Lately I've been attracting questions from first time authors on how to get their books "out there". In other words, now that your book is done, how do you tell as many people as possible about it? Book marketing!
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Since my conversations with these writers were brief I kept the tips as simple as possible, but then it occurred to me: this was exactly how I was planning the marketing of my newest book. I'm purposely keeping it simple so I don't get overwhelmed. And overwhelm is common. After all, according to John Kremer there are 1,001 ways to market your book. You can't possibly do them all! So here's the easy way to look at book marketing. Make good choices and you'll find just the audience you're looking for.
Decide What Media You'll Target
You don't have to use all media in your marketing plan. Choose what you're most comfortable with and what would bring you superior results. Perhaps you prefer print (newspapers and magazines) to radio and television. Or maybe you'll limit your choices to radio and the internet because that's where you're most likely to find the types who will read your book. Is direct mail your cup of tea? Making this choice will help you focus. It will also save you money: pursuing everything can get really expensive.
Set Specific Goals for Each Target
Some writers will try for a mention of their book and feel triumphant if they get one review or one interview. That's great, but a real marketing strategy will help you to secure more than one review or more than one interview. But it won't happen unless you set goals and shoot for them. Let's say you choose the internet, magazines and radio as your desired media. Your goals could be:
--Internet: Get enough partners to do an email blast to 2 million people.
--Magazines: Get mentions and/or reviews of your book in 4 magazines read by your target audience.
--Radio: Do 4-6 radio interviews a month.
Write Down Action Steps
Now that you have these goals, what exactly do you have to do to achieve them? For your internet goal, your tasks may include seeking out like-minded partners who have lists of their own to send an email on your behalf. For your magazine goal, you'll probably send out regular press releases and story ideas to the editors of the magazines. Likewise for your radio goal. Once you see the steps written down, it's that much easier to put them in a calendar and schedule time to get them done.
Take Action Daily
Make sure you do something everyday to forward your goals. That's exactly what Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen did to make Chicken Soup for the Soul a success. They called it "The Rule of Five" and they made sure they did five things from their action plan every single day. It paid off for them big time. You can do the same. Remember to go back to your plan and read it again if you get distracted or become overwhelmed. Your plan will remind you of what you want to achieve and what choices will help you to do so. It's like they say about eating an elephant--you can do it. It just takes a while and you have to take small bites!
Guest blogger: Sophfronia Scott is Executive Editor of the Done For You Writing & Publishing Company. Learn what a difference being a published author can make for your business. Get your FREE audio CD, "How to Succeed in Business By Becoming a Bestselling Author" and your FREE online writing and book publishing tips at www.DoneForYouWriting.com.
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