Writers
are particularly observing, analytical, and creative when it comes to their
approach to perfecting their craft. But
for some reason they seem to be at a loss when it comes to their understanding
of why their writing career hasn’t soared.
The truth is they need to embrace the kind of common sense advice that
they likely would dole out to others. If
only they can observe themselves from a distance and then sharpen their tools
to repair their writing lives.
Here
are 14 areas all writers should focus on – if they are serious about becoming
successful authors and book marketers:
1.
Learning
more about book publicity and marketing.
Whether you read blogs like this one or read books, attend conferences, download
instructional videos, subscribe to industry magazines, listen to helpful podcasts
or consult with other writers, build up a body of working knowledge in the very area
that will help you grow the most.
2.
Utilize
strong time management skills to help you balance your commitments and
desires. You’ll need time for writing
and for promoting. Time for strategizing, researching and learning, and time for
taking action. You’ll need time for
work, chores, rest, family, friends, health, fun and everything else life
demands from us. Budgeting your time,
setting priorities, staying committed and focused, and acting out of a sense of
urgency are a must.
3.
Raising
funds or borrowing resources will be the key to your writing freedom. It takes money to make money, so have a plan
on how to pay for marketing campaigns.
You may need funds to give you time off from work so you can have time
to write and market your book. Who or
what will be your bank?
4.
Networking
will always be helpful in life, but especially for your writing career. It is true that who you know is more
important than what you know. Those who
have access to the things and people that could help you are worth a lot. They help you take shortcuts and eliminate
lost time and failed efforts. Get to
know the kind of people who can help you, from other writers to publishers,
editors, literary agents, members of the media, writer groups, and trade
associations.
5.
Be
organized. It may seem like obvious
advice – and it’s applicable to every career – but I can’t highlight its
importance enough. You need to have your
act together in order to be a really successful writer. You can have a messy desk, work under chaotic
circumstances, and deal with many challengers, but you do need to be organized
and self-disciplined.
6.
Choose
to write and promote -- not either or. One
must invest a heart and soul to write well and often. The same is true for book marketing. Leave energy, time, and brain power every day
to do both.
7.
Find
support. Writers are loners and we pride
ourselves as being independent thinkers, even leaders. But we need help too – whether from a
professional coach, mentor, friend, colleague, family, or therapist.
8.
Set
goals or set yourself up for failure.
Create a plan to address all of the smaller steps to meeting specific
goals. Set priorities and deadlines for
yourself. Fitter all activity through
the prism of fulfilling your goals.
Anything else puts you off track and on the road to nowhere.
9.
Participate
in social media. Yes, don’t cringe. Set up your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or
YouTube – or all of them -- and post, share, connect, and click until you see
your members go up, up, up. No matter
how many books you sell from it, social media is important.
10.
Always
further your branding and marketing.
It’s a 24-7 experience. You need
to work at in order to get good at it – and to get a pay-off. If you need assistance, hire a marketer or
branding expert.
11.
Get
better at procuring and doing news media.
There’s so much media out there – local and national – even international.
There’s radio, television, newspapers, magazines, newsletters, trade
publications, blogs, podcasts, video sites, and so much more. Become an expert by declaring yourself one
via media appearances, byline articles, book reviews, and guest posts. Again, hire a publicist to help fill in the
gaps or to simply take over the process for you.
12.
Speak
and then speak some more. Every
opportunity to speak can lead to book sales, book deals for a new book, more
speaking opportunities, media exposure, a chance to influence others, and a
great time to build your marketing portfolio.
13.
Develop
spin-off products, services, and books.
Also, sell off or pursue other rights formats (such as audiobooks,
e-books, paperback editions, foreign rights, film and TV, etc. Will you create a series? Can you repackage content into something else
like a paid webinar or seminar?
14.
Acquire
technology devices/programs and the skills to use them to your advantage. This is a battle everyone in the 21st
century must take up. We need to be aware
of the myriad of devices out there that can help us be more efficient and
successful. Plan on taking refresher
courses, online tutorials, or experimenting in order to find the right
technology that becomes an asset to you and not a burden.
This
list could have been of 114 things – not just 14 – that writers should address
in order to advance their careers. But
these 14 shall serve as a great starting point, and if mastered, will really
position writers to become profitable and successful artists.
In
Praise of Books
“The
books we read help to shape who we are. Reading offers us, as children, our
first independence- allowing us to travel far beyond the confines of our
immediate world. Books introduce us to great figures in history, narratives
that stir our spirit, fictions that tug us out of ourselves and into the lives
of a thousand others, and visions of every era through which human beings have
lived. And in the process of stretching who we are, books also connect us to all
others- of our own or previous times- who have read what we've read. In the
community of readers, we instantly become linked to those who share our love
for specific characters or passages.” --
Helena Hjalmarsson
Please Click On The Best Out Of 2,100 Posts
2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit
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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 ©.
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