If you
want to properly promote your book to the news media it will take resources,
namely money and time. But the media rarely discovers you unless you pursue
it. You can’t publish a book and say
that you don’t have the money or time to promote it. If that’s the case, you should rethink why
you went through the effort to write and publish a book in the first
place. It always amazes me when I meet
authors who tell me they have no budget to promote their book, yet they spend so
much time and brainpower to research, write, edit, and produce these books. How do authors, think books will sell if no
effort is made to promote, market, and champion them?
I can’t
tell anyone how to spend their money, especially money they don’t have, but I
can simply tell you that without a minimum of $10,000 to fund your marketing and publicity
efforts, you are relying on luck and prayers to get discovered. Or, you are dedicating a ton of time to
promote and market yourself and learn as you go. Or, you are ignoring the major media out
there and only relying on social media to build your brand and sales pipeline.
Now,
money spent doesn’t mean that results automatically happen either. If you hire a lousy publicist or use the
money unwisely, it’s the same as not spending money at all. Sometimes you can hire right, generate good
PR, and still sell few books. It can be
a problem that you have with your distribution, cover price or subject matter.
I want
to encourage authors to open their wallets and invest in their own writing
careers. There are many ways to spend
your money, and there are things worth considering, depending on what stage
you’re at, what your goals are, and what your books are about:
Consultant
Utilize
an experienced promoter or marketer to guide you on what to do, share resources
and ideas with you, and help mentor your path.
Advertising
Consider
using FB and Google ads to generate book sales.
Securing
Media
There
are four media areas to explore – local and national television, radio, print,
and online (Blogs, websites, podcasts).
You want your message to reach media that is consumed by your targeted
reader demographic. You want a quantity
of quality outlets interviewing you, reviewing your book, featuring you in a
story or giving you an opportunity to write guest-posts and byline
articles. Someone with experience,
knowledge, ideas, passion, and connections should be reaching the media on your
behalf.
Social
Media
Either
you do it or hire a surrogate to do it for you.
There’s Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube – as well as Pinterest, Google+,
and Instagram. Write a blog and host a
podcast. It takes time, but it’s worth
it. You can connect with your readers
this way.
Some
things are free but unless you take the time to pursue them, such as scheduling
speaking engagements, bookstore signings, and library discussions, you need to
pay someone to do it for you.
I
implore every author to:
·
Have
a marketing and publicity plan
·
Dedicate
a meaningful budget to enact the plan
·
Put
in the right amount of time and effort to supplement any paid services that you
hired others to do
·
Seriously
rethink publishing a book if you don’t plan on investing in its marketing and
promotion
Whether
you are a best-selling author with a traditional publisher – or a first-time,
self-published author – you need PR, marketing, and branding. Everyone needs to break through the clutter
and get to the next level. The best way
to do this is to invest in yourself and be realistic in your expectations. You can make things happen – but you need
some green to get the green light!
Please Read These Posts
Book promoters can still learn
from Donald Trump
Is it that time for your book
marketing makeover?
Book Shepherd Reveals How You Can
Get Published Successfully
When Is Book Publishing’s
Fight of the Century?
How will book marketers turn a
yes into something more?
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