BookMarketingBuzzBlog

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

With 365 New Books Published Daily, Can Authors Still Buck Lottery Odds

The odds of winning the lottery are one in 292 million fir Powerball and a slightly worse one in 302 billion for Mega Millions. But that does not stop millions of people from spending over 100 billion dollars this year for a slim shot at a pipe dream. Writers should be able to relate, for the odds of getting a book published and getting it to become a sales success are quite slim as well.

Over three million books were published last year, according to a recent Publishers Weekly article. That equates to roughly 8,767 new books released into the marketplace every day. This includes weekends, holidays, and snow days. That is 365 books per hour – or one new book every 10 seconds. If it took you a minute to get this far into my blog post, six books just got added to the competition.

It breaks down to 563,000 books coming from traditional publishers and 2.637 million from the self-published class, which includes hybrid publishers. That is a ton of books. Don’t forget, the year before that saw three million books produced. And the decades prior to that saw tens of millions of more books published. In the digital era, nothing goes out of print.

However, just because getting an ISBN and making a book available for sale on Amazon as a print-on-demand product, an e-book, or an audiobook technically qualifies you to say your book is published, it is another thing to say it is marketed. The number of books actively marketed shrinks that three million number to well below one million. Still, that is a lot of books.

Now, to what degree one markets — for how long, spending how much effort or money, and how smartly one does it, further cuts down the number of active books by probably another two-thirds. Still, that lives you competing with 350,000 books, or almost 1,000 new titles a day.

Of those 350,000 books that are marketed effectively, there still may be deficiencies plaguing them. One could be the book’s price. It might be too high. Or maybe the title stinks or the cover is ugly. Or worse, the book is mediocre or even bad. Yes, books can be marketed effectively, even if they have warts, but eventually word-of-mouth catches on to sink a book if the criticisms are rampant.

So, what is the take-away here? The marketplace is flooded with books, many of which do not get marketed much or effectively. Of those that get the time and money to be marketed properly, many of those books aren’t that good. The great book with a great marketing campaign still has a chance to breakthrough.

I have said it across many of my 5000 blog posts over 13.5 years: For a book to have a chance at success, it must be marketed. Your book could have a cure for cancer, but it won’t get discovered without marketing it intentionally and forcefully. A so-so book outsells a great book if it is marketed better, but a very good book marketed aggressively and wisely will have the best chance to succeed.

Don’t be daunted by the number of books out there. Merely let the fact that you have competition provoke you to take marketing seriously and give it your all to find a path to your targeted readership.

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook. It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Ex-Con Martha Stewart Releases 100th Book With Enduring Brand

I did not particularly care for Martha Stewart when she became famous for dictating to Americans how to prepare meals and entertain guests. Once she went to jail for essentially insider trading, I openly disliked her. But she refused to go away and is a great branding success story that no one can ignore.

She just released her 100th book and it hit No. 9 on the Amazon Best-Seller list. Her publisher pumped 200,000 copies out, hoping to capitalize on the holiday cooking and gift-giving period.

Now 83, she has been in the public eye with her books, TV show, and products for over four decades. Martha: The Cookbook is filled with classic American recipes. It is hard to believe people are still buying the octogenarian’s cookbooks but she has been around for so long that a new generation is discovering her.

Why aren’t there new talents out there to rival the former jailbird? Do people even cook anymore? And just how many versions of recipes for some vegan dish could there be?

Stewart is bucking a trend. According to data reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, cookbook sales declined by double digits in 2022 and again in 2023. So why are people going gaga over her $40 book for what they can already get for free on Instagram?

She has loyal fans, likely an older crowd with disposable income, and likely a woman who feels the beauty queen, Barnard College grad is a role model for women, sans her prison time.

As her amazon bio notes, it is an amazing career: “Martha Stewart is the author of dozens of bestselling books on cooking, entertaining, home keeping, gardening, weddings, and decorating. She is the host of The Martha Stewart Show, the Emmy-winning daily syndicated television program, and founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which publishes several magazines, including Martha Stewart Living; and produces Martha Stewart Living Radio.”

Maybe she is exceptional — and she is certainly enduring. She managed to rebuild and reinvent her career and somehow remains an iconic figure. Her branding story is one to be studied and marveled.

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Sunday, November 17, 2024

Mulch Your Book Marketing

In New York, autumn is in full force, with colorful leaves falling off of trees everywhere that you look. My house gutters may need constant cleaning, but there is something pretty about it all right now. In a few weeks, most trees will be barren, and that is not so pretty. This stage where the trees are void of leaves is how most authors feel when they launch a marketing campaign for their books.

Whenever April approaches, it is time to mulch, at least here on the East Coast. Living in an apartment as a kid in Brooklyn, I knew of nothing house related, but as a proud homeowner for the past 20+ years, I have come to appreciate the act and art of mulching. The process actually mirrors many aspects of an author’s book marketing efforts.

As time goes by, and the ravages of winter weather take hold of the land, the seasonal need to mulch arises. One must tend to their garden if they hope to grow it and make it look beautiful. The same is true of an author’s book marketing efforts

When it is the spring phase of your book marketing, like a lawn or garden, you need to:

* Survey the landscape and assess your needs

* Tend to your garden in order to grow it

* Know thar your labor bears fruits

* Work hard and get your hands dirty

So what does this mean for authors?

* Plant the seeds now so you can harvest your plantings later. Way before your book is out, do your research, follow advance deadlines for book review submissions, and establish your website and social media platform.

* Do the pro-active things not just once, but over and over. You need to water a lawn daily. Same with your marketing efforts.

* Some things will grow naturally and look great; other things will need outside help and the able hands and knowledgeable touch of a professional gardener. Similarly, authors may be able to execute some marketing tasks on their own, but they also may benefit from a professional book marketer to coach them or to execute parts of your PR campaign.

Bundle up, winter is coming. This is the time to prepare for your spring book launch. Before you know it, you will have a beautiful garden and lush, green lawn — and perhaps a successful book.

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Friday, November 15, 2024

Does Every Author Have A Brand?

When I say the word “brand,” you might think of big corporations, like Coca-Cola, Amazon, Google, Delta, and Apple. Or, perhaps you think of sports teams and influencers, celebrities, and politicians. All of them have a certain persona, look, or sound to them. We identify with them., on some level, seeing them in a light that sticks out. Do authors have brands, like these famous people and businesses?

Sure do.

The authors with a known brand are usually ones who have written best-sellers or had their books turned into movies. Their brand is likely linked to the genre or subject matter in which they write. But make no mistake, every author needs a brand.

A brand can define a writer, maybe even seduce you into reading their works. Writers have distinctive writing styles, unique backstories or origins, and they represent - or speak for - certain voices or types of people.

Author brands form in one of two ways -- they are either self-created or are crafted by the public. Many authors try hard to establish their brand but only a handful really succeed at becoming known to the masses.

What exactly is an author brand?

It’s several things. First, it’s your books. Secondly, it’s you, the writer.

When it comes to your book, there is a style to your writing that defines your brand, from theme and subject matter, to plot patterns, language, character development, pacing, and setting. Eventually, you can tell the writer apart from others based on these things.

There’s also a certain look and feel to the books of a writer, from the type of cover art to the text font to the length of the book. Perhaps certain colors are used on the cover that tie the books together. A distinct look can develop.

When it comes to the writer, as a person, their brand can come from their personality, looks, hometown, political views and social activism, and careers beyond authorship.

Authors should consider these factors when developing a brand:

Understand that a brand will exist, with or without your intentional action. Own it and craft it.
Compare how you can carve your lane out against rising competition.
Be mindful of all the branding tools available to you -- from the news media, social media, and influencers, to advertising, public appearances, and testimonials.
Strive for consistency, but if you are failing to stick out, abandon your strategy for a new one.
Know the difference between what people will care about and find interesting about you vs. what you care about or assume others will like about you. See yourself through the eyes of others.
Express your brand with every social media post, every press release, on fliers and postcards, your website, business card, and wardrobe.
Determine what type of lens you want people to perceive you through - and then take actions and make statements that serve that image.

Yes, dear author, you need to have a brand, and you’ll have one. Whether you create it -- or not.

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Wednesday, November 13, 2024

The Jury’s Verdict On Book Marketing

I recently served on jury duty for a criminal case, and it struck me how the legal representatives — the county ADA and the defense attorney for the accused — both lobby for their side, regardless of their stated desire for jurors to just look at the evidence to determine if one is guilty or not.

For instance, they use body language, eye contact, voice intonation, and other elements to sell or persuade jurors. Before the case was even tried, when prospective jurors were being questioned for selection, the voir dire process turned from lawyers just asking questions to uncover if a prospective juror had a bias towards their case, to the questions themselves becoming seeds planted and insinuations made about the case to influence the jury.

Authors seeking to promote their books can learn about the power of being persuasive from lawyers and prosecutors. They follow laws, rules, and standards — but push things to the limit, to bend the facts to fit a truth that they hope you will buy into.

They use everything at their disposal to secure a favorable verdict, including opening statements, the calling, and examining, of witnesses, cross-examination, direct, re-direct, and closing arguments. Behind the scenes, they jockey over what can be put into evidence, who is put on the jury, how a jury is to be instructed, and which charges can be plea-bargained.

Everything that is said by each lawyer — or not said — can be a point of influence. They battle each other, point by point. Authors, too, should see that they have many points of influence for marketing their book, from social media, speaking, book reviews, and advertising, to book awards, book fairs, news media, and paid book reviews. Each point needs author participation, each one to be explored and acted upon deeply.

