Behind the Scenes of Book Publicity, Part 2: The Magical World of Influencer Outreach!
Author Diary #8: Origami Roses, Book Boxes, BookTok, Bookstagram, Book Substack, and more
Hello, Protagonists! In this post, you’ll find:
🤓 Reader’s Corner - What I’m Reading This Week
🌼 My Super Fun Origami Workshop with Book Influencers
🌟 Behind the Scenes of Book Publicity, Part 2: The Magical World of Influencer Outreach!
🤓 Reader’s Corner - What I’m Reading This Week
City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim (novel, general fiction) - Ballet, White Nights in St. Petersburg, and a former prima ballerina trying to come back from career-ending injury while torn between two men: the dancer who is the love of her life, and the Mariinsky Theatre director who made her past miserable but has now given her the chance to dance again. I am loving this one so far!
“How Texting Undermines Dialogue and Relationships” (article, The Conversation) - Why you should think twice before using shorthand like ‘thx’ and ‘k’ in your texts. This was an interesting look at how language has evolved in our modern technological age, and the power that writing has on our real lives.
🌼 My Super Fun Origami Workshop with Book Influencers
My upcoming novel, The Incredible Kindness of Paper (out on August 12th), features yellow paper roses. So last week ago, I hosted a really fun virtual origami workshop for book influencers (from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Substack) to help spread the word that we’re less than 3 months from book release!
I hired a teacher from Taro’s Origami Studio to lead the event. First, they taught us a little about the history of origami and the different types of paper-folding art.
Since this was publicity/marketing for my book, we stayed on theme and learned how to make yellow origami roses.
It was a unique, hands-on activity that everyone enjoyed—even if our end results were more like crumpled post-it notes than paper roses!
Maybe the best part was that we also made tiny paper hats… which seemed to fit perfectly on pets’ heads!
🌟 Behind the Scenes of Book Publicity, Part 2: The Magical World of Influencer Outreach!
Today I’m deep-diving into one of the most fun (and sometimes mysterious) aspects of modern book promotion: working with BookTok, Bookstagram, YouTube, and Substack book influencers.
Books and Readers: A Love Story
The beauty of this whole process is that it’s about connecting people with stories they'll love. When done with authenticity and care, everyone wins—the influencer discovers a book they enjoy, their audience finds a new story to fall into, and authors like me get to share our work with readers who might truly connect with it.
Finding Your Bookish Kindred Spirits
The first step in any influencer campaign is finding the right people to connect with. This isn’t about chasing follower counts—it’s about finding real connections.
Research accounts that truly align with your genre - Look specifically for accounts that feature books with themes similar to yours. It’s tempting to target only the biggest accounts, but relevance matters more than size!
Focus on engagement, not just follower count - Some of the best campaigns will be with micro-influencers (5 - 10k followers) but whose audiences are SUPER engaged. Their followers trust them implicitly, which is worth more than a casual scroll from a million strangers.
Build relationships before pitching - If you love their content, don’t be shy about letting them know. Just like I love to hear from readers who enjoy my books, influencers work hard to make their videos and posts, and they really love being appreciated, too,
Crafting Outreach That Doesn't Make You Cringe
Ugh, I get it. Reaching out is awkward. But I’ve been at it for a while (10 books over 10 years, plus I’m now on the receiving end of pitches because of my podcast), so here are a few more things I’ve learned:
Personalize your initial message - Generic messages get deleted fast. It’s better if you can reference specific content they've created to show that you’ve thought this through and know they’re a good fit for the book you’re sharing.
Be clear but concise about expectations - Nobody likes surprises (well, except good ones like cake). I explain what I’m offering when I do my outreach, making it clear there are no obligations.
Offer value first - My husband, Tom, is so good at giving, not taking. Author-influencer relationships are like that, too. So I approach influencers with what I can offer them—content their audience will love—rather than just what they can do for me. (This is similar to my point in Book Publicity, Part 1, when collaborating with other authors.)
Creating Events and Promo Boxes That Make People Squeal
Since I already talked about my virtual origami workshop, I’ll focus on another book publicity delight: promo boxes or mailers.
They are SO. MUCH. FUN. It's like creating little worlds in boxes!
Make the unboxing experience memorable - I can spend way too much time (is there such a thing?) designing packaging that creates a little moment of joy. Presentation matters—think tissue paper, ribbons, or small details that build anticipation. Influencers and their audiences are looking for beautiful visuals, so give it to them!
Include book-relevant items - For one of my recent novels, The Hundred Loves of Juliet, my publisher and I included gifts that connected to key moments in the story—a miniature Nutella jar with a Sebastien & Helene label (I got this off Etsy! The secret: look for wedding favors that are personalize-able), a copy of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, some pens that looks like antique keys, and a leather journal because in the story, Sebastien writes in diaries for each of his lifetimes. (You can see that book box here.)
Small can be mighty! - If your marketing budget is small, bubble mailers can also pack a punch! Spring for 50 or so customized bubble mailers and include your book and a personal note to the influencer, showing that you chose them specifically. It’ll touch them and make your gift stand out. Sometimes less is more.
Express genuine gratitude - I try to publicly thank influencers who post about my book, creating a positive cycle of engagement. For example, on Instagram, you can do this simply by re-sharing their posts in your Stories. Sometimes it’s hard to catch all the posts (especially if it’s on Release Day and there are lots of tags for you and your book), but whenever you can, a little appreciation goes a long way.
Faux Pas That Will Make You Hide Under Your Desk
Never demand coverage - Nothing kills authenticity faster than obligation. I’ve heard of authors trying to give instructions and requirements on how the influencers should post about their gifts, and it just feels... icky. Gifts should be freely given.
Don't mass-distribute without research - Influencers get a lot of PR mail. Make sure you connect with them via email or DM first to confirm they want to receive something from you. (I’ve made this mistake in the past, mailing things out to BookTokkers without asking, in hopes that they would be delighted and therefore make a video about my book. But… I never heard from them, so it’s possible they just threw my unsolicited gifts away.)
Avoid over-the-top self-promotion - The box should feel like a curated experience, not a walking advertisement. Less “BUY MY BOOK!” and more “I thought you might enjoy this world.”
Don't break your budget on international mailing - It’s okay to send your book gifts only to readers who live in your country. Although international influencers/readers will be disappointed, they’ll understand, because postage overseas is expensive. (For example, I once mailed a couple of my books as a gift to my Spanish teacher in Colombia, and the postage cost nearly $100!)
I'd love to hear your thoughts:
What are your favorite Substacks for readers (not focused on writers)?
What are some of the best book events or promo boxes/mailers that you’ve seen?
Share in the Comments below!
» This post is part of my year-long Author Diary series where I take you behind the scenes, from idea to publication of a book.
Catch up here:
Diary #1: How do Book Auctions Work?
Diary #2: The Secret Behind Book Cover Design
Diary #3: First Pass Pages and Why the Font in Books Matters
Diary #4: What are ARCs? And Why Does It Take So Long to Publish a Book?
Diary #5: How Authors Make Money: Advances, Royalties, Foreign Rights, Translations & More
Diary #6: What are Book Blurbs? The Gift (and Burden) of the Book Blurbing System
Diary #7: Book Publicity, Part 1: Collaborating with Other Authors
The hats!!! Brilliant...love this checklist of what TO and what NOT to do....Happy Friday, my friend!
Look forward to trying to put this advice to use!