How to Find Your Ideal Readers in Unexpected Places: A Smarter Approach to Book Marketing

What happens after you publish your book?

One of the biggest misconceptions about writing a book is believing that publication is the finish line. For many aspiring authors, the goal to publish is simple enough – write the manuscript, hold the finished book in your hands, celebrate the launch and hopefully sell a few copies along the way. Considering the time, effort and emotion that goes into writing a book, it’s understandable why so many people see publication as the destination.

After working alongside self-publishing authors for well over a decade, I've come to see it very differently.

Publishing is not the end of the journey. More often than not, it’s the point where your story starts to find its own path, taking you to places you could never have planned for and introducing you to people you never expected to meet.

That thought came flooding back after one of my recent self-publishing workshops when I received an email from author Tricia Bulic. She was writing to thank me for promoting her book and for the workshop itself, saying it had given her plenty to think about, not only about writing a book but about everything that comes afterwards. Like many authors, she left the workshop looking at her book with fresh eyes and thinking differently about what was possible once it was out in the world.

Then something extraordinary happened.

Tricia Bulic's Story: A football match and a forgotten connection

Tricia is a self-confessed FIFA World Cup tragic. Watching the tournament has always been much more than following football. It’s a tradition she shared with her late father, and every World Cup brings back memories of the two of them sitting together watching the games.

While watching the England versus Croatia match, a short feature aired at half-time about Croatian families who had fled their homeland after the Second World War and eventually settled in Kansas City. The story immediately resonated with Tricia because her own book, Luka’s Escape, tells the story of her father’s escape from Croatia during that same period.

What I love about Tricia’s story is that she wasn't thinking about marketing in the traditional sense. She recognised that she had a story that belonged within a much larger conversation. Families all over the world were sharing stories of displacement, courage and rebuilding their lives, and she realised that Luka’s Escape had something meaningful to contribute.

Rather than letting the opportunity pass, she tracked down the original newspaper article, found the accompanying Facebook post and shared details of her book, inviting people to tell their own family stories. She then searched for Croatian associations throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, joined community groups and shared her father’s story wherever she felt it would genuinely resonate.

There was nothing complicated about what she did. There was no elaborate marketing campaign, no advertising budget and no carefully crafted sales funnel. She simply recognised where her story belonged and trusted that it would connect with people who understood its significance.

Ninety messages and a decades-old reunion

The following morning, she woke to more than ninety messages and replies. People were ordering the book because it reflected the experiences of their own parents and grandparents. Others shared stories of escape, migration and resilience that had remained part of their own family history for generations.

Then came the message that stopped her in her tracks.

One woman contacted Tricia to say that her father had known Tricia’s father. When she checked the names of the boys who had escaped together all those years ago, there he was. Decades later, because of a book and a chance television story, two families found themselves connected once again.

What books are really capable of

When I read Tricia’s email, I wasn’t thinking about book sales or marketing strategies. I found myself thinking about something much deeper.

We spend so much time talking about writing, editing, design, printing and publishing that it’s easy to forget what books are really capable of doing. Yes, a book can establish your credibility, grow your business and position you as an expert in your field. Those things matter, particularly if you’ve written a business book. But sometimes a book becomes something far greater than a business asset. Sometimes it preserves memories that might otherwise be lost. Sometimes it encourages people to share stories they’ve never told before. And sometimes it reconnects families and communities through experiences that transcend generations.

Marketing without a marketing plan: Where does your story belong?

Throughout my workshops, I often encourage authors to think beyond publication. Your book should never be viewed as the destination. It is a tool that can build your business, open doors, create opportunities and start conversations, but those conversations only happen if you continue to look for places where your story naturally belongs.

Tricia’s experience is a wonderful reminder that marketing isn’t always about selling. Sometimes it’s simply about recognising that your story has value within a conversation that is already taking place. Rather than asking, How do I sell more books? Perhaps the better question is, Where does my story belong?

The answer might be within a professional association, an industry conference or a podcast interview. It could be through the local media, a community organisation or a social media group filled with people who share a common experience. In Tricia’s case, it began with a football match and a story that reminded her of her father.

The opportunity could never have appeared in a marketing plan because it didn’t come from a sales mindset. It came from remaining connected to her book and recognising the moment when her story could genuinely make a difference.

Why staying connected to your story matters

This is one of the reasons I continue to champion self-publishing. When you self-publish professionally, you retain ownership of your work, but more importantly, you remain connected to it. You continue looking for opportunities to share it with new audiences, to build relationships and to contribute to conversations that matter. Your role changes from writer to storyteller, advocate and custodian of your own story.

Perhaps my favourite line from Tricia’s email was this: