BookMarketingBuzzBlog: January 2022

Monday, January 31, 2022

It’s A Wonderful Book Site!

www.Bookshop.org recently celebrated its second anniversary. We should all rally around them if we hope to keep the book ecosystem honest and flourishing.

Right now, a significant majority of book sales take place on Amazon.com. Think about that.

The United States, a defender of free speech, where millions of new books are sold every year, and where the book is seen as a way for the free flow of information, analysis, ideas, and story-telling to be disseminated, is beholden to one company to dictate how books are priced, what gets sold, and it even influences what gets published.

It is not healthy for any industry to be run by a monopoly that services a cartel (Big 5). Bookshop.org is attempting to break the grip of Amazon on book publishing.

You know, the 75th anniversary of the release of the classic movie, It’s A Wonderful Life, recently passed. The film was a story about the importance of friendship and love, and about greed and sacrifice. It may have been the precursor for understanding the battle for book publishing’s soul: Amazon vs. indie bookstores.

In the film, a miserable old man representing the excesses of capitalism, Mr. Henry Potter, essentially owned the keys to commerce and real estate in the small, fictitious town of Bedford Falls. He owned everyone and everything but one organization — The Bailey Savings & Loan Association — run by a heart-of-gold fella named Harry Bailey. Only one person stood as a barrier to total domination.

Bookshop.org is our Harry Bailey.

We need to support it.

What is it? How does it work!

It is the e-commerce partner for 1323 bookstores. Let’s say you want to order a copy of a book. First choice? Go to your local store. Let’s say you are unable to go there— or just too lazy. Instead of ordering from Potter’s Amazon, order from your local store’s link to Bookshop.org.

According to a recent ad in Publishers Weekly, Bookshop.org asserts its vision as the following: “We want to connect readers with independent booksellers all over the world. We believe local bookstores are essential community hubs that foster, culture, curiosity, and a love of reading, and we’re committed to helping them survive and thrive. Our platform gives independent bookstores tools to compete online and financial support to help them maintain their presence in local communities.”

Amen.

Please Contact Me For 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 successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres.

Happy Holidays! A gift for you!

What Should You Do To Promote your Book?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/what-should-you-do-to-promote-your-book.html

Are You A Book Marketer or a Writer?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/are-you-book-marketer-or-writer.html

Overcoming 37 Barriers Market Your Book Successfully\

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/overcoming-37-barriers-to-promote-your.html

25 Messages That Sell Lots of Books

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/25-messages-that-sell-lots-of-books.html

20 Reasons Why Someone Buys Your Book

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/20-reasons-why-someone-buys-book.html

A Lifetime Book Marketing Timeline For Authors

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/a-lifetime-marketing-timeline-for.html

What Goals Should Writers Have?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/what-goals-should-writers-have.html

Ask Me Anything About Book Marketing

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/ask-me-anything-about-book-marketing.html

22 Things Authors Should Do In 2022

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/22-things-authors-should-do-in-2022.html

Authors: Obey The 10 Golden Rules

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/authors-obey-10-golden-rules.html

The Most Popular Author Interviews of the Year! Learn What 32 Writers Say About Book Publishing – and Their Books.

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-most-popular-author-interviews-of.html

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2022. 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.

Sunday, January 30, 2022

What Should You Do To Promote Your Book?

“Without promotion, something terrible happens…. Nothing. ”

– P.T Barnum

Authors always ask me: What should I do to market my book?

My answer is usually one of three things, including:

· Yes, market your book-whatever you choose to do.

· It depends what are your goals? What have you done? What are your skills? What do you like to do?

· What could possibly be done?

Let’s look at the last point. Before you can decide what to do, you must be aware of your choices. You need to weigh your options by identifying all of the thing -- regardless of time, money, skill, knowledge, desire, or need -- that could possibly be done to promote a book.

The big buckets to look at are the following:

1. Social media content created by you.

2. Social media content created about you.

3. Major media interviews, book reviews, or feature stories with you, about your book, or about you.

4. By-line articles by you, published in print or online.

5. Speaking opportunities in person or on zoom.

6. Advertising.

7. Paid book reviews.

8. Giving discounts.

9. Offering freebies to lure in book buyers.

10. Emailing your fan base and connections.

11. Networking.

12. Creating word-of-mouth campaigns.

13. Partnering with others, such as fellow authors.

14. Selling the products or services of others that serve as gateways to getting book sales for you.

15. Offering your book in all formats -- audio, e-book, trade paperback, mass market, and hardcover,

16. Creating spin-off content, such as a children’s book version of your adult book.

17. Selling the rights for other markets -- film, stage, foreign language, etc.

18. Bundling your book with some other product, book, or service -whether it is yours or someone else's.

19. Direct mail campaigns: email, telemarketing, or postcards.

20. Handing out flyers.

21. Getting people to be your affiliate and sell your book.

22. Have a booth at a book fair, street fair, or writer’s conference.

23. Work with sites like NetGalley, BookTrib, GoodReads, and others that offer reviews and promotions.

The list goes on.

There are easily dozens of other things to do to promote your book. There are guerrilla marketing tactics of handing out swag and contacting targeted groups to seek bulk sales. There are big companies that one can hire to get help. There are writer associations to join. There are conferences and festivals to attend. There are websites to be created, business cards to be handed out, and a million and one things that can be done.

First, look at the possibilities.

Second, learn more and try a few.

Third, shift gears until you find what works.

In each of the above areas, there are many paths one can follow; For instance, when we say “speaking,” that’s a broad term. Will you speak at a conference? A school? Church? Business? Bookstore? Library?

When we say social media, exactly which platforms will you be on? How active will you be- and what kind of quality of content shall you post? Will you go out of your way to secure followers?

So, when you want to know what you should do to promote yourself, you now have the process by which to determine an answer. Good luck!

Please Contact Me For Help