What Is Book Marketing In The New Decade?

          

When people hear the word “publicists” or “marketers” they may play a game of word association that ranges from something positive to negative.  Like a lawyer, people don’t like them unless he or she is represented by them. So what is a book marketer’s profile today?

Today’s book marketer is you, the author. It’s someone from your publishing company, if you are not self-published.  It’s a hired gun who advocates on your behalf, giving attention to your book and a spotlight on your brand. Today’s marketer of books is involved in speaking gigs, media coverage, social media posts, advertising, networking, and direct marketing via email, and mail, and to a small degree, telemarketing.

The book marketing component is a necessity for any author who hopes to sell books, influence others, and use their book as a calling card to build their name up. 

Book marketing formulas are out there, and there are some best-practice methods worth employing, but there’s no one, sure-fire model approach to taking an unknown and turning him or her into a best-seller and household authority.  It takes planning, strategy, discipline, confidence, resources, help, luck, a good book, the right timing, and true passion to succeed.

Passive marketing does not work.  Even word-of-mouth, for it to spread quickly and effectively, needs a boost. Everything gets orchestrated. You don’t just put out a pretty good book and expert or hope for sales, media coverage, or social media buzz to launch you into the stratosphere. Little is organic. You need to prime the pump.

Today’s book marketer is creative, assertive, aggressive, confident, and connected.  He or she builds on what they can achieve and then begs, harasses, or pays others to get what’s needed.  The savvy book marketer of the next decade will push, push, push – and then push some more.  This person will trade up. They will trade free book copies for reviews. They will speak for free to get access to bigger groups. They will pay for access. They will even buy their way onto a best-seller list. They tirelessly network, unapologetically ask others for favors, and look to do things that others won’t or can’t do.

Book marketing does not have to follow a chronological sequence. There are no rules here. Think differently instead of trying to repeat what many others attempt to do. Go with your strengths and work around your weaknesses. Whatever you do should be strategic and ego-free. The book marketer of 2020 and beyond will be one part old-school networker, one part relentless, energetic and passionate, one part confident, one part creative, and one part tech savvy. Now you decide which parts you possess – and which parts you must outsource.

DON”T MISS THESE!!!

New Year's Resolutions For Every Author

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Free 2020 Book Marketing Toolkit for Authors

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

17 Book PR Strategies That Work

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2019/05/17-book-marketing-strategies-that-work.html

The Author Publicity Priority List

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-author-publicity-priority-list.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 ©2020. 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.