How To Market A Self-Published Book In Australia: A 90-Day Plan

By Tasman Publishers 23 October 2026 12 min read

To market a self-published book in Australia, start at least six weeks before release with a dated launch plan: fix your categories and blurb, get review copies out, and line up local press and library listings. Run Amazon and Meta ads with a budget you set and check them weekly. After launch week, keep going for at least 90 days, because most self-published books are found slowly, not on day one.

Most self-published books don't fail because they're bad. They fail because nobody hears about them. The good news is that the Australian market is small enough for a well-organised author to make real noise in it. Local papers still run stories about local writers. Libraries buy Australian titles. Amazon's Australian store is a much smaller pond than the US one. This guide is the book marketing plan we'd want an author friend to follow, with the Australian details most generic guides leave out.

Start Before The Book Is Out

The biggest mistake we see is treating launch day as the start line. By then it's too late to get reviews in place, too late to pitch most media, and too late to fix a blurb that isn't working.

Before you spend anything on promotion, check the basics that every other channel depends on:

Your cover. It's your ad creative on Amazon, Meta and Instagram. If it doesn't look like it belongs next to the bestsellers in your genre, ads will cost more per sale. A cover built for your genre does a lot of marketing work quietly.
Your ISBNs and metadata. Bookshops and libraries find books through their records. If you're not sure yours are set up in your own name, read our guide on how to get an ISBN in Australia first.
Categories and keywords. On Amazon, the right category can be the difference between page nine and page one. Pick the narrowest category that honestly fits.
Your blurb. Two or three short paragraphs. Hook first, stakes second, no plot summary.
Somewhere to send people. An author website with a page for the book and a newsletter signup means every interview, festival talk and ad has a home that you own.

Your 90-Day Book Launch Plan

Here's a realistic book launch plan for an Australian self-published title. Treat the weeks as a guide. A children's picture book with school visits runs differently from a crime novel sold mainly on Kindle, but the order of the work stays the same.

When	Phase	What to do
Weeks −6 to −4	Pre-launch: foundations	Lock categories, keywords and blurb. Set up your preorder page. Build a list of 30 to 50 reviewers, bloggers, podcasts and local media that actually cover your kind of book.
Weeks −4 to −2	Pre-launch: outreach	Send early review copies to readers and reviewers. Pitch regional papers, local radio and podcasts with a specific hook. Contact your local library and nearby independent bookshops.
Weeks −2 to −1	Pre-launch: assets	Prepare ad creative: cover images, quote cards and a short trailer. Write your launch email. Book a launch event or library talk if it suits your book.
Week 0	Launch week	Email your list. Switch on Amazon and Meta ads. Post your launch content. Ask early readers to post their reviews on Amazon and Goodreads now.
Weeks 1 to 4	Post-launch: optimise	Check ad results weekly. Pause keywords that spend without selling and move budget to the ones that convert. Follow up media pitches once, politely.
Weeks 5 to 8	Post-launch: widen	Rotate new ad creative. Approach book clubs, writers' centres and library programs. Submit to library and bookshop channels you haven't reached yet.
Weeks 9 to 12	Post-launch: review	Look at what actually sold books. Cut what didn't. Decide on a backlist plan for the next quarter.

Use this as your book launch checklist. Put real dates against every row before you start. A plan with dates gets done. A plan without them becomes a wish list.

Which Book Marketing Channels Work In Australia?

You can't do everything, and you shouldn't try. Book marketing in Australia works best when you pick two or three channels your readers actually use and do them properly. Here's how the main options compare.

Channel	Effort	Reach	Best for
Amazon ads	Medium, ongoing	High for searchable genres	Genre fiction, practical non-fiction, series
Meta ads (Facebook, Instagram)	Medium, creative-heavy	High, broad	Books with a strong visual or emotional hook
Reader reviews and early copies	High up front	Medium, compounds over time	Every book; ads convert better with reviews
Local media and podcasts	High per pitch	Medium, very local	Memoir, local history, books with an Australian angle
Libraries (print, Libby, BorrowBox)	Low to medium	Slow but steady	Children's books, local interest, Australian fiction
Independent bookshops	High, shop by shop	Low nationally, strong locally	Local authors, events, gift titles
Your email newsletter	Low once set up	Small but loyal	Second and later books

Amazon Ads For Authors In Australia

Amazon ads for authors usually means Sponsored Products: your cover appears in search results and on other books' pages when readers search for something related. It's pay-per-click. You set the bid and the daily budget, and you're only charged when someone clicks. Amazon recommends Sponsored Products as the place to start, and you can advertise books published outside KDP too.

