What Color Is Your Book Marketing Parachute?

 

Are you familiar with a famous career book, What Color Is Your Parachute?  

Written over a half-century ago, it has helped millions of young people figure out what they want to be when they grow up — as well as help adults find their way when at a career crossroads. I feel, in that spirit, writers need a similar guidebook to help them define where they sit on the book marketing spectrum. 

To market your book well, you need to actually market your book (not just think you should be doing it) AND do it well. It may sound obvious, but for many authors, it is not.  

Authors usually lack a marketing plan or a vision for how to proceed. But even with a plan, they likely lack two or more of these things needed to execute well: 

1. Time

2. Skills

3. Money

4. Abilities

5. Connections

6. Knowledge

7. Opportunities

8. Clear Goals

9. Power of Persuasion

10. Confidence & Courage 

When authors finally recognize their book marketing shortcomings, they must then confront them and take action. 

If you realize you like to speak in front of crowds but are clueless on social media, you will need to get help. If you do well at getting book awards but fall short at getting news media attention, the shortfall needs to be addressed. You get the point. Find a way to fill in the gaps. 

So, step one: assess where you are with making a book marketing plan and identify what you like to do and are good at doing — and get help in the areas that you lack desire or ability to do.  

Once you have a clear understanding of what color your book marketing parachute is, you will be able to soar higher and have a safer landing.

 

Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with 3.6 million page views, 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!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. 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 3.6 million pageviews. With 4,800+ 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 director of publicity positions 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 hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, 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. His first published book was The Florida homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.