Memoir Marketing Campaign

HARD LABOUR

Book: Hard Labour: A Boy's Journey Through Adversity to Resilience
Author: Peter Nickless
Main sales channel: Amazon UK
Main marketing channel: Facebook Author Page
Marketing budget: Initially Under £100 per month, excluding freelancer fees. The aim is to get people to read the book not to raise royalties, any royalties will be returned to the marketing budget.
1. THE OBJECTIVE
Published last year, Hard Labour has sold hundreds of copies and attracted nearly 100 four and five-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. However, sales have slowed, and I want to revitalise marketing to attract new readers and maintain sales.
I am looking for a freelance book marketer to plan, create, manage and monitor a consistent campaign.
It begins in a Yorkshire mining community, where childhood is remembered with warmth, simplicity and belonging. Following his parents' separation, the boy moves to inner-city Manchester, where he experiences poverty, loss, family difficulties, hunger and humiliation.
However, this is not simply a story of hardship. It also contains humour, childhood adventures, friendships, kindness and, ultimately, resilience.
Its distinctive feature is that much of the story is told through the eyes and understanding of the child experiencing events, rather than adult hindsight.
3. TARGET AUDIENCE
Primary audience:
• Men and women aged approximately 55+.
• People who grew up in Britain during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
• Readers interested in working-class communities, mining villages and post-war Britain.
• People interested in family and social history.
Secondary audience:
• Memoir and autobiography readers.
• People interested in childhood adversity and overcoming hardship.
• Readers who enjoy emotional stories about ordinary people.
The marketer should research where these audiences spend time online and how best to reach them.
4. THE MARKETING MESSAGE
The book should be marketed as an engaging human story, not simply another autobiography.
Key themes:
• Childhood innocence confronted by adult problems.
• Growing up in Britain's working-class communities.
• Family relationships, separation and loss.
• Humour and adventures of 1950s and 1960s childhood.
• How childhood experiences shape adulthood.
• Overcoming adversity through resilience.
Possible promotional hooks:
• What does it take for a child to survive a childhood of hardship?
• Do you remember growing up in the 1950s and 1960s?
• Childhood memories can stay with us for a lifetime.
• Behind every childhood is a story. Some are harder than others.
• One boy. Two very different childhoods. A lifetime of memories.
Develop and test additional hooks to discover what generates interest and sales.
5. FACEBOOK MARKETING – MAIN PRIORITY
Facebook is my principal promotional platform. I want the freelancer to manage and develop my Author Page.
Aim for three quality posts per week, including:
• Short memoir extracts and childhood memories.
• Amusing childhood experiences and adventures.
• Emotional stories about family, hardship and relationships.
• Appropriate historical photographs and illustrations.
• Reader reviews and testimonials.
• Direct promotional posts encouraging book purchases.
Childhood Eyes campaign
Develop a regular series of short posts written from the young boy's perspective. These should be engaging, sometimes humorous and allow readers to experience the world as the child saw it.
Reflections on Hard Labour
Develop another series exploring the deeper meaning of childhood memories and how my understanding of people and events changed with age.
Book promotion
Regularly remind readers that the book is available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback editions. Include a clear purchasing link.
Maintain a balance between entertaining, engaging and selling rather than making every post a hard sell.
6. VISUAL MARKETING
I already have childhood photographs, historical-style illustrations and promotional images.
The marketer should:
• Use the actual book cover where appropriate.
• Create professional, attractive Facebook graphics.
• Use short, powerful headlines.
• Avoid overcrowding images with text.
• Use historically appropriate 1950s and 1960s imagery.
• Maintain a consistent visual identity.
• Ensure images work well on mobile screens.
Visuals should create curiosity and encourage people to stop scrolling.
7. AMAZON SALES STRATEGY
Review the existing Amazon listing and identify improvements, including:
• Book description and sales copy.
• Presentation of Kindle and paperback editions.
• Effective use of existing five-star reviews.
• Appropriate Amazon categories and keywords.
• Opportunities for Amazon advertising.
• Available sales and advertising data.
Existing reviews are valuable marketing assets. Use genuine testimonials without altering or inventing quotations.
Submit proposed listing changes for my approval.
8. PAID ADVERTISING
The monthly advertising budget is under £100, so spending must be carefully controlled.
Investigate:
• Small, targeted Facebook advertising campaigns.
• Amazon sponsored advertising, where appropriate.
• Retargeting opportunities, where practical.
Start with small experiments. Every campaign must have a defined audience, message, budget and measurable objective.
No advertising expenditure without my prior approval.
9. OTHER MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES
Investigate opportunities beyond Facebook, including:
• Memoir and autobiography reading groups.
• 1950s and 1960s social history communities.
• Working-class history and mining heritage groups.
• Local newspapers, magazines and radio.
• Libraries and reading groups.
• Relevant podcasts, book blogs and reviewers.
Respect group rules and avoid inappropriate promotional activity.
10. WEEKLY RESPONSIBILITIES
The freelancer should actively manage the campaign, not simply provide occasional advice.
Weekly duties:
1. Plan the following week's activity.
2. Write and prepare three Facebook posts.
3. Source or create suitable visuals.
4. Schedule and publish approved posts.
5. Monitor comments and engagement.
6. Encourage potential readers towards Amazon.
7. Monitor performance and suggest improvements.
Maintain a simple record of published content and results.
11. MONTHLY REPORTING
Provide a short monthly report covering:
• Number of posts published.
• Facebook reach and engagement.
• Best-performing posts.
• Amazon clicks, where measurable.
• Kindle and paperback sales, using available data.
• Advertising expenditure and results.
• Cost per click and recommendations for the next month.
The key question is whether marketing activity is helping generate additional book sales. Explain any limitations in measuring this.
12. WORKING ARRANGEMENT AND APPROVAL
I want someone who can work independently while recognising that this is my book and my story.
Important requirements:
• All posts must initially be submitted for approval.
• Learn and maintain my preferred writing style.
• Preserve the memoir's warmth, humour and honesty.
• Retain the childhood perspective.
• Never invent childhood incidents or quotations.
• Avoid misleading claims.
• Obtain approval for all advertising expenditure.
• I retain ownership of all marketing materials.
• I retain control of my Facebook and Amazon accounts.
I prefer someone experienced in book marketing rather than general social media management.
13. WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
The aim is a sustainable campaign that renews interest in Hard Labour.
Success will be measured by:
• Increased monthly book sales.
• More visits to the Amazon listing.
• Reaching new potential readers.
• Better use of existing reader reviews.
• A recognisable and consistent Facebook presence.
• A campaign sustainable within the modest budget.
Review the campaign after three months.
14. THE FIRST 30 DAYS
Week 1: Review the book, Amazon listing, Facebook page, previous posts and reviews. Prepare a marketing plan.
Week 2: Create the first batch of content, including Childhood Eyes and Reflections on Hard Labour.
Week 3: Begin regular posting and test different promotional hooks.
Week 4: Review performance, identify what works and recommend the following month's activity.
Provide an initial assessment identifying the three most important opportunities to improve sales.
FINAL INSTRUCTION TO THE MARKETER
Hard Labour has already demonstrated that it can find an audience. Hundreds of readers have bought it, and nearly 70 have left five-star Amazon reviews.
The challenge now is to reconnect the book with potential readers and introduce it to people who have not yet discovered it.
I am not looking for a campaign that simply makes my Facebook page look busy. I want someone who can tell the story, create curiosity, reach the right readers and turn interest into book sales.
The book has a story worth telling. The job is to help more people discover it.