How to Power Your Book Marketing with Bonus Content
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Now that you’ve written your book, it’s tempting to dream that you’re done with writing content. After all, the content is all in the book, right? However, we know that an author today is a 24-hour content machine. There are artful photos to take, Instagram captions to write, and TikTok videos to record.
Somewhere in between your magnum opus and an Instagram caption lies what we call “bonus content.” Bonus content includes images, writing, or other assets intended to inspire readers to take an action: sign up for your newsletter, visit your website, pre-order your book, host a book club discussion about your title, and more. Essentially, bonus content is designed to incentivize them to take the next step in connecting with you as an author.
However, authors often wonder, “what types of bonus content should I be creating? What will draw my audience in the most and make them want to take action?” The first consideration is whether you are a fiction or nonfiction author, as the two often have different goals. Because of this, the content you will create as a fiction author will likely look different than what a nonfiction author might create; below, we share various ideas that apply to both kinds of authors.
Bonus Content Ideas for Fiction Authors
Bonus chapters either from your next book after the one you’re currently promoting, or a “deleted scene” or extra chapter from the current book. Some authors even write separate novellas “in the same world” with the same characters or to flesh out a minor fan-favorite character;
Book club discussion prompts are questions or topics you think readers might be interested in exploring with a book club. It puts the idea in people’s heads that your book is a good fit for a book club, and provides some of the material already for them;
Character art is popular, especially for children’s or fantasy titles. You can create this art on your own, enlist a talented fan art creator, or find an artist on Instagram, DeviantArt, or other platforms;
A guide to a location in your book — real or fictional. If your novel is set in New York City, you could develop a list of your favorite bookstores or literary landmarks. If it’s set in a fictional world, you could create a map, fake tourism pamphlet, or real estate listing;
Character interviews, in which you pose as a journalist interviewing your main character about the action in the book;
Recipes for foods or drinks mentioned in the book;
A playlist of songs that match the characters and vibe in the book, are mentioned in the book, or that you listened to while writing.
Bonus Content Ideas for Nonfiction Authors
A bonus article on a topic raised in the book: give further insight or tips and strategies for the reader to implement in their life or business;
Access to an exclusive live or pre-recorded webinar with some nuggets of information not provided in the book or to conduct a Q & A session with readers;
Inclusion in an exclusive communication channel, such as a secret Facebook Group or Discord server;
Writing prompts or workbook pages related to your topic that help the reader engage more deeply with your messaging;
Exclusive, early access to sign up for or participate in an event you’re hosting in person or virtually.
How to Use Your Bonus Content
Now that you have a plan for the type of bonus content you’re going to create, how will you use it? Some great ways to use these materials as incentives for your readers are:
Telling followers on social media to head to your website for a bonus chapter from the book to increase your web traffic;
Encouraging your online visitors to commit to signing up for your newsletter list (pop-up ads are incredibly effective when paired with an incentive like a bonus article for signing up);
Using your bonuses as incentives to get followers to engage with you on social media and share your content with their followers. For example: everyone who shares their version of a recipe from your book and tags you will get an exclusive recipe booklet;
Offer exclusives to anyone who emails or direct messages (DMs) you a receipt of their purchase. You can also create a Google Form for collecting this information, where you can include an opt-in for your newsletter;
Rewarding book clubs or other organizations for buying 5 (or more) copies of the book. If they send you the receipt, you can send them a discussion guide;
Signing up for your webinar to get a free workbook.
Once you’ve developed your bonus content, you can reuse it throughout the promotion of the book. There are also added benefits to creating the content: you get to know your readers better through the process of thinking about what incentives would be most interesting to them. You might come up with a whole separate book or webinar idea by digging further into the value-adds you develop or thinking about the minor characters your readers responded to most.
It's clear that engaging with your book in this new way can reinvigorate and revitalize your passion for something you’ve been working on for over a year and lead to new marketing and publicity ideas. This bonus content is exactly that: a bonus for both your readers and for you. It’s a gift that will keep on giving long after you take the time to create it!
Andrea Kiliany Thatcher is a Publicity Manager at Smith Publicity. Andrea has a long relationship with the independent bookselling community having been a bookseller and social media manager for several bookstores. Prior to her career in publishing, Andrea was a journalist — experience that helps her bring a valuable perspective to how authors can best connect with the media to attain coverage. Andrea lives in North Carolina with her husband and son, and enjoys reading, art and playing clarinet with a local ensemble.
