Home

Search form

  • Home
  • Getting Started
  • Inside Publishing
    • Editing
    • Design & Production
    • Marketing & Publicity
    • Rights
    • Distribution
  • Events & Resources
    • Events
    • Other Resources
  • FAQs
  • Editing
  • Design & Production
  • Marketing & Publicity
  • Rights
  • Distribution

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
 

Buy the Book, Please … The Woes of a Newly Published Author

by Sharon C. Jenkins
Bowker | Tue Jun 23, 2015

I was watching Mike and Molly reruns the other day and I bumped into a real life scenario that I could relate to in the episode, “Buy the Book.” It was a refreshing contrast to zombies, murder, and scientific thrillers. Molly gets the first copy of her published book and is thrilled as a new mother holding her newborn for the very first time. Creating something from scratch and watching it take its first breath puts us as close as we are ever going to get to our own creator. That’s why it has such an intense effect on us.

Once that moment of euphoria is over, reality sets in and we remember that we must sell books because you did receive a sizeable advance from the publisher in expectation of you doing so. Even though Molly is thrilled to see her book in print, now comes the difficult task of trying to market it. If you are a new author and want to get a practical picture of what happens when you start to market your book, I would recommend you look at this episode.

Inside Publishing
Marketing & Publicity
  • Read more about Buy the Book, Please … The Woes of a Newly Published Author

Craft an Exceptional Elevator Pitch

Penny C. Sansevieri's picture
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Wed Jun 17, 2015

What is an elevator pitch and why do you need one? An elevator pitch is a short one- to two-sentence description about the book. It's the briefest of the briefest descriptions you can develop. The reason elevator pitches are important is that we have an ever- shrinking attention span, so you need to capture someone's attention in a very short, succinct pitch.  

How do you begin crafting an elevator pitch? The first step is to look at the core of your book. What is your book about, really? Looking at the core of your book will help you determine the primary message. The next step is to look at the real benefits to the reader. Not what you think the reader wants to know but what they actually need: What's in it for the reader?

Inside Publishing
Marketing & Publicity
  • Read more about Craft an Exceptional Elevator Pitch

How You Can Help Your Favorite Authors

Penny C. Sansevieri's picture
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue May 26, 2015

Okay readers, listen up. This one is for you. Being an author isn’t easy – in fact it’s a pretty tough job. It’s not easy being an author in a world where everyone can get published. We write our books for you and, in return, we’d love a little help now and again.

Most of my articles focus on advising authors on marketing and social media. I am sure authors read these pieces and feel like they need a nap. Yes, there’s a lot to be done, but you shouldn’t go it alone. Your readers can be your best ally to help you market to other readers.

Often readers do want to help, but aren’t really sure what to do. There’s a bit of a mystique around authors. Many readers think, “Well, the book has been published, they probably don’t need my help.” But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Authors (especially those who are starting out) do need our help.

Inside Publishing
Writing
Marketing & Publicity
  • Read more about How You Can Help Your Favorite Authors

Should You Rely on Intuition When Making Marketing Decisions?

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue May 19, 2015

As publishers, we make decisions every day that impact the future of our business. And as small-businesspeople we tend to rely on our experience and gut feelings rather than upon external objective data. But by relying too much on intuition we reinforce the assumed precision of our decision, and possibly inhibit innovative thinking.

Trusting your gut when making marketing decisions is not bad in itself. The problem is that if you have not tested your intuition by going against it periodically, how do you know if it is helping you make the right decisions? You may only be reinforcing your closely held preferences.

There are three things you can do to check the accuracy of your automatic decision-making process. First, have a long-term perspective. Second strategically choose objectives, and third, consider multiple options for reaching your goals.

Plan beyond the near term

Inside Publishing
Marketing & Publicity
  • Read more about Should You Rely on Intuition When Making Marketing Decisions?

Sell More Books Overseas: Getting Reviews on International Amazon Sites

Penny C. Sansevieri's picture
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue May 12, 2015

Getting international sales is always an important part of an author’s campaign but selling overseas can be tricky. The good news is: Amazon is everywhere. The bad news is that most of these author/book pages overseas are blank slates and populating them means either finding reviewers in these countries or finding reviewers who have accounts internationally. For the most part, I’ve only seen Amazon top reviewers have this kind of access. Though technically anyone can review internationally, most don’t.

