The 10 Terrible Truths of Book Marketing

For today's guest post, I am delighted to welcome back Terry Cordingley, Associate Director of Marketing at Tate Publishing & Enterprises, with more wise advice for authors.

During the time I have worked in the publishing industry, I have heard a lot of different ideas and statements about how to market books. Some of them are pretty good. Others might seem like a good idea to someone new to the industry, but in actuality they don't work at all. Those are the ideas I'm going to address in this post, but only because they come up so often. I probably hear these ideas or comments on a weekly basis. So, here they are, in no particular order: The 10 Terrible Truths of Book Marketing, along with the marketing requests or comments which generally accompany them.

1. My book will sell itself.

No book sells itself. Selling books happens to be a lot of work, but it can also be a lot of fun. But no, books do not sell themselves. If they did, I wouldn't have a job.

2. Celebrities will help me sell my book.

I have had requests to send review copies to President Obama, Joel Osteen, Sean Hannity and Larry the Cable Guy, among other celebrities. I'm not sure what authors think these people are going to do with their books, and I think President Obama has his hands full without taking on a book marketing project (other than his own book). Besides, most celebrities are more concerned with selling THEIR books than that of another author.

3. I'm an author, not a book salesman (or salesperson).

Well, of course you're an author first, but along with that title comes a certain responsibility to help promote and sell your book. For some authors, this means doing book tours and making media appearances. For others, it means speaking to Rotary Clubs and eating rubber chicken dinners at speaking engagements. But make no mistake, authors must be involved in promoting their book, or it will collect dust on the shelf.

4. Let's sell my books through Scholastic Book Fairs. (from children's book authors)

They sell a lot of books. Yes, Scholastic Book Fairs do sell lots of children's books...millions of dollars worth each year, in fact...but only books that they publish. If your book isn't published or licensed by Scholastic, this isn't an option that's open to you.

5. If I could just get on Oprah (or some other national TV show) my book will be a bestseller.

I have worked with authors who have been on numerous national TV shows. There is no denying it is fantastic exposure, and it's the kind of exposure I work toward for my authors every day. However, making one appearance on a TV show does not guarantee bestseller status.

6. If we buy an ad on (Facebook, YouTube, Drudge Report or some other web site) my book will sell thousands of copies.

Millions of people use these sites. It is true that these are high-traffic sites, attracting millions and millions of users. But hits on a web site don't necessarily transfer into sales. Think about it: when is the last time you purchased something as a result of seeing an ad for it on one of these sites? If you're like most people, the answer is probably "never." If you do sell a few copies, it is unlikely you would make back the amount of money spent on the ad. Even after I tell people this, they still insist on spending the money, only to later call and tell me they shouldn't have done it.

7. I'm just going to set up a web site and sell all of my books online.

Having a web site should certainly be a part of any author's marketing strategy, but it's only one part of an overall strategy. Authors should also use other social media sites, do book signing events, niche marketing, media appearances, etc. One web site alone won't help an author sell a lot of books.

8. My book appeals to everybody.

Unfortunately, no book appeals to everybody. Take a look at the New York Times bestsellers list. I'll bet there are books on that list you have no interest in reading. This is why it is crucial to specifically target your book's niche market.

9. Once my book is released, I'll be able to quit my day job and work at writing full time.

This is every author's dream, but unfortunately few writers are able to make a full time living from doing nothing but writing. Many of them have day jobs, teach writing courses, teach book marketing courses, take freelance writing jobs, write for newspapers or magazines, etc. Most authors make $1 to $2 in royalties for every book that is sold. If they received an advance, they don't receive those royalties until the publishing company sells enough books to recoup the advance. In those cases, it could take years for an author to see their first actual royalty check, if they get one at all. If a book isn't a success, the advance may be the only cash an author receives for their book. If authors can't purchase books from their publisher at a steep discount for resale, they may be waiting a long time to see any real money from their book.

10. If my publisher believed in my book, they would spend a lot of money to market it.

The fact is, your publisher has already taken a chance on your book by agreeing to publish it. They have already paid for editing, layout, cover design, printing, distribution, shipping, and marketing. However, not every title gets a big ad budget. In fact, few books get ad budgets, period. These are usually reserved for authors who already have a reputation for producing books that sell. These are authors who have a platform, a fan base that wants to read the books that they write. Now more than ever, publishers are depending upon authors to deliver the fans that will buy their books.

In most of these instances, there is a belief or a misconception that if the author or publisher "just did this ONE thing, the book would REALLY take off!" What I'm trying to convey with this list is there is no magic bullet when it comes to book sales. There is no "one thing" that will deliver the sales the author wants. It takes a lot of things: hard work, persistence, patience, and of course, writing great books, to achieve success in the publishing industry. So tell everyone about your book, consistently promote it, work hard, don't give up, and great things CAN happen!

About the Author

Terry Cordingley is Associate Director of Marketing at Tate Publishing & Enterprises, and has been with the company since 2006. Prior to working in publishing, he was a radio and television reporter for more than 20 years, and he puts that experience to use obtaining media opportunities for his authors. Terry is currently writing Your Book is Your Business, a guide to help authors market and promote their books. Get book marketing advice on the Terry Cordingley blog.

