Authors
need to do dozens of things – big and small -- in order to successfully promote
and market themselves and their books. Here’s my top 12:
1.
Website
It
doesn’t have to be fancy and expensive, but it has to properly represent you
and be the starting point of your branding foundation. I don’t take any writer seriously if they
don’t have a website. Nothing is a
substitute for a website.
2.
Blog/or Podcast
This
is a great way to get your voice heard.
It can rally and motivate fans and it can be a great tool to recruit new
fans and build a following. Your blog
needs to be posted regularly and shared with everyone.
3.
Social Media
Profiles
You
must establish a profile and an account with major social media outlets. Linkedin is a stupendous professional
networking and research tool. Facebook is great for building fan followings and
posting news, events, your blog, etc.
Twitter is critical as well.
Depending on your time availability, personal preferences, and the type of
books that you write, consider having an account on YouTube, Pinterest and
Instagram. Google+ and Snapchat would
also be up for consideration.
4.
Have A Marketing
Plan and Budget
Marketing
can be anything from advertising, speaking engagements, direct mail, telemarketing, infomercials, product placement, paid social media placements, and handing out
fliers at the mall. Make a plan, have a budget,
enlist help, and get started at least a half-a-year ahead of your publication
date.
5.
Have A PR Plan and
Budget
PR
is what drives book sales and your brand.
How do you plan to get media coverage for you and your books? Will you hire someone? What’s your budget and timeline to execute
each necessary stage? Create a plan at
least six months prior to your book launch.
6.
Goodreads
It’s
a great, inexpensive way to connect to writers and secure book reviews by the
busload.
7.
NetGalley
This
is a great, inexpensive way to give your book away, especially to the news
media and book reviewers.
8.
Other Products and
Services
I don’t
care if you wrote a novel about superheroes who use snot to thwart the bad
guys, find other products/books/services to sell on your website as well. Anything from T-shirts to audiobooks to
seminars can be made available. These
items give you another income stream. They can be items you create or they can be from a third party.
9.
Business Card
Yes,
in our big digital world you still need a business card. Make it with color, on good quality
stock. People will hold onto it and the
look and texture of it will give people a lasting impression of you.
10. Elevator Speech
This
is very hard but really very easy. Take
your whole life and book and truncate your essence and existence into a
15-to-30 second speech. You need,
whether asked or not, to be ready to say who you are and what your book is
about – whether talking to a stranger at a bus stop or trying to impress the
media, a consumer, or an investor.
11. Optimism, Confidence, Vision
Call
it having the right attitude. No time
for shyness, lack of confidence, low energy, fear, or anything else that will
only serve to keep you down. Inflate
yourself and soar like a balloon. Take a
risk, be bold, meet a challenge, aim high, and diversify your approach to
marketing yourself.
12. Mailing List
Organize
a list of everyone you know – and who they know – and be prepared to unleash it
at the right time to sell your book, network, seek specific favors, or share
news. Everything you do is geared towards having a huge list of contacts.
13. Press Kit
Let’s
make it a baker’s dozen. The other thing you need is a press kit. This electronic and printed kit should
include the following:
Press
release and an image of your book cover
Author
bio and your photo
Q&A
Related
facts/statistics/fun quiz
Book
Excerpts
Media
clips of past appearances
Schedule
of upcoming speaking engagements/book signings
Other things you may need, could include:
·
Aspirin
(to handle rejection)
·
An
investor/sponsor/crowdfunding page (to finance your campaigns)
·
A
supportive friend/spouse/family member (a dog will do, too)
·
Subscriptions
to good sites like Publishers Weekly, NYT
Book Review, Writers Digest, etc.
·
Date
night (forget about your book every so often and just go out and have a good
time).
Good
Luck.
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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
2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit
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