Sell More Books | Deborah H Bateman

This article will provide you with easy, free, and cheap book marketing, promotion and publicity tips to get you headed in the right direction fast. You can have the best book in the world, but if no one knows about it, no one will buy it; publicity, promotion, marketing and a focus on selling more books should now be a big part of your daily life. 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.

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 your press release spells out the ‘who, what, where, when, and why.’ 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.

Using press releases can be a very effective marketing tool if used properly. Using press releases for marketing or promoting your book or book’s website has become increasingly popular as publishers discover the powerful benefits of using press releases. Send out at least 10 press releases to the print and broadcast media in your area every month.

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. Invest in press release submitting software and set aside time every week to send out a press release online to the press directories.

Submit articles to online article directories that focus on your book’s topic to drive customers to your website. 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.

Place free ads periodically for your book’s website on Craigslist in different categories to drive even more traffic to your website.

Make five telephone calls a day that relate to marketing your book. 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.

I’ve not found that book signings sell many books for publishers and are often a waste of time; better to spend it elsewhere. Contact non-bookstore booksellers and offer to leave books on consignment. You can give away your book in a raffle at a local function to get more book recognition.

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. Offer to trade writing a monthly column in a trade publication in your books’ genre, in trade for display ads on the same page. Contact any companies, corporations or organizations that might use your book for promotions; offer significant discounts for volume orders or for thousands of copies offer a specified amount above book production costs.

Make sure to promote and market your book each and every day, both online and offline. Remember to make sure your book is listed in Books-in-Print; don’t assume it’s already listed. Every day it’s important to focus on a variety of marketing approaches. Market your book to your number one market first, and then go after the secondary markets.

The success of any book marketing effort depends on a good book and just plain hard work; its been done many times before and you can do it too. Now promote, promote, and promote your book some more! Make sure to test, test, and test some more before you lay out large sums of money.

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
Hybrid, electrical car

I would like to welcome Steve J. Miller to Deborah H. Bateman-Author site to share with us his new book “Sell More Books”. I hope you enjoy reading about Steve and his new book.

About the Author:

Steve is the founder and president of Legacy Educational Resources, providing global resources for teachers of life skills in public schools, churches, and service organizations here. A self-styled “wisdom broker,” he collects wisdom from many fields and packages it for teachers and writers via his published books and the Web.
Steve is an educator, investor, entrepreneur, and speaker, having taught audiences from Atlanta to Moscow. He’s known for drawing practical wisdom from serious research and communicating it in accessible, unforgettable ways. His wife, Cherie, and their seven sons continually remind him what works and what doesn’t. Connect with him here .

Interview with J. Steve Miller

WCPress: Why another book on book marketing?

JSM: While many books are available, few take into account the latest in publishing and marketing. We find that most authors are confused and overwhelmed by all the options. Thus, there’s a need to simplify the task and help authors narrow down their best choices.

WCP: Why target low profile authors?

JSM: Because publishing and marketing are different for them in many ways. Typically, low profile authors discover that bookstores and big media want the big names. It’s easy to get discouraged. But I found success in marketing my books, even though I lacked a platform. I wrote an award-winning personal finance book when I had no degrees in personal finance and no vocational experience as a financial planner. My book on music was published by a respected traditional publisher, Tyndale House, even though I held no degrees in music; neither was I a professional musician. I think I’ve picked up some tricks along the way that can help other low profile authors.

WCP: So is this all about your personal experience?

JSM: No. Although I describe what’s worked for me (and what totally failed!) I read widely in book marketing and ran my ideas by many authors and publishers. Real experience from a wide variety of people has a way of making a mess of tidy formulas! I saw that what sold tons of books for one author may not work at all for another, and what works for one book may be totally inappropriate for another.

WCP: Do you recommend social networking, such as Twitter and Facebook?

JSM: For some authors and for some books, they work great. Other authors may be wasting their time. To me, it boils down to finding and connecting with the readers and influencers on your topic/genre. I try to help authors understand whether or not these will work for their books.

WCP: What about blogging?

JSM: A blog can be a great hub for many authors – the first place to send people who want to find out more about you and your books and your social media presence. Also consider a blog for maintaining a press page, much like the page we’re on now. But I’d suggest that many people who are trying to post several substantive blogs per week in order to build a following, if it’s solely to sell your books, you may be wasting valuable time. Again, each topic and each author will have to think through an appropriate strategy. I try to cover that as well in the book.

WCP: Thanks for your time and good luck helping fellow authors with their publishing and marketing!

JSM: Thanks so much!

I hope you enjoyed the interview with Steve J. Miller about his book “Sell More Books”. I know if you are an author and are interested in selling your books this will be a great resource for you. Go order your copy today!

PS. Come back and visit us again soon!