Thursday, December 15, 2016

Book Market Before Breakfast



While browsing the stacks at Barnes and Noble recently, I came across Art Before Breakfast: A Zillion Ways to Be More Creative No Matter How Busy You Are, by Danny Gregory.  It’s a wonderful book, filled with colorful illustrations and a series of ideas and nuggets of inspiration for today’s artist.  It says it "teaches you how to carve out time for painting and drawing, and shows how making art for even just ten minutes a day can lead to a richer, more fulfilling life.”

We need such a book that shows writers the same thing.  Or better yet, a book that reveals how to book market for 10 minutes a day.

Some of Gregory’s suggestions for artists to embrace their craft most certainly can be applied to an author-turned-book marketer.  Behold:

1.      Do something to market your book every day.

2.      Commit to doing this for 30 days.

3.      Don’t go crazy with buying media lists or marketing tools.

4.      Be consistent and look for opportunities to promote.

5.      Skip perfection – any kind of publicity is better than none.

6.      Just try it – and don’t judge.

7.      Get a book marketing buddy.

8.      Get used to eating cold toast.  Initiate a book marketing activity before eating breakfast.

Just as the author encourages artists to enjoy their craft and recognize they can achieve “some amazing things in their spare moments,” I could support your book marketing efforts however you can find the time to get it in.  “Your time’s your own,” Gregory writes.  “And now you know how to make the most of it.”  He’s right.

I suspect Gregory knows that real artists can’t just practice their craft while in between errands or while waiting online and call it a day, but he knows it’s a great start and a way to encourage people to explore their talent whenever possible.  Once bitten by the bug, many artists will not only fill spare time with art but will carve out whole chunks of days to pursue their love.

Authors looking to market their book will draw the same conclusion, naturally.  Once they allow themselves an introduction to promoting their book, and they do so with success, they will likely want to spend even more time at getting the word out.  Book promoting can be addictive.  When’s the best time or situation for you to market your book?  Which tasks can be broken down to fill your schedule comfortably?

Book marketing could involve:

·         Researching
·         Writing
·         Social media posting/sharing/responding
·         Brainstorming
·         Seeking advice
·         Speaking appearances
·         Raising funds
·         Making Phone calls
·         Contacting the media

Figure out which tasks need quiet or privacy or need to be done during certain hours of the day.  Look at what should be prioritized, delegated, or delayed.  Then start filling in gaps while commuting, before breakfast, just before you go to bed, in between gigs, during lunch, or while multi-tasking.  Then look to see if you can reserve some time for your book marketing efforts – separate – from stealing 5 or 10 minutes here or there.

Book marketing may seem like a hassle or a necessary evil, but it can be a rewarding and fulfilling exercise.  Make time to do it and you will hopefully get a pay-off from doing it. 

All-New 2017 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit 

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2016 ©.
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