How Health Authors Can Keep Their Book Alive: Marketing Beyond the Launch

Health authors dream of the day their new books launch. The excitement builds: a flurry of pre-orders, an email blast to your list, maybe even a podcast interview or two.

Then your book goes live as friends, family, and colleagues cheer you on. In the weeks following the launch there are more podcasts, a flurry of posts on social media, perhaps some radio and magazine interviews.

Then, quickly, the energy fades. Sales slow. Your inbox falls silent. This is the point where your book, like most health books, can drift into obscurity.

But certain health books keep selling year after year. That’s because their authors understand that the launch is not the end of marketing. It’s just the beginning.

Take The Arthritis Cure, a book I coauthored that became a New York Times bestseller. Its initial success was remarkable. But what kept it alive was ongoing effort. This was before podcasts and social media, so the lead author traveled around the country, appearing on radio and television shows, and sitting for interviews with national and regional magazines and newspapers. The initial edition was reprinted to keep plenty of books on store shelves, and the publisher soon requested a spin-off book. This was followed by another spin-off, plus an updated version of the first book.

In other words, the book was continually present in the public conversation. Without that sustained work, it might have been a brief blip instead of the mega-hit it became.

So how do you keep your book alive after the launch excitement fades? Let’s break it down.