MARKETING ... 100's of Ways

"What ... you mean now I have to Market!" YES!

THURSDAY

MARKETING is the huge obstacle for a large percentage of writers and authors. But if your goal is to be a successful published book author then you will need to learn the strategies of this Fourth Secret of the 5 Secrets of Publishing Success. You don’t have to learn all 100 ways but you are going to have to buckle down and learn a few strategies for MARKETING your book or books.

I was lucky in that before I really started concentrating on book publishing, my own and helping others, I owned a Creative Services firm offering clients promotional, marketing, event management, media and advertising. So I had already earned multiple rejections (47 from traditional publishers, 100’s of proposals or bids lost and missed opportunities) and had learned to self myself and my services by doing it every day in another business. It has served me well since I have focused on books!

I know that MARKETING can be even more challenging than any other part of the book publishing process and that is when over 50% of individuals quit. Maybe you have experienced one of the following situations. As authors, you either:

1. don’t want to be rejected

2. don’t know what to do

3. don’t think you have enough money to invest

4. don’t know what platform’s to be on

5. don’t know where to go to get help

In this article I am going to address these issues. But in the coming weeks, I will be sharing specific marketing strategies that if implemented right should help you sell more books. My secondary goal, is for you to get over your fear of rejection and to become the self-confident, powerful individual that I know you can be!

You don’t have to do multiple strategies at one time just pick one or two that resonate with you and try them. Some may work better than others but that is a part of the book MARKETING process learning what works and what doesn’t for your particular story, information, genre or dream. Remember, that’s why we call it an Author Adventure! It is about exploring new things, discovering new skills and achieving things you never thought you could and I am here to help you.

I want you to write down a few goals today related to MARKETING. I want you to write down a numerical and/or financial goal. Write it in the present tense and give it a timeframe.

• I am selling 5 books a day.

• People are buying 100 of my books every month.

• I sold 10,000 books this year!

• I am making $500 or $1,000 a month selling my books.

• I have replaced 1/2 my income in 6 months.

• I create $5,000 each month in speaking and book sales as an author.

• I have generated enough money from my author adventure to retire from my day job.

Now I wanted you to close your eyes and think about how you will feel or how you will reward yourself when you accomplish one of these or your own different personal goal.

Ok, now let me go back and address why people don’t like MARKETING.

Authors like everyone else don’t want to be rejected. If you get the courage to write, launch, and publish then you need to carry through with MARKETING and distribution which I will talk about tomorrow. Try and make it fun and if that does not work for you; some experts say do it first thing and get it over with. Ten calls, emails or conversations usually result in 7-8 who say no and 2-3 who say yes. But usually some do say yes!

There are so many MARKETING options you don’t know what to do. It is hard to choose and you can become paralyzed by all the choices. I advise thinking about what you like: if it is writing do emails or an eNews like this one on your subject, if you like talking then call people on the phone or set up speaking engagements, and if you like meeting new people then go to meet-ups (virtual or in person), events (your own or others) or conferences find one in your city, state or place you always wanted to visit and make things happen.

Any number of free options are out there if you don’t think have enough money to invest. Ask to host a book signing at a local retail or restaurant or coffee shop, post on social media platforms, write or guest write for eNewsletters or blogs, set-up email services (most are free if you don’t have a big list) … choose one of these and start. At some point I would recommend saving or investing some money and putting together a budget –– that accelerates your journey.

It is easy to fall into the excuse of you don’t know what platform to be on. The number of platforms both online shops (Amazon, Ingram, Shopify, Etsy, Kobo and more) and social media (Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, and others) can all begin to run together or feel like you are in a wild storm. So I recommend you start with ONE! That’s right just one of each. Amazon if you want to sell to the masses or Ingram if you want to sell to retailers. The main question to answer when it comes to Social Media is where is YOUR AUDIENCE. That is the platform you need. Is it business people then Linkedin. Is it older men or women then Facebook. Is it younger people then Instagram or TikTok. Is it mothers or maybe teachers then Pinterest. Choose your two and do something today on both of them (set up an account, make a post, or join a community). You can do this!

And finally, you don’t know where to go to get help. Well that is the easiest answer of all. Right here. Post in the comments or chat. Ask your questions. Engage with me or other authors who respond, like or comment.

So you have your orders so to speak. Right down a couple of MARKETING goals. Think of how you will feel when you accomplish the goal or goals. Choose a retail platform and set up an account. Join a social media platform or open a author/business page and start to engage with potential fans. And be sure to let me know how it goes.

Cheers to your writing, launching, publishing and marketing success, Liz