A few things matter for Amazon ads for authors in Australia specifically:

Each marketplace runs separately. A campaign on amazon.com doesn't show your book to shoppers on amazon.com.au. If your readers are here, set up campaigns for the Australian store.
Sponsored Brands needs Brand Registry. These ads let you show a headline and several titles together, which suits series authors, but you have to enrol in Amazon Brand Registry first.
Start narrow. Target a short list of keywords and comparable titles, run it for a week or two, then keep the ones that sell. Ads with no reviews behind them rarely convert, so get those first.

What you spend on ads is entirely up to you, and it should be. Set a budget you're comfortable losing while you learn, and check it every week.

Meta Ads For Authors

Meta ads (Facebook and Instagram) work differently. People on Amazon are already shopping for a book. People on Instagram aren't, so your ad has to stop the scroll first. That's why Meta ads for authors live or die on the creative: a striking cover, a one-line hook, a quote card, or a short trailer.

You choose where the ads run, so you can keep them to Australia and New Zealand. Meta's Advantage+ audience options will look for likely readers for you, starting from any suggestions you give it. Send the clicks somewhere useful, such as your book's page on your site, a retailer page or a free extract with a newsletter signup.

Video tends to earn attention on Reels and TikTok that a static image won't. If you want something made for this, a book trailer cut for Reels, TikTok and YouTube and licensed for paid ads saves you making three versions yourself.

Want A Campaign Plan For Your Book? Tell us the title, genre and release date. We'll send a dated 90-day plan and a proposed ad budget, and nothing runs until you've seen both. Get a fixed quote or call +61 8 7111 2944.

How To Get Book Reviews In Australia

Reviews are the fuel for everything else. Ads, retailer algorithms and bookshop buyers all respond to them. To get book reviews in Australia, work on three levels at once.

Readers first

Build a small reader team of 20 to 40 people who'll read an early copy and post an honest review in launch week. Look on Goodreads, in genre Facebook groups and among bookstagram and BookTok accounts that review books like yours. Never pay for reviews or swap them. Amazon's review rules ban both.

Australian review outlets

Know which doors are open before you knock. Books+Publishing, the trade magazine that Australian booksellers and librarians read, states that it doesn't review self-published titles. Australian Book Review does welcome unsolicited review copies from self-published authors, sent by post with its submission form, although it can't guarantee a review. Category bloggers, literary journals and podcast hosts are often more open, especially if your pitch shows you've read their work.

Local media

Book publicity in Australia is often local. A regional daily, a community paper or a local ABC radio program is far more likely to cover "local teacher writes thriller set in the Barossa" than a national outlet is to cover your book cold. Pitch one person at a time, give them the hook in a single sentence, and attach a press kit, a high-resolution cover and a reading copy.

Getting Into Australian Bookshops And Libraries

This is where an Australian plan really differs from the generic advice online.

Bookshops

If you want to get a self-published book into bookshops, it has to be orderable through the channels shops already use. Self-publishing through IngramSpark connects your print book to its retail network, which in Australia includes Booktopia and independent bookstores. That makes your book orderable. It doesn't make it stocked. For that, walk into your local independent bookshop with a finished copy, a one-page sheet (cover, blurb, ISBN, how to order) and an offer to do an event. Some shops take local authors on consignment. Respect the buyer's time and don't turn up during the Saturday rush.

Libraries

To get your book into Australian libraries, make it easy for them to buy. Print books need to be listed with a wholesaler libraries order from. Ebooks and audiobooks reach library apps such as Libby (OverDrive) and BorrowBox through aggregators like Draft2Digital. BorrowBox, from Bolinda, is used by public libraries across Australia and New Zealand.

