How to Set Up Your Author Marketing Systems (Without Losing Your Mind)
A no-fluff guide to building a tech stack that sells books while you write more.
The Backend Blueprint: Author Marketing Systems That Actually Work
Welcome to the first instalment in a practical, no-fluff series for authors who want their books read and their income stable. We’re not here to play marketing bro—we’re here to build smart systems from the start. This is for the writers who want to stop flailing around with half-set-up sales pages and forgotten email lists. Let’s make sure the backend of your business is as intentional as the prose on the page.
In this article, you’ll learn:
What a tech stack is—and why every author needs one (even if you’re “not techy”)
The essential tools I recommend for websites, email, scheduling, and ads
Why boosting posts from Instagram is quietly wrecking your ad potential
The right way to set up Facebook Business Manager for future-proof marketing
How to protect your Meta accounts from being shut down
Which email platforms give you actual control over your audience
The smart way to sell digital products like ebooks and PDFs
What to avoid so you don’t waste time and money on tech you don’t need
A sneak peek at the downloadable Author Tech Map for paid subscribers
It’s part strategy, part cautionary tale—and designed to keep your author business from collapsing under the weight of bad systems.
Before You Launch: The Tech Stack That Future-Proofs Your Author Career
Writing a great book is only half the job. If you want long-term income—or even just consistent sales—then your backend systems need to be more robust than a post-it note and a Canva cover.
Your marketing isn’t just your content. It’s the structure that holds everything in place, allowing your audience to find you, engage with you, and—yes—buy from you. And it’s much harder to retrofit these systems once you’ve published three books and have no clue where your readers came from.
Let’s talk tech stacks.
What is a Tech Stack (and Why Should Authors Care)?
A tech stack is just a fancy way of saying: the tools and platforms that make your business run. For authors, this means everything from your website and email system to your sales page and ad infrastructure.
Think of it like plumbing. Invisible when it’s working—but when it’s not, everything leaks.
If you’re planning to:
Build an email list
Run ads
Sell direct (ebooks, audiobooks, courses)
Use Substack and retain ownership of your audience
…then you’ll want to get this right now—before you’re ten books deep and untangling a mess.
Your Core Author Tech Stack (Start Here)
1. Website + Domain
Use Carrd to create a fast, clean one-page site with your domain. Link out to your Substack, books, socials, and any lead magnets.
Why it matters: You need a digital home. Somewhere that signals: "I’m a professional." Even if it’s just one sleek page, it’s yours.
Carrd is cheap, no-code, and perfect for authors who hate faffing around in WordPress.
2. Email Marketing Platform
Substack is brilliant for content and growth, but it’s not built for advanced sales funnels. If you want to segment readers, tag by behaviour, or run evergreen email products, you’ll need:
Flodesk for visual simplicity and easy workflows
ConvertKit for tagging, automations, and high control
Even if you stay on Substack, own your list by downloading backups regularly. Algorithms change. Audiences disappear. Your list is your only real asset.
3. Social Scheduling + Analytics
You don’t need to live on social media. But you do need to show up often enough that people remember you exist.
Metricool is my go-to. It schedules across all platforms, provides post analytics, and even handles Pinterest. You can bulk upload content and keep your sanity intact.
4. Facebook & Instagram Ads Infrastructure
Even if you’re not ready for ads now, one day you might be. And when you are, you’ll thank yourself for setting this up properly.
Here’s why:
If you’ve been boosting posts from the Instagram app, 30% of your ad budget is being siphoned off by Apple.
Worse, if you’ve only ever boosted posts from your personal profile, your ads are tied to your personal ad account, not your Business Manager. That’s a dead end.
You cannot transfer results into Business Manager later. You lose all that data and can’t properly build retargeting audiences.
This can be a big issue if you ever want to work with an agency.
What to do instead:
If you are going to boost posts, always boost from the desktop version of Instagram or Facebook.
Set up a Facebook Business Manager (business.facebook.com).
Add a payment method inside Business Manager. Yes, even if you're not running ads yet, this helps keep your ad account active.
Install your Meta Pixel on your website (Carrd, Gumroad, etc.). This lets you track visitors and build audiences.
Enable two-factor authentication—it’s the bare minimum. Without it, your ad account could be compromised or shut down with no warning.
This infrastructure is foundational. It's the equivalent of setting up your standing desk before you start writing your novel. Boring, maybe—but necessary.
5. Digital Product Sales Platform
Want to sell ebooks, PDFs, exclusive content, or mini-courses directly to your readers? You need a store that doesn’t demand 30% of your soul.
Use Gumroad. It’s simple, direct, and gives you control. You can build product pages, upload your content, and even sell bundles or subscriptions.
Substack paywalls are great for recurring income, but Gumroad gives you flexibility and ownership. Plus, no one’s taking a giant bite out of your royalties.
What NOT to Worry About Yet
Don’t let shiny object syndrome drag you under. You don’t need:
A 14-step funnel before you’ve written your first chapter
Reels on every platform, every day
Zapier integrations, Kajabi subscriptions, or £300/month coaching tools
Start lean. Start smart. Add only what you need. Your future self will thank you.
Bonus: Downloadable Author Tech Map (Coming Soon)
I’ll be adding a visual breakdown of this system inside the paid Substack resource hub shortly. If you’re a paid member, you’ll get full access.
Have a tech tool you swear by—or one that’s made you cry into your coffee? Let me know in the comments or tag me on Substack Notes (@hjsmithwilliams).
I hope this helps. If you need any advice, just get in contact with me. I want to see authors doing amazing things!
H. J. x
New to me and my writing?
I’m H. J. Smith-Williams: novelist, screenwriter (in progress), and founder of the £1.5M Project—a year-long experiment to see how far words, wit, and stubborn execution can go.
You can expect fiction, industry breakdowns, unapologetic ambition, and the occasional author confession.
If that sounds like your kind of chaos, you’re in the right place.
Find all the writer’s tools & resources below
Affiliate notice: If you decide to buy Scrivener, Carrd, Gumroad or Metricool via the links in this post, I may earn a small commission. It won’t cost you anything extra. I only recommend tools I’ve actually used—and occasionally sworn at.
