At the start of 2025, many publishing experts released their predictions for the year's biggest book marketing trends. They predicted that artificial intelligence tools would enable writers to create marketing copy in seconds. They used tools to find genres that could see explosive growth. They debated what social media tools would be popular.
In all of those articles, one thing was missing. It's not flashy or shiny. It won't lead you to 20X your sales (whatever that means.) In the indie publishing world, it means everything,
Humanity.
Time and time again, humanity is the number one thing that sells books.
Numbers don't buy books. People do.
You can spend thousands of dollars on a bespoke ad campaign, book a spot on every television and radio program you can find, and attend every event, but if readers don't see you as human, your book won't sell.
Conversely, if you connect with readers on a personal level, your book will sell.
What does that mean?
Tell people about your book
In September, I had the honour of attending the InScribe Christian Writers Fellowship's Fall Conference. This is a big event where Canadian Christian writers gather to learn from each other, talk with each other, and discover opportunities. I ran the book table, so I had first-hand insight into which books sold and which books languished.
The authors of the best-selling books talked about their work. Sometimes, authors mentioned them during a panel. Other times, they came up in a casual conversation. This also applied to newsletters. Even with a love of reading, attendees were more likely to do something when they knew the author.
This became clear to me when an author who was absent on day one attended day two. Day one had no sales. Day two had at least ten. Readers told me that they were excited to read it because of the way the author spoke about it.
Don't waste time on activities you hate
I'm putting this in the middle because I know this goes against what other book marketers say. They insist that you need to be on the latest social media apps, follow current trends, and use expensive, complicated toolkits to maximize sales.
To me, that is a lie. If you are doing activities you hate, you might make more money, but you will be burned out and miserable.
Does technology make you stressed? Don't commit to a big digital advertising campaign.
Does public speaking make you want to hide? You don't have to read your book in front of a crowd.
Does writing a weekly newsletter send you into shock? Only send one a month.
Your time is far too precious to spend on something you hate. Enjoyment is as important as profit. Honestly, readers can tell if you hate doing something. In those cases, you would be better off writing. We've questioned if you'd be better off writing in this post.
Find your community
Writing is a solitary experience, but people are communal. Authors are people. Think of the friendly rivalry between C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien or the close bond between Truman Capote and Harper Lee. Where would Charlotte Bronte be without her sisters?
Writing communities let authors exchange ideas and connect. They help each other through challenges and celebrate their successes. With the internet, you can find communities for any genre and experience level. Libraries often host writing workshops too. Communities connect people and put their humanity in focus.
I've even noticed the power of humanity in these blog posts. Right now, the most popular posts tell stories about our author's successes or put an unexpected twist on a topic.
If you're interested in a strong, supportive writing community, the Nestbuilders group is a perfect place to go. We love seeing authors flourish. Nestbuilders has a weekly coaching call where you can get advice from Siretona staff and your fellow authors, Replays are available to find any answer you could possibly want. You'll get personal assessments to understand how you work. We have a discussion board and event links. We would be overjoyed to have you join us here!
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