Once again – you, the author, are almost
100% the reason your book will sell. It is your belief, excitement,enthusiasm,
and energy that will get reader excited about buying your book.
We, however, can be the vehicle by which you communicate your
passion to the rest of the world!
But, for ANYTHING to happen we need to know a
few things about you and your book. And you’ll need to know to get
a good target at which to aim our marketing efforts.
What is your definition of
success for your book?
Some authors write for themselves and their
faimilies only – they don’t dream of their books as bestsellers
in the marketplace. Some authors write for a very specific personal
need to tell their story. Some have unique insight into very
specific topics. Many have dreams of seeing their book in the front
of Borders or Barnes & Noble. Each author is different, but you
MUST decide what your
real definition of success happens to be. We don’t want to pursue
a goal that may not be what you actually feel is important.
Who will buy your book?
The secret to sales success is to target your
marketing directly as possble to your potential reader – and have
it be someone who is reachable.
“Everyone will want to read my book!” Sorry,
but that doesn’t work. Even the absolute best selling books –
that sell 2 or 3 million copies in a year - only penetrate to about
3% of the population. Sales success for your book will be driven by
defining a very clear picture of
who is interested in your book.
They must be identifiable: Make a list!
Which groups would be interested in your book? Why? Who is next? Why
should the need or want your book? (remember this – someone is
more likely to buy something they NEED before something they WANT)
Now – narrow it down even more. Years ago
books on computers were all the rage – the market was saturated at
the “beginner” level, and it seemed impossible to get anymore
books into consumers hands.. Then a company came along with the
bright idea that they would write a computer book for beginners –
but beginners who felt intimidated by their computers – and the
now ubiquitous and quite famous “For Dummies” series was born
– at the time the books hit, there were nearly 3 dozen titles out
for beginners. Yet this one scooped up nearly a 70% market share
overnight. The rest were left to fight for the scraps. Find a unique
angle about your book – and don’t try and be everything to
everyone, because you can’t – insteand target 100% of a specific
part!
Where will you sell your book?
Start Worldwide (world wide web that is) and
then get local: Where are your customers? Probably scattered
around the country. Use the power of print on demand and just in
time fulfillment to deliver books all across the nation without
having to print hundreds at a time. Where does your customer hang
out online? What magazines and papers do they read? What stores do
they frequent – that AREN’T bookstores? What associations,
clubs, or affiliations do they join? What conventions to they go to?
How can you reach them? Promote your books where you find a high
concentration of potential buyers.
How will you promote your book?
The least expensive and most effective ways to
promote books are with book
reviews, news releases, search engine registration, and some form
of highly targeted direct advertising – such as email campaigns,
news
releases, and pay-for-performance click through advertising.
Longer term promotions include author signings, TV and Radio spots,
and tradeshows – these are also the most difficult, time consuming,
and expensive to secure.
Do NOT neglect the power of you the author –
our top tier packages include materials that can help turn you into
a promotional machine. Business cards, posters, bookmarks – all
are available to support your marketing efforts.
Follow these steps on creating a plan for your
book, and together we will build a great campaign to get the word
out about your story!
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