If I Have to Act Like a Bot to Market My Books, I Don't Wanna Do It

The hustle and grind is out of hand

Photo by Emilipothèse on Unsplash

I have a very polarizing rant today—but first, I’ve got two virtual events this month!

On Tuesday, April 22, at 5-6 pm PT, I’m sitting down with Heather Lazare, founder of the Northern California Writers’ Retreat, for their monthly Book Journey Club. I’ll be giving the behind-the-scenes look into my path to publication and revealing why I abandoned the query trenches to become an indie author.

Sign up for the Book Journey Club mailing list, and the Zoom link will be automatically emailed to you on the morning of the event.

Then, on Thursday, April 24, at 5:30-7 pm PT, I’ll be joining a virtual panel on the secrets to self-publishing, hosted by Shirin Yim Leos and including fellow indie authors Wendy Adair and Lynn Rankin-Esquer.

Save your seat so you can get the inside scoop on the self-publishing landscape, the benefits and challenges to being an indie author, and the skills and strategies you need to set yourself up for success.

Hope to see you at these events!

Okay, now on to my rant. I’ve been noodling on the topic of book marketing for a few months now, ever since I abruptly stopped posting on TikTok after my Black Friday sale (more on that in a bit).

As a content marketer with nearly 15 years of experience, I have a LOT of thoughts on promoting your work. And the more books I publish, the more I realize that, yet again, I have a contrarian point of view.

I briefly thought about polling other authors and including their insights, but what I’m about to say may make folks frustrated or even offended, so I want to keep this essay focused on my personal opinion.

So a quick caveat before I dive in: You’re about to get my raw, honest thoughts on book marketing. If you are an author or creative professional, this is not an attack on how you conduct your business.

I am but one person throwing in my two cents, and if my personal icks work for you, godspeed and good luck. The one thing I want you to take away today is that there are many, many ways to do marketing, and what is effective for one person may not be for another—and that’s okay.

Alright, with that out of the way, let’s do this!

Why TikTok and I Are on a Break

As is the case for anyone who struggles with anxiety and perfectionism, I let my all-or-nothing mindset get to me.

My worth gets wrapped up in my sense of identity. It’s difficult for me to accept that while I am a marketer who ran a high-performing team at a multi-billion-dollar tech startup, that does not mean I will be inherently awesome at marketing all things on all channels.

I am also a former newspaper journalist and a Millennial who was raised in the blogging era. Print is my bread and butter. I feel personally victimized by the pivot to video, and I will never forgive Facebook for lying about its metrics and decimating an entire media landscape.

It’s no wonder that TikTok has always felt like shoving a square peg in a round hole. I love consuming content on the platform (cute animal videos and hot guy thirst traps, mostly), but I don’t get joy from promoting my work there.

I have a measly total of 45 followers, and all of my videos are reposted Reels, so I am well aware that I don’t have a winning content strategy there. But the more I learn about what authors who are good at TikTok are doing, the less I want to participate.

So I took a big step back during the holidays, and my account has been dormant since. And that’s how I came up with the title of this essay. Because if I have to act like a bot to market my book, I don’t wanna do it.

What Bot-Like Behavior Looks Like to Me

A lot of common advice you’ll hear from indie authors these days is to essentially try to game the system. Social media algorithms are elusive and unknowable, and in an attempt to control them, they are trying to brute-force their way through.

This usually comes in the form of maintaining multiple accounts, especially on TikTok. While having a backup in case you get inexplicably banned (something that has happened to me) isn’t a bad idea, some authors have over half a dozen per pen name:

• A couple of “official” accounts

• One just for carousels

• One for book quotes

• Several under anonymous usernames to make it look like you’re a reader, but you’re actually just promoting your own books.

On the surface, there’s not much difference between posting six times per day using one account and posting once per day using six accounts. But I’m sorry, I’m going to be blunt: this is how bots act.

Tiktok “experts” will claim that curating an audience of loyal followers no longer matters—that the only way to get noticed is to have as many possible chances at reaching the FYP.

But even if they’re right, it feels sleazy and soulless and unsustainable.

Other bot-like behavior looks like this:

• Shotgun-blasting duplicate content

• Participating in follow trains or F4F schemes

• Buying followers or engagement

• Paying service providers to post about your products without properly disclosing them as ads (I can’t wait for the FTC to bust your ass)

• Desperately responding to every form of engagement bait that claims to want to “support” your work (a large number of influencers on Threads don’t care about you—they’re using you to inflate their own metrics)

• Generating imagery or copy with AI (if it looks like a bot and sounds like a bot, it’s a bot)

I mentioned up top that some people are going to get mad at me for saying this, and if you’re an author who finds success with these tactics—and truly enjoys doing them—then you’re entitled to think “Ok, Boomer” and give me a mental middle finger.

It could be true that I’m just bad at social media and haven’t adapted to the new reality.

OR.

We have all succumbed to this dystopian late-stage-capitalist hellscape, and we think this type of online behavior is normal now. Cool, even. Something to aspire to, in the chase for the almighty dollar.

Marketing gets a bad rap, often for good reason. As creatives and content creators, we have to admit when we’re trapped in a hell of our own making.

If it feels like you’re screaming into the void, for the love of god, stop screaming.

There Has to Be a Better Way

At the risk of sounding like a Billy Mays infomercial, I promise you: real marketing is more than this. I refuse to believe that the only way to sell books is to post the same five hooks on an endless loop set to the latest fifteen seconds of trending audio.

