Are You Relevant?

“What makes content engaging is relevancy. You need to connect the contact information with the content information.”

~ Gail Goodman, President and
CEO of Constant Contact

For the longest time I had all of my book marketing separate from my content. It was almost like I was afraid to mix marketing into “the good stuff” – but “the good stuff” is the best marketing there is. By adding a link to the end of your blog post to your book, or writing an article and including your web-address, your marketing your book. But without that little link, your “good stuff” isn't going to help your book sales.

Marketing prompt:

Promote yourself as a local author. Consider contacting any bookstores within an hour of your home. You can offer to do events or signings as you have time.

What Is Your Dream?

“In today’s information age of Marketing and Web 2.0, a company’s website is the key to their entire business.”

~ Marcus Sheridan

When I was a kid, Faith Hill was one of my favorite signers. She has this song (I Can't Do That Anymore) where she talks about how she use to dream about what she be, but now she dreams about the washing machine. So last night when I dreamt about my author website, that’s the first thing that I thought of when I woke up. Granted, there are some major differences. For starters, my husband is amazing, not some tyrant that rules my life – but then I’m also living my dream – and dreaming about different aspects of it – vs. washing machines.

So while it’s not the same, the fact is that whatever we spend our time and thoughts on during the day, often effects what we dream about overnight. I had spent all day yesterday uploading new webpages and creating content for the website, so I really wasn't surprised – but I’d much rather dream about something that I don’t do all day. Something much less workish.

The point of this entry? It isn't to tell you that you need to work on your website until you dream about, but websites are important. And after the original design and set up, they don’t require too much work to maintain them. So put the effort in and get yours up and running – the dreams shouldn't last too long, but it will help your author dreams come true.

Marketing prompt:

Spend today working on your author website. Is there anything you need to add, update, or change? If not, simply add a blog post about your dreams.

What's Your Genre?

Day 218

“Think as narrowly as you can and find a pocket of readers who are passionate about the same things you are.”

~ Kevin Kaiser, WD

Image courtesy of digitalart
FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Most readers have a favorite genre. I personally love reading historical romances novels or anything with horses in it. However, I don't care for Amish fiction, but I will read contemporary romances novels and even romantic suspense novels on occasion. After all, my book budget is only so big and my library only has so many books.

When I find an author that I like, I’m always on the lookout for their books – and am ultimately let down when their new series is in a different genre. Sometimes I’ll read their new books, and sometimes I’ll just move onto someone else in the right genre. This is why a large number of people will warn authors against genre hopping – but a large number of authors ignore those warnings. I won’t say one way or another if genre hopping is bad, but if you do genre hop, you have to re-identify your target audience each and every time – because not all the same readers will be interested.

You can’t market your new fantasy book to readers who loved your historical fiction novel. A few might bite, but many won’t. This is another area where working with other authors in your niche can be helpful. Cross promoting can help you build a reader base quicker than trying to do it all on your own.

Marketing prompt:

If you're just starting out in a new genre, see if another author would be willing to do a marketing exchange and place the first chapter of your book in the back of one of theirs – and of course you would need to return the favor.

Days to go: 147

Do Whatever It Takes

Day 217

“It’s interesting to me that the things that are the most difficult for us yield the greatest rewards.”

~ Cynthia Morris

© Djma | Dreamstime Stock Photos
& Stock Free Images

Book marketing isn't always fun, sometime it seems like work. I’m a big advocate for making it fun, but there are always those tasks that you know you have to do even if they don’t make you want to sing and dance. Social media is that way for me. It’s work – plain and simple. I’m just not one of those people that can spend all day on Facebook or Twitter, but I know that those places help me connect with my readers and spread my message in a powerful way – so I suck it up and make the effort.

If you read part one of this book,  you might remember that speaking isn't my strong suit – but after several events I’m finally to the point where I can get through a presentation without hyperventilating – I even speak slow enough so that people can understand me now (impressive, I know). I’m still not going to win any awards for my speaking abilities, and it’s most certainly not my favorite thing to do, but it has helped me increase my book sales.

The point in all of this?

You can make marketing fun, but don’t forget to broaden your horizons and buckle down and do things that you know you need to do to sell books too.

Marketing prompt:

Pick something in your niche or a general topic that you are passionate about and enjoy discussing or writing about. Consider putting together a presentation or speech about it that is evergreen and you can use whenever booking speaking engagements. – Add something about it to your website and maybe even put together a video for YouTube.

