Guest post by Kathleen Gage
?Writing the book is the easy part. Then begins the work.?
This is a statement very few authors want to hear, yet those who pay heed to it are the ones who will sell books.
Many authors live with the mistaken belief that all they need do is write their book and the rest will take care of itself. They think the book will take on a life of its own and somehow, someway be found by an agent. The agent would then find a big name publisher. The big name publisher would get the author on a bunch of major shows. The shows will fuel sales, and the book miraculously becomes an Amazon.com and New York Times bestseller.
This scene unfolds countless times with naive authors. The fact is, as an author it is up to you to take control of marketing and promoting your book.
If you?re serious about selling books you have to put more effort into marketing your book than writing it.
Recently I surveyed a group of several hundred authors. ?What?s your greatest challenge with marketing and selling your book?? was the only question I asked.
The results were as follows:
38% knowledge
33% time
17% money
7% fear
5% other
Sadly, even when many authors are told they must market their book, they fail to get into massive action to raise awareness about their works.
Three of the most effective marketing strategies are:
Endorsements
Guest blogging
Email marketing
Endorsements are simply when others say how good a book is rather than the author blowing his or her own horn. Don?t get me wrong, I believe we need to blow our own horn, but as in the case with my most recent book, Power Up for Profits, I have the likes of Suzanne Evans, Peggy McColl, Dr. Joe Vitale, John Kremer, Eva Gregory, Adam Urbanski, and Steve Olsher giving glowing endorsements.
Within my industry the above mentioned names carry a lot of weight. If someone is considering whether or not to buy my book, endorsements from industry experts can be a huge part of the final decision the buyer makes.
Guest blogging opportunities are likely one of the best ways to reach new readers, yet a very underutilized resource.
Since you like to write anyway (well I?m assuming you do since you?re a writer), it?s simply a matter of reaching out to the right blog owners to offer a featured blog post.
The easiest way to create ample guest blogging opportunities is to make sure your writing is viewed in locations such as article directories, forums, and your own blog.
When a blog owner can review your writing, they will be more likely to invite you to contribute to their blog rather than taking a huge risk with someone who has nothing published online.
Email marketing is an absolute must do. However, in order to do so, you need a list of subscribers.
Whenever I release a new book or information product I always let my opt-in subscribers know.
Start now to build your list to reap the benefits for years to come.
Here?s a bonus strategy?? offer live presentations. Speaking engagements are one of my personal favorites. I love the platform and love when I connect with my audience. When you are in your zone and you connect with an audience, they are eager to buy your books.
To get the most out of your marketing efforts you need to implement a multi-pronged approach for your books ? pre-launch, launch and post-launch.
Pre-launch should start as much as six to twelve months before your book is published. Use pre-launch as an opportunity to build your opt-in list, reach out to joint venture and affiliate partners, contact the media, and secure interview and guest blogging opportunities.
Launch happens shortly after the book is published. To get the most out of your marketing efforts plan to have a very targeted promotions campaign for a specific period of time for the book. One of the main objectives is to increase the book?s position on Amazon. Include guest blogging, interviews, webinars, teleseminars, and email marketing.
Post launch is what you do once the book is published, you have had a very targeted short term, highly focused promotions and now the novelty has worn off. Post launch is an ongoing process that includes many of the same elements as the launch but it?s more spread out and not as frenzied. By having the long term in mind you will definitely enjoy greater success for your books.
About Kathleen Gage
Kathleen Gage is the ?no-nonsense, common sense? online marketing strategist, speaker, author, product creation specialist, and owner of Power Up for Profits. Kathleen helps entrepreneurs make money online. Her clients are driven by making a difference through their own unique voice.
Kathleen?s mission is to help people understand that their business is merely a means to get their message out to the world. She teaches that it?s not just about what you do, but the reasons behind why you do it.
Her newest book, Power Up For Profits; The Smart Woman?s Guide to Online Marketing, is the perfect resource for any author who wants to reach more of their market in the fastest, most cost-effective method possible. For a limited time, when you order the book through Amazon, you receive Kathleen?s full Six Figure List Building Program and Sell Thousands from Any Platform. Go to http://powerupforprofitsbook.com for full details.
About John Kremer
John Kremer is author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, the Relationship Matters Marketing program, and many other books and reports on book marketing, Internet marketing, social media, and book publicity. -- John Kremer on Book Marketing.
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Source: http://bookmarketingbestsellers.com/kathleen-gage-what-you-absolutely-must-do-once-you-write-a-book/
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