Authors: Don’t Say No So Fast

 

Authors are unusually gun shy about pulling the trigger on doing or paying for publicity and marketing. Folks, learn a lesson from me about why we should not be so afraid or negative about taking a chance on something new to us.

My wife of almost 20 years all too often hears “no” from me. She suggests we buy or do something and my knee-jerk reaction is to abruptly cut her off and to spew out a no.

I have stalled on many requests from my wife, including these:

“Let’s sell the Buick and get a different car.”
“Let’s get a second dog.”
“Let’s get an island for the kitchen.”
“Let’s hire an artist to paint a mural on our wall outside.”

I immediately gravitate to the reasons why it won’t work and enumerate shortcomings over the potential pay-offs and rewards. It is simply a defensive measure.

I seem to resort to calculating the pitfalls and drawbacks rather than gravitating to the potential windfall. I don’t consider myself a negative or pessimistic person, but perhaps I don’t transition to change or new things as well as I should. Am I missing opportunities that could make me a happier, better, even wealthier person?

Perhaps.

Why do I do this?

It could be that I act as I do because there is a mix of real factors and imagined ones. These come to mind:

* Something sounds risky, dangerous or wrong even though it is merely just new or unfamiliar to me.
* I lack all necessary information and analysis before I show resistance.
* I don’t see a reason to change
* This will take research and I feel lazy
* I simply failed to think it through before rejecting something
* I misunderstood something about the proposed project
* Exhibit a fear of the unknown or change
* Imagined cash flow issues even though I can afford it
* Some facts are not yet known before I pass judgement
* I assume better options exist when they may not

We should weigh all factors and get more information — and then make a decision. Sometimes more restraint or a conservative approach is needed. But not always. We must remain optimistic, opportunistic, and on the offensive.

I have never been a trendsetter. I am not an early adopter of any technology. I am not the first to do something. I guess I simply don’t take enough risks or jump into ground-level opportunities. I don’t initiate change; I merely respond to it. I am content.

Do I need psychoanalysis?

No, because my way works to a degree. But I do recognize now that it has cost me as well.

I rarely get burned or have a regret. But I also don’t reach as far or high as I should. I miss out on some things. Or worse, I end up doing the thing I initially dismissed after having argued with my wife or tormented myself over what should have been a fun or easier decision.

Let me be a warning shot for you. Don’t deny, delay, or dilute the opportunities in front of you to promote yourself and market your book. Stop saying no so quickly. Cease rejecting what could be a good thing simply because you have a few doubts but not all of the facts. Do not let your uninformed beliefs and biases hold you up. Become the person you really are capable of being and take the necessary action that will define your fate.

You will feel better and grow as a result. And your wife or husband will thank you.

Contact Brian For Marketing Help!!

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand.

Learn, Grow, Succeed!!

I Guarantee Books will Soar Post-Pandemic

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/i-guarantee-books-will-soar-post.html

 

Are Literary Agents – Or Authors – Full Of Crap?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/are-literary-agents-or-authors-full-of.html

 

The Psychology of An Author’s Book Marketing

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-psychology-of-book-marketing.html

 

Is Social Media A Bust Or Boon For Authors?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/is-social-media-bust-or-boon-for-authors.html

 

Here’s Why Authors Need A Dominatrix!

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/heres-why-authors-need-dominatrix.html

 

How To Get More Social Media Connections

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/follow-me-on-twitter-theprexpert.html

 

How Authors Can Build Their List Of Potential Book Buyers

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/how-can-authors-build-their-list-of.html

 

How Much Should Authors Spend On Book Marketing?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/how-much-should-authors-spend-on-book.html

 

Are You A Book Marketing Badass?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2020/12/are-you-book-marketing-badass.html

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2021. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. 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. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. 

 

 

Are Book Launch Parties Needed Anymore?

 

One casualty of the pandemic in the publishing world, the book launch party, is sure to return. The only question is not “when,” but why”?

The vast majority, and I mean like 99.5%, of book launch parties, are not profitable nor worthy of media attention. They can be big ego boosters and serve as fodder for social media posts, which is fine, but they are often events that do little to make the book a success.

Book launch parties, at one time, were more important than they are today. There were fewer book launches years ago and the authors were more accomplished, holding sometimes elaborate parties in cool settings.

Big-time publishers would enlist their society friends, stable of best-selling authors, and Hollywood royalty to fill a room. It was a setting for the powerful to remind themselves of their place in the world.  Whispered seductions over drinks between adults having affairs could even be sealing future publishing deals.

I haven’t been to a good book launch party in a decade. Today, there are 1.6 million new books released in a year, including some 370,000 from traditional publishers. Just as anyone can publish a book today, anyone with a pocketbook can throw a party.

