It seems funny, right?
You're the author. You just write the book. Then everyone else should do the rest of the work.
Really? Really?
Please don't tell me you think that way.
I hope I don't have to explain how backwards that is. It's your book. Why would someone else sell it for you?
And yet, so many authors assume that they don't have to market their own book. I'm not sure why. It's probably because they see in movies some author sitting in their nice house, clacking away at the type writer. They are creating their next big hit, which they send into their publisher. And that's it--they're done. They never have to lift a finger, only to write another book.
Sigh. Come on. All of that is fiction, people.
A publishing company is supposed to publish your book. That typically includes editing, formatting, and producing a bound copy. Did you see the work "market" in there somewhere?
And yet, authors expect publishing companies to market. So some publishing companies have marketing people or departments, because after all, the publishing company stands to make a profit if the book sells. But really, they started the publishing company because they love books and editing and making books.
Here is the problem--no one knows if your book is going to sell. And with limited staff and budgets, publishing companies have to put their time and money into books they know will sell.
It's really a Catch-22. And for new authors especially, who have never done this before, they just simply don't know. So many new authors give up way too early. Publishing a book is such a huge risk.
It's a gamble for everyone involved. Everyone wants to see the book succeed, but the person who cares most is the author. The author needs to be the one to jump start this thing.
Think of it as a business. The author starts a small business, and the product is the book. The author takes it to a publishing company to make it shiny and ready to sell. The publishing company has other products to prepare, so it's pretty busy. But it wants the author's book to sell well, because that means job security for them, because they get to keep making the book and earning money too. But they don't know if the public is going to like it, they don't know if it's what people want right now, and they don't know of the author is going to get on TV talk shows or in newspaper articles in order to launch sales.
The publishing company can tell the author what to do, educate them on what works, how the industry has changed, how it has worked for other authors, but they can't DO it for them. The author has to do it. Because no one knows this author's book so well, or no one has developed contacts in this author's genre like they have, or a publishing company is not what people want to see in the interview chair next to Oprah--they want to see the author.
So, author, here is what you do--you make that happen. You prove to the publisher that your book is going to sell. Pound the pavement and get it sold. Give copies to the media so they will review it and write articles about it. Get on local radio and TV, then regional, then national. Get a following via your blog/Facebook/Twitter. Get a website with lots of info and free stuff, and interact with your readers. Give books away as prizes, give talks at events, and keep copies with you wherever you go. Read books about how to be a salesman, because that is what you must do.
Do all this, and don't give up. Keep going for at least a year or more.
Once you produce some numbers, the publishing company will relax a little. They will know that you aren't a risk. "Hey, people actually like that book. And that author is serious about selling it and connecting with people." Those are good words to hear. The publishing company will change its mind about you and your book, and it will clear some space for you and join you in your quest to continue (not start) marketing your book with you.
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Writing Articles to Promote Your Book
Your publisher has asked you to write some articles to promote your book.
"Wait, didn't I just write an entire book? Isn't that enough?"
It would be if you were already a famous author (ouch!).
If you're not famous yet, you need all the publicity you can get. Especially free publicity. The media is the perfect place for new authors to be. Ideally you want the media calling you and interviewing you for TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, and blogs. But it takes time for these media people to realize you exist.
You need to get noticed. Right now, your best bet is to write your own articles (that's why your publisher probably asked you in the first place). Just think-- if you can get an article published, think how many people could read it and then perhaps buy your book.
Hopefully you're convinced that writing your own article is a good idea. Now, the next step is figuring out what to write about.
Your topic is very important. Think about this carefully.
"That's easy... my book. I'll just summarize my book."
Um no. Please don't do that. As a journalist by training and profession (on a freelance basis now that I have three little kiddlets at home), I can tell you that no one will accept an article like that. This is what they want: news. Something that is current. Something that people are talking about. They are very picky, trust me. Only the most current and exciting news will get published.
Obviously your topic should relate to your book somehow -- but only bits and pieces.The rest should be news. When you pick a topic and write your article, a good balance between NEWS and BITS RELATING TO YOUR BOOK is the most ideal. It can help a new author get published while getting the word out about his/her book. Does that make sense? In essence, you are proving, through writing a news article, that your book is news. That this media outlet should publish your article and pay attention to you.
"But my book just came out. Isn't that 'news' enough?"
Nope. Sorry. Do you realize how many books come out EVERYDAY? A book coming out isn't news in and of itself, unless it's by a famous person OR relating to something that's already in the news. Get it?
You need to write an article. And make sure your topic includes news.
