Category Archives: Book Marketing

Posts about Book Marketing and Selling Books

Self Publishers’ Guide To The Best Cheap And Easy Book Marketing Tips

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Whether you’ve just published a book or have a book that isn’t selling, now is the time to get to it; start marketing today! Self publishers need to have a good marketing plan to sell books and should be written prior to writing your book and in place a year prior to publishing your book. Your book selling, book marketing, and book promotion planning should begin before the manuscript is completed.

Your book press release should not be written as you would a sales letter or flier, it should be written for the editor and tell about your book in a factual way, no opinion or glowing remarks. Mail a press release to at least 1000 print and broadcast contacts just prior to publishing your title and again and again after you publish; you can never send too many. Make sure you have at least one good press release, written in AP style, that you can send out for the lifetime of your book.

Using press releases can be a very effective marketing tool if used properly. Make sure your press release spells out the ‘who, what, where, when, and why.’ Learning to write and use powerful optimized press releases can often drive tons of traffic to your website while providing multiple back links that can lead to increased page rank and numerous top ten search engine rankings for your targeted keywords.

Don’t underestimate the value of a good press release for making book sales. Send out the same press release to the editor of your local daily newspaper every week until you are called for an interview or are written up.

Make five telephone calls a day that relate to marketing your book. Create an online contest and list it in online contest directories to drive traffic to your website. If your book solves a problem, focus on this in your marketing.

Get as many testimonials about your book, as possible, from experts in the field relating to your title, not customers; use on your fliers and back of books. I’ve seen publishers lose a lot of money paying for expensive display ads, so beware if you do this; I don’t advise it in the beginning — get your feet wet first so you know what you’re doing. When you get a nice write up or feature about you and/or your book, have it laminated and set it up on an easel at trade shows.

Every day it’s important to focus on a variety of marketing approaches. If your book fits a specialty market, find a store that fits the genre and offer to leave books on consignment; many publishers have sold thousands of books this way. Make sure not to overlook the Internet; get yourself interviewed or profiled for sites both about writing, publishing and about the topics covered in your book.

Remember to make sure your book is listed in Books-in-Print; don’t assume it’s already listed. Submit articles to online article directories that focus on your book’s topic to drive customers to your website. Contact non-bookstore booksellers and offer to leave books on consignment.

Build a web site that provides another avenue for ordering, a virtual online press kit and link exchanges with sites that relate to your topic. Make sure to promote and market your book each and every day, both online and offline.

It’s important to publish a website that focuses on your title; you’ll be able to refer editors and customers and all interested parties to your book information with the click of a mouse. Local radio shows and television appearances are good but are often forgotten within hours of the broadcast; make sure to make or get a copy of any television broadcast for future promotions.

Make sure to do some serious marketing and promotion every single day, no excuses. Don’t delay another day if you’ve fallen by the wayside; make sure to focus on promoting, selling and marketing your book each and every day. One of the biggest problems self publishers and book publishers tell me about is the hundreds of books they have in inventory they haven’t set up a marketing plan for; don’t let this happen to you — get prepared now.

For more information on book marketing tips and selling more books go to http://www.TwinPeaksPress.com founded in 1982, specializing in help for authors, self publishers, ebook and book publishers with tips, advice and resources, including information on media, library and other mailing lists, and press releases – online, wire service and offline distribution

Author: Helen Hecker
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Distribute Your Self-Published Book – Part 1

