When the Book Marketing Campaign is Over

1.)   Follow-up! At then end of your campaign, your publicist should provide you with a summary of campaign activity that includes the contact information for all media who expressed interest in you and/or your book. This is a very important document! Follow-ups are key in book marketing, so you’ll want to send follow-up e-mails to all media who requested your book or information about you. If you don’t hear back from the producer or editor, follow-up again, but not too quickly. You don’t want to annoy media, yet you need to be persistent. (NOTE: Before engaging a book publicity firm, make sure they will provide this media contact information when their work concludes; not all agencies do!)

 

2.)   Utilize the media coverage you’ve received to get more coverage. Interviews and articles may have a limited lifespan when they actually air or appear in a print outlet, but these placements should work for you indefinitely. Publicity often begets publicity, because media often learn about authors and books the same way the rest of us do … by reading newspapers and magazines, listening to the radio, and watching TV.

After your publicity campaign is turned over to you, you should have copies or links to articles, radio and TV interviews, and other coverage. Use these for media contacts who may be “on the fence” and previously requested your book. Simply send a brief e-mail with a link to the article or interview. Previous media coverage gives you credibility, and also gives ideas to other producers and editors. Remember: Producers and editors typically have no problem “recycling” the topic of story or interview that ran somewhere else.

 

3.)   Use media coverage to secure other opportunities. Again, media coverage gives you credibility, and indicates to others that you are interesting, informative, controversial, newsworthy, etc. because others wrote about you and/or interviewed you. If you’re a non-fiction author, in particular, use your book and media coverage as a powerful addition to your marketing collateral to secure speaking opportunities, consulting jobs, etc.

4.)   Use the press materials your publicist created. The press releases your publicist developed are very valuable book marketing tools, and there’s no reason you can’t use them on your own to reach out to media. In addition, use any pitches your publicist created; these are the angles and “hooks” created to grab media attention and to persuade them to read your press release, request your book, etc.

 

The bottom line: There really should be no “end” to your book publicity campaign, even after the professionals step aside. You may not be a publicist, but a well-executed book marketing campaign gives you the tools you need to continue the effective work your publicist began.

Should Friends Request Your Book at Libraries?

Recently an author asked me if it would be helpful for her friends, family or networking circles to request her book from their local libraries, to encourage the libraries to order the book.

Maybe, but remember that librarians are aware of this tactic so having multiple people request a book may raise a red flag. This tactic may bring a book to a librarian's attention, but they may not order it unless they feel it's a quality product and meets a need in their community (and they have the budget for it.)

On the other hand, many libraries do try to fulfill patron requests. If you do ask people to request your book at their library, be sure to encourage them to check out the book once it's available!

Using the Before, During, and After Technique to Market Your Book

One of the biggest challenges facing every writer is knowing how and when to market their book.  Many new authors mistakenly wait too long to start marketing, thinking they can deal with the marketing after the book writing and publishing is completed.

That’s understandable.  Few of us have taken classes in how to become a successful author, so we simply don’t know what we don’t know.

In my eight years of publishing and working with authors, I’ve discovered that the best book marketing comes from a solid written marketing plan.  Here’s an exercise that will help you create a marketing plan for your book.

Grab a piece of paper and turn it lengthwise, or create a new document on your computer in landscape orientation.  Draw three columns and label them ‘Before, During and After’.

In the Before column, brainstorm all the things a potential reader needs to know before they decide to buy your book.  Consider things like:

• When the book is available
• Where it can be purchased
• Who you are
• What you offer
• Why the topic is important
• How the information is unique and fresh

In the During column list what people need to know while they are buying and reading your book. This list will cover all the information needed to purchase your book including:

• Where to purchase it
• Price
• A book description or back cover copy
• Format - print book, e-book or both

Finally, list all the things readers should know after they finish your book. Readers who love your message will want to know:

• If you’ve written other books
• Where to connect with you on social media sites
• If you write a blog
• How to learn more about you and your work
• If you provide any classes, workshops or special event related to your book

Now that you have your three lists, start with the Before column and create ways to provide that information to readers just as soon as possible.  Before your book is written, you want to reach as many people as possible and start to build a tribe of folks who are interested in your and your topic.

You can do this in several ways including:

• Facebook groups
• LinkedIn groups
• Blogging
• Writing and publishing articles
• Teleclasses or speaking

One of the most important things you can do in the before stage is to build an opt in email list so for all your efforts to introduce people to you and your future book, direct people to your website where you offer them a free gift in exchange for their name and email address. 

This list will become a valuable asset as it contains the people who are most likely to be the first buyers of your book.

Once you’ve decided on how you will reach people before your book is written, you can create some preliminary plans for the During and After stages of your book marketing. This Before, During and After exercise will help you streamline your book marketing and make it easier to plan it successfully. 

If you have already written your book, take time now to do this exercise and get your book marketing plans solidified before you go to print.  If you have already printed your book, you can still catch up. Just remember that this exercise is not about you writing your book, it focuses on what readers need before, during and after they buy it.

Remember, you can do this! You’ve planned the content of your book already.  Now you’re just going to plan how to tell people about it.

5 Tips for Healthy Living as a Writer

1. Do not expect to make money—Just don’t. You can try your hardest, but if you get your heart set on making money with your writing you will either end up heartbroken or resentful. Heartbroken because no one will pay you for your work. Resentful because you wrote what people will pay you for, got paid for it, and now feel used and unfulfilled.
2. Write smart—Find out what people will pay you to write and write it. Sounds simple, right? But the trick is to live with yourself during and after you write things for others. If you are not careful, that resentment can pop back up. To combat this, make sure your tone and style stay in everything you write. Do not change yourself to fit them; rather change them to fit you. 
3. Write from the heart—If you want to enjoy your writing and be proud of it when you are done, then you have to let your heart do the writing. You know what you are passionate about. You know what is on your heart and mind at this very moment. All you have to do is let it out. Your writing will go much faster, flow much better, and be something you will be proud of down the road. Even if your viewpoint changes later on, at least you can honestly say that is the way you thought and felt at the time you wrote it. 
4. Expose yourself—Every honest piece of writing is like a time machine, revealing a little part of your soul at the time that you wrote it. Though it may be fiction, there is always a kernel of truth in the words. What you feel, your secret and not so secret desires and dreams, are revealed in your writing. That is what helps readers to really connect with you. They are not seeing the pretty mask you wear, but rather the true you. The true human being that is experiencing the same struggles and victories they are. That is what makes writing real and powerful.
5. Have fun—Remember, if this is your true passion, you have to have fun doing it. Writing is just as creative and freeing as painting, sculpture, or music. You can hide or you can reveal. You can express or you can withhold. But you can always tell who is having fun and really pouring themselves into their work and who is just going through the motions. Do not be that guy. Do not type a splattering of words on a white screen. Make the words dance to your tune, make them work for you, chip away at them, blend them together, until you get something that really shows what you want it to.