“Not All Marketing People are Writers, But All Writers Must Learn to be Marketers.” – Joanne Kraft
By Scott Lorenz
Westwind Communications
In the world of book sales and publishing, marketing is an important tool to get your book the attention it deserves. Having a solid and well written book is essential, but promotion and publicity will be necessary to get your book noticed in today’s competitive book market. Just as time is invested in the writing process, you’ll also need to invest some time and effort to promote your work.
Here are 10 tips, from my years of book publicist experience, to help you market your book:
1. Make your title work for you. It is no longer enough to pick a title that you like or that fits your book. The best titles not only sound good but are optimized for the internet age. Utilize my book, Book Title Generator, for a proven system to choose your best title.
2. Refine your elevator pitch and logline. Pitches and loglines help sell your work and attract the interest of publishers, editors, or producers. They encapsulate the story arc and themes in one to two well-crafted sentences. Invest time writing and refining your pitches. Practice delivering them with confidence and fluidity.
3. Establish your online presence. Make sure your audience can find you online even before your book is finished. Make a website and post blogs, articles you’ve written, and updates about your book. Utilize LinkedIn, Goodreads, Facebook, and other social media platforms to expand your audience and keep your work on people’s minds.
4. Take advantage of writer’s conferences to network and get feedback. Attending writers’ conferences gives you a chance to pitch your book, learn about publishing options and meet book editors, agents and book marketing specialists. If your book is not yet finished, these conferences are a valuable chance to get advice that will help in the writing process.
5. Make your book available for pre-order. Utilize the period prior to the launch date to generate buzz around your book. Promotion on social media can build excitement, attract attention, and get readers to pre-order your upcoming release. Some authors hold contests and promotions or offer exclusive bonus content for pre-orders. Pre-order stats influence many things, from how Amazon and other retailers stock inventory to first week sales statistics.
6. Create an online launch team: Expand your reach by creating a launch team of folks who will back your book and promote it on social media. Send copies to bloggers or podcast hosts who might be interested in its content and willing to promote it. Family, friends, and coworkers may be willing to share content and spread the news about your book. The more the merrier when it comes to launch teams!
7. Enter your book in a book contest. It takes time, effort, and entry fee money to enter book award contests, but awards are invaluable for marketing. Awards create interest in your book, provide added credibility, and increase sales potential. A book award can give you an edge in reaching out to media, booksellers, and agents and sometimes that’s all the difference needed to propel your book into bestseller territory.
8. Activate your local media: In our internet driven world, it’s sometimes easy to forget about marketing opportunities closer to home. Don’t forget to get your local media onboard for your marketing efforts. Contact local newspapers, television stations, and radio stations to see if they’d be interested in interviewing a hometown author.
9. Get to know your local bookstore owners and managers. Local bookstores are the most likely place for readers in your area to encounter your work. The better you know the folks who own or operate those bookstores, the easier it is to ask them about hosting book release parties, readings, signings, author interviews, or book clubs.
10. HIRE A BOOK PUBLICIST. Marketing is a complicated and time-consuming process, and a book publicist will utilize their experience and network of contacts to bring attention to your book. Author Adam S. McHugh says, “The work of promoting the book requires just as much work as writing the book, if not more so.” Putting this complex task into the hands of a professional gives you more time to do what you do best – WRITE!
At Westwind Communications, we have decades of marketing experience, partnering with authors of many different genres to get all the book publicity they deserve and more.TM
The Bottom Line: Use these book marketing tips to promote your work but remember that a professional book publicist will go the distance in coordinating and implementing your comprehensive marketing strategy.
About Book Publicist Scott Lorenz
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at https://www.WestwindBookMarketing.com or contact Lorenz at [email protected] or 734-667-2090 or fill out the form below. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenz’s new award winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net.
Would you like help promoting your book?
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
