Promote Your Book For Free - Tomorrow!
What you can do on your own to promote your book for absolutely no cost at all!
When authors come to me and ask, “Isn’t there a less expensive way to market my book?” I always say, “Sure!” But I caution them that time is also money. If they are willing to spend the time, there are some FREE things they can do on their own to market their books.
First, do all you can geographically and through networking. Make a list of everyone you know - church members, sorority or fraternity friends, colleagues, your chiropractor, former schoolmates, hairstylist, etc. Be proud! Talk up your book to everyone! Then, when people start asking you to speak at various events or organizations, for no pay, say YES to all opportunities; the more people you will meet, the more opportunities you will get to sell your book. Secondly, always carry books with you! Wherever you are, talk up your book and then BACK IT UP when someone says they’d like to buy a copy or see your book.
YOU MUST HAVE an elevator speech. What’s that? A description of your book that you can reel off confidently. As much as you may be tempted, don’t go into why you wrote it; you have 10 seconds to grab the person who asked, “What’s your book about?” Don’t bore them with your reasons for writing it. Examples of effective elevator speeches are:
**At 350 pounds, I nearly broke the scale. Now I’m a size 8. My book, Lopping It Off, will show anyone how to lose and keep off weight. Guaranteed!
**Save lives in the most critical medical emergencies with Dr. Fischer’s Little Book of Big Emergencies. It easily fits in your pocket or purse.
If you are scheduled for a radio or print interview, make sure you know the answers to these questions also:
1. What is most interesting or unusual about your book?
2. What makes your book most memorable?
3. What are the three most important benefits that readers will receive from your book?
4. What differentiates your book from titles on the same or similar subjects?
5. What are the first responses you receive when you tell people about your book?
Only your mom cares that you wrote a book. So you must understand who your readers are and what is important to them. The buying public cares about one thing: what your book can do for them.
Be clear on what the benefit of your book is; it makes the difference between a sale and having someone leave your book on the shelf. It’s always about what the book can do for the reader.
Make a marketing plan. It only takes 5 marketing activities a day to make your book’s marketing happen. Examples of things you can do would be:
– Make five phone calls to independent booksellers about doing booksigning events at their stores.
Submit some of your unpublished stories and/or excerpts from your book to magazines and websites.
Write an article on a related topic for magazines.
Develop a workshop and seek appropriate venues nationwide where you can present it. Start off with local libraries for book clubs and speaking engagements.
Finally, in 2004, 76% of all books in print sold fewer than 100 copies. This is not because these are poorly written books, and not because these books don’t have an audience. It is because the authors gave up on promotion. The more time you invest, the more books you will sell.
Shannon Janeczek has been a marketing guru in many fields for 15 years. She has a masters degree in Writing & Publishing from Emerson College and lots of creative ideas for just about any genre of book. Visit her website: http://www.writingandmarketing.com