The Most Crucial Step To Effective Book Marketing

In today's guest post, author and book marketing expert Tony Eldridge shares his tips for getting started in promoting your book.

Many authors ask me for advice when it comes to marketing their book. I listen, and then give ideas on where they can start. After doing this for a while, I think I have pegged what I believe to be the most crucial step when it comes to marketing your book.

It's not what you may think, or what you may be looking for, but I am convinced that it's the most important step to a very successful marketing plan. Simply, the most crucial step in an effective book marketing plan is:

The First Actionable Step You Take

Hear me out. I have talked to many authors who are paralyzed into inaction because of information overload or because they don't know where to begin. Others have researched the market to the point where they know a lot of directions they can go, yet for some reason, they have not taken the first step to implement a marketing plan.

Here's the bottom line: you will never know everything you need to know about marketing. It's a fluid skill that changes all the time. Chances are, you will not even complete your big picture marketing plan without tweaking it along the way. The important thing is to start flexing your marketing muscles and grow into a lean marketing machine as you discover what works and what doesn't work.

If you have not yet launched a marketing plan, then let me encourage you to take the first step today. Choose something you are not doing now and make it happen. If you have not set up a blog, then set one up. If you have not contacted a blogger you respect about providing a guest post for their blog, then send the e-mail today. If you have not set up a Twitter or Facebook account, spend a few minutes to set it up and send some friend invites.

You see, when you are paralyzed into inaction, it really doesn't matter what your first step is. Action has a way of breeding more action. With a tiny victory and a small success under your belt, the next step becomes a little easier to take.

When someone asks you what you are doing to market your book, there's power in being able to respond with a concrete action you have taken. This is a truth that goes beyond book marketing. It's true for just about anything you are trying to accomplish.

Recently, I lost an impressive 50 pounds, but it started with a humble 1 pound loss. It started on day one of my diet, day one of my tortuously slow treadmill workout, and day one of my pathetically embarrassing weightlifting routine.

Now I am going 4 miles a day, working out with 4 times the weight I started with, and I have two months of successful dieting days behind me.

The same is true with your book marketing plan. To get where you want to be, it's crucial to take that first actionable step. All your future success will flow from it.

Don't worry if you don't know everything about book marketing, you will learn as you go. Don't worry if you aren't sure which step will pay off the most, all steps will pay dividends if you stick to them. The secret is simple; just take that first step. There's more power in that step than you can imagine.

About the Author

Tony Eldridge is the author of the action/adventure book, The Samson Effect, that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure" and the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests which helps people find targeted Twitter followers. He also shares his book marketing tips with fellow authors through his blog, Marketing Tips For Authors, and through his free video marketing tips for authors. You can follow him on Twitter @TonyEldridge

Comments

[Donna Swanson]

Thanks for the advice, Tony. I've taken several steps, this being one of them. But I am easily discouraged. Posts like this put the oil back in my lamp!

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Donna, hang it there and don't get discouraged. There are so many ways to promote books and so much to learn that it can seem overwhelming. I think the key is to write down a plan (even if it's only a short list), focus on one thing at a time, and make some time every day to take action. Good luck with your book!
Dana

[Pat W. Kirk]

"paralyzed into inaction." How true. You don't know how one person or group of people can do it all. So your answer is very freeing. "Do one thing."

[Tony Eldridge]

Donna, I echo Dana's encouragement; hang in there. I keep going back to this myself as a reminder of focusing on the big picture and to keep moving. Someone once said that your destiny begins in the moment of a decision, but taking the first step, no matter how small, gives your destiny legs. Good luck with your book-- keep plugging away and one day you'll be surprised how far along you are.

Pat, thanks for your comment. And you are so right, it's freeing when you realize how important just doing the one thing is rather than putting the weight of everything on your shoulders.

[Jeff]

Great advice, indeed marketing often begins before writing even begins (ideally) by knowing who we are writing for intimately (who are they, what are their dreams and desires frustrations and pains).

Then, the process of building a platform can begin well before your book is finished (or right now in the case it is already finished).

I'm a huge fan of blogs, videos (YouTube) and increasingly social networking as vehicles to get word out about your book.

It's all about interacting with your market and readers, from there you will get new ideas for even more meaningful interaction and suddenly, your big break will come in the form of additional sales, publicity opportunities, partnership opportunities, etc...

Jeff

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Thanks for your comments, Jeff. I agree that it's best to begin promoting yourself and interacting with your audience before you write a word or publish a book. The most important thing is to take action NOW, regardless of what stage of the publishing journey are in.

[Anthony Puttee]

Adding to being overwhelmed and becoming paralyzed, is that often things become so much bigger in mind than they really are. This can set in the horrid procrastination bug which often puts dread in what was once just a small 2 minute task.

Clarity helps restrict one's information diet by filtering out the excess information that's all around us. Writers and authors need to first be clear on who their audience is and where they reach them.

Understanding these things will help narrow focus and refine the marketing plan, making it seem so much easier to know where to start. I cover these things in a free ebook I give away and have received great response as people have found renewed confidence to take action on something because of their new found clarity.

Great post Tony. 'Action' is arguably the most important factor in executing a book marketing plan, business idea or taking your three-legged cat for a run. No time like the NOW!

Cheerio!
Anthony
BookCoverCafe

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Thanks for those words of wisdom, Anthony. I agree that the first step is understanding the audience and where to find them. Then it's time to take action - today and every day.

[Shirley Anstis]

Thanks for this, perfect timing. I feel like I am taking a lot of action but still need some encouragement with it. I need to streamline my approach too as there are too many possibilities to act on. Thanks again.

[Omar Luqmaan-Harris]

It all starts with a great plan. Here is a free book marketing plan template from my The Pantheon Collective (http://slidesha.re/nBRIXQ)

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Thanks for the link to your marketing plan, Omar, and I appreciate you including a link to my website in the slideshow!
Dana