A Few Tips On How To Market And Sell Your Self Published Books
Self publishers need to have a good marketing plan to sell books and should be written prior to writing your book and in place a year prior to publishing your book. It’s one thing to write a book, but an entirely different thing to write one that’s saleable, viable, and marketable. In today’s publishing environment, a book’s success depends greatly on a strong marketing plan.
Mail a press release to all the trade journals in your field over and over again; you can use the same release. Invest in press release submitting software and set aside time every week to send out a press release online to the press directories. Make sure your press release spells out the ‘who, what, where, when, and why.’
Learning to write and use powerful optimized press releases can often drive tons of traffic to your website while providing multiple back links that can lead to increased page rank and numerous top ten search engine rankings for your targeted keywords. Using press releases can be a very effective marketing tool if used properly. Press releases can generate thousands of dollars in sales when picked up by national trade or print media.
Using press releases for marketing or promoting your book or book’s website has become increasingly popular as publishers discover the powerful benefits of using press releases. Make sure you have at least one good press release, written in AP style, which you can send out for the lifetime of your book.
Place free ads periodically for your book’s website on Craigslist in different categories to drive even more traffic to your website. Make five telephone calls a day that relate to marketing your book. Make sure to promote and market your book each and every day, both online and offline.
When you get a nice write up or feature about you and/or your book, have it laminated and set it up on an easel at trade shows. Create an online contest and list it in online contest directories to drive traffic to your website. Every day it’s important to focus on a variety of marketing approaches.
Submit articles to online article directories that focus on your book’s topic to drive customers to your website. Find a non-exclusive distributor with a good reputation to carry your book for the book store trade, as well as for other retailers. Contact non-bookstore booksellers and offer to leave books on consignment.
Offer to trade writing a monthly column in a trade publication in your books’ genre, in trade for display ads on the same page. Contact any companies, corporations or organizations that might use your book for promotions; offer significant discounts for volume orders or for thousands of copies offer a specified amount above book production costs. If your book solves a problem, focus on this in your marketing.
If your book fits a specialty market, find a store that fits the genre and offer to leave books on consignment; many publishers have sold thousands of books this way. Get as many testimonials about your book, as possible, from experts in the field relating to your title, not customers; use on your fliers and back of books.
Remember to make sure your book is listed in Books-in-Print; don’t assume it’s already listed. Make sure your sales letter or flier is first class; this is your formal presentation of your title to the prospective buyer.
Use your book promotion and book marketing dollars wisely; go after the free and cheap resources daily. If you apply yourself every day and you promote your book like crazy, you can achieve that ultimate goal of selling thousands of copies of your book, many self publishers have. Yes you can market and promote your book on a shoestring budget, just be careful about your marketing dollars.
For more tips about book marketing and selling more books go to http://www.TwinPeaksPress.com since 1982, giving advice and help to authors, self publishers, ebook, and book publishers including media, and library mailing lists and more, press releases – online, wire service, offline distribution
Best Tips For Book Marketing For The Self Publisher
Assuming you’re a self publisher or book publisher and you’ve already published your book, you need to immediately implement a strong, no-holds barred, book marketing and promotion strategy to sell your books fast. Your book selling, book marketing, and book promotion planning should begin before the manuscript is completed. Self publishers need to have a good marketing plan to sell books and should be written prior to writing your book and in place a year prior to publishing your book.
Your book press release should not be written as you would a sales letter or flier, it should be written for the editor and tell about your book in a factual way, no opinion or glowing remarks. Press releases can generate thousands of dollars in sales when picked up by national trade or print media. Using press releases can be a very effective marketing tool if used properly.
Make sure you have at least one good press release, written in AP style, which you can send out for the lifetime of your book. Send out the same press release to the editor of your local daily newspaper every week until you are called for an interview or are written up. When picked up by wire services, a press release can easily end up generating hundreds of mentions for your book.
Mail a press release to all the trade journals in your field over and over again; you can use the same release. Don’t underestimate the value of a good press release for making book sales.
When you get a nice write up or feature about you and/or your book, have it laminated and set it up on an easel at trade shows. Create an online contest and list it in online contest directories to drive traffic to your website. Remember to make sure your book is listed in Books-in-Print; don’t assume it’s already listed.
Get as many testimonials about your book, as possible, from experts in the field relating to your title, not customers; use on your fliers and back of books. Market your book to your number one market first, and then go after the secondary markets. If your book fits a specialty market, find a store that fits the genre and offer to leave books on consignment; many publishers have sold thousands of books this way.
Build a web site that provides another avenue for ordering, a virtual online press kit and link exchanges with sites that relate to your topic. Submit articles to online article directories that focus on your book’s topic to drive customers to your website. It’s important to publish a website that focuses on your title; you’ll be able to refer editors and customers and all interested parties to your book information with the click of a mouse.
Make sure not to overlook the Internet; get yourself interviewed or profiled for sites both about writing, publishing and about the topics covered in your book. Every day it’s important to focus on a variety of marketing approaches. Offer to trade writing a monthly column in a trade publication in your books’ genre, in trade for display ads on the same page.
Local radio shows and television appearances are good but are often forgotten within hours of the broadcast; make sure to make or get a copy of any television broadcast for future promotions. Make five telephone calls a day that relate to marketing your book.
