Book Release Advice

-- Quote of the Day -- 

   

"I still do mainly online things, but being self-published and hiring a publicist for fiction is not that great of an idea, I would use that for viral marketing instead. Whereas if you have a non-fiction reference book that is really made for online advertising– online advertising doesn’t work well for fiction, the conversion rates just don’t work. There is not enough of a connection between the book and the terms people are searching under. Whereas for non-fiction someone is typing in [keywords] that can convert to a lot of sales, so if I am willing to advertise on those terms (or keywords) on Google or Yahoo, that is going to work for me.”

~ Mark Levine

Today’s quote originates from the Conscious Discussions Talk Radio episode: http://tobtr.com/s/4826293

 (*Click on the hyperlinked URL to access the full discussion)

How to Prepare for a Book Release

There are many things that authors can do long before their book is released, but it is never too late to begin or enhance a marketing plan.

My first suggestion is to get a great stack of paper to jot notes on. Personally, I reuse sheets of paper that have only been printed on one side. Make sure you have a couple of pens handy; using two colors is helpful for organizing and grouping ideas. Oh! – And have a thermos of any kind of refreshment you choose next to you, because this is going to take a while!

OK. Got all those? Now is the time to sit at your computer and scan through the last 6 months worth of the previous postings on every section of your favorite writer's forum and your publisher's author forum. It is important to read the messages with headings like "new author" because the actual message may have crucial information. I know, this sounds like a lot of reading, but you will get efficient at scanning messages and determining if they hold useful information without having to digest every single word.

The reason for all this reading?

 You will learn about reviews, marketing, promotion materials, media kits, book production processes, resources, the publisher's policies, royalty information, distributor information... it is all there. With this information you can easily get a head start on your marketing plan. Another reason for doing this is to find reliable mentors in your field of interest.

Effective, long-term networking through interacting with your peers on forums can easily lead up to exchanging of links, promotion materials and multi-author book events. These individuals will soon become your online friends who show up and support your media events, tell others about your work and will help you if they can. Of course, this means that you might have to offer something first to get the ball rolling for networking.

~ Lillian Brummet: Award winning author, book marketing guru, owner of the award winning Brummet’s Conscious Blog, and both the host and executive producer of the Conscious Discussions Talk Radio show. Check out her Purple Snowflake Marketing book at:

https://www.smashwords.com/isbn/978-1-476-02105-8  (e-book)  or
https://www.createspace.com/3852291 (print)