Marketing a book can sometimes feel like hiking uphill through a foggy forest to me. Like I kind of know where I’m going, but the path is murky, and the tools that work for others don’t always apply in my case. May has been a month of trying, pivoting, and accepting what fits for me, and what doesn’t.

🌿 Local Outreach Wins

This month brought a couple of small but meaningful victories on the local front. La Abeja Reina, a fabulous herb store franchise in town, has picked up my El boticario mexicano book. It’s exciting to see it on their shelves and know it’s visible to my local community, even if they don’t buy it, although there have been a few sales. 

A previous win for me was when a store in Monterrey, Cherokee by Nature, began carrying both the El boticario mexicano book and my children’s book Abuelita ¿Qué vamos a hacer hoy? ¡Hagamos rosca de reyes! Seeing them together in a store that aligns with my target audience always makes me smile!

I also had someone reach out locally this month looking for a children’s coloring book I published. He sent his mom to my door to pick it up since it’s no longer available online, and I happened to have one more copy. It took me by surprise, but pleasantly. 

🏛️ Library Roadblocks

I considered submitting my books to my hometown library, but their rules specify that they only accept works by authors who live in or write about the area. I let that idea go since that’s not my current location or focus.

🌎 Challenges with Broader Outreach

Living in a place where bookstores are few and far between and not in an expat hub makes traditional book marketing tricky. I attempted to research English-language bookstores in expat areas of Mexico, but most of the websites I found were outdated or broken, and contact information was nonexistent. So, for now, that path leads to a dead end.

🏆 Awards and Associations: Not My Scene

Many book marketing tips recommend submitting for awards or joining writers’ associations. I’ve realized that’s not where I shine. Submitting my work to awards feels overwhelming, and frankly, terrifying. Chalk it up to introvert hangups. I also tried joining a few Facebook groups for writers, but my feed quickly filled up with spammy posts and irrelevant content. There wasn’t much true networking happening, so I left those groups in the dust. 

🌿 A Human Connection from a Conference

I attended an herbalism conference in March, and while I didn’t go in with marketing as the goal, I ended up on a list shared with about 600 attendees who wanted to stay in touch. I added around 150 of them on Instagram, creating some organic, mutual interest connections. The rest shared emails, and since I’m not big on cold emailing strangers, I let those leads be. Still, I’m grateful for the connections I did make. 

Conclusion

Marketing doesn’t have to look one specific way. It doesn’t have to be loud, award-seeking, or full of Zoom calls and Facebook feeds. For me, it looks like small, intentional steps: placing books in the right hands, showing up where it feels aligned, and connecting with people who genuinely care.

If you’re an introverted or unconventional author walking your own winding trail, know that your way is valid, too.

What strategies have felt most natural for you when sharing your creative work?

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Book Hawking: A Beginner’s Guide to Marketing Your Self-Published Book is your roadmap to turning your hidden gem into a must-read!