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Where is your book now? With a distributor? In a book store? Or, did it already die an early death after a few months? New self-published authors often believe they need a distributor to sell a lot of books. They want to use Ingram or Baker & Taylor because they think they need to get their book into the “brick and mortar” bookstores like Barnes and Noble. Authors go through many hoops and snags to accomplish this– what I call the “traditional publishing nightmare” of inefficiency and lack of support for authors. Usually the author only gets around 10% royalties and has to pay back all promotion expenses such as book signings. So many hoops, some give up. So many authors I speak with who have gone this route still have hundreds, even thousands of unsold copies littering up storage space. Talk about discouragement. Distributors Can be Dangerous to Your Book’s Health and Your Wallet One author wrote, illustrated, and marketed six beautiful children’s books. Her books were well reviewed and received. For some time, the profits rolled in until her distributor went bankrupt, owing her $160,000. After she stopped crying, she decided to take her books on the road—to local fairs and talks where she could KEEP all the profits. Distributors take quite a chunk of money from the author’s profits too. They charge the author for storage, and when books are returned, the author loses those sales, and has to pay the distributor too. Authors lose from the bookstores because their payment is late or unreliable. Some authors wait way beyond 90 days. In fact, many just don’t get paid. Writers are not always good at collections either. These middlemen not only take most of the author’s profits, they cause much stress too. How Can Self-Published Authors Distribute? Self-published books include: print books (perfect bound, comb bound, print on demand or print quantity needed, or stapled) or eBooks (sent over Email through Word or Portable Document Files) Local Distribution. For each venue, make sure to include ordering information such as your Web site URL, your company address, your toll-free 800 number, your local phone number, and an order page to fill out for fax or phone orders. 1. Distribute through the Press. -Create a “Power Press Release” (include tips and how-to’s)
-Get a Feature Story from the Media
-Write a how-to article and submit 2. Distribute through a local Talk Show-Radio and TV or guest speak for another person’s teleclasses. Just a phone call away you can reach 100’s of people interested in your book’s topic. Do some research on www. teleclass. com [http://www. teleclass. com]. From my guesting with other experts every 2 months, new clients come; new book and teleclass sales increase to make up half my income. On the talk shows or the teleclasses, offer the audience a free report to capture their email addresses. You can also send it through your host and she will distribute that information to her large email list. Of course you include your sales-pulling signature file at the end. 3. Distribute at local talks to groups. Sell your print books at the back of the room. Take a clipboard and capture everyone’s email at the talk. These people become your dedicated sales force and tell others. Word of mouth takes up to one or two years, so be patient for results. Check your library for Clubs who need free speakers. Develop a selling two-sided flyer with testimonials, your book cover, excerpts, and an ordering coupon. Take books and flyers with you everywhere. Offer to all you meet, even your dentist! Authors need to be proactive in book promotion because publishers won’t do it for them. (Part 2 of this article is available)

Judy Cullins, 20-year book and Internet Marketing Coach, Author of 10 eBooks including “Write your eBook Fast,” and “How to Market your Business on the Internet,” she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says…and Business Tip of the Month at [http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml] and over 140 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com

Author: Judy Cullins
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Book Marketing Landmines and How to Avoid Them

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In order to conduct a successful book marketing campaign as a POD published author, you will need to understand the challenges that can hinder your success. If you are not aware of these challenges and try to blindly market your book, you will find yourself caught in the middle of a book marketing minefield – surrounded by landmines that can seriously limit your career as a published author. Once your book is released and you begin to market it, you will discover:

1. “Being available” means being buried among the thousands of books posted on the online bookstores and computer book ordering systems.

2. You are expected to be an expert on your topic and market your book without any help.

3. Hiring a book publicist is expensive and probably outside of your budget.

4. Your book will not be stocked in traditional bookstores due to your publisher’s no return and/or non-standard discount policies.

5. Many mainstream book reviewers have a policy against reviewing self-published or POD books, regardless of quality.

6. Your family and friends are your best customers when your book is released – then you struggle to sell additional copies.

7. If you do invest in a public relations campaign, you don’t sell many copies because:
a. Your book is “available” to be ordered but not in stock, or
b. You have to buy the books and offer them on consignment. There is little profit and you get stuck with the non-returnable unsold books.

8. You have little PR experience and are scared to death of calling the press to try and get coverage. You are also either a full-time parent or working a full-time job which hinders your ability to market your book – even if you knew how.

9. You build a free Website and try the free Internet marketing options. Your Website receives little, if any, traffic and you feel like your Website is about as effective as being buried in a dense rain forest.

10. You buy a few “Secrets” type books but the only ones making money are those that sold you the books.

11. You realize that there are no “secrets,” just skills that need to be learned and techniques that must be mastered. You are totally overwhelmed and feel that book marketing is a complex jigsaw puzzle.

12. You try talking to other authors in forums and groups and they’re equally confused, frustrated and demoralized.

Is there a way out of this book marketing minefield?
Now that your enthusiasm has been doused with cold water, you have two choices. You can continue to do more of the same and hope for a better outcome, or you can become an Authorpreneur.

What is an Authorpreneur?
Authorpreneurs do not compete using the traditional book marketing model. Instead, they view their books as products and effectively combine their writing skills with proven Internet Marketing techniques to accomplish better results. This allows them to become an expert within a niche, based upon their book’s theme. An Authorpreneur understands HOW to write effective Web content and use technology to generate:

o A consistent amount of laser targeted traffic

o The right kind of links to their Website to increase their search engine ranking

o A large worldwide subscriber list to brand themselves as experts

o Consistent book and niche product sales from their list

What about book promotion?
Authorpreneurs also use technology to level the playing field and gain a competitive advantage in gaining PR. They understand that:

o 98% of journalists go online daily

o 92% do it for article research

o 76% to find new sources and experts

o 73% to find press releases

By building a content-rich professional Website that achieves “Top Ten” search engine placement, Authorpreneur Websites are easily found by journalists and producers researching niche topics for their articles and programs. This leads to interviews and media exposure for Authorpreneurs.

