Authors
often are told to come up with a really good elevator pitch, where they can
present who they are and what their book is about in a powerful, moving, and
inviting way – all within 20-30 seconds (the length of some elevator
rides). They also hear that they need to
build their platform way before a book is released. Authors are told to get out
and speak – at bookstores, libraries, conferences, churches, etc. They are also told build an email list to
solicit book sales and pre-orders from.
So what’s the most important thing for an author to do, given one may
have limited time, lack certain marketing skills, or even possess little desire
to get out there and sell themselves?
The
first answer is: You need to do all of
the above and then some, whether you want to or not. If you can’t do some of these things, you may be
leaving money on the table and stunting your writing career.
The
second answer is: Do what you can, hire
others to help on some things, and just let the rest go. Don’t make yourself crazy over this. Spend your time following your passion –
waiting – and squeeze the rest in when you can.
The
third answer is: Be really good and aggressive
at a handful of things. If you live on
social media, then go with that. If you
love to speak, then go crazy in that area.
If you like to contact the media, by all means, do it. No one can do everything well, so if you
narrow down an area to exploit, do so.
The
funny thing is all three answers are correct, and each author has to decide
which one to align with. Of course there
is another option -- to do nothing at all- but that likely won’t take you far or
be fulfilling, so let’s just take that one off the table.
In
order for all of book marketing to not seem burdensome, break down all of the
things that could be done – and then make a determination on whether each item
will get done and identify how it’ll be achieved. Start to attach a timeline and note the resources
necessary to achieve each goal. You may
start to see how you can do more than you thought you could, and as you start
to cross certain tasks off of your list you will become emboldened to do more.
You
may also find that your plan needs to be amended. When one area becomes too challenging,
problematic, or more resource-draining than envisioned, move on to something
else. And when you see better-than-expected results from certain tasks, double down on them. You need to be able
to call an audible and make on-the-field adjustments to what you see going
on in the book marketing arena.
Don’t
be afraid to ask for help – or hire some when necessary. The book promotion experience is a
collaborative one, where you do all that you can on your own while enjoying the
assistance of friends, family, other authors, possibly a publisher or literary
agent, and the hired hands of a book publicist, marketer, or branding strategist.
Not
all tasks are equal -- not in terms of effort, pay-off, time or the skills required. For instance, everyone should
be able to come up with a strong elevator pitch, but not everyone can get
featured in a USA Today article. Anyone can set up a book reading somewhere,
but not many can become a best-selling author.
So,
which of the three answers will you embrace?
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the news media?
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of their books?
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getting a million clicks?
How should authors sell themselves?
The keys to great book marketing
Enjoy New 2018 Author Book Marketing &
PR Toolkit -- 7th annual edition just released
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