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Book marketing tips
Book Marketing Tips
1)Begin your marketing plan even before you sit down to write. The first thing to do is to identify your audience. Whether fiction or nonfiction, if you have a specific niche of the market in mind before you start, you'll be more successful. Plan how you will reach and interest this audience. What format and features will make your book appeal to this niche? Too many writers get their books back from the printer and then start to think of how they're going to sell it. They've put the cart before the horse. If you have no idea how you'll sell your book, maybe you shouldn't have written it! To eliminate that sense of despair that can grip you as you set out to try to market your book, identify your target before you start and then build in a setting, a style, and other features that will appeal to this audience.
2) Be prepared to prove yourself with your first work. It may be difficult to convince a conventional publisher to take a risk on your manuscript. Show the confidence you have in yourself by taking that risk with your first work. Plan to put a great deal of personal effort into promoting your own book. This will prove yourself to agents and editors with conventional publishers.
3) Book promotion is a long-term project. New fiction often has a shelf life of a few months, unless it becomes a classic. Good, practical, timeless nonfiction can stay on the shelf for years. In either case, you can extend the shelf life of your work with promotion, which will multiply your sales. With works of fiction, your opportunities for promotion are more limited and would include efforts to promote yourself and with that promotion, mention your book. Or you can encourage people who have read the book and liked it to share those positive feelings with friends and by posting them to Amazon.com. With nonfiction, you have a wider range of options. In addition to the above, you can write articles relating to your book and mention your book in the bio note accompanying each article. You can create a web site on the same theme as your book and provide a free newsletter. You can offer seminars related to your book. When your book becomes outdated, create an updated edition or a derivative work based on the first edition.
4) For nonfiction, create a title that gives a clear idea of the subject of the book. In these days of web marketing, it is helpful to have in your title some key words that relate to the subject matter of your book. Is your book about management? Then have the word "management" in your title so that consumers can find you if they use "management" as a search term. Is your book going to be on the shelf? Then have a title that gives the essence of the book to a prospective buyer. People buy nonfiction that fills a need for them, so make your title sell your book by telling people what needs it is going to address. Notice the successful books listed below—can you tell if you're interested by reading the title?
5) Don't count on advertising to sell your books. Book ads will not of themselves bring you sales. They are helpful once a book is selling after publicity and word of mouth have already laid the groundwork. Instead, rely on publicity, good book reviews, good jacket appeal, talk show appearances, and endorsements to get your book moving. Sending out review copies to publications that would have an interest in your subject matter is probably the most cost-effective way to "advertise" your book.
6) When you have some success with talk-show hosts, reporters, or reviewers, be gracious—send a thank-you note. This is a nicety that many authors skip, but, when remembered, will make it more likely that they will invite you back.
Let's share more ideas and tips.
1)Begin your marketing plan even before you sit down to write. The first thing to do is to identify your audience. Whether fiction or nonfiction, if you have a specific niche of the market in mind before you start, you'll be more successful. Plan how you will reach and interest this audience. What format and features will make your book appeal to this niche? Too many writers get their books back from the printer and then start to think of how they're going to sell it. They've put the cart before the horse. If you have no idea how you'll sell your book, maybe you shouldn't have written it! To eliminate that sense of despair that can grip you as you set out to try to market your book, identify your target before you start and then build in a setting, a style, and other features that will appeal to this audience.
2) Be prepared to prove yourself with your first work. It may be difficult to convince a conventional publisher to take a risk on your manuscript. Show the confidence you have in yourself by taking that risk with your first work. Plan to put a great deal of personal effort into promoting your own book. This will prove yourself to agents and editors with conventional publishers.
