Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Marketing 101: While You're Writing Your Book ...


... You should be marketing. In addition to building your key contact lists, do the following:

Give Presentations Related to Your Work: This is one of the best things you can to prepare for publication. In doing so, you are:
  • promoting your work;
  • promoting yourself and adding to your credibility;
  • delivering your core messages;
  • developing your skill;
  • creating a structure for selling your book. 
In fact, in most cases, presentations—lectures, workshops, seminars—are the venue where you will sell the most books. In religious publishing, this is called the “hem of the garment” dynamic. If someone goes to your seminar, they not only hear what you have to say, they meet you. This creates a very strong pull for them, assuming they like what they’ve heard, to walk away with something that reinforces their experience. The model is exactly the same as the one for musicians. Where do most musicians sell most of their CDs? At their concerts, of course. 

Talk about it: Tell people you’re writing this book. Tell them its title and when you think it will be done. Tell them about it in your conversations, in your blogging, on your website, in whatever way you can. Some would-be authors worry about someone stealing their idea. If you have a plan and are sticking to it, this eventuality is not worth worrying about. If you let people know what you’re up to, you will build your key contact and potential customer list. 
Write related material: If you have a blog or a website, put pieces of your book on line. Many people use blogs to actually write their book. If you can write short articles for newsletters or magazines, do so. Be sure to put information about your forthcoming book in your biographical information. 
Contact potential strategic partners: Anytime during the publishing process, you can be talking to other potential “strategic partners.” These can be people or entities interested in publishing your book, co-publishing it with you (that is, buying a large amount off the top), doing their own edition, helping distribute it in some way, or helping you promote it.

 

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