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.

5 Ways to Become a Local Celebrity with Your New Book

Even if you have built your business mainly online and that’s where you uncover the bulk of your clients, local marketing should not be overlooked. In addition to your online marketing strategy, promoting your new book in the local area can bring you “local celebrity” status while boosting your following.

Bear in mind, these tips may not bring in boatloads of book sales but they’ll go a long way to growing your name recognition within your local community. As well as book sales, you might attract some new clients and you’ll definitely gain more social media fans.

1. Hold local book signings at libraries or book stores. Don’t forget your hometown roots! Publishing a book is quite an achievement not everyone can claim, so blow your own trumpet to the people who know you best. Meet and greets at any location allow you to promote your book while also building your fan base.

2. Appear at Community events. Many local communities or towns hold Community events and festivals during the summer and autumn months. Review those calendars well in advance and be prepared to invest a small fee to set up a table with your book available for purchase. Print out bookmarks or other handouts that include your social media handles so they can connect with you after the event; I always found that raffles and prize draws offering your book as the prize gets the best types of leads.

3. Speak at local schools about your journey to becoming an author. Many schools hold career days so watch for those events or call the schools directly to volunteer. This isn’t so much a chance to sell your book but to talk about your path to becoming an author. Carry handouts with your name, book title, and social media handles so the kids can pass them along to their parents. This is also a great opportunity to leave information at the schools for the faculty. You just never know where your next client will come from!  It's all about visibility.

4. Volunteer locally with your Chamber of Commerce or other business networking groups. Many Chambers have different committees on which to serve and other business networking groups (such as Club Five55) have top table positions available every year. Again, these types of positions are not about selling books but offer you the chance to contribute to your community while expanding your name recognition.  Local business networking groups are bringing money into that community.

5. Use your book as a fundraiser. Choose a cause that’s dear to your heart and dedicate a percentage of sales to be donated. Donating to a local charity or hospice may stir more interest because of the hometown roots. Or donate a copy or two of your books to auction events held by local PTAs, scouting troops, or religious organisations. Very often these organisations will distribute a list of their benefactors, so that’s yet another way to increase your name recognition.

Marketing your book should be a continuous discipline, both online and offline. The more people you can reach through the differing avenues, the more likely you’ll see increases in sales, new clients, and social media fans.

At The Instant Edge we help authors whose books aren't the spectacular success they hoped they would be, and budding authors who want to get published and build a platform so they can get paid well to share a message and make a difference.  Learn more at http://www.instantedge.co.uk/

5 Ways to Get 1,000 New Fans with Your New Book

Now that you’ve got your book written, you might be wondering what comes next. Now is the time to start shouting from the rooftops about your new baby because if you don’t tell folk about it, they simply won’t know it exists. And contrary to popular belief, just because your book is available on Amazon doesn’t mean it will show up in gazillions of Amazon searches.

Part of becoming an author nowadays also means becoming a marketing expert. Most authors think that all they have to do is write a book and gold bullion will fly out of their laptops! WRONG! You need to market for as long and as hard as you wrote the blooming thing! Hiring a public relations Company is certainly one option, but for many authors – especially first time authors – PR firms are just not affordable. The key is to gain recognition and get your name seen by as many people as possible, which means writing pitches to those influencers who have access to your ideal audience.

 1. Schedule a real or "virtual" book tour. This "take a deep breath" campaign requires lots of footwork and research combined with some travel expertise to be successful. Target big bookstores as well as independent bookstores in areas where your ideal readers are located. Bookstores are interested in how your book will bring people in to their shops so include a synopsis of your book in your pitch. Also outline your social media plans and how they will align with their current social media campaigns. Bear this in mind: Scheduling tours in big cities is best done well in advance because big name authors do a lot of these. "Virtual" book tours are webinars or Facebook lives held every week for a set number of weeks and the whole thing is done online. No travel, no seedy hotels and no sore feet.

 2. Schedule television and radio interviews. While planning your book tour, make the effort to reach out to local television and radio stations to land interviews; of course, finding the best contact is paramount so you’re not wasting time. Decide which type of segment or topic you’re best suited for and do your research on specific programmes, hosts, and producers. Most of this will be available online, or start listening to local channels in the car more! Make yourself stand out from the rest of the pitches by including any relevant fun facts or ties to that local area. And don’t think any show is too big for you to land; I know a virtual assistant who landed a an interview spot on a major radio show simply because she took a punt and answered an open call specific to her niche

 3. Arrange blog tours and podcast tours. This is another version of the "virtual" tour - Don’t discount blogs or podcasts as part of your promotional campaign. A blog tour is simply a written interview which is published on a blog but they usually include contact links to your website. Podcasts are audio recordings, similar to traditional radio talk shows, available for free from platforms such as iTunes and Anchor. Research who the influencers are in your industry and check out their numbers of readers and listeners. Many blogs or podcasts have national reach so those are the ones to target with your pitch.

 4. Create social media events around your book launch. You already have a following so don’t forget about inviting them to watch parties or other local live events. Tell them about your new book; go live and read a chapter aloud to build interest; create custom hashtags and ask you followers to share about your book and live events; create an online panel discussion with other authors or colleagues to discuss your book’s topic. Being consistent and present on social media when your book launches is vitally important to build up your momentum. All of your fans want to know more about you so don’t disappear.