Watch out for KDP Select. If your ebook is enrolled in KDP Select, it must be exclusive to Amazon, which rules out Libby, BorrowBox and other ebook stores. Decide which matters more to you before you enrol.

Once your book is in libraries, register it for the Australian Lending Right Schemes (PLR and ELR). Self-publishing creators are eligible, and since 2023-24 ebooks and audiobooks with an ISBN can be claimed too. The current claim period runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, through Lending Rights Online on arts.gov.au. Your book also needs a catalogue record in the Australian National Bibliographic Database (or SCIS, for school titles).

Festivals, Writers' Centres And Events

The big writers' festivals, such as Adelaide Writers' Week, invite authors onto their programs, so don't count on a main-stage slot for a debut. They're still worth attending to meet booksellers and other writers. The better bet is closer to home: regional festivals, library author talks, school visits for children's books, and events run through your state writers' centre. A talk to 30 people who then buy a signed copy can sell more books than a week of ads, and it gives local media a reason to cover you.

What Moves The Cost Of A Book Marketing Campaign?

There's no standard figure for self-published book marketing, and you should be wary of anyone who quotes one before they've seen your book. What changes the cost:

Campaign length. A launch push is smaller than a full 90-day campaign with weekly optimisation.
Channels. Amazon only, or Amazon plus Meta, BookBub and Google.
Ad spend. The amount behind the ads is your call, and it's separate from the work of planning and running them.
Reviewer and press outreach. How many outlets, podcasts and reviewers are researched and pitched.
Creative. Do you already have ad-ready images and a trailer, or do they need making?

When you compare book marketing services in Australia, look for one that shows you the plan and the proposed budget before anything runs, then report the spend to you weekly. Good book promotion services report honestly. If one promises bestseller status or guaranteed sales, walk away. Nobody can honestly promise that.

Do It Yourself, Or Get Help?

Plenty of authors run their own self-published book marketing. If you're working out how to promote a self-published book on your own, this plan gives you everything you need to try. It's a lot of hours, though, and ads in particular cost money while you're learning.

If you'd rather hand it over, our book marketing services are built around the same approach: a dated 90-day launch plan, reviewer and trade press outreach, podcast pitching, Amazon, Meta, BookBub and Google ads with weekly spend reporting, and library and bookstore submissions. We also run campaigns for books that came out a while ago. Tell us about your book through our contact page and we'll send a campaign plan and a proposed budget. You decide what runs.

Book Marketing Questions

How much does it cost to market a self-published book in Australia?

It depends on the campaign, not a set fee. The big variables are how long it runs, how many channels you use, how much ad spend you choose to put behind it, how much reviewer and press outreach is involved, and if you need a trailer or new cover assets made. Ad spend is always your call. Ask for a free campaign plan and you'll see a proposed budget before anything starts.

When should I start marketing my self-published book?

About six weeks before release at the latest, and earlier if you can. That gives you time to fix your categories and blurb, get review copies to readers and reviewers, and set up a preorder page. Starting on launch day means your reviews and press arrive after the moment they'd have helped most.

Do Amazon ads work for Australian authors?

They can, especially for genre fiction and practical non-fiction that readers search for by topic. Sponsored Products ads are pay-per-click, so you set the bid and the budget, and you pay only when someone clicks. Campaigns are set up per Amazon marketplace, so amazon.com.au is run separately from amazon.com. Start small, watch which keywords convert, then shift budget to them.

How do I get reviews for a self-published book in Australia?

Start with readers: early copies to a reader team, Goodreads, and bookstagram or BookTok accounts in your genre. For press, pitch regional papers, local radio and category blogs one at a time. Australian Book Review accepts unsolicited copies from self-published authors by post, though it doesn't guarantee a review. Books+Publishing doesn't review self-published titles, so don't spend a pitch there.

Can I get my self-published book into Australian libraries?

Yes. Print books need to be listed with a wholesaler libraries already order from, which IngramSpark distribution helps with. Ebooks and audiobooks reach library apps such as Libby and BorrowBox through aggregators like Draft2Digital. Your ebook can't be in KDP Select at the same time. Then ask your local library to order a copy, and register for Australian lending rights.