I
went to lunch the other day with a literary agent and talked shop – the
challenger of the book industry, shrinking news media, and the domination of
Amazon. I realize we had a little
bitchfest over the state of things from how Barnes & Noble is struggling
even with Borders gone to the challenges of first-time fiction authors to get
published or sell books. But the truth is, things aren’t so bad now nor were
they so great in the past. There are
always going to be some that win while others that lose in the ever-changing economy and always evolving book publishing industry. Who knows,
maybe these are really great times!
When
it comes to what media is available to authors, a lot is out there
that’s achievable. But it takes
planning, effort, time, strategy, and resources to succeed at promoting a book
properly.
On
the one hand, major mass media is diluted.
USA Today, Today Show, and Howard Stern don’t deliver the numbers
they used to. However, social and
digital media offer massive numbers that didn’t even exist until the past
decade or so. For authors to make a name
for themselves they’ll need to diversify their efforts and vary what they
devote time and money towards.
An
author can’t just focus on one type of media, say TV or print, nor can they
ignore any type of medium to promote in.
Speaking engagements, direct marketing, blogger tours, radio interviews,
book reviews, and other tools are at your disposal. Use them!
Authors
need to do these things in order to have a chance at breakthrough success:
·
Talk
to fellow authors for guidance, support, resources. Yes, network with your own kind. Collaborate, not compete.
·
Work
at social media. The world lives in a box – mobile devices – and right now
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram are necessary for authors to promote a
book. Blog, tweet, and podcast your way
to fame.
·
Pursue
public appearances and speaking engagements.
They actually move books.
·
Be
relentless in your pursuits and willing to experiment in what you do to promote,
market, and advertise your book.
·
Hire
a publicist to go after major media and support their efforts.
The
thing is, you need to approach book marketing and publicity as something that’s
necessary in order to be successful even though the art of promoting a book
doesn’t guarantee its success. But we
know that not promoting it virtually guarantees failure.
There
are no sure-fire formulas for what works – it depends on the author’s
credentials, personality, time availability, communication skills and message. It also depends on the book from title and
cover, to price, contents, packaging, publisher, distribution, genre and
competition.
The
chances of major success in book publishing is low. It’s a numbers game. With something like a
hundred books being published every hour, how can many break through? There’s only room for some to be successful,
but nothing stops you from being one of the lucky or exceptional few to break
through.
Media
begets media. Never refuse a media
opportunity. PR is a numbers game –
throw enough story angles at enough media outlets and something should come
of it. Find something worthwhile to say,
say it often, loudly, creatively, and confidently. Promote relentlessly.
If your book’s truly good, someone will notice it.
If your book’s truly good, someone will notice it.
DON’T MISS THESE:
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best-selling books really any good?
Writers can shine a
spotlight on themselves
The
Dimwits of English Language Explored In A Curmudgeon’s Book
How
Many Bookstores Do We Really Need?
Employing a real book
strategy
Good book publicity is a
marathon, not a sprint
Authors don’t need to panic
when speaking to the media
Best Author PR Strategy:
Cover The Basics
Can you sell at least 10
copies of your book every day for a year?
What Does It Really Take To
Hit A Best-Seller List?
An author primer on how the
news media works
10 Ways To Effectively Approach Book Publicity
10 Lessons For
Authors-Turned-Bloggers
Can you market your book for five
minutes a day?
Complete
Author Book Marketing & PR Toolkit for 2017
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 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in
Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs
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