10 Reasons to Read (or Re-Read) Marketing Books

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

 

The book market is crowded which is no news to those of us in publishing. Thousands of new books pour into our world every day. No matter who publishes our book the author has to be taking action to tell others about your book or to find readers. The author has to continually spread the news about their book and the importance of it for their readers.

 

If I'm honest, I'd love for someone else to do this work and be able to devote more time to writing. It's simply not reality with our world and market. Another reality is there is always more to be done as a writer to be telling a new audience about your book—whether it has been out a while or whether it is brand new. Consistently in these articles, I've written about the importance of marketing and highlighted different how-to books because it is an area every writer needs help. In this article, I want to highlight a number of reasons writers need to read marketing books (and then take action on what they learn).

 

1. You are probably missing some element and the book can give you an idea. For example, maybe you are missing effective use of press releases for your book or pitching podcasts or radio stations for interviews. Have you prepared a list of possible questions? Marketing books can remind you of these tested strategies and motivate you to take action.

 

2. You get fresh encouragement to take action and try a new path. Possibly you need to launch a new product related to your book or something else that you will be reminded through the marketing book.

 

3. You reach out and touch new readers with your message and your book as you apply ideas.

 

4. You are reminded that without your actions, your book stagnates and reaches no one. Last week I was reminded about my product Editor Reveals Book Proposal Secrets. These CDs contain valuable insights and teaching but to be honest have not been selling. Why? It is my own fault because I have not been telling people about this well-done product.

 

5. Even older marketing books have valuable contents. For example, the book, Guerrilla Marketing for Writers was published before social media but still contains valuable insights and ideas. Postcards are still an effective marketing technique.

 

6. No single marketing book has all of the answers. The path is different for each of us. What works for you may or may not work for me.

 

7. If you don't try, it will not fly. In the marketing area, it is necessary to try different techniques to see what will work for you. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen talk about the rule of five. Watch this short video explanation.

 

8. Reading marketing books recommits you to consistent action. While my Billy Graham biography came out over five years ago. I'm still marketing it every day but with different messages and different photos.

 

9. Reading these marketing books opens you to new (and possibly free) ideas. If you take action on the ideas.

 

10. There is nothing new under the sun yet there are proven paths to sell books—and each of us need to walk these paths with our books.

 

Notice I didn't give you a series of marketing books in this article. Why? There are many different books and I have many different possibilities. The key is to use and re-use the books you already have—or check them out of your local library.

 

Did I leave out some reason? Let me know in the comments below.

 

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Perfect or Detailed. Mutually Exclusive?

As an acquisitions editor, I see many different types of writers.  For almost eight months, I've been emailing and occasionally speaking with an author who “talks” like she has a terrific book—even more than one book. Despite my encouragement to send the material, this author has never completed her proposal or a sample of her manuscript.  In her view, it still needs more work and isn't ready to send to an editor or agent—despite the multiple requests.  Her perfectionism is keeping her from taking action and moving forward. Know anyone like that in your own life?

In contrast, I often see submissions which are unprofessional and missing elements.  Maybe the proposal doesn't have the word count for the manuscript or the author's contact information including their mailing address (or skype if they are outside of the U.S.). Or when I read the material it has no pattern or cohesion like it was thrown together and sent off to an editor or agent to sort out the details and see if it is a fit to be published.

The balance is some place between these two extremes. You want your submission to be complete and professional.  Many of us in the publishing community have created terrific resources so you can learn what a literary agent or editor expects with a submission. I often refer writers to my free book proposal checklist (use the link).  I want to encourage you to take action on your book or book proposal. What are you doing to keep moving forward?

Do you already have a book and want to sell more copies? Then what actions are you taking to make that happen? Are you reaching out to book reviewers or writing a press release or the dozen other ways to stir book sales? If you want this information, follow the links in my last sentence because each one goes to a free teleseminar that I've created.

From my years in publishing, it is important to take action every day. The details are important but it is also important to constantly be expanding your network of people.  You will never reach the right person by yourself. I encourage you to attend conferences and meet new people. Last Friday and Saturday, I was at the Castle Rock Writers Conference meeting writers and editors.  As I spoke with others, I freely gave out my business cards (yes plural because I have two—my Morgan James Publishing card and my local Colorado business card). 

While giving my own cards was important, I also made a point to ask for a card from each person—or at least wrote down their basic contact information if they didn't have a business card. Why? Because I want to continue to work at expanding my network and connections to others. You can take the same actions.

Here's a reality of the publishing world: you only need one connection. It's like the realtor reminding me when we sell a home, you only need one buyer. For your writing, you are looking for the right agent or the right editor to champion your cause. This connection is out there—but you have to be taking daily action to make this connection.

Our world is full of dreams, joy and hope. Notice the image I included with today's article—a pile of rocks with words on them. Take action today and let me know how I can help you.

Reach Beyond Book Reviews

Editor's Note: I'm delighted today to have my friend Sandra Beckwith with a pointed article for every writer who has written a book or plans to write a book. Read this valuable insight from this seasoned publicity expert. wtw

Why You Need A Press Release That Announces Your Book

By Sandra Beckwith

I’m so impressed with so many authors promoting their books in today’s crazy publishing environment.