Additionally, Authorpreneurs know where to find online media databases to quickly research a list of media contacts interested in their niche topics. Then by conducting targeted e-mail campaigns, they get added to many “expert contact lists” that gain them future interviews.

Additional Benefits
Once Authorpreneurs establish an expert status with their subscriber list and generate steady sales, they use this track record to rise above the clutter to attract literary agents and mainstream publishers with a “ready to buy” market for their books. Their book proposals are also more credible because they are based upon the actual “wants” of their niche audience which substantiates the “need” for their book.

Conclusion
Most POD authors learn book marketing as they go and do not understand the power of leveraging technology to brand themselves as experts. This is usually a painful experience. However, by becoming an Authorpreneur, writers can gain a competitive advantage by combining their writing skills with sound Internet Marketing techniques to avoid the book marketing landmines that can seriously limit their writing careers.

V. Michael Santoro is a published author and creator of the Book Marketing 3.0 program. For a free Book Marketing Toolbar, visit his Website at http://www.proauthors.com. Additionally, you can demo the cool new Video Marketing Assistant on you book’s Website. See how this technology can help turn your visitors into customers.

Author: V. Michael Santoro
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Getting Your Book Noticed – How to Promote a Self-Published Book

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Self-publishing a book is not easy. On the contrary, it’s rather difficult and overwhelming. You are totally in charge of designing an attractive and professional looking cover design, making sure that your book’s interior layout is likewise professional and up to the industry standard’s, you must edit and proofread your book extensively to ensure proper grammar and spelling, and most of all, you have to write a great story about your topic! After this lengthy process, most authors will find themselves exhausted and ready for a break.

Well, it doesn’t come just yet. Now you will need to put all of your efforts and energies into one thing: promoting your new book. Unless you have the money to hire a publicist or a marketing firm, you’re on your own here too. Try not to be discouraged by this news, since the internet is such a breeding ground for opportunity and I’m happy to tell you there are endless ways to generate buzz for your book.

The following list are the top questions that most first time self-published authors have on their minds after reading that:

  • “How do I get attention for my book?”
  • “How much does it typically cost to get my book noticed?”
  • “Who should I approach for promotion opportunities?”
  1. The answer the first question is very broad. This can depend a lot on what your particular subject and format actually are. For example, if you’re promoting a self-published ebook then you will probably want to devote most of your marketing efforts to online ventures. For print books, in person events and touring may be better options.

  2. The answer to this will vary significantly depending on where you are featuring your book. To be honest with you, online buzz and attention from the media should never cost you anything. These things should be free, because the organization or person hosting your book has decided it is noteworthy enough to create an engaging story which will mutually benefit them as well as yourself. The only thing which is really worth paying for to promote your book (in my opinion) is press release distribution. You should definitely start out your marketing plan with a concise news/press release and pay a professional company to distribute news about your book to media outlets. This usually has surprisingly positive results, but only if your story is captivating enough to catch people’s attention and your press release was written sharply and to the point. Never pay to have your book reviewed!

  3. The answer to this will be specific to the type of book you have written, but there are some general answers that will help all authors. First and foremost, connect with other writers and authors! Network with your contacts and grow your social network to find new opportunities. Think of any organizations, clubs, associations or businesses that might be interested in the subject of your book/writing. That can be a great way to land a public speaking opportunity, or snag an invitation to do a book reading. Book bloggers are a great source of attention for books online also. Always be sure to read their review policy thoroughly before contacting them to pitch your book to them. Make sure they accept your genre and then write them a personalized email with a brief synopsis of your book’s plot, and a polite request for a spot on their to-read and review list. Find websites, podcast shows, online radio shows, local newspaper columnists and pitch your book to them also. Just always remember to make sure you are sending your pitch to the correct person.

As you can imagine, these few questions are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to marketing your self-published book. However, try all of the ideas discussed here and you will have made considerable progress in gaining some publicity and exposure for your new book. Best of luck to everyone!

Ashly Lorenzana is a self-published author of a memoir, and works as a freelance writer online as well. Her specialty is marketing copy, particularly press and news releases. If your company or business needs a punchy and memorable piece of writing to catch the attention of the media, Ashly’s press release writing service is the ideal solution for any small to medium sized business. Her list of clients have used her freelance writing services for everything from editing to article marketing, web research and note organization to branding and naming suggestions for new products and company slogans. Visit her site for more info: Article Marketplace

Author: Ashly Lorenzana
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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8 Easy Steps to Self Publishing Books From Your Website Content

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Interested in self-publishing books? If you have a website, you can re-purpose your top articles into a book. Think about it. After you write heaps of quality articles and lots of traffic on your website, why not reuse it, all the same articles in a printed book, PDF eBook, audio books and Kindle book getting the most out of your time and work.

