Pour Creativity Into Your Marketing

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Hopefully every writer pours a solid dose of creative energy into their writing and their mansucript. Ironically it is in the writing where the bulk of writers put their energy. I understand and believe it is important to build a solid foundation in the writing and storytelling. You select a way to publish your book and get it into the world. 

After your book is available to others, then you move into a different area where you market or sell your book. To help in this process, I recorded a free teleseminar where I gave a dozen different ways to sell books (follow the link to check it out).  In this article, I want to call a different aspect of the writing business to your attention: creative marketing. 

In the process of marketing your book, it often takes some financial investment such as to hire a publicist or to produce marketing materials or any number of other aspects. What if you don’t have the money or your financial resources are limited? Keep reading this article because I have some ideas and examples which any of you can do if you take action with these creative marketing ideas.

Several years ago I learned about Publishizer which is a free fund-raising tool. If you follow the link, you will see Morgan James Publishing has their own branded version of it. In some ways, Publishizer is like some other fundraising sites like GoFundMe or Kickstarter. Publishizer is focused on books where you can use these other places for many different kinds of fundraising projects. Check this page to get more details about how it works. 

Before your book is published, you can use Publishizer to create different packages. Then you can use an email list or social media to promote those packages and gather pre-sales on your book or funds which you can use for creating the packages but also for marketing or anything else you need with your book. Several years ago I worked with Terri Levine who is a Morgan James author. Terri used this tool to create her campaign and as you can see from the website, she raised $12,500 using this system. 

I met Kirsten Pistorius through her children’s book submission to Morgan James Publishing. She wrote and illustrated a beautiful picture book called My Little Prayer Book: Inspirational Verses for Children. Her campaign is just starting and in pre-sales. I encourage you to look at it and if you can help her with some pre-sales. 

 

If you want to use Publishizer, I encourage you to carefully study the website to learn about the packages and pitches other authors have made for their books, then use these ideas for the creative marketing you will pour into your book.

Publishizer is not for one type of book. Terri Levine’s book was a nonfiction business book. Kirsten Pistorius has a children’s book and she lives in Zimbabwe. You can also use Publishizer for fiction. Debra McIntyre has published a historical novel with Morgan James called A Wishful Eye. Follow this link to check out Deb’s campaign which is also in process (which means you can participate in her campaign and get one of her packages). 

Using Publishizer is a creative way to turn your marketing into book sales and money. You can use this process in the early days of your marketing. 

Also you can use Publishizer after your book is already in the market to create a special sales campaign. Just like the regular program, you have to fill out a form and apply to Publishizer to use the tool for your campaign. Follow this link to the form if you want to create a special sales campaign. 

The key message I want to make with this article is there is not one path or one strategy to use with your book marketing. You can use several different strategies with your plans. It’s important to learn about these opportunities, then take action and use them effectively for your book. I hope I’ve helped open your eyes to some possibilities other authors are using--and you can use as well. 

If you have used Publishizer or have other creative ways you are marketing your book, let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

Do you want to pour creativity into your marketing? Prolific author and editor highlights the Publishizer website with some examples. Get the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

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How Are You Asking?

A great deal of publishing involves the process of asking. For example, if you want to write a magazine article, then you learn how to write a one-page pitch letter called a query and send it to an editor. Essentially you are asking that editor to publish your article. 

It's the same with books. You have a book proposal or a book manuscript and you ask the editor or agent to consider publishing your material. It's critical for each process that you ask in the right way to receive a positive response. I've invested a great deal in this teaching process creating courses and free teleseminars and articles.

As I consider this concept of asking, it is a biblical idea. James 4:2 says in the NIV, “You do not have because you do not ask God.” One of the keys is asking with the right strategy and in the right way.

Many times I speak with writers who are struggling financially. There has always been a “starving artist” type of mentality with writers. In recent years, some new tools are available (without cost) to help you raise the funds that you need to accomplish your dreams. Some people call it “crowd funding” and other times it is called “joyful giving.” It's a way your connections (friends and family) can financially support your publishing vision.

One of the most successful programs online is called Kickstarter. I read a new book from Aimee Cebulski called KICKSTARTER FOR DUMMIES. Whenever I want to learn a new skill, I’ve found it is important to learn from people who have detailed experience in this area. Aimee Cebulski is one of these people. She not only writes about Kickstarter but has used it successfully to fund her book, THE FINDING 40 PROJECT.

In the introduction for KICKSTARTER FOR DUMMIES, Cebulski writes “Kickstarter has quickly become a mainstream way to get a creative project made.” Most people have no idea how to raise funds for their creative project, Kickstarter gives anyone the ability to raise funds—but it does take strategic planning and thinking to pull off successfully. This book will help you understand the details and creative possibilities.

The Kickstarter model is working. Page 6 says, “As of March 2013, individuals using Kickstarter have:

• Launched 89,400 projects
• Funded 37,300 projects – a success rate of 43%
• Raised $434 million”

“Kickstarter uses an all-or-nothing approach to fundraising. This means, if you don’t hit your fundraising goal within a certain timeframe (about 30 to 60 days), you get nothing. As a result, you need to be very strategic in your planning, your goal-setting, and backer solicitation, all of which I cover in depth in this book.” (Page 7)

The illustrations, step-by-step instructions and depth of this book make it a “must-have” for anyone who is going to use Kickstarter effectively. I recommend you get this book, study it carefully then launch your own creative endeavor. Aimee Cebulski has shown readers the path for their own success and opportunity with KICKSTARTER FOR DUMMIES.

Open your mind to new ideas and approaches. For some of you, Kickstarter will be a path you should explore to get the funds you need to publish your book or to market your book. The opportunity is certainly there for you. Will you seize it and ask others?