Book Marketing 101

Photo by radioher / Flickr

It is possible, if not desirable, for an writer to motorboat an effective book-marketing run without a publisher’s support aliases assistance. Mainly, it requires clip and energy. It whitethorn besides require immoderate monetary finance to prosecute a publicist, PR firm, aliases trading advisor to counsel and assistance you. The bully news is that, by nan clip your second, third, aliases 4th book comes out, you should person a coagulated guidelines of readers to activity from—a guidelines that was developed from trading activities associated pinch erstwhile launches.

Remember that a broad book-marketing run uses a operation of strategies to scope readers. It would beryllium different to attraction solely connected societal media, aliases solely connected events, to make connection of mouth. The champion attack combines online and offline components, and if done right, each amplifies and strengthens nan other.

Author Events

Most authors cognize that nan multi-city book circuit is simply a point of nan past, but of people you tin still find New York Times bestselling authors doing tours for their caller releases. Chicago-based publicist Dana Kaye says specified tours hap mostly arsenic a favour to nan bookstores, arsenic a measurement for nan writer to springiness backmost to nan community. But bookstores aren’t ever nan champion spot for events.

Kaye says, “Any clip you’re trying to get group retired of their location and spell somewhere, it’s very difficult. … You’re competing pinch galore different things. However, much group are inclined to spell location if it feels for illustration a statement aliases an event, alternatively than conscionable going to a bookstore and listening to an writer publication their activity aliases talk astir their work.”

Many authors and publicists—and moreover nan bookstores themselves—have caught connected to this and now scheme events successful replacement venues, specified arsenic bars aliases clubs. Bookstores and different literate organizations waste tickets to writer lunches held astatine restaurants, and nan summons value includes a transcript of nan book. Such events consciousness much social, and they debar nan little perceived worth and little compelling quality of nan reading-signing format.

Kaye looks for ways to partner authors for events and tours, since that mostly leads to amended turnout and a amended transportation for media coverage. For example, Kaye’s patient organized and promoted nan Young Authors Give Back Tour, successful which 4 YA authors, who had each published earlier 25, toured nan state and taught penning workshops for teens. That perspective sewage 2 TV appearances and a characteristic successful the Chicago Sun-Times.

Even if nan days of nan accepted writer circuit are over, events still play an important domiciled successful an author’s career. Kaye says:

Touring aliases doing an arena is much astir making a footprint. When you spell to a city, it’s not conscionable nan books you sell, but nan group you talk to astatine nan event. … It’s astir making connections pinch people. That being said, media is nan superior logic you tour, moreover if that’s becoming much difficult to pitch.

Working pinch Indie Bookstores

First-time novelist Marjan Kamali (Together Tea, Ecco, 2013) says her readings and bookstore events—some of which she planned herself—have energized her successful a astonishing way. “The logic they’re truthful awesome is because I’ve been doing them astatine small, independent bookshops, which is who will person me. … It warms my bosom to deliberation location are these group retired location who still emotion books, who cognize truthful much, who support authors.”

Other authors consciousness nan aforesaid way, and spell retired of their measurement to support their independent bookstore arsenic portion of their book motorboat aliases wide trading campaign. Pete Mulvihill, proprietor of Green Apple Books successful San Francisco, says that immoderate authors adopt an indie bookstore to beryllium their fulfillment halfway for anyone who wants to find an inscribed copy. He says,

“We emotion erstwhile authors travel by and motion books, whether there’s an quality aliases not, because it gives thing we tin connection that our awesome online competitor cannot. We’ll astir apt put it connected our Facebook page aliases tweet astir it. It generates a small much buzz. It tells group you’re successful town, you’re a human, and that you attraction astir indie bookstores. Even bookplates. You tin nonstop those to bookstores.”

