Authors
hear a lot of the same advice about book marketing and publicity. It’s very obvious what needs to be done. The question is how does one do these things
especially with limited time, money, desire, or knowledge?
The
best way to tackle this is to first take an overview of things. Start by identifying your short vs. long term
goals. Those goals will dictate your
priorities and help you schedule your time and allocate your resources
properly.
Short-term goals might be:
·
Sell
more copies of current book.
·
Get
more presentations scheduled/book signings.
·
Post
on social media to promote a book..
·
Reach
out to news media to seek reviews, interviews, byline article, guest-posts,
etc.
Long-term goals might be:
·
Developing
a stronger platform by increasing connections and followers on an expanded
number of social media sites.
·
Build
lists of people to reach out to, introducing yourself.
·
Shaping
your brand and author persona to help you sell future books.
·
Meeting
with organizations, from non-profits and schools to businesses and churches, that
can expose you to more fans and readers.
Just
look at all of the things you could be doing to market your book or brand and
you’ll realize that though there’s a lot of opportunity out there you must
narrow down what you’ll do, for how long, and at what cost. Just because you can do something doesn’t
mean that you should. Go for what will deliver the biggest payoff with the least
risk or investment.
You could do any-but not all-of the
following:
1.
Set up appearances
·
Will
they be for free (church, school, non-profit)?
·
Will
they provide an opportunity for book sales?
·
Can
you get an increase in social media followers, testimonials for your marketing
materials, good experience that builds your resume, and a chance to share a
positive and powerful message?
·
Will
you be paid or compensated for your appearance – perhaps at a conference,
before a company, or as a consultant?
·
Will
you do book signings at bookstores or libraries?
·
Will
you join a speakers’ bureau?
2.
Networking
·
Will
you attend events, whether free of charge or for a small fee, to have a chance
to mingle with people who can help you?
·
Shall
you join groups and organizations that help you expand upon or build a network
of professional connections \
3.
Education
·
Will
you invest in growing as a writer by attending conferences, reading books, or
paying for online workshops?
·
Will
you also seek to learn more about book marketing, subscribing to publications,
attending seminars, purchasing resources online, and hiring a consultant?
4.
Social Media
Facebook,
Twitter Linked In, You Tube, Instagram, Pinterest. Google+. For each one, consider your strategy to
develop profiles, engage others, increase connections, and build a fan
base. Will you blog regularly? Do you have a podcast? How much content can you create, share, and
convert into clicks, connections, and sales?
How often can you get others to interview you or talk about you vs. you
initiating the content?
5.
Traditional Media
Radio,
television, newspapers and magazines.
They can turn your book into a best-seller. They also can be used to get you attention on
social media, such as when you share your TV appearance clip on social media,
on Facebook or Twitter. Create your
press kit, get media coaching, and reach out to targeted local, genre-specific,
or national – even international media, seeking reviews, feature stories,
news stories, panel discussions, interviews, byline articles, book excerpts, or
any type of exposure.
6.
Advertising
Will
you advertise – and if so, where – online, print, or broadcast?
7.
Marketing
From
holding contests to doing mass giveaways, you can market your book to others.
Newsletters, webinars, skyping with book clubs, and joining forces with other
authors could give you a boost. Put
up a sign outside your house to promote your book. Hand out fliers by a mall parking lot. Cross promote someone else’s book, product or
service in exchange of them promoting you.
8.
Book Reviews
Goodreads,
Net Galley, Amazon reviewers, and so many, websites offer opportunities for
book reviews. Will you make your digital
galley or printed book available, in a timely fashion, for review?
9.
Digital Media
This
is a blend of social and traditional.
For instance, CNN.com would be digital media. So would HuffPost, Salon, and TheHill. Get people to cover you online. Be interviewed by bloggers, podcasters and
the websites of major media. Have video interviews with online TV outlets such
as Cheddar TV. Post press releases on
news wire services like PR Newswire or free wire services.
10. Begging
Hit
up your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, temple worshippers, bingo
players, and anyone you have ever come into contact with. Ask them to buy your book, post reviews,
follow you on social media and to pull favors to put you in front of anyone they know of who has some juice.
So what’s it gonna be?
·
Feel
overwhelmed and do nothing?
·
Try
to do everything but not excel at anything?
·
Focus
on the short-term and long-term in a balanced manner?
·
Hire
others to help in areas you suck in?
Today’s
author-turned-marketer can accomplish a lot – and will need to in order to
compete with the 3,500 new books flooding the marketplace daily.
Take a smart, balanced approach and utilize others to share in the plan. Good luck!
Take a smart, balanced approach and utilize others to share in the plan. 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 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in
Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs
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