by Dana Lynn Smith
Welcome to part four of my series of posts discussing five of the biggest mistakes that self-published authors make, along with tips on how to avoid them.
Mistake #4 - Waiting too late to think about marketing.
When should authors start thinking about marketing? Before they ever write the book!
Understand who you are writing to (your target markets) so that you can tailor the book to meet their needs and wants. How can your book be different or better than existing books or information sources on your topic? How can your novel appeal to the readers of popular genres or authors? What hooks can you put in the storyline of a novel or children's book that will allow you to promote it to niche markets?
Some types of books are more challenging to sell than others. Can you broaden the focus of your book to broaden the appeal, or narrow your focus to a very specific niche?
It's also critical to begin the process of building your expert reputation, social networks, blog followers, and connections with influencers as early as possible. These things take time, and you shouldn't wait until the book is available to start the process.
No matter where you are in the process of writing, publishing or promoting your book, NOW is the time to think about book marketing. To get started, download my free report, Create a Book Marketing Plan That Sells Books. To gain skills in specific book promotion tactics, like getting reviews or selling to libraries, check out my how-to guides and training programs.
Read the rest of this article series here:
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