“Never
assume,” pronounced Felix to Oscar, his roommate in the 1970s TV comedy, The
Odd Couple. “Because you will make an ass out of you and me.”
Truer
words were never spoken, but sadly, we operate under many assumptions, often at
our peril. The book marketing world has its share of assumptions that are
unwisely followed or acted upon – and the result is not very good.
Here
are some common assumptions or assertions that authors make regarding book
publicity and marketing – all mistaken, misinformed, or just plain old stupid:
“I
can’t afford to promote my book.”
Well,
you can’t afford not to!
“All
of the news media is bought and paid for.”
No, traditional,
legit media outlets neither pay for media interviews nor are they required to
be paid. However, there is a growing list of some local media outlets that are
charging for airtime. Technically, this is advertising and has to be identified
as such. Further, there are some book review outlets, both in print and online,
that charge a fee for a review – without a guarantee of being a positive one.
“A
great book sells itself.”
Unfortunately,
a great book is just the starting point, not the end-all, be-all. No one will
know it is a great book unless you market it.
“I
just need an influencer to post about me.”
Sounds
good, but it is not easy to obtain. It is hard to track them down or give them
a reason to post about you unless you pay them a big bucket of money. A
sponsored post gives you third-party validation, at a price, but it alone doesn’t
make you a star. You still need to market yourself.
“There’s
no book out there like my book.”
Think
again. There are plenty, many of them just as good or better than yours. And if
there is no other book like yours, that might be a sign that there is no market
for yours.
“The
media has lots of air time, digital space, and empty pages to fill.”
They
are not looking for you. They get plenty of queries and story ideas from other
authors – and non-book experts like actors, musicians, politicians, businesses,
non-profits, etc. Don’t think for a moment that they are desperate for you.
“All
that is needed to promote a book is my own blog, podcast, and social media posts.”
Though
it is helpful to have a solid and growing social media platform, that alone is
not enough to market your book. You need to also explore other areas, from
traditional media, to speaking, to advertising, to networking.
“A
good road tour can sell lots of books.”
That
used to be the case but now travelling to multiple cities and setting up
speaking engagements doesn’t always have a payoff, given the costs and time
invested. However, a small, localized road tour could be useful. Think of
places you can travel to in a day by car – and then back. No hotel.
“Everything
is done online – traditional media is dead.”
Totally
not true, even though it seems our lives are all tucked into a little hand-held
box. Bigger, traditional media has a presence online, but they are real,
physical places – newspapers, magazines, television shows, radio shows – and they
are still relevant and important.
“My
book is better than (name a best-seller) and should get more media coverage.”
That’s
just your opinion – now go prove it. Again, no one knows you or owes you
anything. You need to assertively push yourself onto others and work at getting
people’s attention.
“I
will get a big ad in the New York Times Book Review and put this book on the
map.”
Ads
don’t pay for themselves when you are selling a lower-ticket item like a book.
Ads only work when someone already has an established brand, like Stephen
King, where the ad merely serves to remind people his latest book is out.
However, when you are unknown, the burden of the ad to establish who you are
and why your book is worth their attention is too high and hard to achieve.
“Podcasts
are what I want to be on – and nothing else.”
You
need to have a diverse media portfolio, just like one diversifies their
investments. Podcasts can be great, but no medium by itself is enough for
your book to take off. You need to also be covered by other types of media,
whether it is local or national TV, print, radio, or online.
“Once
I make a best-seller list, lots of media should be covering my book.”
Though
making a best-seller list helps with your branding, and it will earn a few more
sales and media placements, being a best-seller by itself isn’t necessarily
reason enough for a media outlet to cover you. You still need to contact the media, identify
an interesting story angle, showcase your qualifications, and show why they
should want to speak to you now over all other authors and experts, including
other best-selling authors.
PLEASE CONSULT THESE TIMELY RESOURCES
Powerful
2020 Book Marketing Toolkit -- FREE
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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?
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