Days to go: 148

Someday...

Day 205

“There are only seven days in a week, and someday isn't one of them.”

~ Origin Unknown

I don't know if you are anything like me, but my to-do list is crazy long – but my someday list is even longer. Someday I’m going to ask the local drug store about consignment options. Then there’s the dangerous list of somedays: someday before school starts I’m going to launch my new website. Setting deadlines for your marketing is awesome – but only if you know when you can/will have time to work on it.

Marketing prompt:

Evaluate your someday list. Is there anything that you need to move to your to-do list to make sure it gets done?

Days to go: 160

Let's Get Emotional

Day 204

“There is no intelligence without emotion. There may be emotion without much intelligence, but that does not concern us.”

~ Ezra Pound

How emotional is your marketing? Do people laugh when they read your marketing copy, are they inspired? Do they simply desire to learn more about a character who has already touched their heart? Are they encouraged and empowered? There are lots of different emotions that we have, and good marketing will use that. We don’t want to put our sob story into everything and come off as a drama queen – it’s the reader’s emotions we really want.

Marketing prompt:

Evaluate your marketing to see if it triggers any of the reader’s emotions.

Days to go: 161

Tell me about it...

Day 203

“The future of business is social.”  

~ Barry Libert

Marketing has changed so much since the invention of the internet. I was actually watching T.V. the other night and came to the startling realization that, on the channel I was watching, there were more advertisements for websites than there were for actual products or services.

I would hazard a guess that 90% of the time, I find new websites, products, etc. because someone told me about them. Whether a friend or colleague shared about them on Facebook, or I read about them on a blog, I don't generally pay attention to advertisements (but there are a few that are really good and make an impact).

Our goal as marketers should be to get the word out about our book in a way that enables them to share it with their friends. That can be through a good advertisement, social media post, or whatever - just make it worth talking about.

Marketing prompt:

Host a contest for your readers. They can enter by sharing something about your book. It could be who their favorite character is and why, how they applied the material in your book in their own life, or even something as simple as themselves with a copy of your book or sharing their favorite quote. You can have them post it on their blog or Facebook page and enter the contest by sharing a link to the post with you – don’t forget to market the contest and announce the winners when it’s over.

Days to go: 162

Know Your Niche

Day 202

“Know your niche and how to market to people with similar interests.”

~ Joel Friedlander

I've been thinking a lot lately about publicity stunts that authors have done. Some of them make huge waves – like when Joan Rivers chained herself to a shopping cart at Costco because they wouldn't stock her book. Others leave people in awe, but make more silent waves – like the author who gave a free copy of her book to everyone on an air flight from wherever she was to the destination she used as the setting of her book. But there are also crazy stupid ones – like the author who ran onto Yankee stadium field during a game with notes about hurting the third basemen with the hopes of being recognized for his book…

The point is, before you do something to publicize your book, you have to know your audience. If you write to baseball fans, Yankee Stadium might be a great place to market, but breaking the law is generally a bad idea, and threats should never be a part of it. Author Jennifer Bell offered actresses $8 an hour to read her book and laugh about what they were reading, in very public places – like Washington Square and the New York Subway. This stunt landed her in the New York Times and other high profile places.

Marketing prompt:

Think about a publicity stunt for your book – you don’t have to shoot yourself in the arm or move next door to the person you’re writing about, but think of something that will resonate with your readers and then figure out how to get it done.

Days to go: 163

A Marketing Education

Day 201

“An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't.”

~ Anatole France

Anatole France was commenting on education, but it applies to learning about book marketing as well. None of us will ever know all there is to know about marketing. Mainly because marketing is one of those things that continually evolves. It’s always changing – people are always changing.

We have to change the way we market to, not only keep up with the times, but also to be noticed. If you only do one thing to market your book, eventually people will become used to it. They will expect it. It will no longer be noticeable.

Thus marketing our books isn't so much about what we already know, it’s about knowing the difference between what we do know and what we don’t. It’s about being willing to learn new things and accept change as it comes.

Marketing prompt:

Try something new to market your book today.

Days to go: 164

Marketing = Relationships

Day 200

“Marketing = Relationships”

~ Shelley Hitz

You can't really market your book without relationships – it’s called networking. Whether you are getting to know a colleague to plan something together, or if you are building a rapport with your readers, relationships really are what make books sell.

