How Do Authors Evaluate Solicitations?

 

Let’s say you are an author and know you need help in marketing, branding, and promoting your book. You are wondering where you can locate someone to help you. You are bombarded by emails and online advertisements from companies blaring offers to help — for a fee. Whom can you trust to deliver for you? What’s an author to do?

First, evaluate your goals: What exactly do you want to accomplish with your book?

Second: What will be needed to be done to achieve those goals?

Third: Honestly assess your abilities, passions, experiences to see if you have what it takes to get some or all of this done successfully.

Fourth: Identify who or what will tackle some or all of these tasks?

Fifth: Set a budget of time and money to be allocated.

Ok, so now it is time to evaluate who can deliver cost-effective services to you. So, how do you do that?

Find the answers to these questions:

* Personality: Do you like and get along with him or her?
* Do they sound and look trustworthy? Follow your gut.
* What vibe do you get from their website, blog, podcast?
* What kind of social media do they have? Do they post frequently? Do they have decent follower totals? Are they interesting or creative in their posts?
* Price: Is it competitive and fair? Is it affordable?
* Do they sound familiar with your genre?
* How many years of experience do they have?
* Do they sound energetic, bright, truthful, organized, dedicated, and busy -- but not overwhelmed?
* Do they explain what, how, and when they will do something — and indicate potential results?
* Do they give you metrics or a way to evaluate results?
* Ask for and check out relevant and recent references.
* Are they based in the US?
* What happens when you google the name of the person or company? Type in the word lawsuit or reviews or complaints next to their name.
* See their testimonials: Do you see a lot of them? From whom? What do they say?

One thing you need to do is not expect miracles or think that whomever you hire to do something will fill all of your needs. There is a lot to be done and you may need to utilize multiple experts or companies to fully address all of the areas that need attention. Whomever you hire to do whatever, know that it is not a complete nor permanent solution. You will always need to be involved and contribute to your marketing effort.

The types of things that authors will typically need to explore doing — or hire someone to do — include the following:

* Creating a website and tending to SEO.
* Finding and applying for book awards.
* Reaching out to the news media.
* Writing press kit materials.
* Creating a book trailer or videos.
* Developing a blog.
* Creating a podcast.
* Writing and distributing a newsletter.
* Seeking out bookstores, libraries, and other groups to set up speaking engagements.
* Establishing social media accounts, creating content to post, and continuously looking to grow your number of connections.
* Paying for reviews.
* Paying for influencers.
* Networking.
* Seeking out bulk sale deals with targeted organizations.

The items just mentioned are separate from the help you might need to get your book researched, written, edited, designed, and published.

It is a lot of work to be a successful author — but the rewards and pay-off can make it worth your while. Just keep at this with a clear mind and a sense of determination. There are good people out there like me (shameless product push) — and there are incompetent duds and crooks out there. Know the difference and position yourself for the best chance to succeed.

 

 

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.

 

Catch Up & Read These !!

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https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/05/how-can-you-grow-your-writing-career.html

 

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Audit Your Book Marketing

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/audit-your-book-marketing.html

 

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https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/05/how-do-authors-solve-their-problems.html

 

Do You Have A Good Author Tagline?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/do-you-have-good-author-tagline.html

 

Could Free Book PR Cost Authors $10,000?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/could-book-publicity-could-cost-authors.html

 

The Truth That Authors Need To Hear

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-truth-that-authors-need-to-hear.html

 

Book Publishing Expose For Authors From An Insider

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/book-publishing-expose-for-authors-from.html

 

Interview With A Leading Book Marketer For Over 30 Years, Brian Feinblum

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/interview-with-leading-book-marketer.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 blog, with over 4,000 posts over the past decade, 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 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Susan RoAne, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, IBPA, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.