Children's Book Tip: Clarify Your Life-Changing Message.

The  key to marketing your book: Once you have determined your message, your core reader, and your core buyer, I want you to use this information to answer this question. 

• How will you change the lives of your readers and your buyers?

This may sound like an ambitious goal, and it is meant to be. Think about it. If you are not out to change lives by writing and publishing this book, why are you doing it? If you are doing it for yourself, that's fine. If crossing off an item on your bucket list is your main motivation, why should anyone else care?

On the other hand, suppose you can say with confidence that your book is going to change a child's life, and here's how. And suppose you can say that your book is going to change your buyer's life, and here's how. You have just determined that your book is important—even necessary—to others. This is your version of the "elevator speech," your thirty-second explanation of what you are all about.—The Publishing Pro.

Marketing Tip: Start Yesterday.

This blog headline from Guy Kawasaki got my attention: "10 Social Media Tips for Authors." Below is the first of the tips. Follow the link to see the others. Also worth noting is his reference in the introduction to "artisanal publishers" (aka self-publishers).

You must make progress along two fronts at the same time: writing your book and building your marketing platform. You cannot wait until you’re done writing, because a platform takes nine months to a year to build. Ideally, you started building your platform before you even began to write your book.

—The Publishing Pro