Whether you’re an aspiring author, new author,
or experienced author, we all need to stick together. Your initial
reaction might be, “but we are competitors, we can’t be
friends.” Of course we can be friends! As authors, we can share
information, learn from each other, and help each other. Even if our
books are in the same genre, these days there is opportunity for all.
Let me share with you a few secrets, one author to another.
The book publishing industry has changed
dramatically. The old ways of doing things are long gone. It used to
be that expensive book tours were how authors got the word out, and
even then it wasn’t very effective. And it definitely wasn’t
accessible for new or small scale authors looking for bigger exposure.
That has changed. Now, in the days of social networking and easily
sharing of information with the click of a button, being an author can
be fun and more accessible than you think.
Just check out what other successful authors are
doing! They are using today’s technology and marketing in unique and
exciting ways. Chris Stoke’s book Cool
Runnings and Beyond, published by American Book Publishing,
was made into the movie “Cool Runnings” about the Jamaican
bobsleigh team, bringing the story national attention. Other authors
are gaining followers via blogs, online bookstores, the media, or as
ebooks. These are people just like you who had a story, became an
author, and marketed their book effectively in today’s market. The
sky is the limit.
There are many sources of information for book
marketing information. If you’ve searched for websites or books on
the subject, you may be overwhelmed at the amount of information out
there. I’ll make it simple for you! Based on marketing information
from experts and based on what other authors are doing, here are four
main things you should know about what works in the book publishing
industry today:
1. Don’t worry about bookstores just
yet—focus on direct sales and selling via Amazon.com. Amazon.com
brings in more book sales than all of the Barnes & Noble and
Border chains combined. Focusing your energies on building up your
“virtual presence” and linking it to Amazon is key. Rather than
worry about getting your book into brick and mortar stores,
concentrate your efforts on building sales via Amazon. It provides
much more opportunity for new and emerging authors. First, it’s
accessible. And once your book is listed on Amazon, there are many
things you can do to improve its ranking and presence. Creating an
author page and getting reviews are just two ways. You can spend lots
of time marketing to other bookstores, but the efforts won’t quite
measure up to what you can achieve with Amazon. First build up your
sales there, then other bookstores will follow.
2. Send out copies to media. This is so essential
in today’s market! Getting copies of your book into the hands of
influential people is much more effective than say taking out an ad or
putting flyers on cars. If you can get just a few key people in the
media to write articles or feature your book on the news or a morning
talk show, think how many viewers will hear about it! (The ultimate
venue for authors being Oprah!) In the book industry these copies for
your book are called “galleys” or review copies. They are the
first editions of your book, hot off the press. As soon as your book
is printed, order as many copies as possible and send them out to as
many outlets as possible. Newspaper reporters, broadcast media, famous
people, influential people interested in your book’s genre, etc. If
you are an author with American Book Publishing, once your book is in
print the marketing department can help you with lists. It can take a
little legwork in following up and helping your book get the attention
deserves among these influential people, but with just a few key
people on your side (they are busy and some have other books to
review), you could have hundreds or thousands of potential people
hearing about your book in no time.
3. Find and focus on your target market. With
today’s technology, this can be a relatively simple task. Depending
on your book’s genre, there is a certain target audience out there
that are most likely interested in reading your book. How do you find
them? The Internet. Start a blog on a subject relating to your book,
posting often and creating a portal for these types of people to
gather. Build up a website that coincides with your blog and offers
lots of information that your target audience values and is searching
for. Write guest blogs for other bloggers like you, write articles and
get them published on various websites where your target audience
visits; there are limitless ways to expand your center of influence.
The goal is to create lots of ways for your target audience to find
you and then lead them back to your blog/website. A writer with
followers typically has an easier time selling their books when the
time comes because their fans are already hooked.
4. Get your book in ebook formats. The ebook
market is exploding! It’s growing by leaps and bounds everyday, and
Kindle, iPad and Nook devices are gaining in popularity. Though this
is true, not every book is in these formats quite yet. If your book is
among the 450,000 books available on Kindle, for example, your book
has a better chance of being noticed. Reach more people and market
your book as cutting edge.
Norris Caldwell is the author of Stranger
in the Outfield. Walt Burke, the University of
Arkansas’ most recent phenom, was on his way to signing with the
Colorado Rockies. Burke had just broken the university’s standing
batting records, all of them. But one night, in his girlfriend Peggy
Jean’s bedroom, his future took a sharp turn. His life changed in
one instant, smashing his dreams and making him a fugitive. Published
by American Book Publishing, Inc.