For her astir caller book launch, Michigan writer Loreen Niewenhuis made her travelogue, A 1000-Mile Great Lakes Walk (Crickhollow Books, 2013), disposable only from 12 Michigan independent bookstores for its first 2 months connected nan market. In an question and reply pinch Shelf Awareness, Niewenhuis said, “Authors … request to deliberation astir really they’re getting their books to people. They request to deliberation astir really to make connections, not conscionable astir ‘I request to waste my book.’ How you waste your book is conscionable arsenic important.”

Whatever nan benefits, doing events—regardless of what venue you choose—can beryllium costly and time-consuming for an author, particularly if turnout is low. A start-up, Togather, is attempting to reside nan uncertainty and mitigate nan consequence by allowing publishers and authors to crowdsource events. If capable group successful a organization support an writer event, past nan writer commits to going. Togather besides hosts online chats if nan writer can’t perpetrate to travel, particularly to a mini municipality aliases market. [Update: As of June 2014, Togather has folded.]

Online Events

For her adjacent book release, thriller novelist Jamie Freveletti, a customer of Kaye’s, is readying a live-streaming motorboat statement utilizing LiveLab Network. Freveletti says, “I did 1 streaming arena pinch The Poisoned Pen bookstore, and I was amazed really galore group logged successful and watched it. People tin beryllium portion of nan excitement of it. It’s conscionable a nosy point to do.”

Another online arena service, Shindig, founded successful 2009, allows authors to springiness readings successful beforehand of a unrecorded online audience; astatine BookExpo America this year, Shindig hosted unrecorded chats pinch dozens of authors connected nan show level to exemplify nan imaginable of their service.

But do online events waste books?

Kaye says, “We had a virtual motorboat [for a client] pinch respective 100 people, but I didn’t spot nan modulation into sales. That’s what I’d pass authors. If you’re going to do an online chat … do thing that’s going to promote book sales. It’s a awesome measurement to interact pinch tons of group each complete nan world, but you want them to bargain nan book.” Kaye recommends having an progressive bargain nexus during nan integer motorboat event, aliases providing a discount codification to attendees to thrust purchases.

It’s ever difficult to decide, however, which events mightiness beryllium worthwhile, since they are arsenic overmuch astir creating connection of rima arsenic trading books. A happy mishap tin ever hap moreover if nan income aren’t there. “My aged leader Stuart [Applebaum] utilized to opportunity we don’t cognize if getting nan connection retired astir nan book will waste nan book, but we cognize they won’t bargain it if they’ve ne'er heard of it,” publicist Leslie Rossman says. “We’re ever looking for nan captious wide of vulnerability for a book.”

Traditional Media

Publishing insiders cognize that nan number of media outlets disposable to pitch—on immoderate type of coverage—has dramatically shrunk. Rossman, whose patient specializes successful high-end power specified arsenic NPR, says, “It’s very competitive. It makes group very selective. There’s less spots and that includes radio, TV, and print—and there’s much syndication crossed nan board.”

However, erstwhile you do get a deed successful nan media, it tends to instrumentality pinch group and make an impact. “If you’re driving successful your car, and you perceive Terry Gross, that question and reply is going to resonate pinch you overmuch much than if you’re reference nan question and reply online,” says Kaye.

With persistence, authors tin unafraid accepted media sum without nan patient making nan call. Katrin Schumann, nan writer of The Secret Power of Middle Children (Hudson Street, 2011), has been featured aggregate times connected the Today show, arsenic good arsenic connected NPR and different media. When she started trading her first book successful 2008 pinch co-author Susan Callahan, she was wholly unschooled successful pitching, and didn’t moreover see TV a possibility. But Callahan had worked successful trading and understood nan psychology down it.

“She had this persistence,” Schumann says, “continually knocking connected your doorway successful a somewhat different measurement for nan aforesaid thing. I realized that my instinctive attack was informed by nan measurement I was brought up, which was polite. If they opportunity no, they opportunity no.”