How do you find out what is "news" right now? Read the New York Times. Watch the evening news. Go to Google News and type in key words that also describe your book. Then head to Twitter and do some searching.
Come up with any topics yet?
One new author, Adele M. Gill, wrote up an article for American Book Publishing, the company that published her book 7 Pathways to Hope. She recently wrote an article called Top 10 Healing Benefits of Prayer and ABP published it on their company blog. The article mentioned and linked to a recent news story about a boy who almost drowned. It was very current but also tied back to her book's topic very well.
Through marrying a topic similar to what she talks about in her book along with some real news, the blog post was able to get some attention through other media as well. This is just what an article should do.
"Wait, didn't I just write an entire book? Isn't that enough?"
It would be if you were already a famous author (ouch!).
If you're not famous yet, you need all the publicity you can get. Especially free publicity. The media is the perfect place for new authors to be. Ideally you want the media calling you and interviewing you for TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, and blogs. But it takes time for these media people to realize you exist.
You need to get noticed. Right now, your best bet is to write your own articles (that's why your publisher probably asked you in the first place). Just think-- if you can get an article published, think how many people could read it and then perhaps buy your book.
Hopefully you're convinced that writing your own article is a good idea. Now, the next step is figuring out what to write about.
Your topic is very important. Think about this carefully.
"That's easy... my book. I'll just summarize my book."
Um no. Please don't do that. As a journalist by training and profession (on a freelance basis now that I have three little kiddlets at home), I can tell you that no one will accept an article like that. This is what they want: news. Something that is current. Something that people are talking about. They are very picky, trust me. Only the most current and exciting news will get published.
Obviously your topic should relate to your book somehow -- but only bits and pieces.The rest should be news. When you pick a topic and write your article, a good balance between NEWS and BITS RELATING TO YOUR BOOK is the most ideal. It can help a new author get published while getting the word out about his/her book. Does that make sense? In essence, you are proving, through writing a news article, that your book is news. That this media outlet should publish your article and pay attention to you.
"But my book just came out. Isn't that 'news' enough?"
Nope. Sorry. Do you realize how many books come out EVERYDAY? A book coming out isn't news in and of itself, unless it's by a famous person OR relating to something that's already in the news. Get it?
You need to write an article. And make sure your topic includes news.
How do you find out what is "news" right now? Read the New York Times. Watch the evening news. Go to Google News and type in key words that also describe your book. Then head to Twitter and do some searching.
Come up with any topics yet?
One new author, Adele M. Gill, wrote up an article for American Book Publishing, the company that published her book 7 Pathways to Hope. She recently wrote an article called Top 10 Healing Benefits of Prayer and ABP published it on their company blog. The article mentioned and linked to a recent news story about a boy who almost drowned. It was very current but also tied back to her book's topic very well.
Through marrying a topic similar to what she talks about in her book along with some real news, the blog post was able to get some attention through other media as well. This is just what an article should do.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
You Must Do This
I just finished editing a really great fantasy novel for a friend, and the author asked my advice on getting it published. As it turns out, this author had already been trying to get it published for the past few years.
Years, people.
Being an author is not easy, but that is ridiculous. Here he has a completed, well-written manuscript. He even has a whole series that follows it.... which I am excited to read. And yet, it remains unpublished. He has sent it to countless publishers and agents, only to get rejection letter after rejection letter, or in some cases, no response at all.
He said it was obvious most had not even read his work. So disappointing! For a book that has been swirling around in his head since he was young, and for pages that took hours and hours to write, it saddens me that it just sits.
Naturally, being in the publishing business, he asked my advice. "What do I do now?" I told him that publishing companies are in business to make money. Especially these days, they need a "for sure" book to make money. They need assurance that the book will be liked. That means you need followers.
"If it was non-fiction, it would be a no-brainer. You should build up a following via a website/blog/Facebook page by making it an information center focused on the subject of your book." Once you have a lot of followers, it would show publishers that you have people ready and waiting to buy a book. Then it becomes less of a risk. Dollar signs are there.
But his book is fiction. How the heck do you gain followers when your book is fiction? How do you prove that your fiction book will sell? Let me share with you what I shared with him.
Besides writing your book and getting it published, if you don't do anything else..... you must do this.
Get an awesome endorsement.
We're talking Oprah, a reporter at the New York Times or the Today show, or anyone equally famous. Movie stars, well-known experts, or basically anyone who most people in America would have heard of. Get them to read your book and write up an endorsement, and people will notice you. People will take the famous person's word for it and probably buy your book.
