What Authors Need To Do

  

All authors feel the urge to write. It’s publish or perish for them – and nothing in between. They live to write. But they must also come to grips with book marketing, publicity, and sales.  

There are three ways to get media exposure for your book:

 

1.      Know somebody.

2.      Be somebody.

3.      Buy somebody  

Most likely, you are struggling to figure out what to do, how to do it, and how to find funds and time to execute your wish-list. Worry no more. Let me simplify things for you.  

First, acknowledge the odds are against you having great success. It will take time, money, strategy, luck, persistence, skill, and opportunism to break through. Having a good book helps but is not required -- nor is it a guarantee of anything.  

Second, don’t let that dissuade you from trying. It is an alarm clock to alert you to try more, harder, and smarter. Don’t give up in the face of seemingly low odds – get inspired by the challenge.  

Third, list all of the things you could be doing to grow your brand and promote your book. know what is possible, then figure out what is probable. 

Fourth, know why you are doing what you are doing. What are you trying to accomplish? 

Perhaps it is to: 

·         Sell books – new or backlist

·         Boost your career: help you get a job or promotion

·         Raise awareness for a cause or message

·         Increase your speaking and consulting fees

·         Sell other products or services

·         Become a paid influencer

·         Win book awards

·         Establish your voice as a public persona

·         Build up a media resume

·         Land a literary agent or book publisher

·         Secure a movie deal

·         Assuage a huge ego 

Fifth, figure out: 

·         What you will do on your own.

·         What you will farm out to another to do – for hire, favor, or trade

·         What you can buy, such as a paid book review or advertisements

·         What won’t get done – and be at peace with it. 

The big areas to consider for furthering your brand and boost sales are these: 

·         Speaking engagements

·         Social media

·         Traditional media

·         Book awards

·         Events, fairs, and conventions

·         Advertising

·         Direct marketing to targeted groups, associations, non-profits, schools, businesses, etc. 

What is your plan of action?

Need Book 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. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. 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 award-winning blog has generated over 3.3 million pageviews. With 4,400+ posts over the past dozen years, it 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 www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years 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, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, 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: www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.