🔎 Ever wonder which book marketing strategies actually work? Well, we’re about to find out! In this episode of The Bestseller Experiment, host Sarah Noel Block tests two real-time book marketing strategies:
📚 1. Building a Preliminary Reading Community with Serial Fiction
📱 2. Using TikTok for Discovery
🚀 Plus, a writing update on Strings Attached and why marketing starts before your book is even finished!
📌 Episode Breakdown
📝 Writing Update: Pushing Through Act 3
- Strings Attached is at 53,000 words and deep into the third act.
- The emotional payoff is happening—characters are hurting Sarah’s feelings! 😭
- Goal: Finish the messy first draft within 30 days—no overthinking, just writing.
- Pre-order strategy: Sarah put the book up for pre-order before finishing it, following her marketing-first approach.
📚 Experiment #1: Serial Fiction as a Beta Reader Community
👉 Using Ream to test audience engagement before publishing.
💡 Why Serial Fiction?
- Sarah’s past experience with Kindle Vella + Facebook Groups built an engaged reader base.
- Readers love being part of the early writing process—feedback + community = win!
- Marketing theory: Building demand before launching is key to a bestseller.
📊 Success Metrics Sarah is Tracking:
✅ Engagement: Are people commenting, asking questions, and excited for new chapters?
✅ Retention: Are they coming back for more?
✅ Conversions: Will they become buyers, superfans, and reviewers?
🔹 Platform choice this time: Ream instead of Facebook groups.
🔹 Approach: Keeping it free, simple, and focused on community building.
📱 Experiment #2: TikTok for Book Discovery
👉 Testing engagement strategies to grow an audience before the book launch.
🎯 The Bottom-Up Engagement Technique
- Instead of just posting and hoping for the best, Sarah is engaging strategically:
1️⃣ Reshare niche content
2️⃣ Comment on similar posts
3️⃣ Like posts in her niche
4️⃣ Follow relevant creators - Why? TikTok rewards interaction and community-building—this increases post reach.
📸 The Emotional Hit Slide Format
- Testing 20–30 slide carousel TikToks with emotionally gripping book lines.
- Goal: Hook readers, keep them engaged, and leave them wanting more.
📈 Early Results (2 Weeks In)
- +30 followers (slow and steady growth)
- Key lesson: Virality is unpredictable, but engagement consistency matters!
🎯 Core Marketing Strategy: Audience First, Book Second
Most authors write a book then market it. Sarah flips the script:
✅ Build the audience first
✅ Test engagement + content strategies
✅ Launch with readers already invested
💡 Success = A primed audience, early reviews, and a launch-ready readership!
👀 What’s Next?
📢 In the next episode:
- Writing progress update
- What’s working (and what’s flopping) with these experiments
- New launch strategies to test!
🎧 Want to follow along in real time?
🔗 Check out the Bestseller Experiment podcast!
📱 Follow Sarah on TikTok (@booksheartmusic) for live updates.
👉 Have you tried these book marketing strategies? Drop a comment and share what worked (or didn’t) for you!
🎙️ Thanks for tuning in—see you next time! 🚀