Comments

[Barbara Techel]

Great article- thank you! I especially liked #6 for advice on ad on Facebook, etc. I've truly wanted to give Facebook ad a try, but have been hesitant--I so appreciate this advice and the money you just saved me.
I also must add that to be an author you have to believe in your book and be passionte about it- that is what will sell your book(s), and no one but you is going to be as passionate, so use that to your advantage. And if you are passionate it will come through as very authentic and then won't be as if you are a salesperson.
~Barbara Techel
www.joyfulpaws.com

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Thanks for your insight Barbara :)

[Kristi Burchfiel]

I think most authors go into the publishing process with the idea that they're going to be immediately successful. Terry's tips are exactly right. Marketing is just the flip side of the writing coin; you can't have one without the other. However, if we as authors can learn to channel the motivation that got us writing in the first place, often I've found that the marketing process can be just as fulfilling as the writing. I mean, if you don't interact with and encourage the readers of your book, how will you know what they are looking for and what appeals to them? Number 8 above is crucial; know your audience!

[Claude Nougat]

Thanks for a great post: you're so right, there's no magic bullet to ensure sales!

What is really striking however (and depressing for newbies) is what you say about publishers ad budgets: that they go mostly to established authors with a platform - precisely what you haven't got as a newbie!

It's a vicious circle: those who already have it get more, and those who don't, well...they don't! How do you break the circle?

[TatePubJim]

Claude,
The reason the ad budgets go to those who are established is something you don't realize you already know:

If you see an ad for James Patterson's latest or Stephen King's latest, you will rush out and buy that book if you are a fan. They have millions of fans watching television, so it is a very cost-effective way for their publishers to reach those fans.

Now let's look at the newbies...

It's not an issue of "haves" and "have nots". It's an issue of who is recognized. Go out and build your name and reputation. See #3. Work, work, work to build recognition, and all the other things will come.

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Kristi, I appreciate your note: "If you don't interact with and encourage the readers of your book, how will you know what they are looking for and what appeals to them?"

That's so true - it's really important to get to know your readers and interact with them. Social networking, in-person events, and blog discussions are some good ways to do that :)

Dana

[Dana Lynn Smith]

All authors are ultimately responsible for promoting their books - even well-known authors do a lot of promotion through appearances, interviews, blogging, networking, etc. Well-known authors are more likely to have a publisher's publicity team helping to secure media opportunities for them and offering other support. And in general, the media is more willing to cover well-known authors and books from big publishers. Newer authors and self-published authors need to be creative and work hard to spread the word about their books. I suggest studying the most successful authors who write books similar to yours and learning from what they do.

[Tony Eldridge]

Terry, you had me pegged when I wrote my first book. I wished I had read this as I was writing my novel. It's funny how many of these things I really entertained myself.

[Ernie Zelinski]

In Steve Weber's "Plug Your Book!", he includes a relevant quote from bestselling author Seth Godin who says, "The best time to start promoting your book is three years before it comes out. Three years to build a reputation, build a permission asset, build a blog, build a following, build credibility and build the connections you'll need later."

Seth Godin is right to a certain point. He should have added that you also have to promote your book for many years after it is published, every day of the year. My "The Joy of Not Working" was published almost 20 years ago. It still sells about 5,000 copies a year because of my continual promotion.

Do keep in mind, however, this quotation from a well-known ex-publishing executive and writer:

"Even the most careful and expensive marketing plans cannot sell people a book they don’t want to read."
— Michael Korda

I have given this quotation by Michael Korda because the best marketing is still word-of-mouth advertising. Nothing beats it. If you have a great book, it, in fact, will sell itself. Ekhart Tolle's "The Power of Now" is a great example. The word is that Tolle has always been a reluctant, lousy promoter but this book sold over a million copies before Oprah ever heard of it. Why? It is a great book that generated incredible word-of-mouth advertising.

Ernie J. Zelinski
Innovator, Best-Selling Author, and Unconventional Career Coach
Author of “How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free”
(Over 140,000 copies sold and published in 9 languages)
and “The Joy of Not Working”
(Over 250,000 copies sold and published in 17 languages)

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Ernie, thank you for your insight and the pertinent quotes. Many authors wait until their book is published, or shortly before, to begin building their platform and promoting the book, so they get off to a slow start and become discouraged. I agree that it's important to continue promoting day after day, year after year.
Dana

[David Washington]

I have to say that as a new writer of books but not being new to publishing, I would disagree with one point to a lesser extent.

Seems I've heard this "write to your audience" mentality and though I believe that's true (and that you should make sure you actually have one), to a greater extent it's much more important to write what you love which should precede that.

As a writer, I am a part of my audience and so I write what I know and what I like. I don't find out what my audience wants then write that. That defeats the purpose of me writing the things I love. I write what I love and because I'm a fan of what I write, I know where that audience is. Same concept. Different approach.

[Dana Lynn Smith]

David, I agree that it's important to write what you love. Many authors write for the sheer love of writing or because they are passionate about their topic, and that's great. If the author's goal is to make money from writing, it's best to make sure that there is demand for the type of book that they are writing and to tailor the book to a specific niche if possible.
Cheers,
Dana

[Account Deleted]

Terry, thanks for this very useful post. Another thing we'd recommend is that authors should tweet about their book-signing activities to their followers. Just the fact that he/she is signing 200-odd copies, for a particular retailer, is an indication of his involvement and also hints that there IS a demand. Consumers have a herd mentality, and knowing that others are reading that book, should whet their appetite for purchasing it.

Dana, what do you think?

[Dana Lynn Smith]

I agree that tweeting about book signings (and other things you do to promote your book) is a great idea. Thanks!

[Amber Argyle]

Best marketing you can do for your book is to write another great book.

[Dana Lynn Smith]

That's a great point, Amber. Many of the most successful authors publish multiple books, with each on building on the success and reader base of the last.

[Jack]

fantastic article! Tough love and true... and to quote Amber Argyle: "Best marketing you can do for your book is to write another great book. "

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Thanks Jack - I'm glad you enjoyed Terry's article. Tough love is a great point - sometimes authors don't want to hear these things but they need to.