Go Market Your Book Like Game of Thrones

Don’t ask me why it took me eight years to finally watch Game of Thrones. Less than two months ago I clicked on the first episode and committed to bingeing on it. I knocked out eight glorious seasons in six weeks and loved every minute of this fantasy drama. It covered family, faith, politics, justice, ethics, violence, and sex. Oh, and dragons, soldiers rising from the dead, and divine intervention.  

It was the kind of show where you rooted for everyone to be more of what they were.  You wanted to see evil go all out and you wanted truth to win out.  But the clash was fun to watch safely from the couch.

Ok, I’m not here to sell you on one of TV’s best shows of the last decade, but to apply some of the themes, principles, and styles of leadership displayed in a show that routinely featured battles for power, of the heart, of the mind, and those waged on a battlefield.

Do authors need to be ruthless, amoral, and violent to succeed?  I hope not, but one needs to be smart. Here are 7 lessons learned from Game of Thrones:

1.      You need allies.  Everyone needs supporters and a team to advise, nurture, and help.  Don’t go it alone as an author.  Enlist help. Who will be your trusted advisor or hired army?

2.      Plan ahead. Strategy is not an afterthought. You must have a marketing plan in place, and you will have to think ahead and plan for all contingencies. You are the general of your war to get readers, media attention, and greater branding.

3.      Believe in your cause.  Game of Thrones is filled with people on a sense of purpose and mission, willing to sacrifice everything to achieve their goals.  You, too, must make your book a priority and to let your passion lead you.

4.      Learn from history and your competitors.  Just as generals and leaders benefited from avoiding the very mistakes that history or their opponents teach them, you too could learn from other authors and past book campaigns.  Model what works; and avoid the pitfalls of others.

5.      Live by a code.  Laws. Religion.  Community practices.  Generational traditions. These are what shape and drive many in Game of Thrones.  You can live by a code or values system as it relates to what you’ll do to make your book a success.  What will you do, say, sacrifice, seek, buy or think about in order to succeed?

6.      Assert yourself. Rise up!  Don’t accept things as they are.  Don’t accept rejection, criticism, or run from bigger challenges.  Rise up against the odds and powers that be.  You are the underdog but you can succeed.  Have faith that good things come to those who pursue them – and who deserve them.

7.      Look to help others.  Though many had selfish motives in Game of Thrones, plenty were driven by the notion of serving others, helping people, and committing to the greater good or a cause greater than themselves.  You can’t go wrong when you seek to help others.  If the message of your book will improve even the life of one person, fight hard to be heard.

Please Read These Posts:

New Year's Resolutions For Every Author

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/new-years-resolutions-for-all-authors.html

See 2020 With Best Book Marketing Blog Posts of the Year

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-2020-book-marketing-pr-toolkit.html

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.