Think about it for a minute… Everything we do affects our relationships – we just don't always think about it that way. Did you oversleep? That affects your relationship with your boss. Did you go out to eat for lunch? You developed some sort of a relationship with the workers at the restaurant. Don't believe me? Go to the same restaurant every day for a week. By the end of the week, I bet you'll be on first name basis with some of them.

Marketing is the same way. We want to be on a first name basis with our readers. In order to get there, we have to build a relationship through marketing. So ask yourself, what kind of relationships are you building?

Marketing prompt:

Pick a relationship to strengthen today. It could be being more social in a forum, or contacting someone in your niche to propose a way to work together – remember to put your best foot forward.

Days to go: 165

Wait - Who?

Day 199

“With your book or your business, you absolutely must know who you're selling to, or else you won't get anywhere.”

~ Kristen Eckstein

Knowing who you are trying to sell your book to is a marketing must – but your audience isn't always the same as your customers. If you write children’s books, chances are that your target audience can’t buy books themselves, so your target customer would be parents, grandparents, or other adults who love kids – so your marketing should reflect that.

That’s the most obvious time when your buyers and readers aren't always the same (although, the moms and dads will probably read the book to their child) but there are other times as well. I write devotionals for teens, and more often than not it’s youth leaders or parents who purchase our books as gifts for their teens. I buy books for my husband more often than he buys them for himself. 

Just something to think about…

Marketing prompt:

Consider if anyone would buy your book that isn't defined in your target reader profile. If so, create some marketing just for them.

Days to go: 166

Slow and Steady

Day 198

“It’s better to do one thing well then ten things poorly.”

~Heather Hart

• Overloaded. 
• Exhausted. 
• Stressed out. 
• Stretched to the limit.

Do any of those describe you? 

I’m often running in 300 directions at once and leaving a trail of half finished projects in my wake. But if I know one thing, it’s that doing something right yields much better results.

It’s like that old saying, if you're not going to do it right, why bother to do it all?

Don’t go crazy with trying to do everything at once when marketing your book. Just take it one step at a time. Slow and steady wins the race.

Marketing prompt:

Conduct a survey related to either your niche, or readers in general and distribute the results in a press release or blog post.

Days to go: 167

You Don't Need It

Day 197

“You don't need a big promotional budget to get noticed and make your own waves.”

~ Kevin Kaiser

I can’t market my book because _____________ - you fill in the blank. 

Got it? 

Now here’s my response:

Bologna.

Nothing can stop you from marketing your book if you truly believe in it. You can market your book without money, without time, without a home computer, without a marketing manager, without whatever it is that you think is stopping you.

The only thing that’s powerful enough to keep you from marketing your book is yourself. You're all that’s standing in your way. So step aside, and start working your way towards book marketing success today!

Marketing prompt:

Simply tell someone about your book today. I don't care if you do it on the phone, at the store, or in a blog. Just let someone know that you’re an author and where they can get your book.

Days to go: 168

Hope

Day 196

“Hope gets us started; encouragement keeps us going.”

~ Zig Ziglar

Hope is an awesome word – we all hope for something. But without encouragement, hopes dwindle and fade. Every author starts out hopeful, but whether it’s rejection letters or lack of sales, we can often get discouraged. I like to read through encouraging quotes or Scriptures when I start to get discouraged, but one of the best things for picking me back up is an unexpected kind word from someone else. There’s something about direct encouragement that can’t beat anything else. But that’s not really something we can ask for – however, sometimes we just need to look to see it. It can be in a 5 star review or just reviewing e-mails from readers. The encouragement is usually there, and it can re-ignite our hope.

Marketing prompt:

Encourage another author today. Write a positive review, send an encouraging e-mail – just do something for someone.

Days to go: 169

Rejected

Day 195

“A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit.”

~Richard Bach

Did your parents ever say to you, “Quitters never win?” Or “Winners never quit?” The same thing is true for authors. I find the stories of famous authors that were rejected inspiring as an author. I mean, just knowing that the original Chicken Soup For The Soul book was rejected by over 140 publishers – and now it has sold over 100 million copies and is a best-selling series. I mean, what author wouldn't be inspired by that? My favorite author, Lori Wick, had her first book rejected originally by the company that later picked it up. Did you know the famous T.V. show, M*A*S*H was originally a novel that was rejected by 21 publishers? True story – google it.