These are My 8 Painless Steps to Self Publishing Books:

  1. Write down an layout for the book chapters with the top articles from your website.
  2. Enter your book in a Microsoft Word template (or your preferred software) formatted for your preferred book size.
  3. Save your book to PDF.
  4. Select a book designer for your book cover or choos a DIY format.
  5. Decide amongst all the publishers who you want to use to publish your book.
  6. Sign up for an account with self-publishing and upload your documents, if relevant.
  7. Now begin your book marketing by selling copies online at Amazon, via your own website and in person when you speak or at events.
  8. Now it is the time to layout the book into a PDF ebook, audio book and Kindle book.

This is what I did with my website Teen-Beauty-Tips.Com. That was the autumn of 2008 when I stumbled upon the concept of self-publishing books. One of our associates, also a speaker, showed us his self-published book.

Quality was great and we found out that he was able to buy his self-published books on his cost of just $ 2-3 for every book. Not only would there be added revenue to promote books at speaking events, but it also gives immediate credibility of a “published author.” “I thought,” Wow… I can I do this.”

The Nuts and Bolts of Publishing My First Book

And so, I put together an draft for my book based on the finest articles on my website. So, I came up with the title.

Next, I started to copy and paste my articles into a Word document template. I subsequently converted my Word document using the free of charge edition of PDF995 (click on properties, then advanced option and select the “Statement [5.5 5 X 8.5 5] “From the dropdown menu for the paper format.)

Despite working full time as a physiotherapist and speaking, as well as travelling from time to time, I had a 190-page book ready to print in a month.

I had a low budget (or should I say no budget) so I took the DIY method. I researched styles of my template and did a book cover in Photoshop. I researched self-publishing and decided to go with Createspace (a company with Amazon), since there are no upfront costs and they list you quickly on Amazon.Com.

As an example, my 190 page black and white soft cover book only cost me $3.13 + Shipping, with the help of the Pro Plan. The Pro Plan is a fee of $39 the first year and then an annual fee of $5, but is well worth the cost in an increase in royalties and decreased cost to buy books. I highly recommend the Pro Plan, by the way. There is actually no reason to go with the Pro Plan (that is, unless you don’t sell any books at all!).

Same Book, Multiple Formats

When my book was released on Createspace and Amazon, I also had it offered in the PDF eBook format. I give away the PDF format away to my newsletter subscribers, which once more has helped me to build my list in a very small niche (Christian teen girls) to about 2700 and expanding.

I therefore decided to make my book as an audio book using Audacity and a $ 30 microphone to record it. I am now selling MP3 downloads through ClickBank and also sell a Disc of my audiobook on Kunaki.C Com. The Kunaki can I buy Disc’s at cost for as little as $ 1 (+ shipping), as I also sell them at my events and online through my website.

Eventually, I took my Word document took out the pictures embedded in my file and saved it as an HTML document. I subsequently uploaded it to Amazon’s digital text platform, and I now offer Kindle version from my website as well.

Making Money Selling Books

In such a small and specialized niche, I’m not getting rich by selling books from my website. But there is a regular paycheck from both online and offline sales, and as my traffic increases (now over 1000 visitors per day), so my sales.

Of course, if you want to “Hit it Big” in publishing, you will want to hire a professional to design your interior book template and your book cover design. I ultimately decided to have a designer update my book cover for me.

If you want to go the TRUE self publishing route and do all the leg work yourself, then you can form your own book publishing company and use Lightning Source. In this case, a book like Dan Poynter’s Self Publishing Manual is a great resource to guide you step by step.

You Can Do It!

Given that you’ve already put so much time and energy into writing your website, it could be worth taking some extra time and re-purpose identical articles to a hard good, as a paperback book, CD and digital products as a PDF eBook, Kindle book and MP3 downloads for your visitors.

If you do not want to be a national bestseller, but simply want to provide extra resources to your website visitors and another paycheck, then download my free book templates, sign up for a free Createspace account and get started! Oh, and have fun…Soon you’ll be a “Published author.”

Download your free book templates at http://www.Self-Publishing-Coach.com and get more advice about self publishing books.

Shelley Hitz is an entrepreneur, speaker, author and consultant to organizations, individuals and businesses who want to multiply their impact through self publishing. She teaches from personal experience. Over a two year span, (More…)while working full-time, she self published five books, multiple audio CDs, authored two websites that attract thousands of visitors each month, and created multiple products that she sells through her website and at her speaking engagements.

Author: Shelley Hitz
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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