Archive for Promotion
Sell More Books Locally
Much of what we read concerning book publicity urges us to pursue channels at a distance: mailing the book to distant contests, book reviewers, book tours to major cities, etc. Sure, take advantage of opportunities around the country (and world), but while peering into the distance, don’t overlook the possibilities close to home. Since it’s difficult for me to travel, due to raising kids and caring for my 103-year-old granny, I’m spending a lot of time thinking about local sales
“Sure-Fire” Marketing Strategies Don’t Always Work
What marketing plan will work best for you? Are there any “sure-fire” ways to sell books? Here’s what I learned yesterday.
The Potential
I’ve heard cutting edge book marketers say that one of the biggest keys to sales is collecting e-mail addresses on your site or blog and then sending regular e-mails to give readers useful information and inform them about your books. That tact would seem to work perfectly for me, since I’ve got two busy websites, one for youth workers and pastors (www.youth-ministry.info ) and one for those who teach character in public schools (www.character-education.info ). About 1,000 people visit these sites each day, and I’ve collected over 10,000 e-mail addresses.
When Marketing Your Book Doesn’t Make Sense
Need to sell more of your books? If marketing methods that make sense aren’t working, try methods that don’t make sense. This kind of thinking isn’t unusual in the business world.
Who’d have thought that people would pay $3.50 for a cup of coffee? Starbucks did the nonsensical and built a great company.
Who’d have thought you could make money by selling products so cheap that real businessmen “just knew” you couldn’t make a profit? Wal-Mart did the nonsensical and built the largest retailing outfit in the world.
Times were when people “just knew” that the universe revolved around the earth, that the earth was flat, and that time wasn’t relative. But thinkers who entertained nonsensical thoughts discovered otherwise.
Plod on with Your Marketing, Expect Results over Time
Two marketing books I was re-reading this week (with nonfiction books, I initially read do a thorough read, underlining extensively. Later, I tend to re-read just my underlinings for review.) urged readers to give marketing time – a lot of time. I didn’t remember this from my first read of each book, but it came at a good time for me.
Authors: Use Video to Promote Your New Book
Interested in posting a video to promote your book? I’ve heard people say that posting to places like YouTube.com can generate a lot of interest in your books and bring in a lot of Web traffic to view your books. Since it’s free, I’m all for it. Here’s how I went about it. I’ll tell later what impact, if any, I think it had on book sales.
Learn about Publishing and Book Marketing through Forums and List Serves
But sometimes I need specific information that most books don’t address, or need information that’s quickly dated in books, such as:
What publishers are currently offering the best services?
What are the best blogs to send a book to for review?
What book marketing techniques are working best today?
Getting the Most from Book Contests & Awards
An author friend submitted his book to be considered for an award. Although he didn’t win, he was nominated for an award, giving him the right to put a sticker on his book saying something like: “Nominated for Georgia Author of the Year.” He says that this sticker really helps him with sales.
Tips for Commenting on Blogs
Book marketers, authors, publicists, and social networking gurus all sing the praises of participating in online discussions about the topics and themes of their writing. It’s a great way to connect with people who are already interested in your topic. Do it enough, and in the right way, and you’ll help your niche audience find your book. Here are some of the reasons:
Helpful Annotated List of Books on Book Marketing
From the 15 or so books I’ve read on publishing/marketing, I’ve found that each new book I read gives me many valuable insights. It’s not like you read one book and then the next is simply saying the same thing in different words. There’s a lot to learn, and I’m glad for all the reading I’ve done on publishing and marketing.
