In Grease, there was one fierce pack of ladies who “ruled the school.” They were the Pink Ladies and in between sassy gossip and tortured high school romances, they managed to dish out book marketing advice.

If you’re out there promoting your book, follow some of these Pink Lady-inspired tips as you tweet, blog and boost your way towards finding and engaging readers.

Hopelessly Devoted to Readers

“I’m a terrific pen pal, hopelessly devoted to each and every one of them.” – Marty Maraschino

While Marty is referring to how she entertains so many interested gentlemen, there’s a lesson to be learned for authors. Become hopelessly devoted to your fans. Whether you have 5 or 5000, give as much as you can to those who support your work.

If you have a small fanbase, make sure you respond to every comment on Facebook and every question on Twitter. This intimate connection will build lifelong fans.

If you have amassed an audience too big to address individually, try to connect by conducting a Facebook Live or scheduling a Twitter chat.

Book Marketing Dropout

“I had a little trouble in tinting class. In fact, I had a little trouble in all my classes. Beauty school isn’t what I thought it would be.” – Frenchie

Let’s translate Frenchie’s line to fit authors:

“I had a little trouble with Facebook. In fact, I had a little trouble with all my social media platforms. Publishing a book isn’t what I thought it would be.”

Though you don’t have to be on every social media platform or try every tactic out there, you should have a plan for marketing your book(s). Traditional or indie, fiction or memoir, every book needs the support of their author in order to thrive.

Find the strategy that works for you and commit to following through with it. Don’t drop out of your marketing plans.

Lead Your Marketing Strategy

“I can’t help it, I’m used to leading!” – Jan

Jan doesn’t appear to have any issues with self-confidence and when her date asks her “Can I lead for once?” as they scoot around the dance floor, Jan answers the only way she knows how, “I can’t help it, I’m used to leading!”

Whether you have hired someone to help or you’re DIY-ing all the way, you have to lead the way when marketing your book. It’s okay if you’ve brought someone on board to do Facebook ads or if you’ve solicited some help connecting with influencers, just make sure you keep an eye on all the moving parts.

Is your publisher running a giveaway? Make sure you are sharing it on your own platforms. Does your social media assistant understand the themes in the book? Make sure she is informed. Tackling newsletters all by yourself? Make sure you’re leading readers to sign up.

Don’t Let Readers See You Cry

“But to cry in front of you, that’s the worst thing I could do.” – Betty Rizzo

When you have been out there marketing, it’s easy to feel intimate and close with your readers and many can tend to drop their guard when the writing world gets tough.

Let Rizzo be a lesson to all authors that there is such a thing as overexposure and a little self-preservation can go a long way.

Bad review: Don’t respond.

Nasty comment on Facebook: Delete and move on.

Snubbed by an award: Gracefully bow out.

It’s okay to feel and have raw human emotions, but some authors let that spill heavily onto their marketing platforms and it tends to rub even the most dedicated readers the wrong way.

Start Anew (if you must)

“Sandy you must start anew. Don’t you know what you must do? Hold your head high, take a deep breath inside…” – Sandra Dee

While we may not be on board with changing your whole look and picking up smoking to impress a dude, we can get on board with the need for a fresh start.

If you’ve been publishing for a while and marketing for as long and feel your platforms are growing stale, start anew. The online marketing world is forgiving in that they won’t look back at what you’ve changed. Audiences will, however, notice pages and platforms that look outdated.

Stay on top of trends in the book marketing world and do regular sweeps of all your marketing assets to see what needs some refreshing.

Be sure you’re putting your best foot forward and polishing any versions of your marketing that have become drab.