Every
dog I’ve ever owned eventually left me.
My first dog, a basset hound named Brandy, was adopted out when I had to move from a Florida house to a Brooklyn apartment. Other dogs died. One got hit by a school bus. One had lymphoma, another had to be put down due to violent episodes, one was put down due to old age and health, and another was fostered for a month and didn’t warrant adoption. That’s the nature of pets. But in every situation, I gave the dog love, attention, and cared for its needs. Perhaps authors should start to look at their books as a pet dog or cat.
My first dog, a basset hound named Brandy, was adopted out when I had to move from a Florida house to a Brooklyn apartment. Other dogs died. One got hit by a school bus. One had lymphoma, another had to be put down due to violent episodes, one was put down due to old age and health, and another was fostered for a month and didn’t warrant adoption. That’s the nature of pets. But in every situation, I gave the dog love, attention, and cared for its needs. Perhaps authors should start to look at their books as a pet dog or cat.
Look
at how analogous a pet and book are to one another:
·
They
each need daily attention—one to market; one to meet its physical needs.
·
They
both cost us something—one requires money and time to generate sales and
publicity; the other needs resources to survive and thrive.
·
They
both have a shelf life—one needs attention for a period of time to give it a
chance to succeed; the other will expire in a matter of years because nature
dictates it.
I was recently fostering a mini-bulldog. Even though I knew she was not our forever
dog (too small, wild, and yappy), I was willing to put the effort and resources
into nurturing her while a rescue organization finds a permanent owner for her.
Maybe we all need to take a fostering approach to the books we will raise.
Whether
you promote your book and brand for a few weeks, months, or years, your
approach is to make sure that you succeed at what you do. You have clear
objectives and you stay motivated to pursue them. Just as you do when fostering a pet, you foster your
book so that it is put in a position to grow and succeed. Survive, then thrive.
Nothing
is permanent—not your pet, your life, or the window of relevance for your book.
Foster your book with pride, energy, resources, and optimism. Sure, your book
will eventually move on or die a death, but while you care for it, go big and
go strong. Give life to your baby—whether a book or pet.
When
fostering a pet, it takes a village. My two children and wife all pitch in. The
bulldog rescue organization that eventually placed her also helped get this dog
needed medical attention while we cared for her. Your book also needs a team. Others—friends or
family—can help you sell your book. There are organizations, bookstores,
libraries, or a publisher that also may help further. You can hire others to
help market or promote yourself and your book.
When
we care for pets, we do so with selfish and selfless objectives. We want to
help an animal enjoy life and address its needs. But we also want the pet to
fulfill and meet our needs and desires as a fun companion.
Books, too, demand attention, like a pet, but they can give back in many ways. Nothing makes an author feel happier than when he or she gets a great book review, makes a book sale, gets invited to speak somewhere, or feels validated by others.
Books, too, demand attention, like a pet, but they can give back in many ways. Nothing makes an author feel happier than when he or she gets a great book review, makes a book sale, gets invited to speak somewhere, or feels validated by others.
Whether
you love animals or want to help these cool beings, think about adopting or
fostering one. And if you are an author, foster your book and take ownership of
it. You can feel the rewards of book marketing done well.
It’s a wuff world out there, but sometimes your barking may deliver exactly what you wanted to achieve.
It’s a wuff world out there, but sometimes your barking may deliver exactly what you wanted to achieve.
PLEASE CONSULT THESE TIMELY RESOURCES
Powerful 2020 Book Marketing Toolkit -- FREE
How Do
Authors Promote Books When The Media Is Corona Centric?
Advice to
Authors From A Book Promoter of 30 Years
How Are
Authors Selling Books Through A Pandemic?
A Book
Marketing Pandemic Playbook
What Types
of Books Can Get Media Coverage Now?
The
Bestseller Code For Book Marketers & Authors
What Should
You Do to Market Your Book?
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.