Over a twelvemonth aft their book launched, aft repeated pitching, Schumann and Callahan sewage connected the Today show. Schumann says of Callahan, “She didn’t get overwhelmed and dispirited erstwhile encountering resistance. That’s a cardinal constituent authors don’t return into account—the affectional rollercoaster of putting yourself retired location continually and getting turned down, and not taking it personally.”

Kaye’s proposal for authors who want to effort pitching themselves is to attraction connected nan value of their pitch. Take nan clip to investigation media outlets, investigation what they’re covering, and constitute a bully transportation email that shows really you fresh into their editorial mission. Pitching doesn’t require a typical accomplishment group aliases nan contacts of a publicist.

However, Kaye says, it helps if you prime up nan phone. “You person to not beryllium acrophobic to telephone and get nan correct interaction information, to do nan digging.” Kaye says authors tin besides inquire their patient for help; conscionable show them you’d for illustration to scope retired to a circumstantial media outlet and are looking for nan correct personification to interaction pinch your pitch.

An effective and value transportation process, however, tin beryllium clip consuming, and this is wherever authors should measure wherever their clip and effort is champion spent, and if they tin use from hiring a freelance publicist to assistance them. Kaye says, “People ask, ‘Can I do it connected my own?’ The reply is yes, if you person an other 8 hours successful nan day. Our occupation is to enactment connected apical of what’s existent and enactment connected apical of news stories. Most authors don’t person clip for that.”

Online Marketing

It’s nan surest measurement to commencement a statement successful a room afloat of writers: inquire them astir nan worth of societal media and different forms of online marketing. On 1 broadside of nan debate, you person those who reason that scholar engagement done societal media contributes to semipermanent profession occurrence and visibility. On nan different side, you person group who person participated successful immoderate shape of online promotion, and who recovered it a discarded of clip aliases a awesome distraction without meaningful effect connected sales.

Leslie Rossman says that, erstwhile it comes to online marketing, overmuch depends connected what your starting constituent is:

How overmuch power do you want to put successful pursuing secondary media? Some group are willing successful that because they want to build. Some group will not get apical media, truthful they’ll get thing easy, and activity up. If you’re a self-published author, you would astir apt use from doing everything possible.

One of nan biggest challenges for authors is deciding what types of online trading will activity for them strategically, and figuring retired really to beryllium effective successful cutting done nan sound without consuming immense amounts of their time. Then there’s besides nan rumor of really enjoying themselves and nan process.

Schumann, 1 of nan leaders of Grub Street’s Launch Lab, says that authors are taught to attraction their power successful ways that consciousness productive and meaningful to them:

[Authors] consciousness for illustration they person this instruction to do circumstantial things, but those things don’t consciousness authentic. They do them anyway—sometimes that’s a reality—but sometimes you person a prime to opportunity no, I’m not going to attraction connected that, I’m going to attraction elsewhere. You tin make those choices, arsenic agelong arsenic you don’t make them by default. You’re still successful charge. It’s amended if you make really conscious choices astir what feels comfortable for you.

When it comes to champion practices successful online marketing, nan pursuing themes emerged from my conversations pinch authors, publicists, and publishing manufacture experts.

Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Etc.)

A gentle touch is encouraged. You’re not a salesman pushing your book connected people. Rather than focusing connected ways to get group to bargain your book—to execute a short-term goal—approach societal media arsenic a semipermanent finance successful your career. While book income are important, you person to deliberation astir nan large image of what’s sustainable. If a peculiar online activity saps your power and becomes a drag, it’s astir apt clip to reassess and refocus. However, don’t get discouraged if it takes clip to understand aliases go comfortable pinch immoderate online tools. Schumann says, “You don’t maestro these things successful 1 day, which tin beryllium really discouraging for authors. It takes immoderate patience and perseverance and to beryllium unfastened minded.”

If you’re struggling to fig retired societal media, Rossman recommends taking a look astatine books aliases authors you admire. What does their activity look like? What blogs aliases websites did they look on? What do they do connected societal media? Can you emulate those things?

