I can’t tell you how many authors that I talk to, on a near-daily basis, who tell me they’re done spending money – only to change their tune once they are enlightened on how to invest in their book marketing wisely. They simply lost faith after failure – or were not properly informed of their best options. They had lost faith. That is not what you want to have happen if you hope to get a message out, make an impact, sell books, and establish your author brand.
The solution is simple:
Spend more money, but do it in a smarter way.
Authors misspend their
money every day, just as consumers make poor buying decisions for other
products, services or experiences.
How often do you have
buyer’s remorse? How many times did a movie, restaurant, or a show not live up
to its billing? How many people buy clothes that end up not feeling or looking
the way they had hoped? How many electronic devices do you buy that have you
second-guessed the decision six months later?
You get the point.
Book marketing consumerism
requires some savvy, encouragement, and practice. At first, you don’t even know
what you need or what it should cost to market a book. You experiment. Some
things work, some don’t. Time and experiences start to shape your perspective.
But what if you reach a point of failure or frustration and just give up? That
would not help you and it would likely be unwarranted. Unless you are being
told by numerous, reliable sources that your book sucks, do not give up on it.
Underexposure and anonymity is not the same thing as rejection.
Okay, so let’s start
from the beginning:
1.
Set a budget for book Marketing.
Be prepared to stretch it, especially if you see results or have reason to
believe your next endeavor is worthwhile.
2. Diversify your expenditures. Some things you have to have, such as a web site, press kit, and paid book reviews. Other things are optional. Basically, you will need to outsource the things that you cannot do (lack the ability), don’t want to do (lack of desire), or have no time to do (your time is best spent on other priorities). But where you can use a skill set, connections, and gumption, see to doing all that you can do on your own.
3. Pay for things you likely lack the knowledge, skills, experience, and connections in, such as the securing of news media interviews and coverage for your book.
4. Pay for information and resources. Consultants who can show you how to effectively use social media, generate book sales, seek out speaking engagements, or win awards, are worth utilizing. They are teaching you the life skills that can be applied to promoting multiple books over time.
5. Avoid spending money where the offer sounds too good to be true. Few things are guaranteed or happen as smoothly as we’d hoped for. Invest in probabilities, not just possibilities.
6. If you spent money that didn’t yield a pay-off, figure out:
·
Was it the vendor that
stunk?
·
Is the book the problem?
·
Was it just bad luck or
poor timing?
Once you know why
something didn’t work, examine if, under different circumstances, better
results will be yielded from trying it again. Or, determine to move on, and try
other areas to see if they work any better.
7.
Do not borrow, steal, or
cheat to pay for your book marketing. Do not mortgage the house, stop health
insurance payments, or decide your car doesn’t really need maintenance. But do
be prepared to spend money to make money and invest in the long-term.
8.
Understand what you
could spend money on and then investigate what the most economical way would be.
Authors can pay for:
·
Consulting on marketing
or public relations
·
Someone to execute
marketing and PR on the author’s behalf
·
Advertising
·
Book reviews
·
Testimonials
·
Participation in a
conference or book fair
·
Someone to do their
social media
·
Create videos
·
Execute an SEO campaign
·
Design a web site
·
Displaying of their book
at a show or exhibit
·
Entry in to book awards
·
Boosted social media
posts
·
Someone to ghostwrite
blog posts
·
Create a website or
write content for it
·
Get an influencer to
champion the book
The list goes on and on.
You can pay for anything – even for someone to walk your dog, shop for you,
clean your house, sleep with your spouse, or chauffer you. Book marketing is
the same way. People can buy their way to a best-seller list. They can pay for
social media followers. They can buy access, influence, and status. Name a price.
Spend your money, but do
spend it wisely. Don’t give up and don’t believe you’ve exhausted all that you
can do. You just have not met the right book marketer yet. Hint, hint!
Need Book PR 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. He has
30 years of experience in helping thousands of authors in all genres.
Catch Up With These Posts
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-best-100-book-marketing-pr-blog.html
Why
Must Authors Be Concerned About How Others Perceive Them?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/07/why-must-authors-be-concerned-about-how.html
How
Do Authors Recharge A Stalled Book Marketing Campaign?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/07/how-do-authors-recharge-stalled-book.html
How Will You Manage Your Book Marketing To Do List?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/07/how-will-you-manage-your-book-marketing.html
Will
You Send 25 Book Marketing Emails Today?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/07/did-you-send-25-book-marketing-emails.html
Should
You Market Your Book Like A Scammer?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/07/should-you-market-your-book-like-scammer.html
Why Great Writing Doesn’t Get You A Book Deal, But
Great Marketing Does
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/06/why-great-writing-doesnt-get-you-book.html
Can You Get Other People To Sell Your book? https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/can-you-get-other-people-to-sell-your.html
Great Book Marketing Podcast Interview With Savvy Book PR Pro
Brian Feinblum
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/04/great-book-marketing-podcast-interview.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.
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