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Book and magazine publishers · WhatsApp marketing

Tell readers, booksellers and subscribers on WhatsApp what has come out, once and only if they asked.

WhatsApp marketing for a publisher is the use of WhatsApp to share new titles, catalogues, order details and subscription reminders with booksellers, institutions and readers who agreed to hear from you. GullySales sets up the business profile, the consent record and the templates, and keeps the messages relevant to each list.

Tell us what you needor call +91 80958 58589

Scope, fee, reporting and term are agreed in writing after we have read your brief and spoken to you.

Editorial illustration for WhatsApp marketing and automation

What WhatsApp marketing means

WhatsApp marketing is sending updates, offers and reminders to customers on the app most Indian buyers already check daily. GullySales sets up business WhatsApp, writes the message templates and keeps the list consented and current.

Also for book and magazine publishers

Sales and marketing for book and magazine publishers, the overview.

Last updated 11 Oct 2026.

For book and magazine publishers

Where it usually goes wrong, and what we would do.

  • “The catalogue travels as a heavy PDF”

    A fifty-page catalogue sent to every contact clogs a phone and is not opened. A short message with the right titles and a link is read.

  • “Booksellers want an order sheet, not a broadcast”

    A shop owner who is busy wants the new titles, the discount and a way to order. A forwarded poster about an author does not help him.

  • “Readers join groups and then leave”

    A reading group started with enthusiasm fills with forwarded messages. Readers leave unless the group has a purpose and a moderator.

What we do

What we deliver for book and magazine publishers.

Every deliverable, what it covers for you, and the result it is there to produce. Nothing here is an extra.

  1. WhatsApp Business profile for the imprint

    A profile with the imprint's name, address, hours, a catalogue of titles and a greeting that asks whether the sender is a reader, a bookseller or a school.

    Result: Each sender is routed to the right person.

  2. Opt-in record for each list

    A note of when and how each reader, shop, school or librarian agreed to hear from you, and about what.

    Result: You can show who agreed and why.

  3. Message templates for the trade

    Templates for a new title, an order confirmation, a subscription reminder and a fair invitation, in the language of the list.

    Result: Messages go out in a form the platform accepts.

  4. Segments by role and subject

    Booksellers, schools, librarians, readers and subscribers kept as separate lists, each tagged by language and subject.

    Result: A message reaches those who can use it.

  5. Order and subscription flow

    A route from a message to an order form or a payment link, so the buyer does not have to write a long list in a chat.

    Result: An order takes a few taps.

  6. Message and opt-out record

    Messages sent, replies received, orders from them and opt-outs honoured, reported against the baseline.

    Result: The owner sees whether the channel brings orders.

How the result is measured

  • Messages delivered
  • Reply rate
  • Enquiries from WhatsApp

Recorded as a baseline before work starts, so every later report has an honest comparison.

Read the full WhatsApp marketing and automation page

What must be in place first

What a publisher needs in place before sending a single WhatsApp message to a bookseller or a reader.

Opt-in record
Write down when, how and for what each reader, shop or librarian agreed. A tick box on the fair sign-up sheet or a yes in the chat will do. A bought list does not count.
Business profile
Set the imprint's name, address, hours and a catalogue of titles. Keep the profile on a number the company owns, so it does not leave with a sales representative.
Message templates
Write templates for new titles, orders, renewals and event invitations in the language of each list, and submit them for approval before a launch week, not on the day.
Who pays for business messages
Messages sent through the API may carry a charge from WhatsApp or the provider. Check WhatsApp's current business policy and pricing, and agree in writing who pays and who tracks it.
Opt-out
End each message with a plain line to stop receiving them, and honour the request the same day. A bookseller who opts out of announcements will still reorder from the last invoice.
Human reply path
Decide who answers an order query on Saturday and during the fair week. A template that invites a reply and meets silence loses the order it was meant to bring.

Who it is for

This is written for these book and magazine publishers.

  • General and literary trade publishers
  • Academic and textbook publishers
  • Children's book publishers
  • Regional language publishers
  • Self-publishing houses and small presses
  • Consumer magazine publishers
  • Trade, technical and journal publishers
  • Educational and competitive exam book publishers

Not for

It is not the right fit if.

  • You want a guaranteed Google ranking or a guaranteed number of leads. Nobody honest can promise either.
  • You need enquiries by next week and have nobody to answer them.
  • You want posts and reach reported, not enquiries and orders.

How it works

From your first message to the first report.

No open-ended retainer. Every step gives you something in writing.

  1. First

    Your brief

    You tell us what you need in a few short steps: your business, what you want, where enquiries come from and how they are handled.

