Whether you’ve just published a book or have a book that isn’t selling, now is the time to get to it; start marketing today! Ensuring the success of any book is something even the biggest publishers have never been able to guarantee, but with a good book, a little or a lot of money, and just plain hard work the odds are in your favor; many have done it. Self publishers need to have a good marketing plan to sell books and should be written prior to writing your book and in place a year prior to publishing your book.
Your book press release should not be written as you would a sales letter or flier, it should be written for the editor and tell about your book in a factual way, no opinion or glowing remarks. Using press releases can be a very effective marketing tool if used properly. Make sure you have at least one good press release, written in AP style, that you can send out for the lifetime of your book.
Press releases can generate thousands of dollars in sales when picked up by national trade or print media. Using press releases for marketing or promoting your book or book’s website has become increasingly popular as publishers discover the powerful benefits of using press releases. Send out at least 10 press releases to the print and broadcast media in your area every month.
Mail a press release to all the trade journals in your field over and over again; you can use the same release. Invest in press release submitting software and set aside time every week to send out a press release online to the press directories.
Make sure to promote and market your book each and every day, both online and offline. You can give away your book in a raffle at a local function to get more book recognition. I’ve seen publishers lose a lot of money paying for expensive display ads, so beware if you do this; I don’t advise it in the beginning — get your feet wet first so you know what you’re doing.
Remember to make sure your book is listed in Books-in-Print; don’t assume it’s already listed. Women buy more books then men; see how you can fit your book into the women’s’ market. Contact any companies, corporations or organizations that might use your book for promotions; offer significant discounts for volume orders or for thousands of copies offer a specified amount above book production costs.
Place free ads periodically for your book’s website on Craigslist in different categories to drive even more traffic to your website. Contact non-bookstore booksellers and offer to leave books on consignment. Find a non-exclusive distributor with a good reputation to carry your book for the book store trade, as well as for other retailers.
Every day it’s important to focus on a variety of marketing approaches. Local radio shows and television appearances are good but are often forgotten within hours of the broadcast; make sure to make or get a copy of any television broadcast for future promotions. If your book solves a problem, focus on this in your marketing.
Your sales letter or flier should include an eye-grabbing headline, the benefits to the buyer, the book features, book sales information and testimonials. Be your own publicist and send a press release along with a review copy of your book to publications in your book’s genre and to book review magazines.
Market your book to your number one market first, and then go after the secondary markets. Get as many testimonials about your book, as possible, from experts in the field relating to your title, not customers; use on your fliers and back of books.
Make sure do some serious marketing and promotion every single day, no excuses. One of the biggest problems self publishers and book publishers tell me about is the hundreds of books they have in inventory they haven’t set up a marketing plan for; don’t let this happen to you — get prepared now. Use your book promotion and book marketing dollars wisely; go after the free and cheap resources daily.
