This is the last post in my “Authorship is a Business” series. However, I will continue posting to this blog daily as I have for the last six and a half years. Six and a half years! As you will see if you spend time in my blog archives, I write about all aspects of publishing—writing, producing and promoting books as well as freelance-writing issues.
I also write books and lots and lots of articles on these topics. My latest two books are listed below. I notice that sales are up since I started running this series. So glad you are purchasing these extremely valuable books. If you are serious about publishing success and if you take these books seriously, you will be awfully glad you did.
Today we round up the “Authorship is a Business” series by exploring the topic of book promotion. You may think that writing your book is hard, hard work. And then you learn how difficult and wearing it can be to figure out the best publishing option and to choose the best publisher for your project. But you ain’t seen nothin’ yet, until you get involved in promoting your book. This is absolutely the most difficult, time-consuming and energy-draining activity of all. And it is oh so necessary.
Start thinking about book promotion from the very beginning. One reason why I want you to focus so much on your audience before and during the writing process is to prepare you for the major, major job of promoting this book to them. You must know who your readers are, where they are and how to approach them. When you have a book in hand, you will need to go where your readers are and convince them that they need to read or will enjoy reading your book.
There are many ways to promote a book. I offer 250 of them for fiction, nonfiction and children’s books in my book, Promote Your Book. John Kremer provides 1001 of them in his book, 1001 Ways to Market Your Book.
Authors ask me all the time, “What’s the best way to promote a book?” I always tell them, “It depends on you and it depends on your book.” It is up to the author to find his comfort zone and then step it up a few notches. He must know and understand his audience and design his marketing tactics around their purchasing habits. And most professionals agree with me that authors need to promote through a variety of channels. Don’t just think you’re going to build a great website and your customers will come. This should be only a part of your promotional tactics. Also, solicit many book reviews, submit articles/stories to publications your audience is reading, set up speaking gigs, reserve booths at book festivals, make news related to the theme/genre of your book and make sure it is reported, blog, lure readers to your website through freebies, use social networking, speak at related conferences, promote through your huge mailing/emailing list and so forth.
How long do you need to keep promoting your book? Only for as long as you want it to sell.
Do you remember my telling you that nearly 80 percent of authors today sell fewer than 100 books total? One reason is because they didn’t study and truly understand the industry before getting involved. Another is that they didn’t understand the full scope of their responsibility in marketing their books and the intensity of this work. Many of them either didn’t promote their books at all or they did a few promotional activities and then went promptly back to their previous lifestyle, hoping their book would keep selling.
Well, it doesn’t work that way. In many cases, book marketing takes even more of your time, energy and creativity than the writing did. If you’re in writing mode, this news is awfully hard to swallow, isn’t it? Many authors who hear or read this truth while in the writing process tend to shove it under the carpet. They don’t want to believe it is so—so they don’t allow themselves to. And when they finally have a completed, bound (or electronic) book in their hands, they are at a loss as to how to get it into the hands of their readers.
Many are shocked that people don’t just automatically come to their websites and make large purchases. They are surprised when booksellers don’t accept their books into their stores. Some feel as though they’ve done enough after having a website built, hiring a press release company, talking about their book to a few friends and arranging for a book signing. Depending on your book and the scope of your audience, these efforts might result in the sale of 10 to 300 books.
The fact is that when you decide to stop promoting, in most cases, your book will die. And this is true whether you have published on your own, through a pay-to-publish company or you’ve landed a traditional publishing company. Sure, the traditional publisher will solicit sales through their connections and using their expertise that you may not have been able to manage. But, unless your book is hot out of the gate, they won’t spend much time promoting it. It’s all up to you.
Before or during the writing of your book—even if you’re currently seeking publication—now is the time to learn the book marketing ropes. Find out what will be expected of you once your book is a book. I believe that many authors would change their minds about publishing at all if they truly understood what it takes to promote a book in this fiercely competitive publishing and bookselling climate.
This is a good time to purchase my books, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author and Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. They are available at amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores. Also here: http://www.matilijapress.com
I’ve always found good intormation about publishing and writing in this blog but the seven blogs grouped together cover most of what a writer needs to know right from the idea of a book to the everlasting promotion of it. Thanks for putting this all in one spot for easy reference! A book is so much more than the writing of it.