Inside Publishing

Now that your book is finished, what happens next? We're here to guide you through the publishing process, from editorial to distribution and sales.

Five Easy Ways to Upgrade Reader Engagement

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Jan 12, 2021

It’s one thing to write and publish a book; reader engagement is a whole different ballgame. Reader engagement gives you longevity and helps you sell more books, so it should really be the driver for all of your book marketing. But I’ll be honest, it’s also really hard, especially when you’re just starting out.

I’ve collected a few tips to jumpstart reader engagement, but really the key to book marketing isn’t doing everything, it’s doing what works for your genre and your reader market. It will take some trial and error before you sell more books in response to your efforts, but it will be worth it because reader engagement is the key to a long and prosperous publishing career.

An added bonus is that developing and encouraging reader engagement also creates a community of likeminded souls who can keep you connected and grounded during the very strange times we’re currently living in. And that may be an even bigger win for everyone involved!

Inside Publishing

Marketing & Publicity

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The Measure of Marketing

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Dec 29, 2020

The question most publishers periodically ask themselves at this time of year is, “Did I achieve the goals that I set?” The numbers are easy to measure and compare — you either reached your sales objectives or you did not.

Due to this perceived simplicity, publishers stop there and recalculate their objectives for next year. The problem with this process is it measures something you cannot control — sales and revenue. If you could control them, then reaching goals would be a given. But you can only influence the attainment of those metrics by the actions you take.

Publishers can significantly improve upon this process by seeking several questions, such as, “Could sales have been higher? How? Did sales maximize my revenue and profit?” And if objectives were not achieved, “Why not?”

Inside Publishing

Marketing & Publicity

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Twelve Tricks for Amazing Author Websites

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Dec 15, 2020

Is your website working for you? Is it helping you sell more books? So many authors really don’t know the answer to this question. And with so many options out there for websites, how do you know which elements you must have to be successful?

Most authors want to sell more books, and that is (or should be) the main goal of your website. If you wrote a business book to help you sell more services, build your business, or book more speaking opportunities, then you may have slightly different goals. However, even with that in mind, a successful website should still have many of the same key attributes.

Here are 12 simple things you can do to make your website a more effective and efficient vehicle for your book marketing promotion.

Inside Publishing

Marketing & Publicity

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Planning For Uncertain Times

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Dec 1, 2020

At the beginning of 2020 we all set aggressive goals based upon an optimistic view of the coming year. That changed abruptly with the advent of Coronavirus in the first quarter, with the subsequent quarantines and closed businesses. While this year has been a difficult one for making sales, we learned some valuable lessons for succeeding under dire circumstances. The key to survive in the future is to apply those lessons to make your business profitable over the long term.

Even though no one knows what the future brings, you can still create plans for what might happen. In this case, do not think of the word plan as a noun, but as a verb, a work in progress to which you can refer regularly and adapt to unforeseen conditions. Think of it as the first draft of your manuscript, needing multiple rewrites.

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Marketing & Publicity

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Inside Publishing

Five Easy Ways to Upgrade Reader Engagement

The Measure of Marketing

Twelve Tricks for Amazing Author Websites

Planning For Uncertain Times

Pages

Getting Started

Create a Culture of Quality in Your Publishing Company

FAQs about ISBNs

How to Write a Business Plan as Narrative (Part 2 of 2)

A Novel Planning Technique for Book Publishers (Part 1 of 2)

Do You Have the Write Stuff?