What really is "good marketing," especially when it comes to books?
Good book marketing is anything
that helps authors or publishers meet their goals. Usually, the goal boils down
to book sales, branding, helping to sell other services, products or books, or to create awareness of a topic or message.
So what type of book marketing will
serve these goals?
Most people have trouble pointing
to the specific thing or event or act that helps them achieve their goals. But
they know overall if they are taking a proactive approach to book marketing,
collectively, these things are contributing to growing book sales and other
success.
Different tools work differently
for each author or publisher. It depends on the book’s genre, book price,
availability, and quality of the book marketing effort. Not all ads are equal.
Not all media coverage is equal. Not all social media presence is equal. Not all
speech is equal. It's hard to say that something will not work until you try it.
Too many authors will dip their
toes into book marketing, but they will declare defeat if their few attempts
lead to little or no measurable results. All of a sudden, the frustrated author
just throws her hands up and calls it quits.
But book marketing is like dating.
Just because one date, or a few people that you date don't work out, your
spouse-to-be could be the next date. You can't just give up, right?
If the author doesn't quit, they do
the next worst thing: they approach everything with distrust and a lack of
commitment. They become gun shy and have trouble pulling the trigger even when
a good opportunity is upon them.
Then, you have the author who tries to calculate the cost-benefit to any book marketing initiative. I don't blame
them for being cautious. But this frame of
mind usually stops them from doing anything. They are the people who dip a toe
in the pool, think it's cold, and never return. But sometimes, the water warms
up and you get used to it. The authors are missing out on many opportunities.
So what's the answer? How can
authors find a balance between being optimistic but cautious?
When it comes to promoting a book,
simply draw up a list of things that can be done by the following criteria:
-
What is the chance of success?
-
Define success?
-
How
much can you afford to spend?
-
Can
you do what needs to be done?
-
Which things are cost or time prohibitive, and
thus need to go ignored?
Generally, ads don't pay off as
much as pursuing news media coverage. Certainly, one should do the free things: speaking, social media, email blasts. Understand that to do nothing is not a
strategy, and that to delay or stretch what needs to be done could cost you if
you don't pay attention to media deadlines or consumer timeline expectations
Measure and monitor your efforts.
Explore what works but keep experimenting and expanding your marketing efforts.
Just as good books will eventually find their readers, good marketing will find
its way to consumers. Keep pushing your book like you just discovered the cure
for coronavirus. Champion what you believe in and get others to believe as
well.
Never give up, never let fear win. Your book deserves more.
Never give up, never let fear win. Your book deserves more.
PLEASE CONSULT THESE TIMELY
RESOURCE
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Promote Books During A Plague?
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Books To The Media Now
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Strategy For Authors
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Address to the Class of 2020 on A Writing Career
Are You Really Ready To
Write, Publish & Market Your book?
Powerful 2020 Book
Marketing Toolkit -- FREE
How Do Authors Promote
Books When The Media Is Corona Centric?
The Bestseller Code For
Book Marketers & Authors
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
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