In Wattpad’s Future of Fiction survey, 80 percent of respondents said they prefer book recommendations from a person—not AI or algorithmic suggestions. And while it’s great to have friends and family recommend your book to others, those smaller-scale marketing techniques usually don’t lead to big sales. Plus, if you don’t have a strong reader base in place, getting those recommendations and reviews can be challenging. That’s where book influencers come in.

What Is Influencer Marketing?

An influencer is a person who has an engaged following they can influence. Businesses collaborate with influencers so they’ll share an endorsement, getting the company’s product or service in front of new audiences. The endorsement can take many forms: a podcast interview, a review on a blog, social media posts or giveaways, etc.

Influencer marketing is a form of public relations, not advertising. With advertising, you’re paying a person or company to share your message or product. A relationship with an influencer isn’t transactional like that. They are not your employee, and they’re not obligated to partner with you.

Who Are Book Influencers?

You’re already familiar with traditional publishing influencers: Think about librarians, booksellers, and magazine editors who recommend books.

With the rise of social media, new avenues are available for recommendations, though. Being directly associated with publishers or booksellers is no longer required. So nowadays, a book influencer is an enthusiastic reader who has built an audience around their reading habits.

Why Are Book Influencers Valuable?

Marketing can be overwhelming for authors, especially if you’re self-publishing or just starting to build your platform. An influencer, however, has already built long-term, lasting relationships with their online communities by fostering the “know, like, trust” factor. If you have an influencer’s support, you can gain access to their audience—and your target readers. Influencers help authors in three ways:

• They increase awareness of your brand. Even a nano-influencer (someone with 1,000 to 5,000 followers) can help you reach a niche group when they have an engaged community.
• They increase your credibility. Most influencers aren’t paid to review books. They share honest reviews and feedback, so their communities trust them. If an influencer recommends your book, that carries weight with their audience and builds your credibility.
• They affect trends and sales. Tropes, conversations, and books can go viral when influencers are part of the discussion. In the US, 62 percent of TikTok users have read at least one book based on a BookTok recommendation.

Where Do You Find Book Influencers?

During Wattpad’s Future of Fiction survey, 72 percent of Gen Z and 68 percent of millennials reported that they search for book suggestions on BookTok and BookTube. These are subcommunities of TikTok and YouTube, and YouTube reports that, as of early 2024, videos with “BookTube” in the title have been viewed more than 350 million times.

Head to your preferred social media platform and search for a hashtag related to your book. For instance, if you write about mindfulness or meditation, you’d search for #SelfHelpBooks or #SpiritualBooks on Instagram, then review the accounts associated with those tags. You can also search for book review sites or bloggers on Google, Goodreads, or Book Riot.

Pro tip: Nonfiction authors can take a broader approach to searching for influencers. Consider thought leaders on LinkedIn or well-known figures in your industry, even if they aren’t normally associated with reviewing books.

How Much Does It Cost to Work with an Influencer?

Typically, authors aren’t expected to pay an influencer for a book review. However, you should expect to spend a little of your marketing budget on influencer-related costs. Influencers expect authors to provide a copy of their book for the review, so at the very least, you are responsible for the cost of the book plus shipping. If the reviewer prefers audiobooks or ebooks, that’s even better for your budget.

But you may also consider sending your influencer some fun marketing materials to go along with your book. If you’ve ordered bookmarks, stickers, a companion workbook, or a reading guide, send those along as part of a book box. No matter what extras you decide to send, remember to include a thank-you note.

Note: Some influencers do charge a review fee. Be wary in these situations. You may be better off going with a third-party review site or trade journal that’s more well-known, like Kirkus.

How Do You Choose an Influencer?

