Boost Your Book Marketing Opportunities

Many book authors don't want to face this question: Are you happy with your book sales during the past year? Take an honest look at your sales numbers—which is much better than ignoring them. Are there things you can do differently in the days ahead to sell books?

If you've written a Christian book, then you need to get a copy of Your Guide to Marketing Books in the Christian Marketplace by Sarah Bolme.  This book is packed with a wide range of information and resources. Whether you are launching a new book, selling a book which has been in the market for a while or targeting special markets like homeschool, Spanish or African American, every author will find many insights in these pages.

As someone who has been in the Christian market for many years as an author and editor, I appreciated the honest and forthright information in this book. For example, in the introduction, Sarah Bolme writes, “Today, almost half of all books are self-published. According to Bowker, 40% of all books published in 2012 are self-published…However, the average self-published title still only sells between 40 and 200 copies. Often this is due to the author’s inexperience or lack of knowledge about how to market a book effectively.” (Page 3). A few paragraphs later, Bolme writes, “When promoting the Kingdom of God, getting books into people’s hands is God’s business. All you can do is what you know to do. Do that and ask God to bless your feeble efforts. After all, if he can feed over 5,000 people with two small fish and five little loaves of bread, He can multiply your marketing efforts to reach thousands of people, if that is His desire. Marketing and selling books is not a sprint; it is a marathon. Too many authors give up too quickly when they do not see immediate results.” (Page 4)

I love the websites and resources packed into these pages. Whether you have your first book or have written many books, you can easily find value and profit from studying these pages and applying it to your books.  I appreciated the research and careful thought that went into these resources.

As Bolme writes, “Research shows that an unbeliever must have seven to twelve significant contacts with the Gospel message before they will become a Christian. This same principle holds true in marketing. Consumers generally need to be exposed to a new product seven to twelve times before they will purchase it. Familiarity is important. The more consumers see and hear about a product, the more likely they will eventually purchase the product. This theory holds true in marketing books to the Christian marketplace. Repeated exposure is essential. The more consumers see and hear about your books, the more likely they are to place orders for your titles.” (Page 132)

Your Guide to Marketing Books in the Christian Marketplace is not a book that you read once. Keep your yellow highlighter and post-its handy has you work through these pages. Every Christian author needs this book to open up new possibilities for their book, then take action to apply this information to their own book and marketing efforts. It is the application of this book which will make a difference for your book sales. 

To get the best value from this book, I recommend you read it cover to cover. You will gain a realistic perspective about he Christian marketplace and the various opportunities. After a single reading, I recommend you return to the book and apply the information to your own marketing efforts. For example, if you need distribution, then explore the various websites in this chapter. If you need to engage more Christian media, then make detailed use of the websites in that chapter.

Also Sarah Bolme writes and informative blog called Marketing Christian Books (use the link to read it). Or better yet, use this link to subscribe to receive the updates through your email. I've been reading Sarah's work for some time and appreciate the value and insights in her articles.

If your book sales are not what you want (and this is true for almost every author), then take action. It is never too late (even if your book has been published for a while) to tell more people and increase your book sales. Instead of depending on happenstance or your publisher or someone else, take your own responsibility (the first principle of Jack Canfield's The Success Principles) and move ahead with confidence.

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Selling enough copies of your Christian book? If not, use these ideas and resources. (ClickToTweet)