Convincing readers to purchase a book written by an author they haven’t heard of before is a common marketing challenge, whether you’re promoting a debut book, trying to expand your readership, or breaking into a new genre.
When author Christian A. Brown released Raven’s Cry, the first of a trilogy in a new-to-him subgenre, he relied on a cohesive, multi-channel strategy to successfully attract the attention of a new audience of readers. Let’s take a look at his strategy, the marketing tactics he used (including a BookBub New Releases for Less promotion!), and the results.
Building attention in the lead-up to launch
Christian’s previous books were thrilling dark fantasies, but he describes Raven’s Cry as “Lovecraftian urban fantasy”. So he knew there would be some crossover in his audience, but he wanted to focus on reaching a unique niche of readers with the new series.
“By combining targeted audience demographics with strong visual and thematic branding, I aimed to create a compelling entry point for new readers. The goal is to maximize the first book’s visibility and ensure the story hooks readers into continuing.”
Christian began by launching a preorder campaign to start gaining sales, gathering early feedback and reviews, and testing marketing copy to begin honing in on messages tailored to specific reader interests.
During the preorder period, Christian shared Instagram and Facebook posts highlighting the book’s Lovecraftian and urban fantasy elements:
“Highlighting Raven’s Cry’s eerie, atmospheric, lyrical tone and its incorporation of Indigenous myths alongside eldritch horrors helped me connect with fans of literary fantasy and mythological horror.”
He participated in Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) giveaways to reach relevant urban fantasy readers:
He also gave away digital ARCs to host a virtual “book tour” on Instagram to solicit early reviews:
Lastly, leveraging his background in media and visual design, Christian created teaser trailers and animated shorts introducing the world of the new series:
These preorder efforts paid off — shortly after launch, Raven’s Cry quickly ranked within the top 100 books in its category on Amazon.
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Expanding reach to new readers
Nearly three weeks after launching at $4.99 on November 1, Christian ran a three-day $0.99 discount promotion to attract new readers. He submitted and was selected for a BookBub New Releases for Less promotion, a tool to access large audiences of readers with appealingly priced new books. Many authors find these promotions are helpful for reaching new readers in genres in which they might not have built their own audience yet. Christian’s promotion ran on November 19 to BookBub’s Supernatural Suspense category, which has more than 750,000 readers.
At this point, Christian had amassed almost 100 reviews on Goodreads with an average rating of 4.79, and he hoped the promotion would give him both greater exposure and valuable information about readers in this new genre.
“My primary goal for the New Releases for Less promotion was to drive early visibility and engagement for Raven’s Cry. I also wanted to test how well its themes resonated with a broader audience.”
A new release doesn’t need to be discounted to be eligible for New Releases for Less, but many authors see great results at lower price points when their goal is to increase visibility. If BookBub readers aren’t familiar with an author, they will be enticed by an appealing price — 85 percent are more likely to read a book from an unknown author if the book is discounted. We’ve found that among the BookBub audience, new releases priced at $0.99 and $1.99 drive the highest conversion rates and the highest volume of sales — both important for Christian’s goals.
“Pricing Raven’s Cry at $0.99 was a strategic move to attract readers with minimal cost barrier while showcasing its high-quality storytelling. While the book is part of a trilogy, it has a fully contained story. I crafted it to leave readers intrigued by the world and characters, encouraging them to explore more of my work, such as Four Feasts Till Darkness.”
He supported the BookBub promotion with social media campaigns and targeted Amazon ads enticing readers to grab the deal.
Results
The New Releases for Less promotion resulted in hundreds of sales with an over 300% increase in Kindle Unlimited page reads in the following weeks. This momentum helped Raven’s Cry maintain its top-100 Amazon category ranking for months after launch.
“Sales have been extraordinary, and I’m seeing tremendous read-through across my past series. I still get many hundreds to thousands of pages read daily for Raven’s Cry, in addition to sales. It’s easily my bestselling launch title ever. And the ripple effect in sales of my other works demonstrates how Raven’s Cry drew new readers to my portfolio.”
What will Christian take forward or do differently for future launches?
“I believe New Releases for Less is helpful for authors transitioning into new genres or seeking audiences outside their established base. Moving forward, I’ll continue using BookBub as a launchpad for new releases, particularly for genre-expanding projects like Raven’s Cry. I’d focus more on building pre-launch anticipation through teaser ads and exclusive content to amplify the promotion’s impact.”
And his advice for other authors?
“Transitioning into a new genre taught me the importance of understanding your target audience and crafting promotions that speak directly to their interests. My advice: know what makes your book unique and make that your marketing focus.”
What advice do you have for authors breaking into new genres? Share your thoughts in the comments!