Blogs

Regular blogging isn’t necessary, but awesome blogs and websites tin play an important domiciled successful spreading connection of mouth, which intends it tin beryllium worthwhile to constitute impermanent posts, do Q&As, aliases different effort to get featured by applicable bloggers who scope your target audience. It besides helps to beryllium an progressive subordinate aliases commenter connected blogs wherever your readers bent out. Kaye says, however, to support successful mind that it’s a mini number of websites that really person power and traffic. If you do immoderate trading connected a mini blog aliases website, make judge its assemblage is simply a bully fresh for you and your book truthful you don’t put excessively overmuch clip for excessively small return.

Giveaways

Giveaways tin activity if done strategically. One of nan astir celebrated and effective venues for giveaways is Goodreads, a societal media tract for books and reference pinch much than 20 cardinal members. One of nan astir important elements of nan site—from a marketer’s perspective—is nan Goodreads prima rating, which is based connected scholar reviews. Goodreads has been 1 of Kaye’s favourite devices for getting nan connection retired and generating pre-publication buzz. Kaye says, “As a society, we’re very influenced by reviews. If there’s not a batch of reviews [of your book], group astir apt won’t bargain it. The Goodreads giveaways are bully ways to make those early reviews that make a difference.” For champion practices successful utilizing Goodreads for giveaways and book launches, see nan position Goodreads gave astatine BEA.

Since Goodreads will only do giveaways of beingness copies, e-book authors—especially those who self-publish—have to look for different giveaway strategies. Amazon offers a typical programme for self-publishing authors called KDP Select. If you make your activity exclusive to Amazon for 90 days, you tin usage 5 of those days for giveaways of your work. Independent authors typically usage nan giveaways to thief make reviews astatine Amazon, aliases to summation their book much visibility connected Amazon overall. Some authors connection giveaways of a first book successful a bid erstwhile a caller installment is astir to launch, and bask a income assistance crossed nan bid aft nan giveaway concludes.

Another action is BookBub, a regular email pinch much than 1 cardinal subscribers that features constricted discounts connected e-books. For a fee—and if BookBub thinks your book is simply a bully fresh for its audience—BookBub will beforehand your e-book pinch a heavy discount (usually mounting prices of $2.99 aliases less) to a conception of its list.

Email Newsletters

Speaking of e-mail, newsletter lists that nan writer develops and owns tin person a important effect connected income and connection of mouth. That’s because it’s easy for group to miss thing that gets posted connected societal media, but conscionable astir everyone sounds e-mail, moreover if it takes a agelong time. Kaye says, “The email database is nan champion measurement to prosecute your network.” New authors whitethorn not person specified a database fresh for their first book release, but a recurring taxable emerging from successful authors (both traditionally published and self-published) is that you should commencement building 1 done your ain website, and astatine events, successful mentation for early releases.

Parting Words of Wisdom

Kaye says she is perpetually underestimating people’s networks; if you build a web you tin scope (either online aliases offline), they will come.

“A debut writer did 2 events, 1 successful St. Louis wherever she grew up, and 1 successful Denver wherever she lives now. Because she was a debut author, I was very nervous,” Kaye says. “She ended up having astir 100 group travel to each event, and sold moreover much books because group were buying aggregate copies. That was very astonishing to me. I really underestimated nan group and nan relationships really make nan difference. If you make those connections, erstwhile it’s clip for your event, they will travel out.”

Freveletti experiments a awesome woody pinch each kinds of trading to make connection of mouth, but, she says:

I can’t support up pinch each nuance of what’s happening retired there. But I tin ever telephone up a publicist and ask, ‘What do you deliberation of this?’ They’ll say, ‘Oh, we tried that past year.’ … And they prevention maine truthful overmuch time. The astir important point I tin do is write. We each person to find this equilibrium betwixt trading and writing.