Write & Publish the (almost) Perfect Book-6

Remember, it’s the long runway of promotion so there’s a lot to do before you can take off. Starting well before the book comes out will help you gain significant traction by the time the launch arrives. So, back to your perfect launch time. If you’re planning this far out, you should be able to align your book with a target date that supports the subject matter if appropriate. A mom-focused title on Mother’s Day, a relationship book on Valentine’s day, etc. Remember, it’s much easier to sell something to someone who is already interested in it. Selling a topic that aligns with a commemorative date, holiday, or anniversary will make your marketing road a bit easier.

10) What’s the unique message? How will you differentiate yourself from the competition? Your book is not the field of dreams; readers won’t beat a path to your door just because you wrote it. Remember that you must be different. You must be unique. It’s critical to identify your unique marketing message and, as well, identify your elevator pitch. What’s your elevator pitch? It’s a short, concise message that will help sell your book. It’s short, benefit-driven, intriguing, and all about the reader.

11) It’s not about you. The biggest and most important message in all of this is that despite the hours that you’ve toiled writing your book, at the end of the day it’s not about you. It’s about your reader, and moreover, it’s about what your book can do for the reader. If you keep this in mind as you move through the process of writing and publishing your book, you will have a title that will attract readership and help your writing career gain momentum.

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Reprinted from “The Book Marketing Expert newsletter,” a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com

Write & Publish the (almost) Perfect Book-5

8) How will someone buy your book? You might say: Duh – in bookstores and on Amazon. Well, maybe and maybe not. As I mentioned in #4, bookstore shelf space is often occupied by books published through major houses, therefore getting space on these shelves can be difficult. Your local store or stores may stock you, but that’s never certain until the book comes out. I recommend that you offer your book on your website and if you aren’t interested in shipping and fulfillment then link to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or whatever online e-tailer you feel most comfortable with.

Additionally, consider other outlets for selling your book such as: associations, gift shops, catalogs, specialty stores, etc. Why do you need to know this information so far in advance? For planning first and foremost. You want to plan your sales strategy early. If you’re going after specialty shops, gift shops, or catalogs you’ll need to target them early enough so the book can run through their internal acquisitions process. How will you sell them a book that hasn’t been published yet? Print galleys (advanced review copies, also called, ARCs) that you can distribute. Even if the book is only 80% complete, meaning that it’s written but in the editing phase, as long as you have a near-final cover you are good to go. Galleys tend to be 80% close to the final book. They should be bound and look like the final book but should indicate on the cover (top or bottom) that it’s an advanced reading copy.

9) What’s the best time to launch? Timing is everything, especially in publishing. Fall is always a big time for book releases. Publishers tend to publish their biggest titles in the Fall, making this sometimes a rough time to launch. Rough, but not impossible. If you’re launching in the Fall you will need to start your efforts early. And speaking of that – when will you start marketing your book? As soon as you have the title and branding complete. Start early, often I recommend six to eight months prior to the book launch.

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Reprinted from “The Book Marketing Expert newsletter,” a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com

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