Developing an effective book marketing strategy takes:
- Hard work
- Time
- Money
- Creativity
- Knowledge
- Persistence
- Patience
- Determination
- Vision
- Planning
and much, much more.
I work with already published authors and writers who want me to help place their books in the hands of readers. This is a problematic situation for numerous reasons.
- The clock is ticking and every day without effective marketing diminishes the author’s enthusiasm.
- Their website is not usually ready to capture the viewers attention in the (average) seven seconds before they leave the site.
- Outside of the 200 (average) people in an author’s circle of influence,he/ she is not known.
- The social media platforms are usually skimpy when it comes to a profile that is transparent and personal enough to encourage any followers to really know her.
- A high percentage of authors profiles do not contain a professional image which allows viewers to take them seriously.
- Most authors are so eager to sell books that their social media posts are all about selling. How many times can one ask another to buy a product before they are tuned out?
The time to start a marketing strategy/book promotion is a year before the book is released.
Have you ever seen a sign that says, “coming soon”? I remember seeing a sign for months with just those two words on it. It did a great job of capturing my curiosity.
I found myself consistently looking for a hint to what was coming soon.
Finally there was a new sign that gave the name of the business and a drawing of a building. This sign stayed there for quite some time.
Then, one day, the ground was broken and machines started clearing the land. I found myself driving out of my way to see how the construction was going.
After several months the building was complete. Another sign showed up that told me there was a Grand Opening coming.
Finally the big day came and I scoped out the store. I toured the entire inventory and, yes, I walked out a customer–and I wasn’t the only one–the store was packed.
This is a picture of one part of a great marketing strategy–yes, one part. There were many other parts:
- Feasibility studies
- Competitor analysis
- Legal issues
- Construction planning
- Construction
- Community engagement
- Hiring
- Advertising
to mention just a few.
You may be thinking this is overkill for the business of authoring, but I assure you, it isn’t.
Change something today to make your tomorrow better.
Tom Blubaugh
Literary Strategist, LLC
TomBlubaugh.net
tom@tomblubaugh.net
417-812-6110