Book Marketing in 2014 – Getting Started
Expert Book Marketing in 2014: How to build a successful platform to sell your book.
- Book marketing in 2014 will surely evolve as fast as it did in 2013. There are numerous disruptions in the current marketplace and a lot of noise, making it harder than ever for authors and businesses to ‘break out.’
I love this post by Penny C. Sanservieri, and her Book marketing predictions in 2014. She says Bowker reported in 2012 that more than 3500 books a day were published, not counting ebooks! What an incredible number that’s only growing to grow as more authors self-publish.
If you’re writing your book in 2014, start your marketing now. Yes, really. I’m working with Karen Lynn Maher of LegacyONE Authors and Maria Dykstra of TreDigital to launch a series of workshops on Authorship as a Business! (Click on the Authorship link for detailed information and to register). We are very excited to share with you our areas of expertise to help you get out in front of your book promotion.
If you’re just starting your book, here are a couple of points to consider.
1. What do you want to accomplish?
Ask yourself why you’re writing a book. What are your goals? Is it to increase your credibility as an expert in your field? Is it to gain speaking invitations? Is it a short ebook you offer on your website for free to increase your mailing list? Or maybe it’s a family history, and you will only be presenting it to other members of your family. Know your goal up front, and that will determine many of the book marketing moves you make.
2. Determine your audience.
It’s not enough to figure anyone and everyone will want to read your book. Identify your ideal reader, and answer the question – WHY should they read my book? What’s in it for them? For ExpertBook Marketing Made Simple, Karen and I identified our ideal reader as a new author, likely a professional writing a book to help expand their business and gain speaking opportunities. We talk with members of professional business groups, as many of them are considering becoming authors to share their expertise. Writing groups are another good choice for us. Why should they read our book? Because we take them through the process of marketing a book from the very beginning — from choosing a title, to writing a press release, to establishing a brand on social media, to throwing a book launch party — all to help them understand the process and how it works.
3. What’s the title of your book?
There are all kinds of things to consider with this question, such as:
- Does it appeal to your audience?
- Will you be comfortable saying it in speeches and in interviews?
- Does it make people curious about the book?
- Alternatively, is it straightforward?
- Have you researched similar titles to see what shows up online?
- Will your title be searchable?
- Will you be able to use keywords to optimize online searches for your book?
- In addition, carefully consider the cover, the artwork you will use, and the layout. Make it the best you can.
- Is it visually appealing?
- Does it convey your message accurately?
I interviewed an author who wrote a book about management, but used the word ‘suck’ in the title. Catchy, yes, but also limiting. Some media people didn’t feel comfortable using that word on the air in radio interviews. And since his target audience was upper level managers, the language maybe wasn’t the best fit to draw them in as readers.
These are some of the initial questions you’ll want to ask as you begin the process of becoming a published author. Let us know how we can help you.
Margo Myers, Principal, Margo Myers Communications
what’s your brand –
what do you want to be known for, consistency in brand
build your platform – many ways to engage readers, where are they? where do they live? move into their neighborhood — metaphorically speaking, FB LI or Twitter
engage your readers, fans and followers
engage in person
share what you learn
