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Book
Promotion Basics Writers are notoriously reclusive.
Most of us work in solitary confinement and we like it that way. When we
become authors, we hope to see our books hit the Best Seller list, but we’d
rather not get involved with making that happen. What we want is to continue
writing. Right?
Unfortunately, this concept is not
very realistic. In order to sell your book, you must promote it. And this is
true whether you are self-published or have a traditional publisher. Most publishers today do little or
nothing to promote your book. They rely on the author to make sales. In fact,
they often accept or reject a manuscript based on the author’s willingness and
ability to market his own book. How does the publisher know whether or not the
author will do the marketing? By studying his or her book proposal. A book proposal is your guide to
writing and marketing the book. An effective book proposal helps you decide if
have a book at all and whether it’s marketable. A proposal consists of an
overview of the book, a comparison of competitive works, a market potential, a
chapter outline, one or two sample chapters and an author bio. (Read more about
book proposals on page 47 of The Successful Writer’s Handbook.) I recently asked Richard O’Connor,
then acquisitions editor at Renaissance Books, “How important is the marketing
portion of your book proposal when presenting it to a publisher?” He
responded, “Critical.” He went on to tell me about one book
that his company may have rejected except for the fact that the author had close
ties with a large national company that was interested in stocking the book and
promoting it. Because of this company’s commitment and the author’s active
involvement in marketing it, they’ve sold 60,000 copies in just over two
years. It’s Never Too Soon to Start
Marketing
Many successful marketers start
promoting their book even before it’s a book. Here are some ideas: ·
Keep a running list of the people who might be interested in buying your
book—folks you interviewed for the book, those you spoke to about the
book-in-progress and anyone else who expressed an interest in your topic. ·
Spend evenings pouring over telephone books. For example, if your topic
is youth mentoring, list youth groups, churches, family counselors,
psychologists, school districts and others that might want to have your book on
hand. Reference telephone directories from other counties and states at your
public library or use an Internet telephone directory. ·
Create a mailing list of friends, acquaintances and business contacts. ·
Send prepublication notices. While your book is at the printer, send
promotional flyers to your mailing list. I offered everyone on my mailing list a
10% discount for the 1999 revision of my Ojai Valley history if they ordered the
book by a certain date. I collected nearly enough to pay my printing bill before
the shipment arrived from the printer. Your Promotional Schedule Time
is a major factor in book promotion. If you can’t give your book your
undivided attention, at least commit to a schedule. Vow to make three contacts
per day or spend one or two days every week pursuing marketing efforts. When Debbie Puente came out with her
book, Elegantly Easy Crème Brulee,
she spent a minimum of two hours every day, five days a week on the phone or
sending emails in an effort to drum up new business. She says, “If you make
ten contacts a day everyday and get one good lead a day, that’s five good
leads a week.” Here are some ideas for spending
that time effectively: 1. Contact specialty shops.
Maybe you have a book of stories about vintage airplanes. Rather than relying
totally on bookstores, approach hobby shops, toy stores and small airports about
carrying your book. A book on planting an herb garden might sell well in home
and garden centers, nurseries, flower shops and gift shops.
2. Schedule book signings.
Every author dreams of his/her first big book signing. Keep in mind, however,
that book signings, even in the large bookstores, are as successful as you and
the bookstore manager make them. To draw more interest, plan a demonstration or
presentation. Debbie Puente often demonstrates how to makes crème brulee at her
signings and they are well attended. Send press releases with a
professional photo of yourself to all local newspapers about two weeks before
the event. Ask the bookstore
manager to display your book and a sign announcing the event during the week
before. Send notes or call all of your friends. Contact other authors that you
know. Authors, who have sat alone at a book signing, are notoriously supportive
of other authors. (For more about book signings, see page 79 of The Successful
Writer’s Handbook.) 3. Promote your book as a premium
or incentive item. Approach local banks or other businesses and offer a
discount for quantities of your books as a giveaway to customers. If you mention
a product in your book, contact a company that specializes in that product to
see if they want to use your book as an incentive or premium item. 4. Find buyers on the Internet.
The Internet is a virtual gold mine of resources for selling books of every
kind. Use search engines to locate sites related to your book topic. Contact the
site owner about reviewing your book for their newsletter, creating a link to
your site, allowing you to publish an article on their site and/or tap into
their message boards. 5. Attend book fairs and shows.
My colleagues and I have found book fairs and shows to be exceedingly successful
but only when the author is the one who is touting his or her book. Don’t
waste your time or money sending your book to an event with someone else. No one
else knows your book like you do and no one else cares about it as much as you
do. This is no time to become part of
the background. Step forward and show people your book. Talk about it. I know
one woman who, when things show down at her booth, she dons a sandwich board
advertising her book and walks around talking to people about it. 6. Create a thirty-second
commercial. In other words, be prepared with a concise description of your
book—something that you can relate in thirty seconds or less. Recite this
“commercial” when you’re doing a book signing, at a book fair or in a
social environment. When someone asks me what I’ve
been writing lately or what my newest project is, I might say, “I just
published a wonderful little book featuring over 75 no and low cost ideas for
promoting your self-published and traditionally published books. It’s a guide
for people who are publishing their writing and who need help with marketing.” Use the foregoing to help you
develop a personal marketing plan. Express your creativity, assertiveness and
persistence and you will surely be either mildly or wildly successful in your
endeavors to sell books. Patricia Fry is a full-time
freelance writer and the author of 12 books. Visit her at www.matilijapress.com.
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