 5. Embrace new social media platforms and/or advertising avenues. Utilising as many social media platforms as possible will greatly increase your chances of gaining new fans but only if your target audience uses those platforms. The first rule of fishing is to find a river with fish in it. Perform some market research first before learning another platform. If you’re happy with your current social media accounts, focus instead on their advertising features. Facebook, for example, offers ads along with Sponsored Posts. Knowing the difference and how best to use them to target your audience will find you many more fans. You have an awesome book, now it’s time to show the world how much you know on the subject and how much you can help your audience with this information. Planning any kind of national publicity is time consuming but a worthwhile effort when you think about how many people you’ll attract to your brand.

 And yes we can help you do all of this as part of our Guru Factory programme. Take a look and let's chat http://www.instantedge.co.uk/

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From Woe To Win

Maybe you can relate to this story...

Back in 1989 I was a Clerical officer working in the Pensions Department of The Benefits Agency.  Seems like a lifetime ago, though its actually 25 years ago.  I had a car, a flat, a day job and my weekends to myself, and I was living on £850 per month. Plus the occasional food parcel that my dad would show up with.   A laughable income now, that wouldn't last me a week!

While it felt right at first, after a few years I knew the job inside out, it had become pretty dull, and I began to harbour thoughts about doing something else.  Was this it?  As the most experienced member of the pensions team, I was seeing men and women at retirement age coming in and getting a massive £54 a week.  And that was assuming you'd paid all your contributions all your working life.  Was that the best you could hope for?

Around that same time my first love decided to have a fling behind my back, so I was hurt, angry and full of trust issues.

Now I'd grown up reading marvel and DC superhero comics, loved role playing games and movies, and so at age 19 I'd started a wee fanzine business on the side called "Superhero UK".  Every month I'd be up till midnight stapling the pages of the photocopied zine together, I had customers all over the world who sent me postal orders [remember them?] and I had to keep a ledger of subscription payments, who owed me money, who's subscription was up for renewal, etc.  19 years old and I thought I was an entrepreneur :-)

As a result I met and got friendly with a bunch of like-minded guys from Birmingham who had aspirations to produce a full colour superhero magazine that would unite the worlds of comics, movies, toys and games all in one place.  They knew a guy called Bob who worked for IPC magazines and knew the industry.  The result was Fantazia magazine, which we managed to get stocked on the shelves of high street newsagents like John Menzies.  I remember going to a concert at the SECC and seeing it on the shelf in the kiosk.

My outside work project didn't go down well in the office, and the crunch came when a member of the Benefit Fraud Team warned me at an office party to stop rocking the boat.  He didn't like my positive attitude, and I certainly didn't want to catch his! That convinced me that I'd outgrown the civil service and it was time to dig my escape tunnel from an institution that valued targets rather than caring or integrity.

Plans were made and I handed in my letter of resignation, and got ready to move down to Birmingham to work full time as Editor of the new magazine.  We had an office upstairs at 69 Hurst Street, not far from the Bull Ring, and the computers and gear we needed went on our credit cards.  Four young bucks living the dream and having a ball.  I knew it would pay me an income, and stretch me at the same time.  We even managed to get distribution in the States, and Bob and I flew to the Las Vegas Comic Convention to interview Stan Lee [the guy who invented the Hulk and Spiderman], meet the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [or the 4 guys in suits] and do a lot of industry schmoozing.  At least I did - Bob was too busy at the Chicken Ranch and The Grand Canyon.

Two things then happened which both shattered my certainty and security.  The first was my Dad dying.  I was the last person he'd seen alive.

The second was when Bob decided he wanted the whole magazine business for himself, and we found out that a "Gentleman's agreement" isn't worth the paper its not written on!  He took the lot, and there was nothing we could do about it.  Christ!  More trust issues.

So with money rapidly running out, credit card debt, and my dream career over, I came back to East Kilbride with my tail between my legs and cried my heart out.  Panic.  Betrayal.  Grief.  Hopes crushed.  No idea of what was next.

I walked back into the benefits office to sign on.  "Aye whit happened tae yer wee self employed business now, eh?" came the gloating jibe.  I was seething, and embarrassed.   Humbling.  Having to fill in application forms for Income Support and hand them to one of my colleagues that I'd sat beside just days earlier.

Money was the big issue.  I was terrified of getting into more debt, or not having enough to live on, and the stress and ill health that it can bring.  I was told I was good with people, I knew the Benefits system inside out, and I'd had my first taste of the private sector.  Plus my Dad had been a Bank Manager.  So I chose the one career that I thought would be right for me... and became a Financial Adviser.

That one decision would shape me - it taught me about money, investment and saving.  I got used to having targets, making sales and customer service.  It also taught me a lot about how NOT to treat people. And best of all - it started me listening to Zig Ziglar, then Jack Black, then Tony Robbins.  Little did I realise that I'd stumbled into a new passion that would shape my career for the next 20 years...

The moral of this story?  Sometimes you feel like you're drowning in despair and overwhelm, with no way out.  Yet there's always a tiny voice from your conscious mind telling you "It's going to work out, this will pass".  You have no idea where you'll be in 10 years time, but as long as you have the intention to make things better, then you will attract, manifest and chance upon opportunities.

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