Don't know any famous people? Ask around. Mention your book to everyone, see if someone "knows someone" or knows someone who knows someone. Or knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who.... you get the idea. Don't rest until you've tried everything. Ask yourself, how badly do you want this? And then press on.
Turning up empty? Look for lesser known "famous" people too. Like already famous authors within your fiction genre. In the case of my friend, he really needs to get a good endorsement from someone in the fantasy world. Ideally, he needs an endorsement from a best-selling fantasy author. So he needs to find someone who knows one. As it turns out, I know someone who might know someone, so we're going to explore that channel.
Knowing people is really key. It is what it takes in so many aspects of our lives... why would this be any different?
So get started now. Does it take a long time? Yes. But just imagine how much good it could do. A foreword by X or a short blurb endorsing your book written by Y could give your book the boost it needs to get published and eventually make some money.
Years, people.
Being an author is not easy, but that is ridiculous. Here he has a completed, well-written manuscript. He even has a whole series that follows it.... which I am excited to read. And yet, it remains unpublished. He has sent it to countless publishers and agents, only to get rejection letter after rejection letter, or in some cases, no response at all.
He said it was obvious most had not even read his work. So disappointing! For a book that has been swirling around in his head since he was young, and for pages that took hours and hours to write, it saddens me that it just sits.
Naturally, being in the publishing business, he asked my advice. "What do I do now?" I told him that publishing companies are in business to make money. Especially these days, they need a "for sure" book to make money. They need assurance that the book will be liked. That means you need followers.
"If it was non-fiction, it would be a no-brainer. You should build up a following via a website/blog/Facebook page by making it an information center focused on the subject of your book." Once you have a lot of followers, it would show publishers that you have people ready and waiting to buy a book. Then it becomes less of a risk. Dollar signs are there.
But his book is fiction. How the heck do you gain followers when your book is fiction? How do you prove that your fiction book will sell? Let me share with you what I shared with him.
Besides writing your book and getting it published, if you don't do anything else..... you must do this.
Get an awesome endorsement.
We're talking Oprah, a reporter at the New York Times or the Today show, or anyone equally famous. Movie stars, well-known experts, or basically anyone who most people in America would have heard of. Get them to read your book and write up an endorsement, and people will notice you. People will take the famous person's word for it and probably buy your book.
Don't know any famous people? Ask around. Mention your book to everyone, see if someone "knows someone" or knows someone who knows someone. Or knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who.... you get the idea. Don't rest until you've tried everything. Ask yourself, how badly do you want this? And then press on.
Turning up empty? Look for lesser known "famous" people too. Like already famous authors within your fiction genre. In the case of my friend, he really needs to get a good endorsement from someone in the fantasy world. Ideally, he needs an endorsement from a best-selling fantasy author. So he needs to find someone who knows one. As it turns out, I know someone who might know someone, so we're going to explore that channel.
Knowing people is really key. It is what it takes in so many aspects of our lives... why would this be any different?
So get started now. Does it take a long time? Yes. But just imagine how much good it could do. A foreword by X or a short blurb endorsing your book written by Y could give your book the boost it needs to get published and eventually make some money.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Cross Promotion and Partnership
I fixed up some tacos for me and my kids for lunch today. Lunch--the elusive time of day when toddlers whine for food, and my mind goes blank. I plan for dinner, but why not lunch? But that is a post for another time...
Back to tacos. I pulled out the Ortega taco box and saw something interesting.
Do you see it?
Right there in the corner. Yep, fish. But not just any fish--a specific brand of fish that Ortega has partnered with. The little blurb even includes a website for this company right on the Ortega box, directing the consumer towards recipes on fish tacos.
How do I feel about fish tacos? The thought of them disturbs me. But I suppose I should actually try them before making a final judgment.
How do I feel about cross promotion and partnerships? Seems like a sweet deal to me.
This can translate well into the book publishing industry. If you have a book in mind, whether you are in the writing stage or it is already published--consider cross promotion and partnerships. Businesses do it all the time, and so should authors.
In the case of fish tacos--there are already people buying tacos, and maybe they hadn't thought of using fish. Now the fish people have a way to get into that market fairly easily by partnering with them.
Think about your book. What is is about? Is there anything in it that could lend itself to cross promotion or partnerships? Let's say your book is inspiring stories about women; you could partner with a number of women's groups. If your book was about parenting, ideally a partnership with Fisher Price or Disney would help your book, but more realistically you could find a company or group that already reaches out to parents, which would be your ideal audience.
What about a fiction novel? That can be harder, but don't give up. What are the main character's hobbies, job, beliefs, etc? Dig deep and see what you can find.