The author is at times the prosecutor, the one who has to prove an assertion to be true, to persuade others of buy-in, and to use words, images, and sounds to his or her strategic advantage. The author here only gets a win with a conviction — or sale. Anything less than that feels like a missed opportunity.

The author can also be the defense attorney, one who has to paint a narrative contrary to the evidence presented by the prosecutor. To win here, one just needs one juror to acquit. One holdout kills it for the government, at least on most criminal cases, where unanimity is demanded. The burden to get a conviction is much higher than to get a hung jury or even an acquittal.

I am fascinated by the law, and though I can see its many inherent biases, shortcomings, loopholes, and imperfections, I also see that it enables America to be a safe, thriving, and free nation. Books, too, keep our country humming and thriving. Authors do the work of lawyers and are very much needed if we are to legislate for a better world.

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook. It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

Monday, November 11, 2024

How Much Would You Spend to Promote Your Book?

Here is a simple question that all authors struggle with: How much money should I spend to promote my book?

For some, the answer is made up for them. They have little means to invest in marketing and therefore they don’t explore outsourcing their promotions. But even in these cases, every author can usually borrow or scramble to get a few thousand dollars if they really wanted to buy some publicity.

Perhaps they hope or assume their publisher, if they have one, is doing their marketing. Most authors don’t have a publisher, and most publishers do not promote a book extensively or for any kind of duration. Authors must own their book’s marketing.

Some authors may be willing to spend but don’t know on which service to bet on. They are not sure they can trust the vendor not to scam them or if they will get what was promised or if what was promised and delivered will net them sales or any meaningful and tangible benefits.

Or, they choose to simply see what happens with their book, not willing to financially support it until it shows organic promise in the marketplace. However, little will happen unless the author actively pushes the book.

The answer of what should an author spend could come down to one of these factors:

* You have a set budget and can’t afford to go over it, even if that amount is not enough to get the whole job done.

* You will spend only on the things that you feel you lack the ability, time, knowledge, or connections to achieve, while supplementing * with your own efforts to do the things you think you are capable of and willing to do.

* You will spend based on what you believe you need to spend, provided you reasonably think it will yield a worthwhile and attainable result, however you define it.

* You are willing to spend whatever it takes, provided it gives you a shot at breaking through and getting a big pay-off.

Spending for PR also depends on:

* Your goals as a writer

* Your hopes for this book

* What type of marketing that money can buy

* How much the author can do on his or her own

Things that you can do on your own:

* Social media

* Speaking

* Submitting to book awards

* Blogging

* Building a mailing list

* Attend book conferences

Things you may want to pay another for:

* News media outreach

* Build a website

* Book marketing consulting

Things you can buy directly:

* Ads

* Book reviews

* Book exhibit display of your book

* Memberships to writer associations

Remember, you can’t do nothing, and even when you do something on your own, you likely will need to spend at least a few thousand dollars for professional services.

So how much should you spend? Neither mortgage the house nor shut your purse. Be open-minded to reasonable vendors with useful services who indicate the commitment and confidence to deliver on what they promise.

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook. It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Writer Nirvana In A Cemetery

I had a recent opportunity to go on a bus and walking tour of Woodlawn Cemetery (in the Bronx, NY) There are many great writers buried here, including novelist E.L. Doctorow, journalist Nellie Bly, novelist Herman Melville, poet Dorothy Parker, and writer Joseph Pulitzer.

Over 310,000 dead are accounted for here, whether the remains were cremated and sprinkled, or whether buried six feet under or above ground in one of 1300 mausoleums. Its creation dates back to the time of the Civil War. Its 26 miles of paths rest in the Bronx but the land used to be a part of Westchester.

It is a fascinating place, though it is missing a gift shop. It is still actively accepting new clients and relatives/family still come to visit loved ones.

Two centuries of history of New York City and of America reside at this historical landmark

“Established in 1863, Woodlawn is an active, 400-acre non-sectarian cemetery — an oasis in an urban setting,” claims its site.

“It attracts over 100,000 visitors from around the world each year. Recognized as one of America’s most historically significant properties, Woodlawn was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2011, joining a rarified roster of 2,500 sites nationwide. Described by the National Parks Service as “a popular final resting place for the famous and powerful,” the cemetery is distinguished by memorials that ‘represent the largest and finest collection of funerary art in the country.’”

It struck me how only in death could different demographics of people peacefully reside — and not argue with each other. The dead at Woodlawn Cemetery, a historical landmark, vary by their faith, from atheist and agnostic to Jewish and Christian, with multiple denominations of the latter two. They varied in their gender and sexuality. You also had various races here as well, lying side by side. Nothing was sectioned off by any category. Gay black male Calvinists were next to straight Jewish white women.

The history and architecture behind this place is a marvel worth experiencing — as a visitor.

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