There is a saying that if all
you have is a hammer, everything appears as a nail to you. It is what you do
and what you know. We are all guilty of it — we use whatever assets and
resources that we believe are available to us in order to navigate life.
For some people, they are their looks. For
others, it is their financial status or their intellect or their family
connections or something else. They lean on their strength to get through the
day. But what if you are ignoring an opportunity to develop and build up other
areas of yourself?
For authors marketing a book they approach the
process based on what they know and what they think they can and should do. But
what if that assessment needs to be changed?
For instance, start with what you think should
be done to market a book. Open yourself to doing new things or to doing things
in a new way. Perhaps you are not covering all of the areas of opportunity that
are open to you. For instance, maybe you ignored social media or never applied for
a book award. What are you waiting for? Expand your world of possibility.
Next, re-assess your skill set. You likely fall
short in one or more areas. Maybe you need a course on how to blog successfully
or how to use Facebook effectively or how to be a better speaker. What is
holding you back? Upskill and reap the benefits.
Consider outsourcing to, or partnering with,
others. This is a no-brainer. You know you don’t know everything and that you
are not capable of doing everything. Save your time and eliminate frustration
and hire people to help execute select services. Do what you can and get others
to complement and supplement your efforts.
Lastly, adjust your attitude and expectations.
Yeah, I am talking to you. Many authors are plagued by guilt, insecurity,
whining, jealousy, marketing, ignorance, fear, and poverty. You need to take
ownership of your marketing, be persistent and consistent in your efforts, to
keep trying in the face of rejection, to be willing to invest your time, money,
and mindshare to breakthrough on a long-shot idea, and to believe in both your
book and your ability to make it a success.
You have nothing to lose by trying it my way —
and all to gain.
Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?
Brian
Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four million page
views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors like you to promote
your story, sell your book, and grow your 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
This
award-winning blog has generated over 4.25 million pageviews. With 5,000+ 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.” Copyright 2025.
For
the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He
formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the
head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the
director of publicity 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.
His
writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s
The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).
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. He served as a judge for the
2024 IBPA Book Awards.
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.
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.
You
can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.