Carrie by Steven King – rejected by 30 publishers

Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell – rejected by 38 publishers.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle – rejected.

The original Harry Potter book by J.K. Rowling – rejected.

A Time To Kill by John Grisham – rejected.

The Diary of Anne Frank? Rejected by over 15 publishers, one saying: “The girl doesn't, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the 'curiosity' level.”

Well, you get the point. Just don't give up. For a lot of authors, the success comes from marketing. Even landing a traditional publishing contract won't make your dreams of being a big name author come true. So self-publisher, small publisher, or big name traditional publisher, keep marketing your book and see where it takes you.

Marketing prompt:

Write about where you are now, and how far you've come since you first came up with the idea for your book. It might make a good blog post or extended author bio for your website.

Days to go: 170

What's The Plan?

Day 191

“Without an effective marketing plan, you might end up wasting a lot of time, money and effort in a frenzied, unorganized attempt to sell books.”

~WordClay.com

It’s true, marketing your book without a plan – isn’t smart. Keeping track of what you are doing and doing things on purpose is one of the best things you can do to market your book. Don’t just randomly buy website ads or post to Twitter. Think about what you are doing.

Did you know that Apple doesn’t allow anything to be done without first running it by their main guy? He wants to make sure that everything is done with the right goal, and will help further the company in the right direction. Every ad, every tweet from what I understand, has to be cleared through him – and Apple is doing pretty good. Obviously you write books, not computers, but the principle can be the same. Make sure you’re marketing on purpose, and that everything you do to market your book is done with the right end in mind.

Marketing prompt:

Sit down and evaluate your marketing plan. Don’t have one? Make one. Plan out your marketing efforts for the next 1-3 months with a designated goal in mind.

Days to go: 174

Just Be You

Day 190

“Be yourself, so that you don't have to devote energy to maintaining a publicly acceptable facade of personality.”

~ Andrew Budeck-Schmeisser

It’s hard to be perfect – usually because nobody is. Your readers don’t expect you to be perfect, they just want you to be real. Now, that doesn't mean that it’s okay to not do your best or try to publish the perfect book, but trying to be something you're not can suck the life right out of you. The best way to market our books is to do so in the ways that are truest to us. I call this passionate marketing - making our book marketing an extension of who we are, instead of a separate compartment of our lives.

Marketing prompt:

Write a blog post about your favorite author, or an author who inspires you.

Days to go: 175

The Reader Is Always Right

Day 189

“Satisfied customers who will spread word of mouth are the most powerful assets you have.”

~ Andy Sernovitz

Have you ever gotten one of those e-mails from a disgruntled reader? Maybe there was a typo in your book, or something controversial. The best thing you can ever do with those customers is respond in humility. Let them know that you are thankful for them, and do everything you can to fix the problem.

Back when I used to work in the food industry, we had a saying. It was, “the customer is always right.” It didn't matter how wrong they were, they were always right – at least until they walked out the door and we had to inform the upper management of what happened. That’s not always the case when it comes to readers. Your book doesn't have to be wrong because they don’t agree with it, but the best thing you can do is handle the situation with care. Do anything you can to keep your customers happy.

Marketing prompt:

Add or update your contact information in both your book and on your website – give you readers a way to connect with you. And then respond when they do.

Days to go: 176

Humility

Day 189

“Satisfied customers who will spread word of mouth are the most powerful assets you have.”

~ Andy Sernovitz

Have you ever gotten one of those e-mails from a disgruntled reader? Maybe there was a typo in your book, or something controversial. The best thing you can ever do with those customers is respond in humility. Let them know that you are thankful for them, and do everything you can to fix the problem.

Back when I used to work in the food industry, we had a saying. It was, “the customer is always right.” It didn't matter how wrong they were, they were always right – at least until they walked out the door and we had to inform the upper management of what happened. That’s not always the case when it comes to readers. Your book doesn't have to be wrong because they don’t agree with it, but the best thing you can do is handle the situation with care. Do anything you can to keep your customers happy.

Marketing prompt:

Add or update your contact information in both your book and on your website – give you readers a way to connect with you. And then respond when they do.

Days to go: 176

Creative Genius

Day 188

“Be creative.”

Creativity - It’s simple, yet powerful.

Marketing prompt:

Think outside the box today. What can you think of to market your book that I haven’t already suggested? Leave your ideas in the comments.

Days to go: 177