Marketing books can be very frustrating for authors, but they can also be quite rewarding and provide a big payoff to the writer who overcomes the challenges, costs, and time constraints often associated with executing a book promotion campaign.

I would suggest that authors can learn a few things from our canine friends when it comes to developing successful habits for marketing a book. I know I have learned a lot from many of my dogs, past and present, including Buzz and El Chapo, pugs; Jackson, a bulldog; and Ferris, a Labrador.

What is a dog, really? Another being in the house that mainly rotates around a few key activities: eating, pooping, sleeping, playing, defending your property, and walking/running. But the parents of America’s 90 million dogs know a canine is much more. Dogs are loving, playful, and protective companions who bring us so many smiles and feelings of warmth and security. They bear us witness to our true selves but keep our confessions and shortcomings confidential. They just want to be in the room with us—and always accept us for who we are. They are great recipients of our love. And they should inspire your book marketing efforts.

Here are 10 things I have learned about marketing books from my dogs:

1. Know How to Communicate

Dogs have those begging eyes and tell us when they want a snack, have to go to the bathroom, or would enjoy a good walk. They may not speak English, but they can express themselves with their body language and display of enthusiasm. A loud bark can tell us many things in a certain situation. And rolling over for a belly rub says something, too.

Bottom line, find a way to make your needs known and push to get your message heard. You will need to communicate in a multitude of ways, such as when you are seeking to persuade the news media to interview you, or when you’re on social media and you want to devise content with viral potential, or you want to best present yourself on your website to potential consumers and readers.

2. Sometimes You Do Need a Trainer

Several of my dogs had a few obedience training lessons to eliminate problematic habits, and you, as an author, would greatly benefit from receiving some coaching and guidance from a book marketing professional. Make the investment—it will pay off. You can be coached out of your blind spots, gain useful insights, stop bad habits, and feel encouraged to act with good behavior.

3. Be A Creature of Habit and Consistency

Dogs follow patterns of behavior and seem to know when it is feeding or walking time. They thrive on having their expectations met consistently. As a writer, you should develop clockwork habits of discipline to make sure you are doing something regularly, and often that pertains to book marketing. For example, blog once a week; be on social media with a tasked purpose for 15 minutes a day; and update your website every quarter.

4. Embrace Unconditional Love

Dogs can love anyone. They like to be where you are and are just beautiful, dopey, loyal creatures. They should remind authors that whether you have a great, lousy, or mediocre time marketing your book, life goes on, and the people in your life will be there to support and love you—like a good dog. So take risks, work hard, and try new things. Win or lose, your dog will still love you.

5. Be Persistent

We know dogs can hound us into submitting to their needs and desires. Dogs bring us balls and toys to indicate play time, and they will nudge us until we play. They will sometimes grab their leash to push for a walk. They sit by our feet when we eat, bark at the dinner table, and put themselves right on top of us when we snack while sitting on the couch. They keep at it until we give them something to eat. Authors need to be persistent in their pursuits, whether seeking to schedule a speaking event, securing a news media interview, or selling books to a group. Being a dog is a numbers game—if they keep begging, they will eventually get rewarded. Authors, keep trying and asking, and you shall get what you want sometimes.

6. Network All the Time

One of my dogs, El Chapo, loves to socialize with other dogs—and people. He knows how to work a park or make new friends anywhere. As an author, you need to be outgoing, too. Your customer can be anywhere at any time, so don’t be shy. Sniff some butts—and don’t paws until you make new connections. The key is to be engaging with others and not just see others as obstacles to get around. Just putting yourself out there and showing up to events will increase your chances of success.

7.  Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks—They Just Need a Nudge

Ferris, nearly 10, a handsome curmudgeon Labrador, who is literally four times the size of El Chapo, learned how to play and be a friend when the little pug arrived two and a half years ago. Ferris is a people person but ignores other dogs except to bark at those who are bigger than him. El Chapo gets in his face, yapping and nudging him to play. The little guy taught him tug of war—which Chapo always loses—how to snuggle, and how to chase him around the house. You can teach a dog new tricks—and authors can learn how to promote a book. Authors can do social media, speak at a bookstore, be interviewed on podcasts, submit to book awards, and many other things.

8. Be on the Lookout for Opportunity

Ferris is always sniffing for food on his walks. He seems to gear his radar to the task of finding garbage to eat. And he succeeds often. He seems to uncover every dead bird or squirrel in the bushes, any food that was tossed roadside from a car, or any remnants of food disposed of in my man cave garbage pail. His nose is locked onto food, as if on a mission. He pounces opportunistically and feasts quickly. Authors must also have their book’s marketing top of mind so that they can sniff out and readily respond to opportunities that can serve them well. If you seek something, you shall find it.

9. Brand Names and Unique Images Sell Better

Dog names might be linked to a dog’s personality or size. But they are definitely linked to the parent’s brand. We called our pug El Chapo because his backstory was that he was rescued from a drug den in Aruba. I love telling that story, and people enjoy the name, which means “shorty.” Ferris is from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, because every day with him is like being on an adventure. Anyone who loves the 1980s will feel a fondness for his name. Buzz, a pug, had an oversized tongue that never seemed to stay in his mouth. It flowed down to the floor, like a carpeted staircase runner. He was tall for a pug, and people always commented on his tongue and size. Jackson had a brindle-patterned coat of hair—and an underbite to go with his squished-in but oversized face. That got a lot of looks, too.

For authors, your book’s title is part of your brand. If it is too long, without relevance for the reader, hard to spell, or just not interesting, your book’s image suffers. And your website’s look needs to give off a certain vibe in order for people to pay attention.

10. Be Territorial—Hog the Bed

Some of my bigger dogs, like Jackson, the 100-pound bulldog, or Ferris, also huge, have the habit of taking up a lot of strategic space, even on a king-size bed. They could find acreage by my feet but instead they lay right where my body should be, sometimes with their head on my pillow. I then have to negotiate with them and risk a small hernia to roll them over so that I can reclaim my space. You, too, as an author, must lay claim to your marketplace and carve out what you want to take. Assert yourself and lay claim to parts of social media and other marketable realms. Get your content out there and raise your voice in parts that normally don’t hear from you.

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