Shall Authors Babysit Their Book Marketing Efforts?

 

My teen-age daughter wants to make a few bucks, so, like most girls her age, she said she would seek out babysitting gigs. She has been talking about this for a year, but has done little to line up jobs for herself.

She needed a push, just like most authors do.

Whether seeking a babysitting job or a book sale, we all need:

* Words of encouragement
* Practical steps to take
* Someone to bounce ideas off of
*Feedback from an expert consultant

With the new school year approaching, I put my marketing cap on to supplement my role as dad, and devised an old school campaign to sell her services. She handed out fliers.

Once she gets some opportunities under her belt, she will earn repeat business, accumulate references, and get gigs from good word-of-mouth.

The key to her success will be for her to know her targeted customer and seek them out. Find where they populate. In this case, the young moms that she wants to reach can be found here:

* Neighborhood homes within walking distance
* Playgrounds
* Elementary schools
* Coffee shops after school drop-off
* Outside a pediatrician’s office
* Big SUVs

There are other ways to reach these moms. For instance, my daughter can promote her services on Nextdoor.com. She can post fliers on bulletin boards of supermarkets and the library. She can inform nearby temples and churches of her services.

Authors can learn from this model. Make up your flier, literally and figuratively, and start knocking on the door of opportunity.

 

“Your situation is not your fault, but it is your responsibility.”

--Award-winning author Ta-Nehisi Coates

 

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 LinkedIn. 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, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.4 million pageviews. With 4,600+ 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.