This
may seem like a simple question. But often people don’t know how to answer it.
Let
me help you really figure out if your book is truly marketable, and if so, just
how promotable.
The
first thing to examine is who your reader is likely to be. Who will buy the book? What demographic
traits do they have and how big is that group?
Is it whites or blacks or Hispanics or others? Is it men and women, teens, or children? Is it regional in appeal? Does it ‘target’ a certain age bracket, level
of education or household income?
Second,
who or what competes with you for the purse of your targeted reader? Are there other books, products, or services
that can be purchased instead of – or in conjunction with – your book?
Third,
what’s your marketing plan? How will you reach your intended readership in a
cost-effective, timely manner?
Fourth,
what will you do to promote your book to the news media?
Lastly,
how price-competitive are you and how widespread is your distribution?
Your
book is promotable or marketable if:
(a)
You
have something that is promotable or marketable.
(b)
You
make the effort to promote or market it.
Think
about it.
If
you have a dud of a book – or a great book but no real hook for fans or media –
you won’t get far, no matter how much time and resources you pour into
marketing. Further, if you have a book
with lots of interesting angles for the news media and social media but you
fail to make a comprehensive, assertive effort to push your book, it will just
die.
So
if you have a marketable book, be prepared to invest in it. How do you know if it’s marketable?. Ask yourself:
1.
Who
will buy the book – how many people potentially? Is it a lot?
2.
How
will you reach those people? Do methods
exist to reach them?
3.
Is
there something unique, new, different, or unusual about your book?
4.
Is
your story, as an author, interesting and worthy of attention?
5.
Does
the message of your book spark controversy, solve a problem, comment on
history, or actually make news?
6.
Is
your book widely available, affordable, packaged nicely, containing good
testimonials, showing nicely as a cover, and completed with a catchy title?
Your
book will not simply sell itself. Nor can you say you can’t afford to promote it. If you believe these things to be true, don’t
bother publishing your book. Really.
Word-of-mouth
can help a book sell, but you need to create some initial interest to get
enough word-of-mouthers reading the book.
No
mater your financial situation, you can do something to promote and market your
book. And you should.
Not
all books are marketable or promotable and not all books need to be. Some books exist because they serve purpose
and it may only appeal to a small group of people. That’s fine.
But if you have bigger expectations, your book needs to be both
marketable and marketed.
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