For all authors, a book launch party is a celebration of an accomplishment, where friends, family, colleagues, and supporters gather to honor the momentous occasion of seeing a book’s first day of sales. It is seen as the culminating moment when ideas, sweat, and passions materialize into a concrete product, when a dream turns real.

But the truth is, in today’s world of advance pre-sales and pre-pub buzz, the real moment a launch should be celebrated was four months prior to your book’s scheduled release date. When you launch your book marketing that is the day you need support, resources, and praise.

Authors should hold a book launch event if they:

* Are somebody — and you know who you are — or believe you are a good pretender.

* Can afford to throw a party with no presents to offset costs.

* Have a fat ego that needs to be stroked.

* Need a setting to get great video and strong visual images for social media.

* Believe they can get media to attend.

* Are able to secure a celebrity or famous expert to attend and draw a crowd.

* Can have a strong streaming component.

* Can get a sucker — I mean sponsor — to underwrite the costs.

* Are launching a book that merely serves as a calling card to draw attention for a more expensive product or service with a potentially big pay-off.

For most authors, think high school graduation house party more than a Bar Mitzvah or wedding-sized party. Celebrate the joy of publication and get the word out for your book, Just don’t blow your whole marketing budget so Uncle Jack or cousin Nancy can have a meal on you.

Still, though I rail against these parties for authors, I wouldn’t mind attending one now. Heck, I would attend a birthday party for a two-year-old! Anything to get out of the house snd circulate with people again. I need an excuse to step out of my sweatpants and to stop seeing jeans and a clean T-shirt as dress-up threads.

The pandemic has helped the book industry rewrite how books get launched and it is not a lesson to be ignored that book launch parties are not needed, though desired by some. We should throw a party to celebrate the end of these often expensive gatherings that in the end do very little to determine an author’s success.

Contact Brian For Marketing Help!!

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand.

Learn, Grow, Succeed!!

I Guarantee Books will Soar Post-Pandemic

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/i-guarantee-books-will-soar-post.html

 

Are Literary Agents – Or Authors – Full Of Crap?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/are-literary-agents-or-authors-full-of.html

 

The Psychology of An Author’s Book Marketing

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-psychology-of-book-marketing.html

 

Is Social Media A Bust Or Boon For Authors?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/is-social-media-bust-or-boon-for-authors.html

 

Here’s Why Authors Need A Dominatrix!

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/heres-why-authors-need-dominatrix.html

 

How To Get More Social Media Connections

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/follow-me-on-twitter-theprexpert.html

 

How Authors Can Build Their List Of Potential Book Buyers

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/how-can-authors-build-their-list-of.html

 

How Much Should Authors Spend On Book Marketing?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/how-much-should-authors-spend-on-book.html

 

Are You A Book Marketing Badass?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2020/12/are-you-book-marketing-badass.html

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2021. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. 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. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. 

Authors Must Not Let Excuses Blow Their Opportunities

 

Having talked to more than 25,000 authors, one-on-one, over my 30-year book marketing career, I can tell you that one huge mistake authors make when promoting their books is that they mistakenly dismiss opportunities to market themselves.

Authors operate under a number of myths and misconceptions. They are uninformed in some areas, misinformed in others. Couple this with the fact that they lack certain skills, targeted knowledge, or enough confidence to succeed at certain critical tasks. This creates a negative mindset for authors who need to really be open to all ways and means to get the word out.

Let’s be clear here. As a self-published author, you absolutely punch your own ticket when it comes to marketing and publicity. The burden is on you. If you don’t do it, no one will. But even when you are published by a company, including a Big 5 publisher, you will still need to be active in promoting your book and marketing your brand. Publishers have small windows of time where the focus is on promoting a new book, and if they do something for you, it is often not as much as you need or want. If you desire to get your message out there and really sell books, you need to make the most of all of the opportunities available to you.

Here are some examples of doors that authors close without having all of the facts. Further, here is a better way to counter these concerns or fears:

Social Media

Authors may say… 

It is a waste of time.
I don’t know how to use it.
I don’t see many sales coming from it.
There are too many people on these platforms asking to be heard.

Like anything else, social media is as good or bad as what you put into it. Be on a few platforms — not five or six — and be active. Authors must post regularly and often. Their posts need to engage others and lead them to their site. They must take specific, targeted, and daily actions to grow their number of connections. It is a formula of quantity and quality of posts and connections that will lead you to grow your profile and sell books.

Blogging/Podcasting

Authors may say… 

I don’t know what to say or talk about.
Why do I need to push a blog when I need to push my book?
How do I get people to listen to my podcast?

By pushing out your own content, be it a video channel, podcast, or blog, you afford yourself a rich opportunity to take control of crafting and sharing your message. No filters to cut you short. No permission needed. You own your brand and can define it with every post of content. This content is what you share on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, or You Tube and use it to get more connections and lure people to buy your book.

