Tips, Hints and Ideas for Marketing YOUR next Book

Writing is more than getting the book written. I know, you've heard me say this before. But did you know that I am constantly learning about certain techniques that are tried---true---and proven? Recently I received an email from a past client who shared he sold out of his first print run of a little under 150 books. While that may not seem like much to you, he did this in the first week just through word of mouth.

He shared the title of the book as well as the back copy are two things that he believed helped to sell the book. These are the two most important things that I have taught for years and I love it when it works! A title can make or break a book as well as the idea portrayed on the back cover. For adult titles the cover art, while important at first glance, will not make the reader pay for the item if they are not convinced it will be a good read.

Today I will be interviewing a writing coach with a specialty in marketing. What is enjoyable to me in these taped sessions is the fact that I learn something new each time. Even those who are experts in the business and marketing field have shared that marketing an author is a bit different.

I remember thinking I would have no problem homeschooling my children because I had an education degree with certifications that took me through the span of K-12. I could conquer two children of my own especially in light of the fact that I managed upwards of 30 unrelated children in a classroom. While I had the educational skills to teach, I did not have the knowledge necessary to bring the school into the home. Recreating the public school within the home rarely works.

I share this to prove the point that marketing for authors is different in the sense that it takes tenacity, an understanding of the reader and their purchase sense, as well as the personality of the author. Are you one to pound the pavement or to sit behind a computer terminal and type away on a blog many miles away from your reading audience? There needs to be a balance between both.

I enjoy my privacy and am basically a shy person (no one who knows me believe this), and for me the idea of sharing all about me is rarely a joy. In fact, I've been told by some well meaning friends (and you know who you are), that my Facebook posts are "sterile"... so, even I have to reevaluate from time to time.

Being an author means moving outside of your comfort zone and out into the public at large. It means taking the criticism from well-meaning friends, and even adversaries and turning them into a positive force that will propel you and your book out into the public eye. No matter what your goals--if you are an author, sales of a book are important. So let's move forward, learn, and sell some books!