Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Book Marketing Truisms You Should Follow


Image result for book imagesWith over 3,000 blog posts about book marketing published in the past 7+ years, you would think I will run out of something to say about book publicity.  But there’s always something I can tell you that will help you raise your media profile, build your brand, and influence others with your empowering message.  Why am I so confident about that?

Well, some things change over time and even what I wrote five years ago may not prove to be as effective today.  Conversely, sometimes writers need reminders about proven, timeless strategies so that they don’t get falsely swayed by the shiny new toy in the room.

But I think there’s always advice to be given out because people are in need of it. Until everyone’s a best-selling author (impossible), there will always be a need for some experienced PR professional to share his wisdom.

I will always offer a thought, idea, experience, or question that will be of value because I understand how authors think and what they need or desire.  All writers want an edge over others.  They desperately crave a shortcut to marketing success.  They feel entitled to break through, but they just can’t seem to crack the book publicity code.

Another reason I never run out of something to say is because I know many writers are eager to learn and improve as book promoters, and I don’t want to let them down. However, great book marketing really comes down to a handful of truisms, including these:

·         You need to be in it, to win it.  Every day get out there and promote your book and market yourself.  No excuses!

·         Book publicity is a team sport.  Aside from your efforts, seek a contribution from your publisher (if one exists) and hire others to help you.

·         Prioritize your efforts amongst the key staples:  social media, speaking, traditional media, direct marketing, advertising, and networking.

·         Don’t demand or expect success – you must earn it.  Go out there and take what you think is yours, but don’t just expect it to come to you.

·         Give people something – advice, support, ideas, encouragement, resources, hope – and let others see you as a value-provider.

·         Allow people to test your book – give them free samples or cool resources that allows others to see the quality of your writing, the styles of your content, and the voice that you speak from.

·         Ask others for help.  Start with friends, family, colleagues, neighbors – and their friends, family, colleagues and neighbors.  Ask for something specific – to post a positive review on a specific site by a set date; to buy the book on a specific date; to introduce you to more readers; to pull strings to invite you to speak somewhere; to connect you to people who can help you in a particular capacity.

·         Have a book marketing, plan – with a timeline, goals and action steps.

·         Be willing to take a risk, to take an opportunity and turn it into a big win.

·         Approach all of your publicity from the perspective that you are here to help others with your book.  Good things come when you operate from good intentions.


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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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