By Shaina Lucas, PPS Editor
Most writers think the hardest part of writing a book is, well, the writing and editing stage. On the contrary, it’s equally as difficult marketing the book before and after it’s published. Without marketing, getting people to read your book will be next to impossible. Even with the ability to reach anyone instantly through social media, the greatest marketing tool is the book.
Your Book: Why Is It the Best Tool?
Authors spend many hours laboring over their work, so why shouldn’t they market what they’ve made? Why? Because the time and effort that is put into marketing will reward the authors and publishers in the end with a substantial return on investment. According to Publishing Talk, many authors worry about giving away too much information from their book while marketing in the pre-production phase. How can an audience invest in something if too much is given away without buying the product? Authors can easily stretch out a piece of information to leave their readers wanting more, and there’s always other small nuggets to give away when they read the book.
Engage Your Audience
Before engaging, the first step is to find out the book’s target audience. Once that’s established, let the audience become involved in the process. Ask questions, invite them to collaborate, or start a poll on cover art. You can also blog about your experience, and, as mentioned earlier, share some excerpts of the manuscript occasionally. Get on social media and share, share, share!
But what else can be done? There is a lot of things to choose from. A Beta test, such as a chapter or draft of the entire book during pre-publication, can be sent to the audience or friends for feedback and to use their reviews on your back cover, or post them online. Book readings post-publication are also a wonderful way to garner attention and receive feedback and get the word out there on your book.
Who Benefits from Marketing?
Along with a book’s representation, many people benefit from the book’s marketing. Consultants, service-providing business owners, nonprofit organizational leaders, and self-help professionals are just a few. Have you ever picked up a book or a magazine while sitting in a waiting room for an appointment? The author has successfully gained your attention by leaving their product with a business, which in turn helps their business. It’s similar to a business having a wall for other businesses’ cards; it all comes down to networking.
An author’s book represents the author themselves, their business, their publisher, anyone who has direct access on working on their manuscript. All the representation and benefits also lead to credibility. Credibility means the person has been established as someone who has reached a certain level of expertise. People will trust someone more who has been featured in the media and on podcasts, rather than a stranger. According to Smith Publicity, there’s easier ways to establish credibility including new self-publishing options and updated media channels such as YouTube and podcasts.
So, keep writing, be active on social media, and grow your credibility. The main goal of a successful marketing campaign is to sell a large amount of product—your book.