Authors often ask me, “What’s the best way to promote a book?”
My response is always, “It depends on the author and it depends on the book.”
What does this mean? How is this helpful to authors? What it means is that there are many different ways to promote books and there are many different types of people with varying personalities, skills, aptitudes, abilities, etc. with books. And there are also many different types of audiences for the books we’re producing today.
I’ve seen people sell truckloads of books through pushy, in-your-face online marketing techniques. Some books are actually conducive to a more commercial approach. This is generally your narrow-niche, nonfiction books with a very specific audience. You promote to the audience through the few avenues available and lure them to your website, which blasts your message rather than sharing it and where the customer can make the purchase on the spot. This author might also allow advertising at his site in order to bring in additional funds. Their websites are very commercial.
If your book is of a personal nature, I suggest promoting it through more personal means. A memoir fits into this category, of course—whether it is situational, a recovery memoir, family legacy, nostalgic, personal struggle, coming of age, travel, spiritual, healing or another type of memoir. Your readers want to meet you. When you stand up in front of a group and tell your story, your audience is more apt to purchase your book than if they simply see it at a bookstore or online.
Tomorrow, I will offer my ideas for promoting other types of books. Send me your request—what type of book are you attempting to market?
In the meantime, if you want to become more familiar with the concept and the reality of public speaking, communicating with your public more successfully, locating speaking gigs, conducting more interesting interviews, getting radio/TV coverage, having more successful book signings and so much more, order your copy of my book, Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Books Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More. It’s available in print, Kindle and audio at Amazon.com.