A book can be a great marketing tool to help you promote your personal brand and your business. However, unless you’re a well-known celebrity with a big publisher behind your efforts, the job of promoting it will be left to you.

Having worked with many well-known (and some not-so-well-known) authors and speakers over the years, here are a few tricks of the trade that could be more beneficial as part of your communications game plan.

1. Leverage the book for media coverage.

If your goal is to secure articles and editorials in specific magazines, publishing a book increases your level of credibility with journalists. They tend to consider more those who have written a book than those who have not. After all, journalists are writers, many of whom would like to publish their own book. The same goes for those looking for TV interviews, radio interviews, blog articles, and podcast appearances. Send a copy to key influencers. Use the book to open doors and search for earned media.

2. Take advantage of the book for speaking opportunities.

A lot of publicity, exposure, and even sales can result directly from speaking at conferences and trade shows. As long as you can deliver a solid hour-long presentation or serve as a member of a panel, the book can help you land appearances in front of your target audience. The author of Book XXX has a lot of credibility among event planners. Be sure to mention it on your request to speak or even mail a copy along with the proper forms.

3. Look for book reviews.

This tends to be a bit tricky, but can be very rewarding. Securing a review with a key trade magazine, and with Amazon and/or Barnes & Noble will give you instant credibility. Now you need readers to comment on the book. You may need to hand out books to friends and colleagues and encourage them to post their thoughts on the site. Of course, you run the risk that someone may not like your writing or agree with your opinions. But if you’ve done your homework and have a well-written article, you should get dozens of rave reviews over time. You can even become an Amazon bestselling author in your category. Then you can use your success for even bigger and better opportunities.

4. Write an e-book first before you print it. As Ryan Holiday at Growth Hacker Marketing expertly explains, if you have the luxury of writing an ebook, it gives you a number of solid options to make your print edition more professional and engaging for readers. The e-book allows you to make your work available to a multitude of targeted clients at a low cost. You can then get feedback and see what they like and don’t like. You can adjust the actual print version, improve your writing, and give readers an updated version when the print edition is published.

5. Add your book title and authorship to your email signature.

This is so easy and simple that it is often overlooked. If you send thousands of emails a year (and who doesn’t), why not use it as a marketing tool? Under your name, put… “Author of 20 Ideas That Will Rock Your Business… Forever” or whatever title it is. Let your business colleagues, clients, friends, and others know that you wrote a book, that you’re a thought leader in the industry (isn’t that what the book was intended to do in the first place?), and maybe you could know something to help them in their business endeavors. Who knows, you might get a few calls from people asking how they can buy a copy.