The benefits could be endless. If you can find a group that already caters to a large portion of your target audience, it is a great way to reach them. But even if you are only able to partner with a portion of your target audience (for the fish people, I imagine anyone who eats is their target, but people who buy tacos are only a portion), it can still be beneficial, for you and the partnering group.
Do you see it?
Right there in the corner. Yep, fish. But not just any fish--a specific brand of fish that Ortega has partnered with. The little blurb even includes a website for this company right on the Ortega box, directing the consumer towards recipes on fish tacos.
How do I feel about fish tacos? The thought of them disturbs me. But I suppose I should actually try them before making a final judgment.
How do I feel about cross promotion and partnerships? Seems like a sweet deal to me.
This can translate well into the book publishing industry. If you have a book in mind, whether you are in the writing stage or it is already published--consider cross promotion and partnerships. Businesses do it all the time, and so should authors.
In the case of fish tacos--there are already people buying tacos, and maybe they hadn't thought of using fish. Now the fish people have a way to get into that market fairly easily by partnering with them.
Think about your book. What is is about? Is there anything in it that could lend itself to cross promotion or partnerships? Let's say your book is inspiring stories about women; you could partner with a number of women's groups. If your book was about parenting, ideally a partnership with Fisher Price or Disney would help your book, but more realistically you could find a company or group that already reaches out to parents, which would be your ideal audience.
What about a fiction novel? That can be harder, but don't give up. What are the main character's hobbies, job, beliefs, etc? Dig deep and see what you can find.
The benefits could be endless. If you can find a group that already caters to a large portion of your target audience, it is a great way to reach them. But even if you are only able to partner with a portion of your target audience (for the fish people, I imagine anyone who eats is their target, but people who buy tacos are only a portion), it can still be beneficial, for you and the partnering group.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
What is SEO and Why Do I Care?
I am a writer by profession, and even though I enjoy my work as an editing manager and freelance journalist, it is never enough. If you are a writer, too, you know what I mean. You are always hunting, always searching, always sniffing out other job opportunities. The thrill of finding a new writing project is almost just as fun as doing the writing itself. Craigslist.org is my constant late-night friend.
One thing has changed in the writing ads lately, and that is SEO. Everyone is looking specifically for an "SEO Writer" or they want a writer who is experienced in SEO. It's everywhere. It's hip. It's becoming essential.
Here is a great article about being an SEO writer. Read it for a little more background before you continue.
Now, where does SEO come in with you and your book? It comes mostly with marketing, which can begin even before you are done writing...
Let's say the book you want to write is about jewelry making. You have a blog with jewelry making tutorials, and then you start a website connected to your blog to sell some of the jewelry you have made. Later you write a book about jewelry making, and you want more people to find your site via online search to buy your book. How do you do it? Think SEO.
How can SEO help you? It will increase your rankings in Google. What features are there to SEO? Things like links to the best places to buy supplies, content specific to jewelry making like tip lists or how-to articles, perhaps even a free downloadable ebook about jewelry making. There are lots of components to SEO (make sure to research it or talk to someone who does it by profession). Basically, make your website a place for people to go who are interested in jewelry making.
So many authors think in terms of a website about them or their book. They need to think backwards. In terms of SEO, they need to make their website a portal for the information surrounding their book. That is how SEO works.
As you develop an author website, blog, social media campaign, etc., you'll want to keep SEO a priority so people can find you and buy your book. As you find out more about SEO, you will come to realize that the way you develop your online presence as an author, specifically through your website, will greatly impact how people will find you and thus book sales.
I've recently helped a few friends develop small business websites, and one things I have advised is for them to not only include the regular information you see on most websites (like a photo, contact information, about us, etc), but add lots of relevant content (typed text). For example, one friend is going to be selling real estate in Arizona. I offered to write up several real estate-related articles for her website. Why? So her site will have more relevant text. Text that is searchable via search engines. Think about it--when you type in "Phoenix houses for sale" into Google.com, what do you get? And if my friend wanted to be on the top of that list, she would need the text and other items on her site to help her get there. There are many many real estate agents in her area, so she needs to think in terms of SEO to set herself apart.
Here is another example: There are several financial gurus out there. Probably the most popular is Dave Ramsey. His website is chalk full of financial information, including advice, stories, videos, links, tools... the list is endless. It can be someone's one-stop-shop for financial information. Just one small component of Ramsey's empire are his books, which also happen to be bestsellers. So people are drawn to his site because of his knowledge and vast content, and many leave by ordering a book.
