How to Market a Self-Published Book Without a Huge Budget

Marketing cannot repair a cover that hides the genre or a listing that never says what the book is. Do that work before you spend money.

Pick one owned place readers can find you: a simple page or a newsletter. Social posts disappear. An email list and a stable book page do not.

Ask for reviews from people who actually read the book. Early honest reviews teach the store who else might like it. Do not buy fake reviews. Stores remove them, and readers can tell.

A small ad test is more useful than a big brand campaign you cannot measure. If you use Amazon ads, start with a tight set of keywords and the categories your book truly belongs in. Turn off what does not get read.

Talk about the problem the book solves or the feeling it gives, not about how long you worked. Launch week needs one clear link and one clear ask.

When you want help beyond that — ads, a trailer, press, a fair — Pinallo’s marketing work sits on top of a book that is already packaged clearly.