Your biggest cost associated with influencer marketing is time. Forming a connection with a reviewer is a process, so this PR strategy takes time, strategic thinking, and patience. Researching and vetting influencers is critical if you want to connect with someone who can reach your ideal audience. Use these five questions to help you evaluate potential reviewers:

• Are they active? Make sure the reviewer is posting regularly.
• Do they have engagement? Likes, comments, and reposts indicate active followers.
• Do they read books like yours? An active, engaged platform won’t help you if the reviewer doesn’t cover your genre.
• Would they be interested in books like yours? Consider your niche. If your book is about music theory but the reviewer is only interested in music history, it’s not the best fit for either of you.
• Does their popularity mirror your own? Search for influencers who have a similar or slightly larger platform than you. Keeping within your sphere of influence increases your chances of a successful connection.

Use tools like BuzzSumo, CreatorIQ, and the FeedSpot Influencers Database to evaluate potential influencers. Remember, your goal is to find influencers who share your target audience and niche.

Pro tip: An influencer’s number of followers isn’t the most important factor. More followers isn’t always better. Engagement is what really matters, so a reviewer with a smaller but highly engaged community is more valuable to you.

When Do You Contact an Influencer?

Once you’ve identified an influencer who is a good fit for your book, look at where you are in the publication process. Your manuscript needs to be through the editing stages with advance reader copies (ARCs) available. Having a finalized cover design helps, too, so factor that into your timeline.

As you’re working on your manuscript, engage your influencer. This doesn’t mean jumping straight in with a review request. Like or comment on their posts. Sign up for their newsletter and respond to their questions. Let them get to know you a little, enough so that they can recognize your name when it’s time to make your request. It’s much easier to make and grant a request from someone you know than from a stranger.

Just like with trade journals, you need to allow lead time for influencer reviews. It takes five to ten hours to read a book, plus time for writing a review and making a post. And you have to remember that reviewing books probably isn’t their full-time job, so they have other commitments. A three-month lead time before a launch date is generous and shows that you respect their time and platform.

How to Prep Before Contacting an Influencer

While you’re engaging with your influencer, you can do some prep work to increase your chances of making a successful connection:

• Get your platform in order before making a request. Have your author website, Amazon page, and social media channels up and running, posting regularly with a professional, on-brand tone.
• Know your comps. Have your information on comparative titles and authors ready. You should be able to describe the tone and genre of your book, plus your target audience and why your book is a good fit for this particular influencer.
• Have your goal set. Are you reaching out to this influencer because you want a review? Or do you just want to get your book mentioned to potential readers? Be specific about what you’re asking for.
• Get your incentives ready. What can you offer to entice this influencer? Do you have a book bundle, swag, or a cross-promotion idea that might tempt them into accepting your request?

Best Practices for Contacting Book Influencers

Are you ready to contact your influencer? Follow these tips to make sure your experience with influencer marketing goes as smoothly as possible:

• Follow their requirements. Most influencers will tell you their requirements for materials they review. Usually they’ll at least specify their preferred format, but some will have additional requirements, like professionally edited books.
• Be prepared not to receive a response or interest. Even a micro-influencer (10,000 to 100,000 followers) receives between one and three review requests per week. It’s ok to follow up once or twice after a few weeks, but don’t flood their inbox.
• Interact with posts when you’re tagged. Help foster community engagement and encourage new readers by responding to tags and mentions.
• Anticipate negative feedback or reviews. Your book isn’t a good fit for everyone—and that’s ok. You don’t need to engage with negative reviews or comments. Just let them go.
• Be gracious. You’re offering a free book and maybe some swag, but your influencer is helping you. You won’t receive a review or post for every book you send out, and that’s normal. Say thank you, even if the connection doesn’t work out the way you hoped.

Stay Informed and Amplify Your Book’s Success

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Takeaways

Partnering with a book influencer is a smart way to strengthen your standing as an author. With these strategically chosen partnerships, you can expand your reach, build credibility, and boost your sales. Although working with influencers is typically a low-cost financial undertaking, be prepared to put in the time and effort it takes to connect with the right influencers for you.

When you need help getting your manuscript and marketing materials ready for ARC readers, reviewers, and book influencers, contact me! I love working with indie authors during every stage of their writing journeys, from formatting book proposals to revising manuscripts and proofreading marketing materials. Together, we can make your writing bulletproof!