4 Must Read Books To Help You Market Your Own

There are an enormous amount of books available on the book marketing for authors. Just like most products and brands, some are great and some are not so great. The one thing that holds true for all of them is that you can always glean at least a useful tidbit or two from each of them. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with choices these selections will make a great starting point for your collection. 

Plug Your Book! Online Book Marketing for Authors, Book Publicity Through Social Networking, by  Steve Weber.

Because marketing in general has shifted from traditional to technical it’s imperative to understand how to navigate the static online and focus your promotional efforts accordingly. Weber unveils a bundle of excellent tips and strategies that make it easy to learn about syndication, pay per click, social networking and much more. There’s a reason why this book has received stellar reviews, but you’ll have to buy a copy if you want to find out why for yourself. 

1001 Ways To Market Your Books: For Authors And Publishers, by John Kremer.

Kremer is the owner of Open Horizons and editor-at-large of Book Marketing Update newsletter. Using his success as a consultant and publisher of more than 1,000 titles, as well a list of clients who have achieved multi-million dollar book sales, Kremer pulls together a collection of ideas and suggestions to help you market your book. What makes this book unique is that real-life author examples have been used to demonstrate how to successfully apply Kremer’s practices. 

Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual, by Dan Poynter.

Often referred to as the bible on self-publishing, this book is essential to have for any author who is interested in producing a commercially-successful book. In essence, Poynter has compiled a book publishing course that walks the reader through writing, publishing, marketing, promoting and distributing their book. An overview of the industry and publishing techniques are revealed for an in-depth look at what to do and what to avoid. 

Also, The Frugal Book Promoter by Carolyn Howard Johnson has some great ideas too.

Who are your favorites? Any dog-eared marketing manuals that you can’t live without?

Web 2.0 Publishing

The advent of the web has completely revolutionized the way that books are printed, published, promoted and sold. Technology has made each of these components more accessible for the average person to use and benefit from. Instead of relying upon a publisher many authors now have the ability to do it all on their own and for a fraction of the price.

Let’s take a look at printing. Print-on-demand (POD) is a process where authors are able to upload a print-ready file to a POD publisher and when an order arrives for your book, the book is printed on the spot and delivered to your customer. Much cheaper than batch printing which include inventory storage and shipping costs. Another plus to POD publishing is that you’re not limited to just one. Use a group to determine the most affordable for you.

POD publishing transfers easily to large online retailers like Amazon.com and BN.com. As an author you can create your own page on these sites and as orders are requested you can have them fulfilled via your POD group. The general public will never know the difference and it gives writers a tremendous amount of control over the production of their books. Furthermore, you can also sell and promote through ClickBank, Kindle and on iPhone’s Smashwords – all are excellent tools and purchase points to boost your sales.

There’s been a lot said about promoting your book, but with web 2.0 the empowerment for authors continues. Instead of traditional book-signings and tours, writers can engage readers through podcasts, blogs, Google Book Search and social media. No matter how you slice it, promoting your book using various online tools and resources is a sure fire way to boost sales and build awareness about what you’ve written. That equates to exposure and more revenue for you.

In a nutshell, think of web 2.0 as a term that describes how writers can become more self-sufficient. Being able to do things on your own shouldn’t be viewed as a burden, but as a way to guide readers to your book and keep them engaged beyond the writing.

Viral Video For Book Marketing and Book Promotion

Earlier this year, Erik Qualmann’s book Socialnomics created international buzz when its video book trailer went viral. The book offers a fascinating look at the impact of social media on businesses and consumers, but the video does it even better. Hence its viral accomplishment. The questions are how did this video go viral and what has it achieved in doing so.

Understanding the transformation can provide you with some insight on how to take your own video trailer to the masses successfully. First off, the video wasn’t exorbitantly long, just more than four minutes. Although most video attention spans rank at one to two minutes, Socialnomics has a fast paced format that keeps the visuals coming quickly and creatively.

The content is condensed into eye-raising statistics that leave viewers feeling surprised and mesmerized at the same time. Each fact relates back to the book and a specific social media reference. Regardless of whether you’re a social media novice or a guru, the content that Socialnomics shares is exceptional. Plus, it’s set to a trend Fat Boy Slim song that creates a sense of urgency and movement.

So how does this factor into going viral and what can you do to tap into its power? Truth be known, most people want to be entertained. There’s a time and place for being conservative, but if you want to grab someone and shake them into a response, you’re more likely to get it done with something amusing.

Think about compiling tidbits and pieces in a unique way so that viewers will want to discover more. If that seems challenging, consider adding a bit of controversy by taking an opposing view point through your video. Anything clever is sure to get noticed and that’s what can bring you epic numbers of viewers.

