The Book Marketing Mindset That Authors Need To Have

 

 

So many factors go into having a successful writing career – timing, luck, great books, level of competition, your endurance, and persistence. But the first place to start is with you. If you believe in yourself as a writer and know that you have a quality book that should appeal to a decent-sized readership, then you are already on the road to success.  

The next step is to put on your thinking cap to begin to filter your thoughts through an entrepreneurial prism. To get your book sold you will have to think of the obvious and follow through to grab all of the low-hanging fruit. But you also have to think of what is not so obvious or so easily obtained and to take steps toward achieving them.  

Many writers are not good business people, which is only natural. The more you’re good at one thing it means you’re not as good at something else. It seems that being a poet is almost counter to being an entrepreneur – one uses an economy of words to describe dreams, feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Meaningful things. The other uses any means necessary to get what he or she wants to sell a good or service regardless of its merit.  

In book marketing, the purpose is not the journey, but the end result: to make a sale. Writers are givers; marketers are takers. But such a white hat – black hat line must not be drawn here. It is certainly acceptable to be creative and wealthy, to use your brain to tap into your thoughts and express them with words, while using another part of your brain to exploit marketplace opportunities for your own profits.  

A book can be wonderfully written, but if others don’t know about it, they won’t buy it. So, get out there and sell it! If a book is not so good, that does not negate your right to sell it as if it were a great book. Your readers will eventually decide what value they derive from your book.  

Consumers buy on perceptions and anticipation. They don’t read it and then pay for it. They are told what they can expect to get out of a book and then they buy it based on other factors: competition, price, title, an author’s credentials, a book’s cover, the layout, recommendations, convenience, availability and dozens of other considerations. Your job is to let as many members of your targeted readership know the book exists and to make the case that it merits their investment of money and time. 

I have worked with authors for 30 years and many seem to fall into two categories. They are either ego-driven or they are not. Those that are ego-driven often suffer from high expectations and often are not willing to do the hands-on work to get their book to sell the way they envision it will. 

Those with no ego sometimes go to the other extreme, where they lack confidence in their own book’s ability to sell, and they too do not do enough to ensure that their book surpasses the lowly fate they envisioned. Long story short, most people create self-fulfilling prophecies. It is up to you to make good things happen. 

It starts with your mindset. Park your ego, insecurities, greed or dreams at the door. Just accept the fact the marketplace has a lot of competition but also a lot of opportunity. Assume your book is great and act as if it is. Don’t sell it short because if you don’t act as if it is terrific, others will sense this from you and come to see your book as ordinary or sub-par. How many commercials do you see that hype “average,” “ordinary,” or “run of the mill”? None of them will put such a tag on their stuff. 

The entrepreneurial mindset, however, does not require you to lie, break laws or act unethically. But it means you put on the hat of salesperson, not book critic. You sell your book and yourself by going all out, 24-7, always thinking like a marketer. You begin to see an opportunity in everything you do, everyone you meet, and in every venue that you happen upon. You generate more ideas than you can record.  You begin having conversations with friends, family, co-workers or strangers that inevitably lead to your book. You walk around as if wearing specially coded glasses that allow you to see sales opportunities everywhere. You begin to see yourself as a brand, an entity, one that needs to project a certain image, feel, sound, and style. 

Your face is your logo, your words are your assets, and your book title is your tag line. No reason to be shy. There is no benefit in silence when it comes to sales. Trumpet your own horn and do it without doubt, guilt or reservation. 

There are numerous books that cover the area of positive thinking, optimism, and a good attitude and I implore you to read them, for you won’t get far in life without embracing a positive approach. Try these classics: 

• The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
• Think & Grow Rich by Dale Carnegie
• As A Man Thinketh by James Allen
• Awakening The Giant Within by Anthony Robinson
• The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen Covey  

Every generation – actually every year – features best-selling books that cover the same topic of motivation and inspiration. It has been written about, over and over, because so many people need a reminder. They need to hear it 50 different ways. 

Of course, it all boils down to believing in yourself, having conviction, possessing confidence, having an undying spirit, and finding a way to get what you want. Even children’s fables cover the topic, telling us to always smile, laugh, try our best, not to give up hope, to always feel like a winner, and to do the things we enjoy. All of that can and should be applied to selling your book. 

Need PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 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 3.9 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, BookCAMP, 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.