Last updated Jan 29, 2025 | Author blog

There’s nothing quite like the buzz of launching a new book. You’ve been toiling away for years, and finally your vision is a reality. It’s all a bit starry-eyed and epic… until it isn’t.

That new release high doesn’t last forever, because both you and your publisher have other priorities taking its place. New projects, new stories to share. So does that mean your eldest creation fades into the mist?

Don’t worry; you can still get your older books into the hands of new readers. Here are some tips for getting things moving.

What is a backlist book?

A backlist book is a book that is still in print but was first published more than a year ago. It may have been a big hit when it came out, but now it isn’t receiving as much attention. You can think of it a bit like a pan that’s been put on the back burner — it’s still relevant, but no longer the priority.

Because authors, publishers, and booksellers are constantly developing new initiatives, books that are more than a year old can fall by the wayside. It’s up to you as the author to give them a second life.

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How to generate sales for your backlist book

Struggling to generate interest in your older titles? Here are a few ideas.

Revisit your metadata

Metadata is the list of basic information that appears on sites like Amazon and Goodreads, and what readers usually look at first when cruising for books. This includes the title, genres, short description, ISBN, publisher, and any associated keywords.

To help your backlist book appear in more searches, try tweaking your book’s description, keywords, and genres. Because literature is changing all the time, readers may be looking for different things than they were when your book was first published. For example, “romantasy” and “cozy fantasy” are two high-selling subgenres that didn’t exist a decade ago.

Redesign your book’s image

Glow ups aren’t just for movie makeover montages. You can give your book a makeover too with a new cover, description, and maybe even a new title. This will be more straightforward if your book is self-published, but if you’ve been traditionally published you can still reach out to your publisher and see if they’d be willing to collaborate on a re-release.

If your book is more than a few years old, it may reflect design trends that have since fallen out of fashion. Consider giving it a contemporary, up-to-date look.

Create limited edition buzz

If you don’t want to completely rebrand your book, you can create a limited edition or a regional edition instead. Sometimes books are published with a different cover and title between North America and the UK / Europe. For example, British author Joanne Harris’s The Lollipop Shoes was published as The Girl With No Shadow in the United States (with the former using UK spelling and the latter using American spelling). Consider stealing this technique and making a different version of your book to target readers abroad.

Or you can offer a limited edition version with bonus content such as an author Q&A, deleted scenes, or insight into your writing process. This gives you something new to promote that can help build your fanbase.

Offer flash sales

The oldest trick in the marketing handbook: offer limited-time discounts. Everyone loves the chance to jump on a bargain! For example, if your book is priced at $5.99, then you could put it on sale for $3.99, or even $0.99, for week. Pairing the discount with a sense of urgency, like a countdown timer or a reminder email, can encourage people to take action.

Cross promote

You’re far from the only author trying to generate some interest in your backlist book. Why not partner up with another author to promote each other’s work? You can post reviews on your social media of the other author’s previous book and ask them to do the same for you.

You can also look at cross promoting with brands who attract a similar audience to your book. For example, if you write steamy romance, you might partner with a brand that creates luxury candles and hold a promo in which customers get a package deal.

Use subscriber magnets

Subscriber magnets are little prizes people can get for signing up for your author newsletter. You can use material related to your backlist book as a subscriber magnet.

This can include things like prequels, short stories set in your story world, printable character art, and more. Not only does this generate more subscribers for your newsletter, it draws attention to some of the older titles on your list.

Become involved with book clubs

Book clubs are great for promoting new authors, because they’re made up of people who are genuinely passionate about literature. Try looking for book clubs online and offering them free digital copies in exchange for reviews or a blog post. This can help get people talking about your book.

Create a soundtrack for your book

For promotion on your social media account or newsletter, try putting together a playlist of songs that fit the tone of your book. It might help to imagine your book as a blockbuster movie. What songs would be playing during the fight scene, the romance montage, the moment that pivotal character walks through the door? Put it all together and use it as a jumping off point to connect with your readers in a new way.

Hold milestone events

Commemoration is always a good way to generate interest. Is your book celebrating a fifth or tenth anniversary? You could hold another book launch to mark the occasion.

Or is there an event related to your book that you can commemorate? If you’re writing a work of historical fiction about a real period of history, you can use anniversaries of these events to start a conversation. If your book engages with a social issue, you could latch onto events happening within these issues.

Just because your book has slipped down the new releases list, this doesn’t mean it’s obsolete. With some persistence and a little ingenuity, you can encourage new readers to become devoted fans.

Fija Callaghan is an author, poet, and unapologetic daydreamer. Her work has been shortlisted and longlisted for a number of short story prizes, and you can find her writing in publications like Gingerbread House, Crow & Cross Keys, Corvid Queen, and Mythic Magazine. When not writing or helping other writers get the best out of their work, she can be found haunting her local bookshops or watching the tide come in.

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Join our email list for content and opportunities to help you develop your writing, promote your books, and build your author business.