Marketing Starts Yesterday

10 tips for authors + the NSSA Skill Building Archive is LIVE!

Not So Secret Agent is an email newsletter all about the inside scoop on cookbook publishing from senior literary agent, Sally Ekus (that’s me!). Make sure we never miss the chance to connect.

Dear Not So Secret Agent readers,

Authors interested in publishing a book often underestimate how early they should begin to think about marketing and promotion.

Spoiler alert: START NOW.

Photo by Irham Setyaki on Unsplash

Being a great writer with something important to say is just one piece of the publishing puzzle. Hate to be a bubble burster (that’s a thing people say right?), but amazing writing isn’t enough if you want to be published. Marketing and promotion are ultimately what will drive people (editors, agents, and eventually book buyers!) to notice your work, to celebrate your talent.

If your goal is to publish a book (any book, but especially a cookbook) sometime within the next five years, start marketing yourself now.

Become searchable. Become discoverable.

As a literary agent, after receiving a book proposal from someone I am considering offering representation to, I do a bit of recon. I search their name along with a few key words or topics associated with their proposed book idea. Do they have a regular byline as an expert on said topic? Have they been quoted in a reputable outlet within the past two years?

If my search yields dated, or worse yet, no results at all, it is too soon to publish their book IMO.

Just last week, I had coffee with a recent college grad who was looking for some insight into publishing and creative writing. I found myself saying a version of the thing I say time and time again in these kinds of chats with eager writers:

Imagine your book being published in six months. What does the publication plan look like to you? Where are you hoping people will read about you? Who are you inviting to an intimate launch party? Based on personal connections, what media will you be reaching out to? Who is on your email listing waiting to *finally* hear that you have a book coming out?

If you can’t easily answer these questions yet, it’s probably not in your best interest to have the goal of publishing your book right now.

Start on the community building. Start marketing yourself and your work!

***Not So Secret Agent sidenote: Marketing yourself, building community, and becoming searchable and discoverable will benefit more than just the book you hope to publish. You never know what opportunities will present themselves. For example, more often than not, if an editor has an idea for a book and goes looking for an expert to write it, they will reach out to the person who is most discoverable and most plugged into the topic’s audience.***

I urge you to go search your name and book idea and note how many results come up. Mark down the date – you’ll want to repeat this exercise every few months.

Okay Not So Secret Agent Sally, I just conducted my first search. Now what?

In case you missed my interview with marketing specialist, Brianne Sperber, I urge you to check it out here. The interview was followed by a paid reader NSSA Skill Building Session during which Brianne and I talked about discoverability and book marketing.

Some of the session’s takeaways are below. Listen to the full recording if you want additional context and information about book marketing that simply cannot be fully captured in a list.

Top 10 Takeaways: All About Marketing Skill Building Session

1. Marketing starts long before publication day.
The strongest campaigns begin while the book is still being written. Audience building, relationship building, and visibility all compound over time.

2. Publishers want audience data, not vague promises.
Strong proposals clearly show newsletter numbers, engagement rates, demographics, partnerships, and proof of audience connection.

3. Email lists outperform most social media platforms.
Direct access to readers consistently drives stronger engagement and book sales than follower counts alone.

4. Not every successful book is built on a massive platform.
Some books succeed because of concept, cultural value, expertise, or long-term relevance, even without celebrity-sized audiences.

5. The best marketing campaigns focus on conversion.
Flashy campaigns may generate attention, but publishers ultimately care about measurable book sales and reader action.

6. Data now shapes many publishing decisions.
Trend reports, audience behavior, search patterns, and engagement insights influence everything from positioning to subtitles and advertising strategy.

7. Podcasts are one of the most valuable long-term marketing tools.
Podcast appearances continue circulating long after launch day and help authors build trust with highly engaged audiences.

8. Timing can shape a book’s success.
Some books succeed because culture, trends, and audience interest align at the right moment. Great books still need the right timing!

9. Strong community matters more than passive visibility.
Reader trust, newsletter engagement, ambassador groups, and loyal communities often outperform large but disconnected followings.

10. Marketing works best when it feels authentic.
Brand partnerships, media appearances, and promotional efforts are strongest when they reflect genuine relationships and natural audience alignment.

BONUS: Pre-orders are driven by the author’s audience.

Publishers can amplify campaign awareness, but pre-orders usually come from readers who already trust, follow, and engage with the author before the book launches. Word of mouth and VIP mailers are most successful after publication date.

BONUS: Publishing teams constantly adjust marketing spend based on performance.

Modern publishing campaigns are highly data-driven. If ads are not converting into sales, publishers quickly shift targeting, creative, or budget allocation in real time.

Hopefully this recap offers those who weren’t in the Zoom room a window into what we discussed. Again, for those of you who want extra credit, I urge you to listen to the full recording.

I also put together an archive of all previous Skill Building recordings here. Plus, I added a fancy new navigation tab on the top of my newsletter homepage! Look at me, I’m tech fancy! That’s what people who are good with tech call it, right?!

Like all Skill Building Sessions, these Zoom hangs are reserved exclusively for paying readers to ensure that those most engaged in professional development can engage with one another. I do this to gather people ready to commit, in dollars and time, to the community in the room.

Upgrade your subscription HERE (20% off annual subscriptions).

And for extra extra credit, feel free to join the OFFER & ASK chat thread. Though the virtual Offer & Ask sessions are reserved for paid participants, the chat thread is open to all readers! For those of you reading this in your inbox, please note that the chat is a feature available exclusively in the Substack app. Click the button below to join and go to the Offer & Ask thread.

I just popped into the chat thread to look at the latest of the dozens of Offers & Asks being exchanged, and the conversation has already taken on a life of its own! There are people asking for recipe testers, podcast hosts putting calls out for guests, copy editors offering their expert eyes on manuscripts, offers to host book tour stops, novice newsletter publishers asking for advice, and genuine connecting happening.

The thread is the marketing list above… in action!!

I am floored by this Not So Secret Agent reader community.

If you’re in the market for some marketing advice, I hope to see you there!

~Sally~

Events:

June 12-14^th: Chicago for James Beard Media Awards. Congrats to all the nominees, and special shoutout to my client Sapna Punjabi for Dal Chawal!

September 30^th: NYC, People of Publishing. Tickets HERE.