For authors who want us to sell and distribute their books through bookshops and online retailers, active book trade sales and marketing are essential. We can simply provide you with all the fundamentals you need for your book to be available for sale with UK-based retailers, or we can take it further and actively promote the title to chain and independent bookshops, wholesalers and retailers on your behalf.
If you are looking to create media buzz around your book's launch, launching a publicity campaign may give you the coverage you are looking for in local and national media. Authors will work directly with one of our experienced in-house publicists, who will create and manage your bespoke publicity campaign to help increase your book’s visibility and generate interest.
Our digital marketing team will focus on generating customer reviews on retailer platforms and book recommendation sites, primarily utilising NetGalley, as well as other key sites such as Amazon. Our enhanced discoverability places your book on both Amazon’s ‘Search Inside’ and Google’s ‘Search in a Book’ platforms, allowing readers to browse a portion of your book.
An online paid advertising campaign places your book directly in front of a targeted audience using Google, Facebook, and Instagram. Visually engaging AI-generated ads are designed to capture attention and drive clicks, leading potential readers to retailer sites such as Amazon and the Troubador Bookshop, increasing your book’s visibility.
An author's website can act as a digital shop window for an author, as well as being at the core of all their marketing efforts. Our professional web developer builds cost-effective, flexible, and unique websites specifically for authors, and authors will work directly with them to have input on layout, content, and colour schemes while receiving the guidance and support of a professional.
If you have a manuscript and aren’t sure what to do next, we’re here to help. Whether over the phone, email or in person, our experienced team of self-publishing experts can answer your questions and explain how self-publishing with Troubador can help you achieve your goals.
Do you produce marketing materials, i.e. posters, bookmarks?
Yes! We offer a range of marketing materials, both physical and digital, as supplementary items you can order any time after you have an approved front cover. Whether you need a poster advertising a book event, bookmarks to pass out at an event or graphics to use on your social media channels, our marketing team can assist with bespoke designs on a range of marketing materials based around your book. And if there is an item not listed on our website or in our Supplementary Marketing Materials handbook, please speak to a member of the team - we have designed various bespoke items such as mugs, tote bags and Christmas cards in the past, and are happy to discuss whatever you may need.
Can I suggest media outlets/journalists to reach out to as part of the media campaign?
Absolutely. While we have our industry experience behind us, you are the most passionate advocate for your book and know it best. We are happy to discuss your additions to the media list, bearing in mind that the contacts need to be media that is based in the UK and those we can find contact details for. We see this as a collaboration and one that works best when we work together.
Do you run the same media campaign for each book?
No. Each campaign we run is bespoke to a particular book, for the simple reason that this is the best method of trying to secure interest. By tailoring each media list to the book, we are sending information out to the media contacts most likely to be interested in your book, and therefore increasing the odds at securing coverage. While we do have media contacts we may reach out to from previous campaigns, our publicists craft a campaign that is 100% tailored around your book to give both of us the best chance of coverage.
Can you distribute to Waterstones (or any other bookshop)?
Yes, we can! Whilst publishing with us is not a guarantee that your book will be stocked in Waterstones, we are unique as a self-publisher in that we offer print runs, have the trading relationships with Waterstones to set up the metadata and enable distribution to their shops. We have had many of our authors be successfully stocked at Waterstones, as well as hosting book launches and author signings in their shops.
What is the best way of getting stock to an author event I am setting up with a bookshop?
There are a number of different ways bookshops might wish to source books for an author event. We are very happy to supply them directly if they wish to order books from us. Alternatively, they may wish to order stock through a wholesaler. However they wish to obtain books, please ask them to order the stock for any event at least three weeks in advance, and go back to your contact at the bookshop to make sure this has happened. Bookshops can be very slow in placing orders for and getting copies of a book, and then have a last-minute panic when they realise they may not have books in time for the event.
Our team of editors will work with you to deliver human-led feedback that produces a polished, engaging manuscript.
Market leading production and design services for authors at every stage of their self-publishing journey.
Quality ebook and audiobook publishing and worldwide distribution.
Bookshop, retailer and wholesaler sales managed from our dedicated distribution centre.
