You’ve put in the work and finally have a brand new book that is ready to be shared with the world. What’s the next step? This is where any published author will tell you that it’s time for the real work to begin. Writing a book is the easy part – it’s the successful selling of it that’s tricky.
Ask any business author nowadays – whether you publish your book traditionally, through a publishing company, or self-publish it yourself… marketing and publicizing your book comes down to you.
There are lots of ways to get the word out about your book, but understanding how to do book marketing right will help you hit the ground running. Here are some of the basics I learned during my first book launch (that I’ll be using again in my next!) that I’d like to share:
1. Know Your Target Audience
Determine who your book will appeal to before setting a full strategy in place. Get to know who your ideal readers are, what their problems are and how your book can serve them.
2. Set Your Budget
Establish how much money you are going to spend on promotions such as travel expenses, paid ads, hiring a publicist or strategist, etc. For some this might be very little, if nothing at all – but, for others there might be a budget in place. Either way, stick to it.
3. Media Kit
Help make it easy for people to spread the word about your book, by preparing a media kit. This includes a short and long biography, professional hi-resolution photos of you and your book cover, as well as links to your social profiles.
4. Build a Book Home
Consider creating a landing page, or even a full website for your book to keep your readers up to date on its progress, along with any book signings or announcements. This is also a great way to add people on to your launch email list – so when you officially launch your book, you do so hitting the ground running with lots of pre, or initial sales.
5. Social Media Blitz
Use the flexibility of social media to your advantage. This is where you can provide sneak peeks to pull readers in, hold giveaways and contests, prepare quote images pulled from your book to give them an idea of what it’s all about. Build that buzz! I remember Periscope coming out just after my first book launch and saying to myself “Man, I would’ve been all over that if it was available to me at the time!”. Get active!
6. Do ‘The Rounds’
Hold a virtual book tour by making appearances on book review sites, contributing guest posts, ‘touring’ around relevant podcasts, hosting webinars, and more to help get the word out.
7. Book Launch Bundling
Package together some goodies along with your book to add more value for your readers. Try adding in options such as ebooks, videos, workbooks, courses or audiobooks to make it a no-brainer for them to purchase a bundle instead of just a single copy. Your hardcore fans and followers will be more than happy to buy a few copies to give away, as soon as you make it worth their while.
8. Utilize Your Email List
Reach out to your email subscriber list and keep them well-updated on your launch. You can also offer them exclusive promotions, or sneak peeks of the first chapter of your book – give them the inside scoop. They’ll love it!
9. Blurbs Matter
Start collecting blurbs before your book launch by providing advanced copies to relevant influencers. You can use them on the book cover, inside the book itself as ‘advance praise” and all over social media to help promote the launch when it comes about.
10. Post-Launch
Use all the steam built from the pre-launch and keep the buzz going by continuing to post on your blog with calls to action along with updates on any additions such as audiobooks, live events, book signings, etc.
Remember, a good book (much like a puppy!) is for life… not just for the launch (or Christmas!).
I know it seems like a lot and really, these are only the basics compared to advanced book marketing strategies that are out there, but if you are ready and willing to put in the effort of learning how to do book marketing the right way, then that already puts you ahead of the pack.
Writing and marketing a book is one of the quickest and easiest ways to position yourself as an expert in your industry. If you don’t have this active part of your Youpreneur Ecosystem in place already, you should consider getting to it at your first opportunity!
