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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
 

An All-Star Strategy To Brighten Book Sales Now and in the Future

Penny C. Sansevieri's picture
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Jul 27, 2021

There’s nothing better than a great campfire on a cool summer night. Maybe fireflies are also winking as tiny red embers lift into a gentle breeze. The tinder snaps and pops as an older kid pokes the flames, and maybe an adult helps a younger child guide a marshmallow into the fire for roasting, soon to be married to a graham cracker and chocolate square in a delicious s’more.

All of this happens because someone knew how to build the fire. One way of doing that is the teepee method, where kindling is placed in the middle of a fire pit and logs are arranged – leaning on one another for support – in a cone shape above them. 

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Marketing & Publicity
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How to Avoid Mistakes New Marketers Make

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jul 20, 2021

 
Have you ever done something about publishing or marketing your book and later regretted having done it? Or wished you could change part of what you did? If so, you learned that the most expensive thing in the book business can be a mistake. It could be printing too many – or not enough books. Perhaps pricing your book too high or low. And it could be relying solely on social networking to promote your book or bookstores as the only way to sell them. 
 
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Learn from Costco: Entice Potential Readers with a Free Excerpt

Penny C. Sansevieri's picture
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Jul 6, 2021

Back in the good ole pre-pandemic days, a trip to Costco meant lots of friendly greetings to smiling staff members stationed behind little kiosks where they produced delectable free samples in the hopes of tempting you – with the sight, smell, and taste of a product – to move from sampler to buyer. When it comes to books, the free excerpt is the equivalent, and today we’re going to talk about how to make yours so delectable that buyers first stop to take a bite and then go on to buy the rest of the package!

The tips below are a recipe for book marketing success!

1.  Think about the sample size and how you offer it.

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Maximize Your ROI – Return On Ideas

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jun 22, 2021

 
Publishing companies need to innovate regularly to create new value for their customers. But innovation in itself should not be the final goal. Not only must you spot opportunities, but you should capture value so you get paid for it. 
 
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 – the maximizing the return on your idea – is also contemplated, you can leave money on the table.
 
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Rules for Negotiating a Large Book Sale – Or A Job Offer

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jun 15, 2021

Most of us have at one time interviewed for a job. Did you ever think that the tactics in negotiating for a job and those for negotiating a large book sale are comparable? I wrote books demonstrating that fact. One described how to negotiate a job offer (Job Search 101) and two that explained how to negotiate a large quantity book sale (Beyond the Bookstore and How to Make Real Money Selling Books). Here are tips for negotiating a book sale — or a job. 

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Getting Consensus on Large Sales

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jun 1, 2021

 
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 meeting or two. 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/or 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.
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How Single-Title Authors Can Create Multi-Book Campaigns

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue May 11, 2021

 
Authors may become discouraged after trying to sell their book to non-retail buyers in corporations, associations, etc. In many cases they are making the sale more difficult than necessary. Selling to a prospective buyer with one book and an implied “take it (your book) or leave it” offer generally results in “leave it.” However, if you go to the buyer with multiple alternatives your chances of getting the sale increase significantly. But how can a single-title author do that? Read on.
 
When meeting with potential buyers do not start by talking about your book. Begin by finding out what problems they want to solve, i.e., their pain points. Do this by asking questions, and here are a few examples. 
 
Q. Have you ever used books as a promotional item? 
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Is What You Have to Say What People Want to Hear?

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue May 4, 2021

When authors complete their manuscripts, they are proud of their work, thinking it will be a blockbuster. That is certainly understandable. However, in the final analysis it is the reader — not the author — who defines the value of the content. It is valuable only if the readers believe they are better off after reading it than before. 

Creating reader value is less likely to happen if the content is written from the author’s perspective — what he or she believes the readers need to know. Invariably, that is based upon the author’s personal experience, not upon the perspective of those in the target market and even more rarely on analysis of competitive sources of information. A typical comment (one that generally leads to failure) is, “There is no other book like mine out there.” 

If authors will ask themselves and answer these five questions, their chances of creating valuable content — valuable to the reader — is greatly enhanced. 

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5 Inspirational Blog Post Ideas for Savvy Authors

Penny C. Sansevieri's picture
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Wed Apr 28, 2021

In a recent post here on Self Published Author, I talked about five features of a terrific and effective author website, and today I’m going to go deeper into one of those features: author blogs. Websites with blogs get 55% more traffic than websites without. And you can’t sell more books without more traffic. It’s hard to argue with that number and the logic that follows it, but while that statistic might convince your brain it’s time to start blogging, it’s also important that you also believe with your heart that the connection you can make to your readers is worthwhile.

Reading is very personal. Genre preferences and the types of books we seek out to fulfill needs or answer questions in our lives say a lot about us as individuals. The days of the elusive, mysterious author are over. When 4,500 books are being published every day, personalization becomes a cornerstone of your author marketing if your goal is to sell more books. But I realize it’s easier said than done!

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Strategy Before Action

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Apr 20, 2021

Your 2021 business plan outlines the ways in which your marketing activities should be implemented to reach your goals this year. According to traditional practice, after you establish your objectives your plan is divided into two sections. The first is the Strategic Plan that outlines your general marketing strategies, and the second part is the Tactical Plan listing specific actions. Most people cannot wait to start selling their books, so they typically skip the first section.

However, the battle for increased sales, revenue and profits in non-bookstore markets are more likely to succeed by implementing the actions that match your skills, goals and budget. That, in a nutshell, is effective planning — and it starts with strategy. Here are seven principles that will convince you to plan your strategy before you begin your journey to success.

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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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