Writing a book is a huge accomplishment, but your work doesn't stop there. Selling books requires good planning, lots of effort and perseverance. Here are seven keys to planning for successful book promotion:
1. Educate yourself about the business of publishing and book marketing.
It's important to understand the publishing business and principles of book marketing. Numerous experts share their wealth of knowledge and ideas through books, teleseminars, conferences, networks, articles, forums, blogs, ezines, and consulting services.
Take advantage of these resources to shorten your learning curve and get ideas for your book promotions. Many of these resources are free, but I recommend budgeting funds to purchase some books and courses that will help you in planning and executing your book marketing plan, or hire a consultant or assistant if necessary.
2. Understand your target markets.
To successfully sell any product, you need to understand your market. Who is your ideal customer? What are your secondary markets? What are their characteristics, interests, fears, and motivations? Who else reaches these same audiences? How is your book different from your competitors? Ideally, these questions are answered before the book is written.
3. Build your author platform and peer networks.
It's important to develop a reputation and build networks with your peers and potential readers. You can learn from other authors and experts in your field or genre and also develop partnerships to support each other. See this article for more information on building an author platform.
4. Develop a written book marketing plan.
A written book marketing plan will give you a blueprint for promoting your book and keep you focused on what's important.
Creating a book marketing plan involves big picture planning, like defining target audiences, studying the competition, determining what channels you will sell through (online stores, retail bookstores, distributors, corporate, libraries, specialty retailers, foreign markets), setting the price and wholesale discount, and developing websites and other marketing materials.
A promotional plan includes strategies and tactics for reaching your target audiences with your message and persuading them to buy. Popular book promotion tactics include article writing, social marketing, media releases, speaking, joint ventures, ezines, email promotions, virtual book tours, videos, blogging, teleseminars, affiliate programs, Amazon.com promotions, radio and television interviews, book fairs, and more.
5. Get organized.
Devote a day to organizing all of your data and files so you can find things quickly. Set up logical folders in your email program and on your hard drive to store your computer files. Organize your paper files with folders and three-ring binders. Make a list of all of your website addresses, user names, and passwords. Create a database of your contacts, including media, customers, potential customers, and your peers. Look into time saving software and services such as autoresponders.
Spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel are a great for creating lists, budgets, schedules, and databases. If you aren't familiar with spreadsheets, learn the basics (how to add and delete rows and columns, how to sort rows, and the formulas for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.)
6. Budget your time and money wisely.
With so many book marketing options available, and a limited number of hours in the day, it's important to prioritize your marketing ideas and focus your time and money on those tasks that are most likely to produce results. Budget funds for book marketing, even if it's only a modest amount, and block out time on your calendar each day or week to devote to marketing.
Consider hiring a virtual assistant if your budget permits. There are a number of author assistants who specialize in working with authors and publishers, but many of them require a minimum monthly fee. You can also hire freelancers for specific tasks.
7. Get started today.
The best time to start building your author platform and promoting your book is before you even start writing. But no matter where you are in your publishing journey, take a step forward today, and tomorrow, and the day after. Inertia is one of the biggest obstacles for many authors – they aren't sure exactly what to do or where to start.
Don't be overwhelmed by the myriad of options for marketing your book. Devote some time to learning, develop a plan, get organized, prioritize your promotional ideas, and then implement one thing at a time. Keep working your plan day by day, and make adjustments to the plan as necessary. You can do it!
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