Marketing is a necessity for authors today. Whether
you’re self-published or represented by a traditional publisher, it’s up to you
to make your book a success, to use it to increase your brand, to sell other
services, to be a sales magnet, and to lead to future books. You have a
lot to gain -- and lose -- on your marketing success. There’s
always something you can and should be doing to market your book, even if
you hired others to help. Of course, to market well, you need to have the right
frame of mind. Let’s address some of the concerns you may have:
1.
I don’t want to come off as
bragging.
Okay, then don’t. You can say something positive about yourself without
sounding egotistical. Show people what they will get and word it in a
user-friendly way.
2.
People will see me as desperate. Not true. When you
offer something you don’t have to beg. Simply state the benefits that you
offer and let people recognize the value provided.
3.
I don’t want to lose credibility within
my profession. Oh, please. What’s
unprofessional about helping people? Everyone is promoting, marketing,
and advertising to some degree. To not go that route is professional
suicide. You’re not selling a gimmicky widget – you’re providing a book with
useful information. People can respect that.
4.
By raising my profile, I will come
under scrutiny. Assume you are always being watched by
competitors. So what. Act professionally, ethically, and sincerely
and you have nothing to worry about.
5.
I don’t have anything glitzy or
sexy to market.
Sometimes good, useful information from a competent, experienced professional
is enough!
6.
I am not a natural marketer. Who really is? If you can speak well or
write good emails or be smart about who to approach, you can do this. It
takes persistence, being able to handle rejection, and taking initiative to be
a good book marketer – the same skills many writers call upon to get their
books published.
7.
I don’t know how to exaggerate and
hype things.
Then don’t. You should put your best foot forward and state the facts in
the best possible light. No need to lie or overstate something.
8.
I’m concerned about being in the
limelight. You should only be so
lucky! Few of us become celebrities. Your goal is to increase
book sales, web site traffic, and the branding of your expertise. The
papparazzi are not knocking on your door but if they do, consider that a sign
you’ve made it!
9.
I don’t have the time or money to
dedicate to marketing.
If that’s true, stop writing books. They won’t sell themselves. You
need to be proactive and stay involved in marketing and PR. It doesn’t
have to take up every waking minute or call on you to exhaust your retirement
nest egg, but you should budget some time and/or money for marketing.
10. I
can’t give away free books or information. Sure you can. Don’t
obsess on the free part. Think of the new business or book sales you’ll
generate as a result of giving something away. Every company, author, and
organization gives something away. If you don’t keep up, you won’t advance.
Marketing is a must but it’s not for everyone. Do your
best to tackle it on a daily and weekly basis. You will find what works
best and what fits with your comfort level. Do more of what you like, and
hire others to do the rest. In the end, people will gravitate to you and
find you online once you build up your name and brand. Marketing
does get easier the more you do it.
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.
“Do good with what thou hast, or it will do
thee no good.”
--William
Penn
“Whatever you are by nature, keep to it; never
desert your line of talent. Be what
nature intended you for, and you will succeed.”
--Sydney
Smith
“You can tell the
ideals of a nation by its advertisements.”
--Norman
Douglas
“An original writer
is not one who imitates nobody, but one whom nobody can imitate.”
--Francois-Rene
Vicomte De Chateaubriand
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