Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Timeless Approaches For Authors Marketing Books


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When I broke into book publicity three decades ago, many authors took advantage of the new desktop publishing technology of the day and printed newsletters.  Publishers would fax press releases to the news media. And chain bookstores ruled the country’s book ecosystem.  No Internet.  No Amazon.  Television ruled the media with cable TV growing fast.  Things have changed since then, but the basics are still the same.

Think about it.  Authors need some method to have their book sold and distributed.  They need some means of media to inform others about their book.  Whether people get their news from Facebook The New York Times, Fox, or CNN.com, authors still need to do today what they did back in 1989 or 1959 – promote!

And whether they do book signings at a Barnes & Noble, speak at an indie bookstore, or do an ad promotion with Amazon, the name of the game is securing book sales through the existing channels of the marketplace.

Whether you take out a print ad in People magazine, an FB ad, a Google Adsense campaign, hand out fliers, email people, speak somewhere, or put up a billboard, you have to make sure that you have a targeted, timely, and interesting message that appeals to people’s perceptions of desires, fears, wants, and needs.

The sure way to promote would include these evaluations of any campaign:

1.      What is the cost to you in money or time?

2.      How many people will you reach?

3.      How defined and targeted is the recipient list?

4.      When is the best time to pursue this outreach?

5.      Which campaigns should you conduct in total – and how many simultaneously?

6.      What type of message and presentation would work best for the medium chosen?

7.      What are your competitors doing that you should do?

8.      Is your approach diversified: 

      A mix of traditional media, social media, speaking, direct marketing, and advertising?
A blend of free vs. paid media?
A balance between media types:  TV, radio, print, and online
A mix of social media: blog, podcast, website, Twitter, FB, Linked In, You Tube, Pinterest, Instagram.
A mixture of content created by you – and about you.
9.      
Lastly, are you able to measure results and draw proper conclusions so that you can rejigger your formula for marketing and publicity success?

In the 80’s and 90’s they used to say sex sells.  Images of hot, provocatively positioned, barely dressed women would sell everything from magazines to cars.  Today, it seems, cutting edge technology, images of dogs, and societal unity sell things.

It doesn’t matter what the trend of the moment is or which media is used to convey your message.  The real key to successful marketing and promoting a book is you, your message, and your ability to consistently and perpetually press the flesh.  Nothing comes to the shy or quiet types.  No one looks out for you.  No one is looking to discover you.  Only you can get out there and trumpet yourself.

You have more options available to you now than in the history of society to share your message.  You have more ways than ever to sell your book.  You have all of the freedom to write what you want, publish when you want to.  Don’t stay on the sidelines or make excuses.  Jump in and market your book the best you can.  Experiment.  Take risks.  But remember:  No matter the tools of the day to get your story out there, it still comes down to you driving the bus and pulling out all of the stops.


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No. 1 Book Publicity Resource: 2019 Toolkit For Authors -- FREE


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 ©2019. 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.

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