Question: When is it the right time to start promoting your book?
Answer: The minute you commit to writing it.
It’s true! Promotion starts way before you actually have a book to sell. You might ask, “How can I sell a book that I don’t even have?” Well, you probably can’t, but you can certainly start planting seeds that may develop into eventual sales.
Start by building a mailing list of potential customers. Who is a potential customer? Everyone you meet. You might be surprised who will buy your ethnic recipe book, a book of poetry or your workbook for realtors, for example. You can’t tell by looking at someone whether they are interested in your book topic or whether they have several friends who are. But you sure can find out who is a good candidate for your particular book by talking to people and by going where potential customers hang out.
This brings us to our second most important prepublication promotions activity–talk about your book everywhere you go. When someone expresses an interest in your book topic, ask for a card or make note of their email address. When the book is ready to sell, you’ll want to notify everyone on your mailing list.
While you’re working on the book, take time every week or so to locate potential book reviewers, appropriate showcase sites, Web sites and radio talk shows dedicated to your topic and magazines and newsletters related to your topic where you might submit articles to promote your book or get your book reviewed.
Once you’ve finished the book and while it is with the publisher or at the printer, you’ll have more time to do some prepublication promotion. This is a good time to contact everyone on your mailing list to announce the coming of your book. I like to offer a prepublication discount to folks who will purchase the book during this period. If you’re self-publishing, this is a good way to pay your printing bill.
As you all know, I’m in my prepublication stage of my latest book–“The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.” And the above suggestions are just a tiny example of the information and recommendations, tips and techniques you’ll find in this 328-page book.
Orders must be received by December 31, 2005 in order to get the prepublication discount.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html