Is all of this making sense?
As you develop your own book marketing plan, make time to research SEO and figure out ways to make it work for you. Think about your site in terms of an information station and you'll be well on your way.
One thing has changed in the writing ads lately, and that is SEO. Everyone is looking specifically for an "SEO Writer" or they want a writer who is experienced in SEO. It's everywhere. It's hip. It's becoming essential.
- What is SEO? Search Engine Optimiztion.
- Why is is important? It helps boost the search rankings of that website/blog/other so it comes out higher on Google.
- Why should you care? Even if you aren't a writer by profession, if someday you want to write and market a book, you will need to know this stuff.
Here is a great article about being an SEO writer. Read it for a little more background before you continue.
Now, where does SEO come in with you and your book? It comes mostly with marketing, which can begin even before you are done writing...
Let's say the book you want to write is about jewelry making. You have a blog with jewelry making tutorials, and then you start a website connected to your blog to sell some of the jewelry you have made. Later you write a book about jewelry making, and you want more people to find your site via online search to buy your book. How do you do it? Think SEO.
How can SEO help you? It will increase your rankings in Google. What features are there to SEO? Things like links to the best places to buy supplies, content specific to jewelry making like tip lists or how-to articles, perhaps even a free downloadable ebook about jewelry making. There are lots of components to SEO (make sure to research it or talk to someone who does it by profession). Basically, make your website a place for people to go who are interested in jewelry making.
So many authors think in terms of a website about them or their book. They need to think backwards. In terms of SEO, they need to make their website a portal for the information surrounding their book. That is how SEO works.
As you develop an author website, blog, social media campaign, etc., you'll want to keep SEO a priority so people can find you and buy your book. As you find out more about SEO, you will come to realize that the way you develop your online presence as an author, specifically through your website, will greatly impact how people will find you and thus book sales.
I've recently helped a few friends develop small business websites, and one things I have advised is for them to not only include the regular information you see on most websites (like a photo, contact information, about us, etc), but add lots of relevant content (typed text). For example, one friend is going to be selling real estate in Arizona. I offered to write up several real estate-related articles for her website. Why? So her site will have more relevant text. Text that is searchable via search engines. Think about it--when you type in "Phoenix houses for sale" into Google.com, what do you get? And if my friend wanted to be on the top of that list, she would need the text and other items on her site to help her get there. There are many many real estate agents in her area, so she needs to think in terms of SEO to set herself apart.
Here is another example: There are several financial gurus out there. Probably the most popular is Dave Ramsey. His website is chalk full of financial information, including advice, stories, videos, links, tools... the list is endless. It can be someone's one-stop-shop for financial information. Just one small component of Ramsey's empire are his books, which also happen to be bestsellers. So people are drawn to his site because of his knowledge and vast content, and many leave by ordering a book.
Is all of this making sense?
As you develop your own book marketing plan, make time to research SEO and figure out ways to make it work for you. Think about your site in terms of an information station and you'll be well on your way.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Book Review: 1001 Ways to Market Your Books
If you are an author or aspiring author, then you need to know John Kremer.
His website, e-newsletter, and book 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, are all great tools available to help authors market their books.
The format of the book is probably my favorite feature. He separates each marketing idea into sections, and so you can flip through the book and read a few tips at a time. It really makes it easy to digest the book little by little and implement the ideas effectively.
Marketing is overwhelming, and so making each marketing idea separate and digestible is really key.Each topic is covered well; he goes in-depth so authors will understand and be able to do the task themselves.
The book itself is quite thick, and it is so chalk-full of information, I would definitely recommend buying a copy to refer to again and again.
Here are a few tips he lists:
Write a letter to the editor.
Make a free offer.
Sell to corporations.
Tips for Obtaining Interviews
Ways to Use Your Website to Market Itself
Monday, March 14, 2011
Book Review: The Author's Guide to Building an Online Platform
Today she has a book The Author's Guide to Building an Online Platform, a website BusinessInfoGuide.com, and years of experience in the industry.
In her book, she offers interesting insight that authors should read; times have changed and so has book selling. Gone are the days of bookstore signings, as she says in her book: "this is probably one of the least effective ways to market a book" as the average number of books sold at a book signing is only eight books.
Instead she points authors to where they should be focusing their marketing efforts, most especially the Internet. She offers practical advice on how to set up a website and how to become an "expert" in your field. In this case, the book will probably be more useful to nonfiction writers than to fiction writers. The end of her book also includes several interviews with authors and how they got published.
Check out a great info sheet on the book and the author here.
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