Sunday, April 26, 2020

5 Ways Writing Your Book Will Build Your Marketing Nous


Writing a good book is the first step. The next step is actually selling some copies! Gone are the days when the big publishers scheduled book tours for you,  booked you television interviews, and secured radio appearances. Big name authors still get these perks, but most "mere mortal" authors are responsible for their own marketing activities, so having a game plan up front gets you out there, and might even land you a publishing deal.  

Here are 5 things you can do...



1. Get yourself in the spotlight. No more skulking behind the keyboard if you want to make book sales! Be proud of what you’ve achieved and tell the world. Nobody will know about your new book unless YOU tell them about it, using your social media channels, maybe a press release, and any other publicity events you can manage. And a quick reminder: You can’t please everyone so keep your target audience avatar in mind. Don’t listen to the prophets of doom - pay attention only to the feedback from your fans.

2. Well written press releases and buzz-worthy news. What better way to tell the world about your new book than to write a press release. But to prevent your press release from getting forgotten at the bottom of the pile, learn how to write one so your book is seen as newsworthy. In media pitches, mention how you are different from the competition and why you’re the best choice as the ideal interview guests. Of course you want the publicity, but craft your releases and pitches so they come across as a win-win relationship.

3. Practice your diary management. Scheduling interviews, in-person book readings, book signing events, a book launch party, and social media promotion takes a fair bit of planning and patience. Add some travelling into the mix and you may want to consider hiring a virtual assistant and/or travel agent to handle flights and accommodation. Guest interviews can be cancelled or booked at the drop of a hat so your plans can change with one email. Always have a Plan B if a scheduled event is cancelled so your time isn’t wasted.

4. Continue connecting with your social media fans. Consistency is the name of the game when it comes to growing followers online. It’s all about know, like and trust so your fans feel that you are credible and not trying to 'buy' them. Build that relationship, share parts of your personal life and/or business, be human, and naturally enthuse about your book. Just don’t post "buy my new book" every 5 minutes.  Show them behind the scenes [ in-to-me-see]  that you’re a normal, approachable person who cares about helping them more than about book royalties.

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5. Start planning now and use a mind map to structure your marketing plan. Authors need to market as hard and as long as they wrote.  If you want to sell books and expand your fan base, a marketing strategy is important. Start early by brainstorming your ideas and then decide which of these ideas you do in which order for your book launch. Consider outsourcing any tasks you don’t know how to accomplish so you can do what you're good at. Save those tasks that you love or at least know how to finish for yourself.

If you’re overwhelmed by this solo marketing approach, consider hiring help, either an assistant with marketing and publicity experience or a Marketing Coach. Stick to a budget but make sure you get news of your book out there in as many ways as you can.

Final point - if writing is part of your business, remember its best selling book, not best written.  Amazon doesn't care about the content, it cares about number of sales first, reviews second.

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