Publicity and Book Marketing

And so we begin April as the month of the publicists and book marketing experts. I will be interviewing four people this month who understand the publishing industry and know how to make the most out of your advertising dollar. Some of these experts are authors and others know the industry, inside and out. Getting the word out about a new book or product is very important, and the hope is that the advertising takes the form of social media viral “buzz”.

First let's look at the definitions of the terms publicity and marketing. Both appear to mean the same thing. The idea is to be noticed in order to find someone to purchase your books. Simply, publicity is local or national media coverage such as newspaper, magazine, or print reviews in the form of interviews or book reviews. It can also mean radio or television interviews. Today this definition is expanded to include media coverage via blog promotions, blog tours, or podcasts. Publicity is free exposure for you, and you gain notoriety in the form of the coverage. A press release is a good way to help shape your image and busy media outlets appreciate the help of a well worded synopsis of your book, photograph and bio.



Marketing on the other hand takes many forms. It can be paid advertising in order to present your product to the masses and is a direct approach in order to obtain sales from consumers. Marketing allows you to word the ad or hire a professional to write one for your use. This can also be the tools such as business cards, postcards, book marks, websites, pay per click ads, and other resources to use at book signings. Marketing can also take the form of author blog posts, and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

I have interviewed many authors who have hired a publicist for their book promotions and were very happy with the results. Publicists are not cheap, yet if they obtain the contact and publicity you hope for, they are well worth the money spent. As with anything publishing related it helps to have a goal and share this with the person you hire. Do you want to travel and speak? Do you want to be paid for your speaking engagements? Do you desire bookstore book signings? Or, would you rather speak from a telephone at home and talk about your book project?

Can you successfully promote your own book? Yes, it does not matter if you are a first time self-published author or you are an author with a traditional press. You can promote your own book, all it takes is time. There are many resources and guides available and we will discuss this on the broadcasts on my radio show, this month.

Here is the upcoming line-up:

April 5, 2010 Marc Grant: Mentor Equity Press  http://www.MentorEquityPress.com
April 12, 2010 John Kremer: 1001 Ways to Market Your Book: http://www.bookmarket.com
April 19, 2010 Kathy Carlton Willis: Publicist http://www.kathycarltonwillis.com/
April 26, 2010 Leili McKinley: Branding for Authors: http://www.leilimckinley.com/speaker/  

When do you Start Marketing Your Book?

Guest Blogger

Carol White

When I can "have it my way" - which isn’t often  - I prefer to work on the book at least 6 months ahead of the pub date – I know, “but my book is coming out next week!” - you really need that much time to get the marketing/distribution/pricing plans together. 



You need to apply to distributors, get their paperwork done, get their sales team representing your book to the chains, the chains place their advance orders, you know how many to print and ship to them, they have to get them in stores - all prior to your pub date. If you aren’t going to use a trade distributor, how are people going to get your book once they know about it? You have to be able to answer that question; and the answer isn’t “from my website” – most people will not buy from an unknown website by an unknown author.

Speaking of websites, a website is another activity that should be done as early as possible - you can use it to begin creating advance buzz for your book, have a media room where the media can learn about your book (cover art, pictures from the book, pub date, etc.) and a place to post your media coverage as it comes in. You can post your Table of contents, a sample chapter, do a blog, and so on - lots you can do to start building that platform waaayyy ahead of the book.

You also need your publicist in place with your media kit to do pre-pub reviewers 3-4 months minimum before pub date (required time), get early copies out to large magazines with long lead times, and then when the time gets closer, do newspapers, blogs, websites, and short cycle magazines. If you don’t hire a publicist, then you need to do these activities.

WHEW!!! See why it takes 6 months? Oh - and YOU have to follow-up on all this to maximize the impact.

My motto: No follow-up = no results
Get your book really ready by following these steps:

1) You need a distribution strategy (whether POD or off-set - just the logistics are different) - how sad is it to create great buzz - and you don’t have your book anyplace where the trade and consumers can get it for your anxious buyers.

2) To engage a trade distributor or even a wholesaler (assuming you are doing print runs) you must have a written marketing plan for them.

3) You have to make sure that your product is top notch - or a publicist won’t take it - their reputation is on the line with every book they recommend to their media contacts. That is what you are really paying for - who they know and how effective they are at placing your book for publicity.

4) You have to make sure that your price is competitive with other books in your genre or no amount of publicity will create the sales that you expect.

5) You need a good media kit for the publicist to use as a basis for the publicity she/he will create for you - or you can pay the publicist or another marketing professional to do that work for you.

 

Of course all of these steps are predicated on your goals for your project, the amount of resources (time & money) you can devote to your book and any constraints that your life situation imposes on you (don’t want to do live appearances or maybe radio terrifies you, etc.).
So give your book a chance – start early and plan your marketing just as carefully as you planned your words on the page

 
Carol White is an author, speaker, writer, and book marketing coach.  In addition to co-authoring the best selling, award-winning book, Live Your Road Trip Dream, Carol is a frequent guest speaker at conventions such as the national AARP Life @ 50+ and The Great North American RV Rally.  She is also a published writer for magazines and websites and has spoken about publishing to groups including IBPA’s Publishing University, the Northwest Association of Book Publishers and the Bay Area Independent Publisher’s Assn. She has an active book marketing consulting practice that includes both domestic and international clients. www.carolwhitemarketing.com