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Marketing & Publicity

Good marketing is an art. Knowing your audience is critical. Get the word out about your book in a compelling and interesting way.

Steps in Marketing & Publicity

  • How to craft your message
  • Social media
  • Search engine optimization
  • Go local
 

Think Minimum Instead of Maximum

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jan 7, 2020

This is the time of year when authors resolve to sell more of their books than they did last year. But “upsurges of enthusiasm in early January are generally followed by flagging commitment in February,” according to an article in the Wall Street Journal (“On the Journey to New Habits, Take Tiny Steps,” by BJ Fogg, January 4, 2020, page C3). When people see what needs to be done to sell more books, they often feel they cannot do it and they give up.  

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Making the Most of Your Book Award – How to Turn it Into Book Sales

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by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Dec 17, 2019

 
If you’ve ever hoped to win a book award, you are in great company. Contests continue to entice authors from a variety of genres and topics. In fact, I’ve judged several of them, including the Benjamin Franklin Awards from IBPA, and Writer’s Digest, among others.
 
As you know, the goal of these book awards is to shed light and praise on the best books in a particular genre. Most book contests include a wide variety of genres, including poetry (which always tends to be tougher to market). So it’s with good reason that book awards are so highly sought after. They can do a lot for your book marketing efforts, which is particularly important for indie authors. Book awards are a great way for authors to build their platform and they serve as eye-candy to pull in more readers.
 
Here’s what you need to know about finding the right book contests for your book, as well as what to watch out for!
 
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How to Sell Through All Retailers (Not just bookstores)

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Dec 10, 2019

 
Bookstores are retailers. And there are many other retail establishments that sell books, but most authors ignore them. Examples are airport stores, supermarkets, gift shops, discount stores and specialty stores, and you can increase your sales by selling through them.  
 
The good news is that you already know how to do it, since most retailers operate the same way as bookstores. You work through a distribution partner, and books are placed on shelves for sale. Here are some things you can do to compete and grow profitably selling through other retailers.
 
Define your prospective buyers. Using the 5 Ws technique Define who they are, where, when, why and what they buy. Knowing where and when they shop will lead you to the appropriate retailers.
 
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Reaching an International Audience – Strategies that Work

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by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Nov 26, 2019

Although an international audience may seem like a surprising place to focus your book promotion efforts, they represent a growing market segment for many authors. In fact, while North America remains our biggest book market, we have also had good success with international outreach on behalf of the authors we work with.

You’ll find that although connecting with international readers may require some creative thinking, it doesn’t have to take up a lot of your time. With as little as an hour or two a month, you can see some great results.  Better still, you don’t have to spend the time and money getting your book translated, because there is a considerable English language reading market even in countries that primarily speak a different language.

After all, English is one of the most widely spoken languages on the planet, so it makes sense to target this market. And, there are a host of ways you can go about selling more books to these international audiences.

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The Fiction of Prediction (A Fun Way to Write a Business Plan)

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Nov 12, 2019

 
As we approach the end of the year it is a good time to begin creating your 2020 vision. Most authors understand the importance of doing so, but without an existing plan upon which to build they do not know how to go about writing a plan. But authors know how to create a good story, so why not use that expertise to write your plan?
 
Writing your business plan as a fiction manuscript can be a fun way to do the necessary work of planning. It can also help you identify and deal with the people (characters) that impact your business. Your subplots help you recognize the value of previously unsought opportunities, perhaps in non-bookstore markets. And your narrative can point of the interdependencies of market segments rather than dealing with them as isolated groups. Here are a few novel ideas to help you write your first plan - or sequel.  
 
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Reasons Why a Distributor May Turn Down Your Book

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Oct 1, 2019

There are many opportunities for book sales through non-bookstore retailers. These could be airport stores, supermarkets, discount stores, gift shops and many more. The good news is that you sell to them in ways in which you are already familiar: you get a distribution partner and they contact buyers for you. The bad news is that the distributors are inundated with books that they cannot take on and therefore must reject them. Even a good book may be declined if not submitted properly or has missing information.

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Why Pre-Publication Book Marketing is Essential to Success

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by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Sep 17, 2019

Publishing is not a field of dreams. They will not come just because you build it. It's surprising that so many authors today still make that assumption. Unfortunately, that’s just not how things work, at least for most of us. If you expect sales you need to set up your book marketing plan well ahead of actual publication.

When to Begin Marketing Your Book

Writing (and publishing) a book that will sell actually starts before the book is published.

Yes, post-publication book marketing is a huge part of selling more books, but authors need to place more value on what they do before the book is up for sale.

A Big Dose of Reality from a Literary Agent

Jane Friedman recently interviewed a literary agent about the changing landscape of fiction. While it focused heavily on how authors can get a publisher, these tips are equally relevant to indie authors.

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The Key to Planning and Running Successful eBook Promotions

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by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Sep 3, 2019

Authors either love or hate discount eBook promotions. Regardless of how you feel about them, the reality is that they can be insanely lucrative — especially if you know what works for your genre and market.  In fact, once you find your comfort level, discount eBook promotions will become a key part of your book marketing plan.

If you’re still struggling to find your sweet spot, here are some things to consider as you plan how to price your book.

The Power of Free

You can still get fantastic exposure without making your eBook free, which is welcome news for authors who have a hard time stomaching ‘free.’

With that said, there are some valid reasons that featuring some free promotions throughout the year can really help you out.

You Want Books in as Many Hands as Possible

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How to Get an Appointment with a Prospective Buyer

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Aug 27, 2019

 
There is an enormous opportunity to sell your books to people in local businesses and large corporations. Your prospect may be the owner of the business or a corporate marketing, sales or Human Resources manager. Regardless of your prospective buyer’s title, you must get an appointment with him or her in order to make your pitch. 
 
There are a several ways to make initial contact, but one of the best is to call first. By so doing you can confirm that the person you are trying to contact is still in that position. Do not assume you will get through to people quickly. Most people use voice-mail messages to filter out those with whom they do not want to speak. 
 
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Selling to Non-Bookstore Retailers

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Aug 6, 2019

 
There are many non-bookstore, brick-and-mortar retailers through which you can sell your books. These include airport stores, supermarkets, gift shops, discount stores and others.  Your current distributor may already be selling to them, so check with them before pursuing retailers on your own. 
 
Otherwise, creating a retail-distribution channel is a good way to start your special-sales efforts because it is much like selling through bookstores. You work through distribution partners, the discount structure is similar, and books are displayed on shelves. Fiction usually outsells non-fiction in the retail setting. On the other hand, unsold books are returned, and you are paid in 90 - 120 days. Here are some things you can do to profit from selling through retailers.  
 
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  • Obtain ISBNs (click here!)
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  • Register your copyright (click here!)
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Getting Started

Create a Culture of Quality in Your Publishing Company

Thu, November 13

FAQs about ISBNs

Fri, October 24

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

Wed, September 10

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

Fri, September 05

Do You Have the Write Stuff?

Wed, September 03

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