Don’t discount those marketing opportunities that are right under your nose. A few years ago, we started a new department in SPAWNews, SPAWN’s monthly newsletter which goes out to around 2,200 writers, authors, artists and small publishers. (That’s Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network http://www.spawn.org) We decided that each month, we would feature a member’s website. We put out a call to members—”We will showcase YOUR website in SPAWNews—for FREE.” And we gave the contact information.
No one came forward. NO ONE!! I wondered, don’t our members have websites for their writing/graphics businesses? Aren’t they selling books through their own websites? So I went in search of member sites.
My first stop was the SPAWN Member Directory. While virtually all members are listed there, few of them had their websites listed. Somehow, they neglected to put their website address on their member application. So I began contacting members to ask if they had a website and if they would like to have it featured in SPAWNews. BINGO! Almost all of the ten-or-so members I randomly contacted said, “Yes, I have a website and I’d love to have it featured in SPAWNews.”
So why didn’t they come forward to take advantage of this promotional opportunity on their own? Why didn’t they at least make sure their website was listed in the SPAWN Member Directory?
I began evaluating my own marketing techniques and realized that there are opportunities I miss, too. We stay so busy trying to make a living, keeping up with our contacts, processing (physically and mentally) the enormous volume of materials we receive each day, coming up with new marketing ideas for our books and trying to maintain some order in our personal lives, we’re overloaded.. No wonder we either miss or just don’t get around to pursuing some of the opportunities that are right under our noses.
I vowed to pay more attention to those opportunities that come up. When I read about a marketing opportunity that takes little time and effort, I’ll drop what I’m doing and take advantage right then. If I hear about a potential market for one of my books, I’ll make a note of it and slip it into a file folder which I promise to open at least once a week. My day for this work is Sunday afternoon. I spend another half day every few weeks pursuing new markets for one of my books—sending out press releases to libraries across the U.S., coming up with new ideas for newspaper press releases—that new angle that will grab an editor even in Boulder, CO or Jacksonville, FL.
I suggest to everyone reading this—pay attention to the opportunities that come before you and act on them now, either by direct action or by filing the idea in a hot file to pursue in the near future.
For more about how to promote your book, how to design a marketing plan, etc. continue reading this blog and be sure to review past posts. Also, read “The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.” http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html