“I just want to write - -and not worry about marketing my books.”
“I have no interest in being on Twitter, but my book deserves attention.”
“I don’t enjoy public speaking. My books speak for themselves.”
“I wish the media discovered my book. It’s great.”
These are things authors have said. They love to write and are good at it. But they either don’t understand book marketing, don’t feel capable even if they are, lack the time, actually fall short on the skills to promote, or have little interest in marketing. Excuses? Reasons? Doesn’t matter. Aut5hors need to make sure their books are promoted and marketed often and well. Either they do it or outsource it. There’s not room for sitting on the sidelines and being book promotional agnostic.
The best way to market something is to do it often, which means the more you think about, discuss, and take part in marketing, the better you will be at it. You cannot just turn it on and off – marketing is something you are always doing.
When you meet people socially, such opportunities can lead to networking your way to book sales. The sooner you learn what people do for a living, who they know, and what ideas they have, the sooner you can determine how they can help you.
Continually explore what others are doing – even if it
is to market another book, service or product. Take an idea from one industry
and apply it to your own. Conversely,
recognize that some things that work elsewhere would not be cost-effective for
you to implement.
The more products, books, or services you have to sell, the better. And the higher the profit-margin, the more eligible you will be to experiment or try various marketing methods.
If you only make $5 per book and this is all that you have to sell, it would be hard to justify spending $3,000 per month on advertising – but if you can win a certain number of customers who may each end up spending hundreds of dollars with you, it may pay for you to spend money on something that could yield enough customers to justify the expense.
Marketing mindfulness is a state of being. You are always thinking of things from the perspective of sales. You see ad slogans in your dreams, you envision your next five blog posts while driving home from work, you read trade publications or search the Internet while waiting online for a restaurant table, and you enter the topic of your book into conversations with others in hopes they will react with a favorable idea.
You almost have to obsess over your book in order to make it successful but avoid becoming so obsessed that you conjure up dreams of grandeur. Don’t fantasize about being a best-selling author but do spend time visualizing concrete steps to take to actually generate sales.
Success is a frame of
mind. If you are always open to opportunities to grow you will either find them
or create them. So what does opportunity look like? It means being ready to
convert a chance meeting into a long-term relationship and taking an idea and
putting it into action, and to commoditizing a resource, an idea, an
experience, or a relationship.
Once you
know what it is that you really want to accomplish, set a realistic plan,
timeline, and resource needs list. Then execute and go for it. You may
just succeed -- or at least enjoy the attempt to do so.
The Marketing Mindset That You Must Adopt
- Seize upon an opportunity – or create one.
- See things from many perspectives and
always look for a marketing angle to work.
- Engage in empathetic listening.
- Turn words and ideas into action.
- Commoditize a relationship but always do
something for another.
- Anticipate, initiate, follow through.
- Seek honest feedback and then do something
with it.
- Always look for growth and a chance to
expand.
- Constantly generate new ideas without a
limiting filter.
- Remain positive and upbeat.
- Invest time and money in the short-term in
order to produce a long-term pay-off.
- Survey current events news, marketing
conditions, and industry trends.
- You must see opportunity in everyone,
everything, and every event.
- Never stop thinking of ways to market.
- Success is a numbers game – try enough
things enough times and you will break through.
- You never stop at a win or a moment of
success. You need a continuous series of victories to help counter dry
spells.
- Look for ways to get others involved –
people you can hire, trade with, partner with, get referrals from.
- Set benchmarks for success and raise them
with every win.
- Think big – imagine what can be.
- Think ‘first’ – be a pioneer by leading.
- Think new or unique – doing the same as
others will not yield spectacular results.
- Balance your time, energy, and resources
needed to execute ideas against their potential gain in sales and
publicity.
- Look to turn everything you do or touch,
person you meet, or situation you are into a profitable opportunity.
- Ask for favors, deals, and help from
anyone and everyone.
- Think long-term, not just short-term.
- Develop relationships, not just sales.
- Know “NO” can be a delayed “YES” if you
change your offer and your approach and try another day.
- Believe in the significance of what you
do.
- Do not be shy about pursuing what you
want.
- Constantly test ideas, approaches or
markets and tinkering with the formula for success, No singular way works
for everyone, nor will it work all the time or for a sustained period.
Keep changing in a changing world.
- Be perceived as an expert who has
something of value to share.
- Learn from everyone and everything – never
dismiss a chance to improve your knowledge.
- Be assertive, even aggressive.
- Hustle, but do not con: Be quick to react,
take initiation, and seize moments to sell but do not lie, bullshit, or
seek to confuse someone on the facts.
- Learn from mistakes but do not throw out
the baby for the bathwater.
- Copy what works for others but try to
improve upon or personalize it.
- Know few things sell themselves and even
world-class brands need to remind others of what they offer.
Now get the hell out there and market your books!!!
Learn, Grow, Succeed!!
How Authors Can
Supersize Their Efforts – And Results!
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2020/10/how-authors-should-live-by-10x-rule.html
Why Every Author
Needs A Cheerleader Or Coach!
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2020/10/why-every-author-needs-cheerleader-or.html
21 Guaranteed Ways
To Market A Book
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2020/10/21-guaranteed-ways-for-successfull-book.html
Why Do Authors Commit
Publishing Suicide?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2020/10/why-do-authors-commit-publishing-suicide.html
10 Things Authors Need For Successful DIY Book Publicity
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2020/10/10-things-authors-need-for-do- it.html
Authors Need to Know
Why They Write
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2020/09/authors-need-to-know-why-they-write.html
Do
Authors Take Responsibility For Book Sales?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2020/09/do-authors-take-responsibility-for-book.html
Here’s How We Protect
Free Speech On Social Media
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2020/09/heres-how-we-protect-free-speech-on.html
Is Today A New Year
For Authors?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2020/09/is-today-new-year-for-authors.html
How Do You Land A
Book Publishing Deal?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2020/10/how-do-you-land-book-publishing-deal.html
Brian Feinblum, the
founder of BookMarketingBuzzBlog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. His
insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in
this terrific blog are the product of his genius. You can – and should --
follow him on Twitter @theprexpert. 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 with his wife, two kids and Ferris, a black lab rescue. His
writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The
Independent. This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by
BookBaby 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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