You want to write a
book, and that is your first goal.
Whatever your reasons
are for pursuing that goal are yours and yours alone, but you really need to
decide what your purpose is. Do you want to write a book just to record family
history and make it available just for family members? Do you want to write a
book and start a career as a writer, a money-earning writer? Either reason is
right so long as that is what you are willing to work towards.
There are many
opportunities for self publishing and even some publish on demand so if your
audience is minimal, that’s the route you should follow.
However if you want to
sell your book and see some financial return you should make a realistic
marketing plan towards that end. Who will want to read your book? Who do you
want to read your book? Remember that not every book will appeal to everyone. How
do you define success? A word of caution, most writers do not make a living
from writing alone so you must also be rational when you dream of success.
Establish a target
audience. Your marketing efforts will have to be geared to that specific
audience; place blogs, interviews, advertisements and appearances in places
where your target audience will see or hear them. For instance if your target
audience includes long-distance truckers, chances are a nursery school bulletin
will not influence any of them, but it might pay to place flyers/ads in
roadside diners, trucking magazines, or places where maps and travel guides are
available.
Think of actions that
will help you to reach your goals. Once you establish your audience, consider
appearances, placing ads, posting blogs, etc. Marketing plans are not short
term spurts, they must be ongoing, steady and should keep your name and your
book’s name in the forefront. Consumers generally need repeated exposure to an
item before they consider purchasing. Ways to keep publicizing your name (the
brand) and your book (the product) can include bookmarks, contest giveaways,
personalized SWAG, author appearances, book discussions, radio interviews, blogging,
paid advertisements, and press releases.
Set a timetable, a
pragmatic schedule that will permit you to create and keep the buzz out there
without burning yourself out. What do you have to spend in both time and money?
Be prudent and don’t go over budget. When giving away books remember two things
– don’t devalue yourself and don’t give away what you cannot afford. Get
creative in designing and purchasing SWAG such as personalized labels to put on
wrapped candy, themed key chains, trading cards, etc. There are inexpensive
companies out there to build up your collection, get opinions from other
authors about where they purchase supplies.
Finally keep a journal
of all your marketing efforts and any results you can attach. Sometimes the results
may not be immediate so be sure to record any increased sales and examine what
you’ve done recently. Before long you will be able to see which efforts produce
and which don’t. Spend your time, and any money you may invest, on the actions
that get you the best results.
Writing
exercise: Think of the most recent book
that you read (preferably not your own). Decide WHO the book seems to appeal
to most. Write one to two paragraphs “selling” the book to that particular
market. Do the same about a popular TV show. Finally write a marketing blurb
about your own work.
Writing
prompt: List ten places you would go in
order to meet people who have the same or similar interests as you.
