So you wanna know about marketing your book?
If you are an author, you must market your book, even if you have a traditional publishing company as your publisher. The old myth that your traditional publishing company will market you book for you is just that: a myth.
So, in order to be effect, you will need to know some basics to become effective in your marketing endeavors. Marketing is like fitting a puzzle together. You know how exciting it is to see all the parts of a puzzle laying on the table before you and the excitement when you find those first two pieces that fit together. The marketing puzzle has three major parts that fit together. You must create awareness of your book. You must make connections with folks who are potential buyers of your book. And the hardest part for most everyone, you must ask those folks to purchase you book. Fit these together and you will become successful in getting your book and all its wonderful words into the reader’s hands.
To create awareness, you need to identify who the audience is for you book. If you have written about “electric trains” chances are folks who never had an interest in “electric trains” but are interested in “baseball cards” are not going to be interested in what you have to say.
To create connections today has become easier than in the past. And a lot of the tools that you can use, Facebook, Twitter, a WordPress or Blogger blog, are free to use and do not have a very steep learning curve to use them effectively.
As an example, one press release, one blog entry, one Facebook post, or one Tweet will not suffice. Only you closest friends will purchase from you with one encounter. Others will need to build relationship with you before they trust you enough to buy your book. So, you need repeated exposure in these marketing areas to assist your potential reader finally click your “buy button.”
Embedded in the idea of connection is the dismissal of the idea that you can simply market you book to faceless millions and find success. If you are constantly thinking about entering into the fray of mass marketing, make sure you have deep pockets and money in them to burn.
To market is personal. To sell is the results of being personal.
Creating a purchase is often the most difficult part of this three piece puzzle. Asking for the sale seems invasive to most authors. And, the fear of being rejected is a large factor that inhibits authors from making the request. But, if you do not take this action, you book does not get into the hands of the readers who need to read what you have written.
Gather all the fans you will, but if you don’t make them an offer, you won’t sell the book that you have labored to bring to birth. Folks want to buy. They need a small enticing offer to make that final leap and release the funds to you.
Remember, three parts to the puzzle: creating awareness, creating connections, creating an opportunity to purchase.
More anon…