Book Marketing: What are the Essentials? - article

You’ve written a book, and you may be wondering what to do next. The answer: you must start marketing. This is how potential readers find out about your book, get excited, and ultimately make the decision to buy and read it. Marketing helps your book cut through the chatter, reach its target audience, and garner interest.To succeed in the noise-filled, content-saturated market, you need to stand out from the crowd. Here’s a list of some marketing methods you could try and what they entail.

Content

Every marketing campaign needs content. First, authors need to create a press release for their book. But a press release by itself does not constitute a marketing campaign. In addition, you need to create press kit material. You should prepare an author bio, a book summary, and an elevator pitch to ensure you're talking about you and your book in the most concise, interesting way. In addition, choose reviews and excerpts and from your book that will showcase it. Also prepare a list of interview questions. All these elements work together to form the press kit, which will help you grab as much attention as possible when marketing your book. 

Online Marketing

Beyond a website that offers a virtual press kit, authors should get involved in social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. These mediums allow you to connect with potential and existing readers, garner excitement about your book, and provide information on how to purchase it. You can share positive reviews, quotes from the book, or stories of funny things that happened while writing it: all of which helps potential readers connect with you and get excited about reading your book. Online marketing can also include creating a blog or website of your own, or reaching out to other bloggers to write reviews on your book for their subscribers. 

Print Marketing

Some authors, believe it or not, prefer to print and assemble their press kits to offer to local, regional and national media. However, printing out these kits can get expensive, so they should only be sent out when specifically requested to keep costs at a minimum. Other promotional materials, such as postcards and bookmarks, can also help authors get the word out about their books. Such promotional materials can be especially useful at book events, book fairs, and signings because potential readers can take them home and remember to purchase your book. 

Local vs. National

It’s important to know the market for your book, as well as what fits your personal style. Successful marketers think about their book's target audience and adapt their marketing efforts to fit their consumers. A local or grassroots kind of marketing should start with your own network. You should also seek media coverage on local radio stations, TV stations, and in newspapers. Reach out to people you know with the hope of turning them into a kind of adjunct sales force. National marketing campaigns are about reaching millions at once. If your book has global significance and is newsworthy, it needs press. Using a fee-based service like PRWeb or PRNewswire is a way to reach a large audience at one fell swoop. Or, you might consider fee-based, national advertising through Facebook.

Events

Finally, events can also be part of marketing plans. Most authors hold a book launch event to get the word out when their book is finally available for sale. Many authors partner with non-profits and hold events in local bookstores and museums. Such events can generate media coverage and, in turn, create publicity for a book. Authors also participate in signings, conferences, book fairs, and non-profit benefits. All of these events can generate press for your book and help you reach your target audience.