Once you’ve accomplished what you want with your video, don’t rest on your laurels. Take a cue from Qualmann. Instead of deciding ‘mission accomplished’, he has created a reloaded version of the video to continue driving and building its momentum. Guess what? It’s working. Once you’re satisfied with your own video trailer, test it out and don’t be afraid to make adjustments and release fresh versions. There’s no right or wrong way.

Use Qualmann’s video as inspiration to craft your own and see where it will take you. You might be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Book Marketing Mistakes For You To Avoid

When it comes to book marketing, it’s definitely more of an art rather than a science. Standard marketing tactics are pretty straightforward and without much variance. It’s the level of creativity and personalization applied to the marketing tactics that can make or break them. Like all techniques there are a few mistakes that you’ll want to avoid making.

1.  Not having groundwork for your platform. If you don’t conduct research and start building a network for your book before it’s published, you won’t have relationships or connections in place to help you push and promote what you’ve created. Like the old saying goes, “It takes a village.”

2.  Narrowing the scope of your audience. You may have a sci-fi novel that would move Asimov to tears, but focusing solely on fellow robot enthusiasts is selling yourself short. Broaden your audience base by exposing your book as much as possible. Take care of ISBN title registration and ensure availability of your book through major wholesalers.

3.   Failing to embrace technology. It’s been said many times throughout this blog, but just in case, here’s a repeat. Your book must have a website. It’s an absolutely critical marketing component that has a direct impact on sales and recognition of you as an author. Times have changed and online is where you have to be, including your book.

4.  Poorly edited manuscripts. Your book is a reflection of who you are as an author. Make absolutely certain that you take the time to have your book professionally edited and reviewed for any text errors. Having clean and cohesive content is an essential part of any good book. Don’t cut corners with editing.

5.  Poorly designed cover art. Hate to say it, but as human beings we’re attracted to aesthetically pleasing things. Spending the time to work with an experience graphic artist or designer can make a huge difference in how appealing or enticing your book jacket will look. Unattractive or substandard isn’t going to sell. This is one rare instance where you can judge a book by it’s cover. If it’s not appealing, it’s probably going to gather dust.

Take the time research and outline your book marketing strategy. There are a lot of moving parts so consider each one carefully before embarking on your book promotion journey. A little effort will go a long way.

Press Release Writing Tips For Authors

All the talented writers in the world aren’t worth a penny put together unless they can get their written works published and get people to purchase them. The best way to get exposure and create awareness is through publicity. Generating buzz about a book and attracting the attention of publishers and the media can be accomplished with a press release. Make sure your press release gets read with these helpful tips:

1. Single page. Unfortunate, but true, we live in a world of sound bytes and ‘want-it-yesterdays’. Publishers and media contacts are busy people who have little time to comb through hundreds of multiple page press releases. Limit your press release to one page to gain a better chance of it being read.
2. Catchy headline. All press releases have a headline that sums up the entire release in a few well chosen words. This is an opportunity to shine and show off your creative side. Think about headlines that you see in newspapers and make your headline count. Get their attention and they’ll want to read more and know more.
3. No first person. Your press release needs to read as if it came from an objective third-party. Write in in the present tense and stay away from jargon and slang.
4. Dynamic first paragraph. Here’s where the magic happens. Hook your reader’s attention by highlighting what the book is about in a sentence or two and including a few chapter titles. This is the paragraph that readers will use to determine whether they’re interested in pursuing you and your book and giving you the coverage that you want.
5. Author’s bio. This is where having a short and sweet bio come in handy. If you’ve created a book jacket bio for yourself, this is an ideal place for you to use it. In fact, you may need to apply additional edits to keep it no longer than a paragraph. It’s extremely important to include your phone number and email address in this section for contact information. This is how you’ll be reached schedule interviews or for clarification of your press release.

Don’t forget to follow-up with your contacts a few days after you deliver the press release to ensure that they’ve received it. Using these press release tips will help you construct a newsworthy piece that is concise, relevant and ready for media coverage.

Book Marketing Using Social Media: An interview with Author Brian Moreland

Award Winning Horror Author Brain Moreland tells how he made his book an overnight success using social media.

A few highlights:

He started with a self published book and gained such a wide audience using social media, that a publisher picked up his book. He now has a mass paperback deal.

His book won a gold medal. Learn what specific steps he took to ensure that his book would be considered.

He shares his tips for authors who are also using social media for book marketing.

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Book Marketing Through Social Media

If you want to know how you can make use of Social Media to sell more books, get book publicity and drive traffic to your site I have published a free eBook “65 Ways To Use Social Media To Sell Your Book.” Just sign up to the right on this page