Market your book like a business - Creating a plan - article

Your book is much like a business and marketing is no exception. Daydreaming about the best-sellers list won’t get you any closer to breaking the top 10. So how do you market a book like a business? Let’s start with a few simple questions that will help you identify the best way to market your new book. Like any business, these questions are key to identifying and creating a successful marketing plan for your book.

1. What are your goals?

What is the purpose of writing your book and what do you want to accomplish? The case may be that you are just interested in making your book available for family and friends or maybe you are hoping to sell thousands of books. Whatever the case may be make sure your goals are realistic and achievable.

2. Who is your target market?

Many genres are so you must define who exactly you are targeting and why. Knowing your audience will help you decide how to sell your book to readers. Consider the demographics of your audience to determine your marketing focus. If you find your target to be a very small niche group, marketing will be extremely important and it will need to be very focused. If this is the case, you may want to consider expanding the appeal of your book by making some changes to increase your customer base.

3. What makes your product appealing to your target market?

Labeling your book broadly, such as calling it a “Christian” book, isn’t enough. You need to identify what makes your book stand out and use this to your advantage. Consider the specific characteristics about your book that appeal to your audience. Maybe you are an expert on the subject matter of your book or you have a unique story or point of view. Whatever the appeal of your book is, it is essential to identify what separates your book out from the competition and then using it to your advantage.

4. Where does your product fit within your industry?

It’s important to identify where you fit within the industry that relates to your book. For example, your cookbook may fit in with healthy eating rather than down home cooking. Start by identifying who your competition is and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Focus on their weaknesses, because this is where you have an advantage.

5. Where is the best place to reach the target market?

So how will your reach your audience? In today's digital world, start on the Internet, including searching for related websites, and using social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, website reviews, blogs, and e-mail marketing. The majority of your books will sell through some venue on the Internet, and it makes sense to start your marketing efforts there.

So you’ve got a great product and you’ve done your homework, now it’s time to execute your new plan. Review the article “Executing Your Marketing Plan”, available here on the Author Learning Center, to help you get started.