“I’m a writer. I can’t be bothered with the business side of books. I must focus on the creation of my work.” If this is your attitude, you are also writing books that on good day are destined for the bargain bin at the dollar store and on a normal day, will delight your mother and her bridge club.
Writing books you intend to sell is a business. It’s that simple. A product is created and then it must be sold. As a sole proprietor of a writing business, hey, sales and marketing fall to you.
So, you have to market. What does that mean exactly? You want to generate sales of your books. That’s the end goal. Basic marketing is communicating to readers in such a way that they want to buy your book. It’s like this, “Hey, intelligent fan of the-kind-of- books-I-write, you read awesome books and I wrote one you’ll like!” Marketing is about connecting with people who want to put out money and buy your book. It’s about reaching out to a fan base.
One way to reach to your readers is by advertising. This is putting your book out in the public eye. This is the part of marketing where you let people know what an awesome book you have written. Advertising is a place to toot your horn. Advertising requires a plan to get your book in front of the eyes of those who need to see it. This can include press releases, radio and TV interviews, and a galaxy of web-based social networking activities
Another way to reach your readers is through public relations. This differs from advertising in that it involves getting others to reach out and let people know what an awesome book you have written. Public relations activities can involve a book review, supporting a cause that connects to your book, volunteering time and skills to events that gain press for your book.
Obviously marketing can seem daunting. I mean, where are you going to find the time to reach out and get this hard work done? Sometimes an author only needs some consultation time to move on with a marketing campaign. Consultants are usually hired for an hourly fee. Sometimes an author needs more. Many services are available to assist writers in their journey to connect their books with readers. These companies offer a variety of services including but not limited to the following
• Author Tours• Blog Tours • Targeted or National Media Campaigns• Websites• Internet Marketing• Trade shows
When choosing a consultant or service, look for companies with a proven track record and ones that have experience with your particular genre. You’ve written a book. Now sell it! That is the heart of marketing.