Many understand the importance of planning their marketing assault long before the book is published so they have the right connections in place at the right time – when the book is available for purchase. 

They know that like it or not, social networking is an important part of the marketing mix in today’s virtual marketplace.

And some of the most successful realize that book marketing is about more than snagging book reviews.

They’re the ones who realize that they need a book announcement press release not only to send with review copies, but to generate other kinds of important publicity and exposure. They’ve seen firsthand that the press release that announces their book is probably the most versatile book promotion tool available.

Author Marcia Layton Turner generated a great deal of publicity for her book Extreme Couponer: Insider Secrets to Getting Groceries for Free by paying a reputable press release distribution service to send her book announcement press release to online media, newspapers, and magazines. Turner also sent it directly to bloggers she knew would be interested in the book’s topic.

“I was thrilled that the press release generated a 100 percent response rate with the bloggers,” she says, adding that they either reviewed the book or asked Turner to be a guest blogger for the site.

5 ways to use your announcement press release

Here are just five of the many ways that successful authors like Turner are using that important book announcement press release in an increasingly competitive marketplace:

· They’re sending them to media outlets without review copies, knowing that most media outlets won’t review the book, but might use a short news item if the book’s topic is a good fit for their audience.

· Fiction and nonfiction authors alike are supplementing their paid press release distribution with free distribution services so their books get maximum online exposure.

· They’re sending them to their local newspapers and radio stations with a note suggesting that the outlets interview them for a “local author releases new book” article or segment.

· Like Turner, those scheduling virtual book tours (also known as author blog tours) e-mail their announcement release to bloggers as essential background information.

· They’re adding them to their own online press rooms to help with the SEO (search engine optimization) that brings them site visitors.

 

Don’t make these mistakes

You’ll get the most mileage from the press release that announces your book if you write one that incorporates the content and format that journalists want and expect. (Some can be kind of cranky about this, so it’s important to follow their “rules” so your press release isn’t deleted immediately.) There are step-by-step instructions in my e-book, Get Your Book in the News: How to Write a Press Release That Announces Your Book, but here are a few common problems to avoid in yours:

· Making grammar and spelling mistakes: We all make them, so we have to figure out how to avoid them. I print the release so that I can proofread a hard copy. I also e-mail it to myself before I send it to the press. For some quirky reason, I can see mistakes in the e-mailed version that I miss in the Word version.

· Focusing on the author instead of the book. Unless you’re J.K. Rowling or Joan Didion, you want to put the spotlight on the book.

· Being too promotional. Your press release should read like a news article, not a magazine ad. Avoid superlatives, exclamation marks, and statements you can’t prove.

Finally, make sure you e-mail your book announcement press release to the press the right way (yes, there is a wrong way). 

Join those authors who have figured it out: Write the best press release for your book that you can, and use it to promote your book as many ways as possible.

If your book announcement press release is online, please share the link here so we can learn more about your book!

Sandra Beckwith uses her background as an award-winning publicist to teach authors how to promote their books. Subscribe to her free bi-weekly e-newsletter, Build Book Buzz, for tips and advice.

Create Your Own Events

Is your current project getting any activity in the marketplace? Are your books selling into the hands of your readers? What about the activity from your publisher? Is much happening there? 

From my experience, the longer a book is out, the less activity—but it does not have to be like that. Action breeds more action. In this article, I want to encourage you to do more on your own to stir this activity.

I encourage you to watch some of my activities and model them yourself. Can you give away part of your book or some combination of articles into a theme? Create your own ebook and give away this product—only if the person gives you their first name and email address. Use this giveaway to build an email list. I give much more detail about list building in The List Building Tycoon or you can get the Amazon Kindle version of this information.

Notice how I have the site: www.askterrywhalin.com On a regular basis, I have been speaking on different topics.

Currently it is blogging but earlier this year, it was on how to become a prolific author. I use a teleseminar tool. You can use the same tool to set up your event and get a trial at: www.myinstanttelewebcast.com.

Here's some of the steps: 

1. Choose a date several weeks out so you have time to promote the event.

2. Give away something as an incentive for people to sign up to your event.

3. Promote the event to your email list, forums and other places. I encourage you to create press releases and send it to different places. My friend Sandra Beckwith has a great new 50–page Ebook: Get Your Book in the News: How to Write a Press Release That Announces Your Book. This fantastic resource is only $9 and loaded with tested information for every author.

Getting the word out about your event takes a bit of planning on your part but it will pay off in good attendance.

4. Take some time to plan to present some detailed information before your event. As you can see from my event, I'm collecting questions from my participants. I will carefully go through these questions before the event. I've also got some teaching and content that I will present during the event along with answering questions. From my experience, it is easy to fill 70–minutes with valuable information for the participants. When you answer a question, it is likely that many others on the call have the same question and are looking for this response.

If you are not a self-starter with your book promotion and creating your own events, then who will do it? Ask yourself that question with honesty. I've found that the responsibility is mine. I encourage you to take action today.

Do you take additional steps to create your own events? Comment below and I look forward to your feedback.