Do You Know Your Book’s Market?

 

It sounds simple enough, but ask yourself why you market. I am guessing it is for a number of reasons and benefits, and that is fine. All that I ask is that you set specific goals and targets. Once you know WHY you are marketing your book, you will be able to figure out WHO you are marketing to.  

Is your marketing purpose based on getting sales? If so, how many books do you hope to sell this week, this month, this year? How many do you need to sell to break even? To make a certain profit size?  

Is your marketing purpose based on building up your ego? If so, how many books must you sell to satisfy such a need? What do you hope will happen as a result of your newfound fame? Do you need to make a best-seller list?  

Is your marketing purpose based on building up your credentials?  If so, what do you need to do in order to make the book a useful bullet point to your resume? What will you need to do with the book to establish your credibility as an expert?  

If your marketing purpose is based on helping others and making them aware or informed by reading your book, how many books do you need to sell or give away to build up critical mass?  

Is your marketing purpose geared towards using the book to sell other products and services or to support the branding of a business? If so, what will you need to achieve that goal?  

Is your marketing purpose centered on getting news media coverage, and if so, what steps will you take to contact the media and earn their attention?  

Analyze Your Target Market

• What is the level of income and education of your potential readership?
• What other books would they likely read?
• When would they choose or need to buy your book?
• What would motivate them to buy?
• How would they learn about your book?
• What would their common life activities involve?
• Where do they congregate and who do they affiliate with?
• What types of discussions would they engage in? 

Explore The Competition

·         How would you position your book against others?

·         What will you say about yourself to sound like an expert?

·         What can you say to get another to take an action step – to go from knowing to doing – and buying your book? 

Do A SWOT Analysis

Know your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. 

Strengths

1.      What do you offer others that is positive, new, unique?

2.      Why are you best positioned to be the expert on your book’s topic?

3.      What resources do you have at your disposal?

4.      What circumstances or marketplace elements are favorable to you? 

Weaknesses

1.      What do you lack and where do you fall short?

2.      Is there something wrong with your industry?

3.      Do people not buy into or agree with your message?

4.      Are your competitors too advanced, too numerous, too well funded to compete with? 

Opportunities

1.      Is there something happening that you can capitalize on, piggybank, exploit, or use to help you?

2.      Will laws change soon or some event occur that will open up things for you?

3.      Are there people or groups you can approach who can elevate you?

4.      Is there something in the news you can use to market yourself?

5.      Are there any special days, honorary weeks/months or anniversaries to tap into?

Threats

1.      Is there someone or something that looms out there that could steal or destroy your marketplace?

2.      Do you have any enemies dedicated to sabotaging you?

3.      Is there something going on in your life – health, relationship, family, death, moving – that will greatly distract you or impede your ability to market successfully?

You can market successfully once you understand why you market, who you market to, and what your SWOT is. good luck.

Need PR 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 3.8 million pageviews. With 4,900+ 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.