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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 unlock Amazon's keywords and hidden categories to sell more books

by Miral Sattar
Bowker | Fri Oct 28, 2016

Do you feel like your book is getting lost in the millions of titles currently for sale on Amazon? There’s a lot of competition for readers’ attention and that will only get more difficult as more authors embrace the freedom of self-publishing. 

Did you know that you can use certain keywords in order to get your book listed in secret sub-genres that you can’t get from the regular list on the Amazon KDP dashboard? 

Amazon doesn’t offer every existing category when it's time to publish your book. 

Annoying right? 

In our next LIVE ONLINE WORKSHOP on Wednesday, November 2nd at 12:00pm EST we'll be showing you EXACTLY how to unlock Amazon's secret categories AND how to optimize your book to be discovered by more readers.

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Marketing From the Customer's Perspective

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Wed Oct 5, 2016

What is the process you follow when you go to a store to buy something? You probably go to the most convenient place (bricks or clicks) and peruse the assortment available. You may search for a particular brand if you are aware of it. If not, you look at the prices to compare the value of the items to your needs. Then depending on the strength of your need compared to the available choices you decide to buy or wait.  

If publishers looked at the purchasing process form their customers’ prospective, they could sell more books. Instead, they seek manuscripts based on an author’s knowledge (non-fiction) or imagination (fiction). Then they publish them, price them to cover all costs and desired profits, and sell them through bookstores. They announce the availability of their books through social media and publicity. And when the books do not sell they publish different ones. 

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Twitter for Writers – Part 3: Not on Twitter Yet? Here’s How to Get Started

Frances Caballo's picture
by Frances Caballo
Bowker | Tue Sep 27, 2016

This is the final article in a three-part series about Twitter for writers by Frances Caballo.

 

Start with the Basics

If you are new to Twitter, here are some initial steps you’ll need to take.
Sign Up

Join Twitter
Navigate to Twitter.com and sign up by including your first and last names, phone or email address, and a password. 

Your next step is to decide on your username, also called a handle. Restrict your username to 12 characters or fewer, even though you’re allowed 15. Brevity is important on Twitter where every character counts. Consider these tips before hitting save:

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Twitter for Writers – Part 2: Eight Reasons Why Twitter is Awesome for Writers

Frances Caballo's picture
by Frances Caballo
Bowker | Wed Sep 21, 2016

This is the second article in a three-part series about Twitter for writers by Frances Caballo.

 

Now here are eight reasons why Twitter is awesome for writers.

1.    If you’re active on Twitter, it will refer a ton of traffic to your blog and website. (Twitter is my #1 source of website traffic.)

2.    There is a large community of Indie authors on Twitter who are willing to help you promote your book and form supportive alliances. Endeavor to meet other authors in your genre, share blog posts and promote each other on Twitter.

3.    Twitter will help you to market your books.

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Twitter for Writers – Part 1: What Twitter Can Do for You

Frances Caballo's picture
by Frances Caballo
Bowker | Wed Sep 14, 2016

Those who follow me on Twitter know that I have more than 36,000 followers and frequently post throughout the day. 

How frequently? Ahem. The answer may freak out some of you: every two hours. But I do take a break between 10 pm and 4 am Pacific Time.

Why Writers Need Twitter

I know that’s a lot of tweeting. However, a tweet typically has a two-hour window of life. That’s not much. And if you want to get your content – whether you’ve written or you’re retweeting someone else – you need to tweet throughout the day.But I don’t mind. Twitter is my favorite social media network. If I had to choose between Facebook and Twitter, well, there’s simply no competition. Of all the social media networks I use, I spend more time on Twitter.

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A New Way to Sell More Books

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Wed Sep 7, 2016

There are hundreds of thousands of new titles published every year, and the competition for bookstore shelf space is intense. Now there is an enormous opportunity for independent publishers to increase their sales, revenue and profits by selling their books to special-sales buyers. 

The question that usually comes to mind is, “What are special sales?” This term is commonly used to describe sales opportunities outside of bookstores. Also referred to as non-bookstore (or non-traditional) marketing, it can build a profitable revenue stream. 

The best way to exploit this opportunity is to divide it into two segments and sell to buyers in each according to their traditional ways of purchasing. One is the retail segment where you reach buyers using a network of middlemen just as you do through bookstores. Included are airport stores, discount stores, supermarkets and specialty retailers. 

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How to Sell Books through Gift Shops in Parks

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Wed Aug 24, 2016

The National Park Service turns 100 on August 25, 2016. It seems appropriate to talk about how publishers can sell books through gift shops in parks and historic sites.

There are two major ways to sell to buyers at gift shops. One is to work through independent sales representatives found at http://www.greatrep.com. This site provides several entry points. Contact salespeople directly under “Lines Wanted,” or list your book in the “Reps Wanted” section. There is also a list of upcoming wholesale trade gift shows at which you can exhibit and/or network. 

Second are third-party operators that buy for gift shops in parks and historical centers. They work in partnership with the retail outlets to ensure that their guests have a meaningful experience and can extend their experience by discovering relevant products in their stores.

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Author Etiquette: Eight Rules Indie Authors Need to Know to Stay Safe Online

Anne R. Allen's picture
by Anne R. Allen
Bowker | Wed Aug 17, 2016

Everybody tells indie authors to participate in social media, but they usually fail to mention the dangers that lurk out there in Cyberia. Behind a keyboard, normal people can devolve into bullies, trolls, and raging vigilantes. Yes, even in highbrow literary neighborhoods. The weapons of choice are death threats, obscenities, and one-star "reviews." 

A handful of authors have spammed and gamed the system with such abandon that some people are suspicious of us all. There's no way to protect yourself completely from meanies—I've had death threats simply because I witnessed the bullying of a naïve author who broke an unwritten Goodreads rule.However, ferreting out those rules can be daunting, so here are some I've learned by trial and error. Lots of error. 

#1: Don't Spam

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Negotiating Book Sales with Deceitful Buyers

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Wed Jul 13, 2016

“Buyers are liars,” is a term some salespeople use to describe their customers. They believe prospective buyers distort the truth to put themselves in a better bargaining position. Regrettably, in some cases they are correct, so be on guard when negotiating the sale of your books to some corporate purchasers. 

According to studies among business buyers (Harvard Business Review, July-August, 2016) about half of people involved in corporate negotiations lie when they have the opportunity to improve their potential outcome. Fortunately, there are things you can do to prepare for – or even prevent – this intangible trickery.  

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When Not to Pitch Your Book

by Rochelle D. Carter
Bowker | Wed Jun 29, 2016

As authors we worry frequently about when the right time to pitch a book might be. While it's never a good idea to be brash, as an author it's very likely that your writing reflects your reality. Therefore, almost every situation you encounter will likely tie itself to you and your book. Thus, the general rule is: if the situation fits -- talk about it! Unless of course you're in one of the following circumstances:

1.    At a funeral. It is our responsibility as citizens to be there for our neighbors first and foremost. Funerals are always emotional situations that need support, kindness, and displays of love more than they need book marketing. So, be there for your loved one in person and in spirit. Chances are, if you’re at a funeral, many of the people there will know of you and your book, and they’ll likely perceive you as a more tender and relatable person if you don’t try to upsell your book at that time.

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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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