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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
 

How to Maximize Your Income (With Pricing Ideas You Probably Never Considered)

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jun 6, 2023

At what price should I sell my book?” This frequently posed question is like asking “How much does a car cost?” Book-pricing discussions typically focus on simple price setting: whether to charge $14.95 or $19.99. That myopic decision ignores the multitude of options for selling your information that can significantly increase your income. 
 
Do not think of revenue as only from book sales, but from all the ways potential buyers can access your content. There are other vehicles to deliver your content and to generate revenue. Therefore, a more strategic and profitable question to ask is, “How can I maximize my revenue from all the products and services I offer — or could offer — to communicate my information?”
 
Inside Publishing
Marketing & Publicity
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Everything an Author Needs to Know About Reader Magnets

Penny C. Sansevieri's picture
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue May 30, 2023

 
You’ve probably joined your fair share of author mailing lists. Maybe you wanted to see what other authors were sending, or you’re a big fan, or you fell for a reader magnet.
 
A reader magnet is content that an author offers to readers for free in exchange for joining their mailing list or following on social media. It’s a win-win situation, and the author is actually providing value to the reader for the contact information.
 
But how do you create a good one, how do you use it, and what does it really even entail?
 
So Why Does a Reader Magnet Matter?
 
We often rely on social media to help us build relationships with readers, and while that can happen, it’s not ideal for all of your communication.
 
Inside Publishing
Marketing & Publicity
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Avoid the Coming Plandemic

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue May 16, 2023

There is a marketing adage that says, “If you fail to plan you plan to fail.” Unfortunately, most authors and publishers fail to plan. For example, when asked to define their target market their response is, “Everybody.” When questioned on how they plan to market to everybody, their reply is to get into Barnes and Noble and then get active on social media. In other words, they plan to fail and open themselves to acquiring the inevitable plandemic. 
 
The good news is that there is a way to prevent this affliction from occurring. Here are specific actions you can take to immunize yourself and avoid developing the plandemic — or cure it if you are already stricken. 
 
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Bonus Content: Fresh Ideas for Promoting a Book

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by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue May 2, 2023

Are you at wits’ end for new ideas for promoting a book? It’s difficult to stay on the cutting edge of book marketing. So, here’s an idea: bonus content.

For both self-published and traditionally published books, bonus content is severely underutilized. This, coincidentally, makes it even more enticing to readers because it’s so rare. The first thing you might think of when talking about bonus content is budget, and the second is probably time. If you’re limited on either, or both, you’re in luck because you likely already have everything you need to create great bonus content.

Here are some considerations for promoting a book using bonus content:

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Possibility Planning

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Apr 11, 2023

Before you embark on a long drive, one that you take periodically, you check traffic conditions and make appropriate adjustments. If there are no problems, you embark on your regular route. However, on the way an accident happens. Traffic is backed up for miles, but your intrepid GPS warned you in time to take an alternate route. As you travel this new path you may discover that it is an equally pleasant or even better course than your standard one, and it becomes your new “regular.”
 
As we travel the highway to our publishing objectives, unforeseen developments will occur. Murphy’s Law is active and potentially pernicious in our industry, periodically forcing us to seek different paths to achieving our goals. Fortunately, some of these alternative routes yield unexpected benefits.
 
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Hybrid Author Events: Clever Ideas for Promoting a Book

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by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Mar 28, 2023

Events have always been a favorite book marketing strategy of mine. While most events have moved and remained online, many have embraced a hybrid format for conferences, speaking events, and more. There are certainly some drawbacks to online and hybrid events, mostly around monetization, however, the benefits of this strategy should make the time and effort worthwhile.

Understanding Hybrid Author Events 

A hybrid event is one that combines both in-person and hybrid elements. Here, you would have both an in-person and a virtual audience. And those watching remotely might be able to watch synchronously or asynchronously. This can feel a bit tricky the first time you do it — but, after one of these sessions, you’ll quickly get the hang of this way of presenting. In reality, it’s not that much different from speaking to an all in-house audience, only now, you can reach even more readers, or potential readers.

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Generating Sales After Self-Publishing: Five Things You Must Know

Penny C. Sansevieri's picture
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Mar 14, 2023

Do you know the difference between book marketing and book sales? Well, it’s pretty easy.

Book marketing is raising awareness. It’s the social campaigns, the websites, the Amazon profiles; it’s what introduces you and your book to a potential reader. Meanwhile, book sales is done by your book. Is your work good enough to secure the sale? Is your cover enticing and your description flawless? I hope the answer is yes if you’re doing all this work to market it.

If you’re drawing potential readers to your book and getting them in the door, but you’re not getting many sales, that’s a sign there’s something wrong with your book, not with your marketing.

So let’s dig in and find out what really matters:

1. Know your buyer market.

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Short-Term Actions to Reach Long-Term Goals

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Mar 7, 2023

Entrepreneurial book publishers are regularly faced with a dilemma. They recognize the need to focus on long-term growth and they create five-year plans to achieve it. On the other hand, they understand they must generate short-term revenue to stay in business long enough to reach their ultimate goals. The dilemma? How to survive during the short term to achieve long-term success?
 
The answer is not to find better books to sell, but to find better ways to sell books. That is to create and implement an array of marketing tools that allows each to fulfill its designated function over a specific time period. 
 
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How to Improve Your Website for Better Book Marketing

Penny C. Sansevieri's picture
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Feb 7, 2023

Consider your website to be your first introduction to a reader. They may have heard your name, or maybe they’ve seen your book in the store, but they don’t really know you or your writing. With your website, you get to decide what their first impression of you will be. What does that look like for you?
 
Your website doesn’t need to have all the bells and whistles and look like an aesthetic masterpiece, but it should be professional and competitive. To a potential reader, the quality of your website may be indicative of the quality of your work. So if your website looks thrown together and unrefined, that may be what they expect from your book.
 
There are a few must-haves for any good website. Here is a list of what you’ll need to get started: 
 
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Top Ten Tips for Creating a Sales Proposal

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jan 31, 2023

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.
 
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Getting Started

Create a Culture of Quality in Your Publishing Company

Thu, November 13

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

Today's Great American Novel (Part 2 of 2)

Wed, August 20

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