by Dana Lynn Smith, The Savvy Book Marketer
While it's certainly possible to do online book marketing on a shoestring budget, you will still need to invest some money in promoting your book.
The amount you should budget depends on your book marketing plan. Here are
some expense categories to consider and some money-saving tips:
Blog/Website: Website design and hosting fees. If you use a blog-based website, you'll minimize costs for online book marketing. See my Blogging Resources page for sources.
Graphics: Design of website header and graphics, design of printed materials, purchase of stock images for blog/website, and a photo shoot for your author photo. Services such as Killer Covers and eCoverBee provide lower cost website graphics. You can also save by hiring a graphic design student or having a friend shoot your photo, but be sure the results project a professional image.
Audio and Video: Expenses can include a camera, microphone, software, or video services. You may be able to use the built-in camera and microphone of a laptop computer, if the quality is sufficient, and you may have free video editing software already on your computer. For free audio editing software, check out Audacity. Be careful not to overspend if you hire someone to produce a book promotion video.
Printing: Business cards, bookmarks, postcards, flyers, and posters for personal appearances. Some local printers offer design services at a reasonable cost. Also check prices for online printers such as Printing for Less.
Copywriting and Editing: You may want to hire a professional copywriter to help you write effective sales copy for your website and other book marketing materials. It's also a good idea to have an editor or proofreader review your website and marketing materials.
Email Marketing: You will pay a monthly or per mailing fee to the company that manages your opt-in mailing list. Some services, like Mail Chimp, waive their fees until your list gets to a certain size. Fiction authors who won't need autoresponder services can avoid monthly fees by using Vertical Response for their mailing list.
Review Copies: Printing, packaging and postage for review copies sent through the mail.
Publicity: There are a number of free online press release services, such as PRLog and Free Press Release. To get wider distribution for your most important releases, you can use a paid service like PRWeb.
Learning: Lots of blogs and newsletters offer helpful book marketing information. But don't forget to budget funds for books, teleclasses and other opportunities to get a more in-depth education about publishing and book marketing, and for dues to writing and publishing organizations. You'll be more effective at promoting your book if you know how to do it properly.
Each of the Savvy Book Marketer Guides features detailed information on a particular aspect of promoting your book. Kathleen Gage's VIP Club is a comprehensive course in online marketing. I also recommend joining a publishers association like Independent Book Publishers Association or Small Publishers of North America.
Administrative: You may need help in implementing your book marketing plan, especially if you have a day job. There are a number of virtual assistants who specialize in working with authors. This website is a good place to search for virtual assistants, or you may be able to find a college student to help with routine tasks. You may also want to invest in consulting services from a publishing or book marketing coach to help you develop your book marketing strategy.
Other Expenses: Additional expenses may include travel, book fairs, book award entry fees, advertising, and administrative expenses such as postage and office supplies.
One way to develop a budget is to assign a projected cost to each element in your book marketing plan. Then you can break down your expenses by month, to arrive at a monthly budget. Another method is to budget a fixed dollar amount per month and then develop a plan that fits your budget. However you arrive at your budget, be careful to consider the potential return on investment from each element of your plan, to avoid overspending on book marketing.
Savvy Book Marketer Guides
For in-depth information about promoting your book, see these Savvy Book Marketer Guides:
How to Sell More Books on Amazon
Selling Your Book to Libraries
Successful Social Marketing
Boost Your Book Sales with Social Networking audio program
Facebook Guide for Authors
Texas Book Marketing Handbook
About The Savvy Book Marketer Newsletter
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