  2. After the brief

    A conversation and a written scope

    We read it, then talk with whoever handles your enquiries. If you want our help, the scope, the fee and the reporting come in writing, and nothing starts before you have read them.

  3. Before work starts

    Baseline recorded

    Enquiries by source, reply time, conversion and cost per order, written down so every later report has an honest comparison.

  4. After the baseline

    The first fix goes live

    The fix we agreed to start with is put in place and measured against the baseline, whether that is reply time, a follow-up sequence, the page buyers land on or the handover between marketing and sales.

  5. As agreed

    Report against the baseline

    What moved, what did not, and what changes next, in plain words. How often you get it is set in writing before work starts.

  6. At renewal

    Renew on the numbers

    The term ends and you decide whether to continue from the results. The length is agreed in writing before anything starts.

How the whatsapp marketing work runs

  1. 1

    Understand current WhatsApp use

    We review how customers currently message you and how consistently, if at all, it is answered.

  2. 2

    Audit common questions

    We identify the questions that come up repeatedly, which decide what should be automated first.

  3. 3

    Set up automation and templates

    An automated first response and quick reply templates are built for the most common needs.

  4. 4

    Connect to the CRM

    Conversations are linked to customer records so context carries over between team members.

  5. 5

    Measure and optimise

    We track response time and conversion, refining automated responses based on what customers actually ask.

Why us

Why owners pick GullySales over an agency.

  • Marketing and sales, as one job

    Most agencies stop at the enquiry. We also fix what happens after it: the reply, the follow-up, the quote and the CRM.

  • The person on the first call does the work

    No account managers in between. You are never handed to someone you have not met.

  • A baseline before anything starts

    Your numbers are written down on day one, so every later report compares against something honest.

  • The fee in writing, split three ways

    Our time, your media spend and production on separate lines. You always see what goes to us.

  • No guarantees we cannot keep

    The term is agreed in writing and never a default twelve months. We never promise a ranking or a lead count, because nobody controls those.

  • One office, and we say so

    Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru. We work across India by call and WhatsApp and travel when a session needs to be in person.

#257, 3rd floor, Sri Nanjundeshwara Complex, Nagarbhavi 8th Block, Outer Ring Road. How we work.

Your brief

Tell us what you need, and we will read it before we call.

Eight short steps about your business, what you want and who decides. Most questions are a tap, and you can skip any you would rather answer on the call.

Tell us what you needor call +91 80958 58589

FAQ

Questions owners ask before they call.

Not here? More answers, or ask on WhatsApp.

Tell us what you need
Can we start a reading group on WhatsApp?
You can, but a group shows every member's number to the others and attracts forwards. Decide the purpose, set rules in the first message and name a moderator. For announcements, a one-to-one chat from the business number or a channel is cleaner.
How do we send a catalogue without a huge file?
Send a short message with the three titles that suit that reader or shop, a cover picture and a link to the full catalogue. Keep any attached PDF small. Ask which subjects they want, then send only those.
Can staff use their own numbers with booksellers?
They may reply, but the conversations should sit on the imprint's business number. A representative who leaves takes the bookseller relationships along if they live on a personal phone.
Can we put the catalogue in WhatsApp's catalogue feature?
Yes, for the titles you sell directly, with cover, price and a link. Mark out-of-stock titles as unavailable at once. For the trade, a separate order sheet with discounts is better than a public price.
Should we sell directly or through retailers?
Both, for different readers. Retailers and distributors reach people who never visit your site, while direct sales keep the margin and the reader's details. Check your distribution agreements first, as some limit what discount you may offer on your own site.
Do we need our own website when titles are on large online stores?
Yes. The retailer's page carries your title among thousands, and the retailer holds the reader. Your own page can carry the full blurb, an excerpt, the author's story and your newsletter sign-up, and it is yours to keep current.
How much does it cost?
There is no price list, because the work differs by business. The fee is scoped after we have read your brief and spoken to you, and put in writing before anything starts, split into our time, your media spend and production.
How long is the contract?
The term is agreed in writing after we have spoken, along with the fee and the reporting. It is never a default twelve months, and renewal is decided on the numbers against the baseline recorded at the start.
How soon will we see results?
It depends on the trade, the channel and what is already in place. After we have read your brief and spoken to you, we say what we would expect to move first and how it will be measured against the baseline. Nothing here is guaranteed.
Who will actually do the work?
The person you speak to before anything starts. We work from one office in Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru, with no account managers in between.

More for book and magazine publishers

Everything else we would do for you.

Or start from the overview: sales and marketing for book and magazine publishers.

Your next practical step

Tell us what you are trying to grow, and we will read it before we call.

Eight short steps, mostly taps. Skip anything you would rather answer on the call.

Tell us what you need