Let’s be honest: trying to keep up with social media algorithms feels like running a race where the finish line moves every time you get close. One week it’s all about hashtags; the next, you’re told you have to dance on camera to sell a historical thriller.
It’s exhausting, and for most authors, it’s just not working.
The good news? Some of the biggest bestselling authors spend almost zero time on TikTok or X (formerly Twitter). Instead, they focus on building a “bookselling machine” that works while they sleep—or better yet, while they’re actually writing.
Here is how to sell books like a human, for humans, without ever having to “pivot to video.”
1. build an email list, and nurture it
If you take nothing else away from this, let it be this: An email list is an author’s best friend.
Think about your own habits. You might scroll past a hundred posts on Instagram without a second thought. But when you get an email from a person you actually like? You open it. You read it.
- The “Human” Approach: Don’t send “marketing blasts.” Send letters. Tell your readers about the weird research you found for Chapter 5, or the tea you drank while finishing the climax.
- The Trade: Give them something for free to get them on the list. A “lost chapter” or a short PDF guide works wonders. You aren’t “capturing leads”; you’re inviting people into your inner circle.
2. Borrow a Cup of Audience
You don’t have to build a crowd from scratch. There are already thousands of “crowds” gathered around podcasts, blogs, and other authors’ newsletters.
- Be a Guest, Not a Ghost: Find a podcast that talks about things related to your book. If you wrote a memoir about hiking, don’t just look for “book podcasts.” Look for hiking podcasts, mental health podcasts, or travel shows.
- The “Author Buddy” System: Reach out to three authors who write stuff similar to yours. Ask if you can mention their new book in your email list if they mention yours in theirs. It’s not “networking”—it’s just authors helping authors.
3. have a working, conversion-focus website
Most author websites are boring. They have a photo, a bio, and a “Buy on Amazon” button.
To sell more books, your website needs to feel like the vibe of your writing. If you write cozy mysteries, your site should feel like a warm living room. If you write high-octane tech-thrillers, it should feel sharp and modern.
- The “Direct” Perk: Give people a reason to buy directly from you or through your site. Maybe they get a signed bookplate, or a digital map that isn’t in the Kindle version. When you own the relationship, you don’t have to worry about an algorithm hiding your next launch.
4. Master the “Search” (The Lazy Way)
Social media is interruption marketing (people are trying to look at photos of their lunch and you’re “interrupting” with a book ad).
Search engines like Google, YouTube, and Pinterest are intent marketing. People go there specifically looking for something.
- Pinterest is a Sleeper Hit: Authors often forget Pinterest is a search engine, not social media. Create a “vibe board” for your book with images that inspired your characters. Those pins can live—and drive traffic to your site—for years, whereas a tweet dies in about 18 minutes.
5. Go Real in the real world
In a world of AI and bots, being a real human in a real room is a superpower.
- Local Love: Go to your local library or independent bookstore. Don’t just ask them to stock your book—ask how you can help them. Can you host a writing workshop? Can you do a talk on a specific topic from your book?
- The “Niche” Store: If your book is about coffee, see if the local cafe will let you put up a small display. People trust their local barista way more than they trust a Facebook ad.
The “Algorithm-Free” Mindset
| Instead of… | Try… |
| Fighting for 5 seconds of attention on TikTok | Spending 20 minutes writing a heartfelt email |
| Tweeting into the void | Being a guest on a niche podcast |
| Checking your “likes” | Checking your email sign-up rate |
| Making “content” | Making connections |
Building a career this way takes a little longer to start, but it doesn’t break when a tech billionaire changes a line of code. It’s sustainable, it’s professional, and it actually lets you spend your time doing what you love: writing.