How Authors Can Flip On Their Book Marketing Switch

Having moved to another house almost a year ago, my family and I are still discovering its intricate workings.  A few days ago we couldn’t figure out why our a/c wasn’t working.  72 hours of sweat later, the repairman told us my wife accidentally hit a back-up shut-down switch that happened to be in the hall closet.  He flicked it on and suddenly we were on our way to a cool house.  I suppose book publicity can operate the same way.

Sometimes authors just need to find their “on” switch to get their book marketing powered up.  But it’s easy to labor in the dark and not find your way forward.  Let’s look at how you can jumpstart your promotional efforts.

Though life is a continuous show it’s broken up into many acts.  See each day as a fresh start and a new opportunity to wipe the slate clean of any failures.  Use the new day as your chance to go for what you really want, especially when it comes to book marketing, author branding, or news media exposure.

Next, have a plan, even if it changes.  You need to start somewhere.

Examine which skills you possess that will best serve you in your book marketing efforts.  Build a marketing, plan around your assets – what you know, time available, money available, and what you enjoy doing.

Get ahead of the eight ball by properly planning ahead.  Set up a timeline for when things need to be completed – and then work backwards from there to execute all of the specific steps (anticipate setbacks and delays) by certain dates.

A great way to get started with your book marketing is to, in fact, get started. Stop talking about it, stop thinking about it – just do it!  Take the first step – in any direction – and take the plunge.  Today you will research area bookstores and libraries to contact about a book signing.  Tomorrow you write the home page copy for your website.  The day after you spend more time on Facebook, seeking out more followers and connections.

Don’t demand perfection from yourself but do commit to making a dedicated effort – everyday – to develop and grow your author brand.

Sometimes doing nothing is a strategy – for a day or two.  We all need take a break from our work and reflect on what’s working and not working.  Use this time to clear your mind and rejuvenate.  But don’t let a break turn into a breakdown.

Authors can help themselves just by gathering information – seeing what authors in the same genre are doing to market themselves and determining how to copy their success.

Once you get going and build on small wins, you will be able to take your book marketing to new heights.  

Just avoid hall closet switches!

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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2018. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America and participated in a PR panel at the Sarah Lawrence College Writers Institute Conference.