Traditional Media

Authors may say… 

Only famous people or best-selling authors get media coverage.
I don’t know who to contact.
My emails just get lost in the shuffle.
They won’t pay attention to a self-published author.
It is not worth it unless I get NPR, CBS This Morning, or USA Today.

All media is important to the author in search of book buyers and connections. Nothing is too small to do, so don’t just hold out for big stuff. In order to get major media outlets interested in you, try building up your media resume and reach out to smaller blogs, community newspapers, or a friend’s podcast. It is not just book reviews that authors should seek out; it is also interviews, feature stories, article mentions, and byline articles that help give exposure to your book.

Speaking

Authors may say… 

No one is holding or attending public events with Covid.
I am not sure what to talk about.
I am not sure who to contact beyond bookstores.

Covid is dissipating and things are opening up. Live, in-person events are returning. If not within three months, then six, but they will be back. Conferences, seminars, book fairs, workshops, and gatherings in public shall return with a roar. There are plenty of places to speak: bookstores, libraries, campuses, K-12 schools, businesses, non-profits government agencies, annual events, book fairs, etc. Get out there! Talk about your book, your area of expertise, and passions. Offer advice, interesting facts, stories, jokes, statistics, and insights. Take questions. Make it a fun dialogue.

Advertising 

Authors may say… 

I won’t sell enough books to pay for this.

I don’t know where to advertise.

I can’t handle a big response.

Although advertising, in certain formats and amounts, is not for everyone, it can be helpful depending on what you seek to accomplish. Google, Facebook, and Amazon ads can be targeted. They offer a low buy-in to test and experiment with search term and results. Ads in industry publications, such as Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly, may not sell enough books to warrant their cost but they do get you noticed by the industry – bookstores, agents, libraries, and publishers. Buying ads that cover your genre or industry make sense, depending on the cost per eyeball. And, should you get a huge response to an ad, God bless you. Deal with it!

Timing

Authors may say… 

Is it too soon or too late to promote this?
Let’s try one thing at a time and see how it does before I do other things. 

It is always the right time to promote yourself! During your lifetime, you will perpetually promote your name and brand. Always be doing something. Of course, activity picks up just before and just after a book is published. Around six months prior to your book coming out, you should develop or update your website, charge up your social media, and develop your blog/podcast. Four months prior to the launch date, send advance review copies to leading book reviewers and magazines with long lead times. A book is “new” with the media up until the first three or four months a book is out, unless there is something timely in the news to tie it into.

Website

Authors may say… 

I have a blog and Twitter, so I don’t need a site.
I don’t know how to get people to my site.
I am not sure how to update the site or what should be on it. 

Nothing is a substitute for a website anymore than a pushcart is a substitute for a restaurant. This is your retail space, your real estate and home. The site stays with you forever. Blogs and social media accounts come and go and are incomplete experiences. Get a site and a web master.

Writer conference attendance and writer association membership

Authors may say… 

Why do I want to be around a bunch of other authors?
Who has time to talk to other authors that compete with me?

Network with your fellow writers. They are more like siblings, sharing a similar experience with you. They can give you emotional support, good advice, share ideas and resources, and split costs with you on some things. At these events, you may meet literary agents or other useful vendors and pros. Authors should always support, not fear or envy, each other.

Hiring a publicist

Authors may say… 

I can’t afford it.
I had one and got burned.
How do I know who is good?

You ever date a guy who was a jerk or marry a woman who cheated on you? Sure you did, but you didn’t stop dating after that and become a monk, right? Well, just because you hired a lousy publicist does not mean that they are all bad. As for knowing who is good, follow your instinct, scrutinize their offerings, agree on exactly what is being done – or not done, google them, and make sure they sound knowledgeable. As for affordability, neither take out a second mortgage nor be cheap on investing in your future. There can be a pay-off to this that makes it all worthwhile.

Contact Brian For Marketing Help!!

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand.

Learn, Grow, Succeed!!

I Guarantee Books will Soar Post-Pandemic

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/i-guarantee-books-will-soar-post.html

 

Are Literary Agents – Or Authors – Full Of Crap?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/are-literary-agents-or-authors-full-of.html

 

The Psychology of An Author’s Book Marketing

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-psychology-of-book-marketing.html

 

Is Social Media A Bust Or Boon For Authors?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/is-social-media-bust-or-boon-for-authors.html

 

Here’s Why Authors Need A Dominatrix!

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/heres-why-authors-need-dominatrix.html

 

How To Get More Social Media Connections

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/follow-me-on-twitter-theprexpert.html

 

How Authors Can Build Their List Of Potential Book Buyers

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/how-can-authors-build-their-list-of.html

 

How Much Should Authors Spend On Book Marketing?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/how-much-should-authors-spend-on-book.html

 

Are You A Book Marketing Badass?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2020/12/are-you-book-marketing-badass.html

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2021. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. 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. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.