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
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What if They Hate My Book?

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Oct 3, 2017

Everyone has a few fears before they publish their book and a big one is fear of what happens next. When I was first published, some 17 years ago now, I recall having nightmares that people hated my first book so much that they were chasing me down the street, throwing copies at me. Seriously. Even now, after 16 books, I still have concerns that each book will be hated. I know I’m not the only one, and I’m sure this fear has meant that a lot of great books never get published.

When authors ask me, “What if they hate my book?” my inevitable answer is “They might. But they might love it, too.” Candidly, there isn’t much you can do to get past the fear except to publish your book anyway. And even if you have written the best book on the planet, someone somewhere will dislike it. It may be surprising to you now, but you may even welcome constructive criticism since it can help you improve in the long run.

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Prioritize Your Prospect List for More Sales

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Sep 19, 2017

It is easy to create or buy a list of prospective buyers for your titles. But any list is comprised only of suspects, names of people who might fit the description of those in your target audience. You will waste time and money if you initially treat each as having the same need and desire to purchase your books. But by using a simple technique, you can remove those with no interest in buying your products and devote your marketing attention to contacting those with a higher likelihood of buying.

In this process, you rank potential buyers according to various criteria that you define. They begin as suspects, simply names on a list. Then as you qualify them according to their fit with your criteria, they are either removed from your list, or become prospects. Once they buy, they become customers.

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Do You Want to Increase Your Sales?

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Sep 5, 2017

It is relatively easy to achieve an indefinite objective such as “increase sales,” but your business will become more successful in the long run if you can be more focused. Instead of simply trying to increase sales, restate your objective to increase your cash flow, build incremental profits or perhaps deplete a large inventory of books.

The distinction is important because each objective requires a different strategy. The journey to achieving any of these goals is made by manipulating the marketing tools over which you have complete control: the price, distribution network, promotion and even the physical characteristics of your books.

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Create a Pitch Pack to Give to Buyers

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Aug 29, 2017

Did you ever watch golfers look through the assortment of the clubs in their bags before choosing just the right one for a particular shot? Think of the benefits of your content as individual clubs, each to be brandished as circumstances warrant. When your prospects tell you what they want to buy, pull out the appropriate “club” and describe what your content can do for them. Do not use a driver when a sand wedge or putter is the better choice.

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Create Successful Distribution to Retailers (not just bookstores)

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Aug 15, 2017

Every publisher wants to increase book sales through bookstores. However, sales through other retail outlets can also increase the volume and velocity of your revenue. These include discount stores, airport stores, supermarkets, gift shops, specialty stores, pharmacies and many others. Each of these segments has a pre-ordained distribution network, and you must work within that structure to get your book on the stores’ shelves.

Finding the proper distributor is not difficult, although you will have to work with different companies in various segments. But once you have distribution in place, will you be just another one of their clients, or will you make your titles stand out and be sold? Getting its representatives to actively sell your books instead of others requires special effort. Perform properly in four areas and you can increase the number and speed of your books moving through the pipeline.

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Maximize Your ROI – Return On Ideas

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Aug 8, 2017

Publishing companies must innovate regularly to create new value for their customers and increase revenue. But innovation in itself should not be the final goal. Not only must you spot opportunities, but you should exploit them so you get paid, too.

There are two kinds of innovation. One is in value creation and the other is in value capture. Many businesses stop the creative process when a good idea is developed, believing that once it is implemented it will generate money. But unless value capture – maximizing the return on your idea – is also implemented, you can leave money on the table.

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Create Multiple Sources of Revenue

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jul 25, 2017

Relying exclusively on revenue from book sales can limit your income. This wall could be reached because of seasonal demand for your content, or your reliance on sales only through bookstores – bricks and clicks. You may have a small target market, inadequate planning or insufficient funds for promotion. The list goes on, but the fact remains that a variety of circumstances can conspire to limit the sale of your books, and subsequently your income.

This concept of multiple sources of revenue does not mean adding additional titles. It implies various ways in which you could generate funds. This can be accomplished through a combination of products and services, such as product sales (line and brand extensions) combined with author extensions (conducting seminars, making personal presentations and consulting) or other activities that stimulate additional cash flow.

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The Best Marketing Tool Never Used

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jul 11, 2017

Every day I hear authors and publishers lament that sales are down, and they don’t know why. Then they continue doing the same things they have always done, and expect different results. However, there is one marketing tool that can make an enormous difference in one’s sales, but it is rarely – if ever – used. It is market research.

People think of market research as a ponderous, expensive technique that must be implemented by professional data gatherers. But you can conduct simple research – often for free – to help you plan and implement new marketing actions that can increase your sales, revenue and profits.

Here are a few simple steps you can take on your own to discover the cause of poor sales, and provide some ideas for taking corrective actions.

1. Identify the problem or opportunity. Let’s say sales for Title A are down in Segment B

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Marketing Choreography (Otherwise Known as Planning)

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Wed Jul 5, 2017

Creating your marketing strategy defines what you will do. The next step is to decide how you will do it, and then organize your actions to facilitate implementation. That is the process of planning.

Do not think of the word plan as a noun – a weighty document valued by page count. Instead, think of it as a verb, a functional, dynamic series of actions that keep you moving ahead. It could simply be a checklist of actions you can implement to fulfill your strategies and reach your objectives.

Still, some publishers eschew planning for a variety of reasons. Here are the three questions I am most frequently asked about planning.

Why should I spend time planning instead of doing?
There are many benefits to planning, if you think of it as a process, regularly adjusting your checklist to exploit opportunities as they arise. Here are a few reasons to consider.

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Marketing & Publicity

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Stop Selling Your Books

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jun 27, 2017

Most products, including books, are combinations of tangible and intangible elements. People do not buy the tangible features of a book, i.e., the paper and ink that create it. They buy the intangible benefits they receive from reading fiction: a vicarious feeling of fantasy, romance, adventure or mystery. And when purchasing nonfiction, they are buying information, motivation and help.

As an independent publisher, you will become more successful at marketing when you stop selling your books and begin selling what your books do for the people who read them. That is the difference between marketing a feature, an advantage and a benefit. A feature is an attribute of your book. It could be its size, binding, title or number of pages. An advantage describes the purpose or function of a feature, and a benefit is the value the reader receives in exchange for purchasing your book. People buy value, not generic books.

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Marketing & Publicity

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Marketing & Publicity

What if They Hate My Book?

Prioritize Your Prospect List for More Sales

Do You Want to Increase Your Sales?

Create a Pitch Pack to Give to Buyers

Create Successful Distribution to Retailers (not just bookstores)

Maximize Your ROI – Return On Ideas

Create Multiple Sources of Revenue

The Best Marketing Tool Never Used

Marketing Choreography (Otherwise Known as Planning)

Stop Selling Your Books

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?