And honestly, my target audience isn’t teenagers on TikTok. I write rom-coms about Millennials, so it doesn’t make sense to waste my precious time twisting myself into knots while trying to convert users who aren’t the best fit for my books.

Ask yourself: what types of marketing are effective for your own buying behavior? I get my book recs from people I trust—and the people I trust most don’t act like bots. They’re real people with whom I build community, whether online or in person.

I also refuse to accept the notion that indie authors have to act like bots, when trad authors aren’t expected to.

Sure, I don’t have the reach of a NYT bestseller, but I also keep the majority of my royalties. I don’t need to sell as many copies to pocket the same amount of money—and I have the ability to set my own pricing and sell directly to consumers, strategies that trad authors are not allowed to do.

(And yes, I choose to invest my own funds into editing and cover design, which can be a steep cost, but it’s not like trad authors aren’t paying for their own book tours, publicists, and marketing expenses too).

My point is: I don’t have to debase myself just because I self-publish. I can’t stand this sentiment that indie authors need to drill themselves into the ground. Imposter syndrome is a scam, and I am not going to crack a whip on myself just because some people think it’s required to sell books.

As my favorite anti-work books remind me, Work Won’t Love You Back and Rest Is Resistance. The hustle and grind have gotten out of hand, and it needs to stop.

Marketing Should Be Fun

Contrary to popular belief, marketing doesn’t have to be a slog. I love launching a new book (my latest, Love and Paklava, releases on June 17!), and I actually look forward to the months leading up to pub day.

When marketing stops being fun, that’s when I know I need to reset.

Right now, despite my hatred for Zuck, I’m most active on Instagram. IG gives me the most flexibility with posts, Reels, Stories, and group chats, and I enjoy curating my grid.

In April, I’m celebrating Armenian Heritage Month, and recently I shared an old family recipe for choreg for those with an urge to stress-bake. I aim to nurture my audience with meaningful content, not exploit them to make a quick buck.

As for TikTok, I’m not planning on disappearing from the platform forever, but I will only return when I find a way to make it fun again (if anyone has any words of wisdom on how to accomplish this, please share them in the comments!)

Until then, there are so many other methods of marketing at my disposal:

• Being interviewed on podcasts

• Pitching stories to media outlets

• Attending book signings and events

• Experimenting with paid ads

• Applying to speak at conferences

• Participating in book sales and promotions

• Generating early buzz from ARC reviews

• Sharing my unhinged thoughts on Substack (my favorite)

At the end of the day, posting on social media as a brand is only one piece of the puzzle. And customers are always going to be more powerful when it comes to spreading word of mouth than your brand. Readers shouting “Buy this book!” is a million times more effective than you shouting, “Buy my book!”

My goal—as an author and a marketer—is to build genuine connections, not to drown people in unnecessary noise.

If you got to the end of this essay and have been nodding along rather than wanting to flip a table, please leave me a comment. I want everyone in my community to know that they’re not alone in thinking this way.

In fact, to celebrate that 300 of you are now subscribed to Grumpy + Sunshine, I’m putting my money where my mouth is and rewarding real connection. Make sure you’re subscribed, then comment below, and you’ll be automatically entered to win a $25 Bookshop.org gift card.

I will randomly select the winner by the end of the month, so good luck!

UPDATE: The winner has been selected, so this giveaway is now closed. Congrats to Kara!

You can air your grievances and get a free book off your spring TBR. Now that’s a win-win!

Marketing isn’t going to get better until we feel better when we’re doing it. And if you agree with what I’ve said today, I really believe you’ll like reading my books too :)

Your Moment of Sunshine ☀️

Every month, I share the things I loved most to bring a ray of warmth wherever you are.

(Note: All links, where available, lead to Bookshop.org. If you make a purchase, you’ll support local, independent bookstores, and I’ll earn a small commission as an affiliate. It’s a win-win!)

Reading 📖

Source: ABC News

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Speaking of authors who can make bank without being online whatsoever, congrats to Suzanne Collins for selling over 1.5 million copies of her latest Hunger Games novel, Sunrise on the Reaping, in its first week alone.

Collins has a unique gift: she can write a prequel in which you know how it will end (very badly), and it still manages to punch you in the gut. I usually avoid books without happy endings, but the fact that so many fans like myself are still heavily invested in this universe is testament to Collins’ talents.

Haymitch’s origin story will continue to haunt me, and I can’t wait for its film adaptation!

Watching 🍿

The White Lotus on Max

After eight excruciatingly slow hours, season 3 of The White Lotus is finally wrapped. Without giving away any spoilers, I’ll just say that even though I think the show didn’t stick the landing, it still kept me on the edge of my seat.

I’m a ride-or-die for Rich People Problems, and I am forever grateful for Parker Posey delivering my new favorite meme.

When someone asks why I don’t want kids

Listening 🎧

Josh Johnson

Is lo-fi comedy a thing? Because if so, Josh Johnson is the king of it. I am in awe of how he drops hours and hours of stand-up material at such a fast clip. Listening to Johnson react to current events in real-time is a soothing balm to these chaotic times.

I never understood how anyone could listen to a man with a microphone for that long, but you know what, not all men, I guess!

What else should I be reading, watching, and listening to? Leave your recommendations in the comments for a chance to win big!