Every author
struggles with the “M” word – Marketing! (What word did you think I
meant?)
The thought of marketing your own
books can strike terror in the hearts of many authors, most of whom, let’s face
it, prefer to communicate through the written word.
Yet, regardless of what path you take to being published, no
one escapes from the need to conquer their fears and face your adoring—or
perhaps indifferent, public. The key to overcoming your fear of this
interaction is this: it’s not about you. Does your book
have a purpose, a message you hope will change someone’s life? Marketing is
your way of getting this message into the hands of people who otherwise would
never have heard it. Focus on your potential readers; care about them, learn about
them, listen to them, and your fear will begin to melt away. Ok, so let’s
assume for the balance of this article that you have to take the reins of your
own marketing. Now what?
Talk to ten different experts on the subject of book
marketing and you’ll get ten different responses, but hopefully you will find
common ground in these four bits of advice:
1.
Know your
mission. I know, I sound like a broken record, but as Lewis Carroll
famously said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you
there.” Your mission—and your understanding of who your audience is—will guide
you toward the right marketing approach. Check our site out for more on this
important subject.
2.
Have a mission-focused
plan. If marketing, or planning, is not in your wheelhouse, hire someone
with a proven track record; make sure they buy in to your mission and budget,
and follow their plan to get you there. She Writes Press, a highly respected
independent hybrid publisher, does not provide book-specific marketing services
to their authors. Instead, they wisely refer them to a list of publicists with
experience in book and author promotion. You may not have this in your budget.
And, your mission may have a much smaller target. Regardless, without a plan
you become vulnerable to every predator out there who would love to relieve you
of your money for their “amazing opportunity” that has no documented Return on
Investment (ROI) and may in fact hurt your book’s reputation.
3.
Have a mission-focused
budget. Those of you who have gone through the home-buying process may
remember the moment you had to set aside the emotion of your decision and put
on your business hat. You may remember walking away from or losing your “dream
home,” instead finding a lovely option a bit further out with a few less
amenities, that you could afford. Giving birth to a book is in itself an
extremely emotional event, and a huge accomplishment. In this state of mind it’s
easy to succumb to a good pitch or an ego-stroking opportunity. The business of
book marketing requires you to put on your business hat and make smart,
unemotional decisions. And, that starts with a budget.
4.
“You get
what you pay for” does not apply. In book marketing, you can pay for much
more than you get, and miss valuable opportunities that cost nothing but time. Do
not let that happen. Take advantage of free marketing opportunities, but
remember: if it’s “free” there’s a pitch on its way to you for something costly.
You are under no obligation to swing at whatever crosses the plate. However, you
should not miss these three free opportunities:
a.
Goodreads.
Goodreads is a book-centric social media
platform owned by Amazon, so if your book is not on Amazon and/or if it doesn’t
have its own ISBN you’ll have a hard time getting your book listed; but, if you
and a couple dozen of your closest buddies consistently search on Goodreads for
your title, you’ll be surprised how quickly it will show up. Once it does, go
to this link to claim
your author profile page. Check in frequently to engage readers who follow
similar titles. When you do garner a professional or 3rd party
review, they will often go to Goodreads to post it—which is only possible if
your book is listed there.
b.
Book-signings.
This topic deserves its own blog, but for now let me say you should find your
local independent bookstores excited to host a book-signing. Expect them to
hand you a contract, and don’t expect them to stock your book. Do expect to
share the profits on any book you sell there, as you should. If you schedule
several of these during the first 90 days of your book’s release, you can capitalize on the exposure.
c.
Social
media. I know, “ugh.” But yes, these free platforms are very important to
your marketing plan. Just remember, the only thing worse than no social media
platform is an online presence that drags your reputation down, either through
neglect or through insensitive posting. Remember your mission, and your
audience. Be all things to all people, as the Apostle Paul advises in I
Corinthians 9. In short, FILTER! Create a separate presence for your author
status and invite your personal cohort to “like” and “follow” you. You may have
to learn something new, doggone it, but you can do it.
This brings me to another topic—the
book launch. I am going to delve into this topic in my next blog. Spoiler
alert! I am going to tell you, YES! You MUST do a book launch, and YES! There
is a cost to it, …and guess what? I am going to tell you that your MISSION
should be what drives the design and execution of your book launch, along with…a
PLAN…and, of course, a BUDGET! Sounds
eerily familiar, doesn’t it?
That’s enough for now, thanks for
reading and keep writing!
Leslie Turner
Want to know more about Encourage Publishing? Visit us at www.encouragebooks.com or contact us: info@encouragebooks.com.
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