Photo by Jordan Allen Walters on Unsplash

Today’s post is excerpted from Think Local, Sell Global: How to Build Author Buzz in Your Backyard by Penny Sansevieri.

We live in a world where authors are told to think big: grow your social media following, land a spot on a national morning show, and go viral on TikTok. While those things have their place, they’re not the only paths to success. In fact, many bestselling authors have built their audience brick by brick, starting in their own neighborhoods.

The other reason I love local is because it’s something authors often overlook. It’s not sexy enough—I mean why go local when you can go global? And I get it, but here’s the thing: sometimes the best way to grab your national reach is to start locally.

There’s a particular charm to being known as a “local author.” People take pride in supporting someone from their community. It’s human nature. And readers are far more likely to buy a book if they feel a personal connection to the author, even a small one.

When you walk into your local bookstore and see a display that says “Local Author Spotlight,” it immediately catches your attention. It tells a story before a single page is read. It creates emotional proximity. This is the power of getting local.

The surprising national reason to focus on local

Years ago, when Oprah still had her daytime show, she had “scouts” located all over the country. Their purpose? To find fresh new stories that were building momentum locally, things that their national audience might love. Fast forward to 2025 and beyond, many national shows still follow this rule: find local stories that are generating buzz and push them into the national spotlight. I’m not saying this will happen every time, but it can happen and it just might happen to you.

I also have a story I love to tell when I’m teaching authors about the benefits of local media. Years ago there were these sisters who wrote (and self-published) a cookbook filled with Cajun recipes. While the recipes were great, they were also launching in the heart of Cajun cooking country: Louisiana. Needless to say, there was a lot of competition!

These sisters decided to go grassroots, ignoring major national markets and just focusing locally. They saturated the media with cooking ideas, all tethered to current or seasonal trends. They saturated bookstores, food stores, cooking stores—everywhere. A few months into their local effort, they got a call from a major New York publishing house wanting to pick up their indie published book for national distribution.

That’s the magic of local buzz.

The Amazon halo effect

You might be wondering how selling a few books in your hometown helps your online rankings. Here’s the breakdown:

• Sales matter to Amazon—even modest ones. When books sell (online or through local event links) Amazon registers that activity.
• Online reviews from local readers are just as powerful. If ten people at a signing post reviews, that gives your book a noticeable boost.
• Social proof spreads. Local buzz often leads to photos, shares, and mentions—signals that can influence Amazon’s algorithm and improve visibility.

Local marketing is not separate from your online marketing; it feeds it.

Amazon is looking for authors who are doing things outside of the Amazon ecosystem. That’s how actual authors stand out versus the AI ones. ChatGPT probably won’t be showing up for local book signings anytime soon and Amazon knows this as well. That’s why it’s becoming increasingly more important for authors to market off of Amazon and local media is a great place to start.

Local media helps you get noticed in Google and AI search

More and more people are searching through their preferred AI tool to find a great place to have dinner, find local events, vendors, and literally everything you can imagine. It’s become so popular in fact that many of our authors have found us through AI instead of Google.

AI tools like ChatGPT take their cues from Google in that they want to present results relevant to your search. The secret to ranking in search these days is trust. Anyone can run ads on Google, spend a lot of money (really a lot of money) and get to page one. But not everyone has a budget to do that. So what are the rest of us supposed to do if we want to show up in search? The key is to show up in trusted, third-party sources that both AI and Google use to make recommendations.

Local media is a trusted third-party source. Therefore, a great way to help build visibility for your book, your website, or any business tethered to your book is by dipping into trusted sources for media exposure.

Why local still works

• Credibility: If you’re on the news in your city, that’s a credential. It adds to your media resume (aka the media room on your website). Bookstores and influencers love to see authors with existing press.
• Trust: Your community is more likely to rally around you. Friends, neighbors, and alumni groups will cheer you on and spread the word.
• Access: Unlike national media or major influencer campaigns, local opportunities are often wide open. There’s less competition and more willingness for the media to say “yes.”

What local looks like

Getting local can mean a variety of things:

• Doing a book reading at your neighborhood store
• Getting interviewed by your hometown newspaper
• Being featured in your alumni newsletter
• Partnering with a local boutique or gallery for an event
• Speaking at the library you frequent

These efforts add up. More than that, they give you practice, polish, and presence. You get better at speaking about your book. You collect photos, stories, and video clips you can use online. You start to build great visibility.

One of the authors we worked with launched her memoir in a small coastal town in Oregon. She didn’t have a big Instagram following or media coverage. But what she did have was local love. She hosted a small launch at the indie bookstore downtown and got the local newspaper to do a feature. That article was shared hundreds of times. Her book started trending in regional Amazon categories. That traction led to podcast invitations and even a regional TV segment.

It all started with a town of 5,000 people.

Leverage alumni groups, neighborhood networks, and community leaders

• Alumni groups: Whether it’s high school or college, most alumni organizations have newsletters, social media groups, and opportunities to spotlight graduates. Reach out with a short pitch and a copy of your book.
• Neighborhood associations: These groups often publish newsletters, hold monthly meetings, and host community events. Offer to speak about your publishing journey or do a reading.
• Local organizations and community leaders: Nonprofits, Rotary clubs, women’s groups, and chambers of commerce are always looking for engaging guest speakers. Your story can inspire others, especially if it touches on themes of resilience, creativity, or entrepreneurship.

Get testimonials from local figures

Want to add weight to your credibility? Ask for a brief testimonial from someone local with visibility, maybe someone with longstanding local ties. These testimonials can be used on your website, media kit, or Amazon author page.

A few tips:

• Keep your ask specific: “Would you be willing to offer a brief endorsement of my book for use on my website or in promotional material?”
• Make it easy by offering a sample quote they can tweak.
• Always thank them publicly (and privately!) for their support.

Every time you do a local event, be sure to ask for a testimony from the person or organization that invited you. Then use it as a blurb on your website. You only want a few sentences about the event, how much the venue enjoyed having you, etc.

Action step: Make a local hit list and draft your hometown story

• List five local businesses that would make sense to partner with (bookstores, gift shops, cafes). Don’t worry if they aren’t specifically bookstores.
• Identify three media outlets in your area (radio, paper, local TV).
• Jot down any affiliations you have: alumni groups, business networks, nonprofits.

These are your low-hanging fruit—the people who are most likely to say YES.

Now, take a few minutes to write your hometown pitch.

Start with:

• Where you’re from
• What inspired you to write the book
• Why this book matters to your community

This becomes the foundation for your pitch to the media.