Inside Publishing
Marketing & Publicity
Distribution
  • Read more about Sell More Books Overseas: Getting Reviews on International Amazon Sites

Getting Agreement Among Multiple Decision Makers

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Apr 28, 2015

When you sell a few hundred books to a prospective customer, the decision is usually made quickly, by one or two people. You might close the sale with a handshake and purchase order after a few meetings. But the process changes when you propose the sale of tens of thousands of your books to corporate buyers. These decisions are scrutinized at higher levels since the results can make or break careers.

Typically, large-quantity book sales are rarely made on a unilateral basis. In most cases, the decision authority lies with a committee, the members of which have different roles. These people may be from sales, marketing, purchasing, warehousing, legal and Human Resources. You, as the salesperson for your book, must build consensus among these diverse perspectives to close the sale. How can you do this? Here are a few techniques.

Meet varying needs collectively

Inside Publishing
Marketing & Publicity
Distribution
  • Read more about Getting Agreement Among Multiple Decision Makers

Top Ten Tips for Creating a Sales Proposal

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Mon Apr 20, 2015

When negotiating a large-quantity order your prospects will expect you to present a proposal. This is your recommendation of how to proceed, your solution to the buyer’s problem. Give them an answer to the unspoken question, “How will your product make a credible improvement over the existing or previous ways in which they have conducted promotional campaigns?” Here are the Top Ten Tips for Creating a Sales Proposal. 

1.    Give a summary of what you propose, why it will benefit the buyer and how much it will cost – all on one page.  

2.    An 8 – 15% improvement gets attention. If you predict a result that is too low, they are not interested. If too high, it is not believable. Make a reasonable and doable claim that is backed by credible data. Do not offer a guarantee.

Inside Publishing
Marketing & Publicity
Distribution
  • Read more about Top Ten Tips for Creating a Sales Proposal

Expand From Your Core Business to Build Your Sales and Profits

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Fri Apr 3, 2015

The process of selling books has not changed much in many years. Publishers publish books that are sold through bookstores to their customers. Granted, the arrival of Amazon.com altered the dynamics of the playing field, but it is still the same field. 

Some publishers think more strategically and try to break from this crowded turf by differentiating their content from competitive titles. But that is still not enough. Long-term success will not be achieved through product differentiation alone, where the focus remains on the book and competitive titles. This strategy is akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. 

Inside Publishing
Marketing & Publicity
Distribution
  • Read more about Expand From Your Core Business to Build Your Sales and Profits

Get Your Book into Costco (and other specialty stores)

Penny C. Sansevieri's picture
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Mar 31, 2015

Authors ask me all the time: How can I get my book into Costco? To tell you the truth, it’s really not that complicated. But let’s look at the different ways that Costco stocks product:

Nationally: In order to be considered for national in-store distribution, you need to pass several (many) checks and your book needs to go to their book buyer who is super particular about what she buys for the stores. Product needs to move fast in Costco which is why you may see something one week but not the next. Books that are given national distribution meet a certain criteria - most of it having to do with sales and movie tie-ins. If your book doesn’t meet this criteria, take heart. There are other options.

Inside Publishing
Marketing & Publicity
Distribution
  • Read more about Get Your Book into Costco (and other specialty stores)

How You Can Come Up With More Marketing Ideas

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Mar 24, 2015

Traditional thinking has a powerful undertow. Well-meaning friends, colleagues or even family members may discourage you from “rocking the boat.” But in today’s rapidly changing marketplace, holding steady really means falling behind. Move, evaluate, adapt, strategize and move again. Act like a professional boxer as you bob and weave, looking for weak points in your adversaries’ strategies on which to launch your competitive attack. 

Inside Publishing
Marketing & Publicity
  • Read more about How You Can Come Up With More Marketing Ideas

Pages

  • « first
  • ‹ previous
  • …
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • …
  • next ›
  • last »
  • Obtain ISBNs (click here!)
  • Convert your file to ebook (click here!)
  • Acquire a bar code (click here!)
  • Increase discovery (click here!)
  • Purchase a QR code (click here!)
  • Register your copyright (click here!)
  • License your book’s content (click here!)
  • Find out who you write like (click here!)
  • Promote your book online (click here!)

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

Bowker is an affiliated business of ProQuest. | © 2015 R.R. Bowker LLC. All rights reserved.
Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use |