Authors
work very hard at perfecting their craft, courageously putting their heart and
soul out to the public to be judged.
They must work just as hard at promoting themselves. Are they really
mentally prepared to do what it takes to successfully brand themselves and
market their books effectively?
Most
authors do not thrive when it comes to promoting a book. They lack the time, skill, know-how, and
resources to do a great job. But most of all, they lack the desire.
They
fear it, loath it, and consider it as an exercise that takes them away from
pursuing their true passion and talent, namely to write.
So
what do authors really want to hear about when it comes to book publicity?
·
There’s no need to do anything – your publisher
will take care of it
·
If you’re self-published it’s not your
fault if the book doesn’t take off
·
Social media is not necessary
·
You have a great platform and book that will
sell itself
·
Your book is unique and really knows of no
competition
·
The media should love you
·
All you need to do is buy some Facebook or
Google ads
However,
none of it is true.
Authors
may want to believe in one or more of the above myths, but they will be
disappointed if they truly embrace such thinking.
To
achieve any book-related goal it takes persistence, savvy, dedication, hard
work, luck, and some resources. You
can’t simply have a book published, do little to market it and then
miraculously hope it gets discovered, shared, and sold on a large scale. That simply doesn’t happen by itself.
The
opposite is also true. Just because you
pour your heart, time and money into a sustained book promotion campaign
doesn’t guarantee you any substantial returns on your investment. Why?
Because
even the greatest PR effort can’t sell a mediocre or bad book. Sometimes media attention brings a consumer
up close with your book, but price, design, writing, or packaging turns the
reader away. Media attention is needed,
but so is distribution. Your book is
competing with literally thousands of newly released books every single day –
not to mention other content and things that could easily lure their attention
from your book. So no, executing a media
campaign doesn’t guarantee success – but it positions you to potentially
experience success. By doing little or
nothing you guarantee a return of little or nothing.
You
must promote your book!
It’s
not easy, I know.
It’s
not inexpensive, I know.
It’s
not always fun, I know.
It
doesn’t always work, I know.
It’s
intimidating, I know.
It’s
time-consuming, I know.
It’s
overwhelming, I know.
But
I also know that good things can come from pursuing a smart, comprehensive book
publicity campaign. You need to be in
it, to win it. Don’t get sucked into
embracing lazy myths about your book – and don’t expect an instant
best-seller. Expert to work at promoting
your book for a decent chance at some success.
Please feel free to join me on LinkedIn --https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/.
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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.
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