism, retailing (bookstores are retailers!), marketing (USC, public relations) and New York jobs in fashion publicity and magazine editorial, I made the awful mistake of not understanding the basics—such as getting query letters (requests) out to media influencers before their hard-to-fathom-but-reasonable deadlines. I mean, these are the supermedia that influence other media on down the line. Naturally, I'm covering this in great detail in my soon-to-be-published book on getting ethical reviews. And all my how-to books include sample query letters in their appendices.
My agent offers her authors—both the experienced ones and the newbies—monthly Zoom sessions in both marketing—especially generally frugal online marketing—and in building those platforms that make it easier for her to interest publishers worldwide in translation and distribution rights at the international book fairs and tradeshows she attends. She has also been known to give copies of the third edition of my book The Frugal Book Promoter to her clients, so they can understand how to help her close those deals.
AM: Your upcoming book discusses some very new concepts, like the "forever review". What is a forever review, and how can authors take advantage of it?
CHJ: The second edition of How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically will probably be released before the holidays this year or early in 2026 by Modern History Press. I originally self-published it because I recognized early on when I was still teaching classes for UCLA Extension's world-renowned writers' department, that reviews are the driving force behind great book marketing campaigns and the advent of the web was going to increase the "forever" aspect of their value. Trouble is, nearly a quarter century after acceptance of alternative ways to publish began to flourish, most indie authors and publishers aren't using them effectively to meet these magical opportunities head-on. Reviews can be used by a publisher or author to extend the life of a book, even to revive titles with sales that have lagged. Even to qualify them for new awards like the Eric Hoffer Legacy Award!
It is my belief that many authors’ publishing dates miss arbitrary release date windows. These deadlines exclude talented authors whose books deserve the attention that contests like #NorthStreetBookPrize offer their winners. [Editor's note: The North Street Book Prize from Winning Writers accepts books published in any year, even from decades ago.] Everyone who wins your contest also receives an assortment of benefits from this prize’s sponsors, including me.
AM: As a key co-sponsor of the North Street Book Prize, you give an hour-long marketing consultation to each of our Grand Prize and First Prize winners annually. You also work with clients on a private basis. Has there ever been a particular insight you've offered that clients have been surprised to hear?
CHJ: Most of these authors—all of them accomplished!—are surprised that their book—especially now that it is a prize winner!—appeals to demographics far beyond the genre or topic they write in. I hope any author lucky enough to read this article, Annie, will reread their own book with that in mind, including these:
The different settings (towns, states, regions) in each scene.
The professions of all the characters.
Are there any animals, pets, environmental issues involved?
Any specific religions.
Does the book cross genres in some way? For instance, a romance set in Wyoming can easily be marketed to libraries in Wyoming—maybe the entire Intermountain West.
AM: What advice would you give to an author who's on the fence about whether to promote their own book?
CHJ: Plan on promoting it—as partners with your publisher or without. But be aware you are not alone. There are experts out there who can help; once you've learned from them and used their resources, you can duplicate that with your next book. Notice, I did not suggest not promoting it. Unless you think of your book as a hobby and intend to give it as gifts, your book must be marketed. Even the gift-giving idea above is a kind of marketing. And while we're at it, a big percentage of those books will never be read. Your book deserves the best from you no matter how you publish.
AM: Where can authors go to learn more about frugal book promotion and your new book?
CHJ: Oh! Annie, you touched on another area where I have to write whole chapters in my book to convince them of the good Amazon can do for their book. Amazon sells 60% of books worldwide. Sure, I have a website. Sure I blog. Sure I speak and present at conferences! (These days I prefer Zoom appearances!)
But Amazon sells books in Mexico, Japan, Europe, UK! I treasure each reader. Even the world's biggest publishers put their books on Amazon. And it's about as frugal as you can get. AND here's one of my #TheFrugalBookPromoterTips. If you write a series, ask Amazon (or your publisher) to get the free series page that Amazon offers. Find my #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers from Modern History Press to see what one looks like, here: Amazon even supplies the triptych at the top of the page! I use mine everywhere!
Categories: Advice for Writers, Annie in the Middle
