Are You Relying Too Much on Tropes in Your Book Marketing?
A screenshot made the rounds a few weeks ago of a typical marketing graphic; a book cover and some of the tropes that exist in the book.
I don’t want to put anyone on blast, so I’m not going to put it here. I also haven’t read the book, so I’m not in a place to judge how accurate the list of tropes was or wasn’t.
We’ve all seen graphics like this before, right?
But the screenshot was going around because people were mocking it. One of the tropes listed was “touch her and die,” which didn’t seem like it really fit with the characters on the cover. Nothing about the male lead screamed “dangerous” or “bad boy.”
Maybe we’re all wrong and just judging a book by its cover—I don’t know. But I’ve been thinking about it ever since I saw it.
I think authors are relying too much on tropes in their marketing. I want to talk about it.
What is a trope?
A trope is a common (maybe even overused) literary element or theme.
This can be anything from happily ever after to orphaned heroes.
I think the first trope trend that I really got caught up in was love triangles; it was everywhere in YA books that were popular when I was a kid.
And I learned early on what it looks like when a trope is crammed into a book just because it’s popular at the time. They don’t feel authentic. They feel like the cash grab that they are.
That sixth sense for inauthentic tropes hasn’t gone away—if anything, it’s only gotten stronger as I’ve edited professionally. Newer authors aren’t the only ones who fall into this trap, but I do think they’re more susceptible to it. It takes time and practice to develop your authentic writing voice. For a while, the things you write are going to look similar to the things you read—it’s just what happens.
But that’s a different discussion. There isn’t always an overreliance on tropes in writing.
But I’ve been seeing a lot of tropes in book marketing lately.
why you should use tropes in your marketing
Not where you thought I was going with this?
I’m not a trope hater. There’s a time and place for them, and I think they can be super fun! And I think you would be doing yourself a disservice to avoid them completely (if that’s even possible).
There’s been a “TikTokification” of publishing the last few years. Tiktok wants fast. TikTok wants trending. TikTok wants constant content. And (especially if you’re going to self-publish something) you need to be in the good graces of the algorithm to reach a lot of readers. The things that trend are specific tropes, sub-genres (especially in the romance genre), and popular titles.
These are good ways to market your book! Comp titles and tropes are quick and easy ways to grab someone’s attention. They make it super easy for a reader to say, “Hey, I like enemies to lovers, let me see more about this book!” And marketing for a specific niche of sub-genre readers is a great way to find the people who will love your work.
But…
you shouldn’t only use tropes in your marketing
Tropes are shallow.
“There’s only one bed!”
Great! I love that! But that doesn’t tell me what your story is about. It tells me about a scene and that there’s some sexual tension.
“Morally gray love interests” are a dime a dozen. Let me guess, he also has dark hair and broods a lot?
I. Love. A. Broody. Grumpy. Man. I do!
But tell me what makes him morally gray. Tell me about what makes him appealing despite that moral grayness.
Readers don’t only want to hear about tropes. Just because a book has “grumpy x sunshine” doesn’t mean it’s worth their money. If I want to read something with hurt/comfort, I’m going to AO3.
If you’ve never heard of “evergreen” content or marketing, it means something that stays fresh, something that gets as much interest five years from now as it does right this second. Tropes aren’t evergreen ways to market your book. The popularity of tropes comes and goes; you don’t want declining interest in the “who did this to you?” trope to mean a decline in interest in your book.
If there’s one universal truth about book marketing it’s that you’re in it for the long haul. This is one of the reasons it’s really important to make sure your content is reusable. Social media often feels like an uphill battle, but you can give yourself a little more ammunition against burnout by creating evergreen content.
Unfortunately, I don’t know of any special formula or rule for how often you should be using tropes in your marketing material. And if your book happens to have a trope in it that’s popular right now, by all means, talk about it—talk about it often. Strike while the iron is hot!
But if you’re talking about the tropes in your book in every other thing you post, I think it’s time to broaden your horizons a little bit.
20+ EVERGREEN book MARKETING IDEAS
Talk about what inspired your book
Get real about how long it took to write your book
Show your followers who your book is dedicated to
Interview your characters
Share the last line in your book
Describe what your ideas for your cover were vs. how it turned out (assuming you had a say in it)
Highlight the lines that made you swoon or cry when you wrote them
Share your readers’ favorite lines
Make aesthetic videos (these are always popular!)
Show a review that made your day
Reveal your alternative blurb drafts
Fancast the movie or TV show
Show off character art
Link to the playlist you used while writing it
Talk about who inspired your characters
Describe what it would be like to travel to your world
Show your first line
Create a little profile about your side characters
Talk about what you would do if you were in your characters’ shoes
List the things that you and your characters have in common
Share some of the other titles you considered
Talk about some of the themes in your writing
Create a playlist you think readers should listen to while they read
Share the blurb you worked so hard on
Show some of the other names you considered for your characters
Compare the first draft length to what you published
P.S.
I’m proud of you for all of the work you’re putting into your marketing! I absolutely understand how exhausting it is, and sometimes it feels unfair that you have to do so much work all the time just to catch the interest of some people online. It’s way easier to talk about a few tropes than it is to wax poetic about your inspirations and the themes in your writing…but you should be doing that too.
And remember, even your most loyal followers probably don’t see every single thing you post. You can and should reuse content!