3) Book promotion is a long-term project. New fiction often has a shelf life of a few months, unless it becomes a classic. Good, practical, timeless nonfiction can stay on the shelf for years. In either case, you can extend the shelf life of your work with promotion, which will multiply your sales. With works of fiction, your opportunities for promotion are more limited and would include efforts to promote yourself and with that promotion, mention your book. Or you can encourage people who have read the book and liked it to share those positive feelings with friends and by posting them to Amazon.com. With nonfiction, you have a wider range of options. In addition to the above, you can write articles relating to your book and mention your book in the bio note accompanying each article. You can create a web site on the same theme as your book and provide a free newsletter. You can offer seminars related to your book. When your book becomes outdated, create an updated edition or a derivative work based on the first edition.
4) For nonfiction, create a title that gives a clear idea of the subject of the book. In these days of web marketing, it is helpful to have in your title some key words that relate to the subject matter of your book. Is your book about management? Then have the word "management" in your title so that consumers can find you if they use "management" as a search term. Is your book going to be on the shelf? Then have a title that gives the essence of the book to a prospective buyer. People buy nonfiction that fills a need for them, so make your title sell your book by telling people what needs it is going to address. Notice the successful books listed below—can you tell if you're interested by reading the title?
5) Don't count on advertising to sell your books. Book ads will not of themselves bring you sales. They are helpful once a book is selling after publicity and word of mouth have already laid the groundwork. Instead, rely on publicity, good book reviews, good jacket appeal, talk show appearances, and endorsements to get your book moving. Sending out review copies to publications that would have an interest in your subject matter is probably the most cost-effective way to "advertise" your book.
6) When you have some success with talk-show hosts, reporters, or reviewers, be gracious—send a thank-you note. This is a nicety that many authors skip, but, when remembered, will make it more likely that they will invite you back.
Let's share more ideas and tips.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Helen Wisocki on -
Bernice, you've listed some great marketing tips. I totally agree with you that promotions should begin very early. Establishing a website right away is so important because it's where you keep your "news" about your book up to date. Sending people to the website through email contacts, fliers, and word of mouth will get the book's exposure started.
Creating a "buzz" about your book with business cards which send people to the website is an inexpensive way to spread the word and to establish a mailing list through the website of contacts after the book's release. Once a book cover is finalized, then post it everywhere! People love receiving bookmarks and magnets and these are items that they'll hold onto as you wait your book's publication.
I have yet to do a talk show, but will hopefully be doing that very soon, and I love the suggestion of sending a thank-you note. I'll definitely want to keep that tip in mind.
I have to agree with sending out copies of your book to people who can help promote with their reviews is essential in spreading the word quicker. I find myself always going to a writer's "reviews" page to see what the book is about and what the reviewer thinks.
I think it's also important to keep everything written on a web page free of typographical errors which reflects on an author and may turn off a prospective buyer if the typos run rampant.
My co-author and I have hired a publicist because of the nature of our book. We want to spread our word as quickly as possible to create a "giant buzz" towards talk show hosts and film producers. A publicist has connections to all forms of media, and it just takes ones to "click" before others will follow (we hope). But hiring a publicist is not always necessary, and as writers we should be able to write our own press releases and get things going on the web with a well-planned release on the wire services.
I'm looking forward to the upcoming adventure of book promoting and see where it takes us. Best of luck to everyone!
Helen Wisocki
Innocence Betrayed - A Dad's Story of Clergy Misconduct
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Permalink Reply by JaWar on -
Bernice, as Helen stated these are some great tips indeed. One of the things people still don't put enough emphasis on and that is their web presence. For instance, you should post your web address on all of your printed material including business cards, letter head, flyers, post cards and book marks, etc. You should also adjust your signature on your email account so that it has your web address on it.
Participating in forums and chat rooms are also a great way to promote your web address.
Attending events and distributing marketing and promotional material is paramount towards reaching a large number of people. You could also give free seminars, workshops or reading at local libraries once a month.
I've often posted flyers in various community postings around town such as grocery stores, colleges and univesities, places of worship community boards, restaurants, barber shops, beauty salons, etc. We are only limited by our own creative imagination.
More book marketing tips may be found at Self Publish for Profit.
GOJAWAR.COM
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