Print and online publications provide longevity to your marketing campaign in terms of having something tangible for people to reference ongoing. Make sure your sales letter or flier is first class; this is your formal presentation of your title to the prospective buyer.
Make sure to test, test, and test some more before you lay out large sums of money. The success of any book marketing effort depends on a good book and just plain hard work; its been done many times before and you can do it too. I hope this article has provided you with helpful tips to accelerate your book marketing and book promotion efforts.
For more tips about book marketing and selling more books go to http://www.TwinPeaksPress.com since 1982, giving advice and help to authors, self publishers, ebook, and book publishers including media, and library mailing lists and more, press releases – online, wire service, offline distribution
Self Publishers – Sell More Books With Best Tips
You can have the greatest book in the world, but if no one knows about it, no one will buy it; publicity, promotion, marketing and a focus on selling more books should now be a big part of your daily life. In today’s publishing environment, a book’s success depends greatly on a strong marketing plan. Ensuring the success of any book is something even the biggest publishers have never been able to guarantee, but with a good book, a little or a lot of money depending on your budget, and just plain hard work the odds are in your favor; many have done it.
Invest in press release submitting software and set aside time every week to send out a press release online to the press directories. Your book press release should not be written as you would a sales letter or flier, it should be written for the editor and tell about your book in a factual way, no opinion or glowing remarks. Mail a press release to at least 1000 print and broadcast contacts just prior to publishing your title and again and again after you publish; you can never send too many.
Make sure your press release spells out the ‘who, what, where, when, and why.’ When picked up by wire services, a press release can easily end up generating hundreds of mentions for your book. Press releases can generate thousands of dollars in sales when picked up by national trade or print media.
Learning to write and use powerful optimized press releases can often drive tons of traffic to your website while providing multiple back links that can lead to increased page rank and numerous top ten search engine rankings for your targeted keywords. Send out at least 10 press releases to the print and broadcast media in your area every month.
Make sure not to overlook the Internet; get yourself interviewed or profiled for sites both about writing, publishing and about the topics covered in your book. I’ve seen publishers lose a lot of money paying for expensive display ads, so beware if you do this; I don’t advise it in the beginning — get your feet wet first so you know what you’re doing. Build a web site that provides another avenue for ordering, a virtual online press kit and link exchanges with sites that relate to your topic.
You can give away your book in a raffle at a local function to get more book recognition. It’s important to publish a website that focuses on your title; you’ll be able to refer editors and customers and all interested parties to your book information with the click of a mouse. Every day it’s important to focus on a variety of marketing approaches.
Market your book to your number one market first, and then go after the secondary markets. Find a non-exclusive distributor with a good reputation to carry your book for the book store trade, as well as for other retailers. Get as many testimonials about your book, as possible, from experts in the field relating to your title, not customers; use on your fliers and back of books.
Arrange to speak at local, regional and national events that relate to your book topic; bring books along and have an associate sell them at the back of the room. I’ve not found that book signings sell many books for publishers and are often a waste of time; better to spend it elsewhere. Submit articles to online article directories that focus on your book’s topic to drive customers to your website.
Contact any companies, corporations or organizations that might use your book for promotions; offer significant discounts for volume orders or for thousands of copies offer a specified amount above book production costs. Place free ads periodically for your book’s website on Craig’s List in different categories to drive even more traffic to your website.
Contact non-bookstore booksellers and offer to leave books on consignment. Make five telephone calls a day that relate to marketing your book.
With well chosen book marketing and book promotion, online and offline, you’ll reap the profits you deserve for your efforts by way of the Internet and in your mailbox. I hope this article has provided you with helpful tips to accelerate your book marketing and book promotion efforts. The success of any book marketing effort depends first on a good book and then just plain hard work; its been done many times before and you can do it too.
For more tips about book marketing and selling more books go to http://www.TwinPeaksPress.com since 1982, giving advice and help to authors, self publishers, ebook, and book publishers including media, and library mailing lists and more, press releases – online, wire service, offline distribution
Cash In On Book Marketing Trends
You can have the best book in the world, but if no one knows about it, no one will buy it; publicity, promotion, marketing and a focus on selling more books should now be a big part of your daily life. It’s one thing to write a book, but an entirely different thing to write one that’s saleable, viable, and marketable. Self publishers need to have a good marketing plan to sell books and should be written prior to writing your book and in place a year prior to publishing your book.
Using press releases for marketing or promoting your book or book’s website has become increasingly popular as publishers discover the powerful benefits of using press releases. Mail a press release to all the trade journals in your field over and over again; you can use the same release. Make sure your press release spells out the ‘who, what, where, when, and why.’
Mail a press release to at least 1000 print and broadcast contacts just prior to publishing your title and again and again after you publish; you can never send too many. Don’t underestimate the value of a good press release for making book sales. Learning to write and use powerful optimized press releases can often drive tons of traffic to your website while providing multiple back links that can lead to increased page rank and numerous top ten search engine rankings for your targeted keywords.
Invest in press release submitting software and set aside time every week to send out a press release online to the press directories. Send out at least 10 press releases to the print and broadcast media in your area every month.
If your book fits a specialty market, find a store that fits the genre and offer to leave books on consignment; many publishers have sold thousands of books this way. Find a non-exclusive distributor with a good reputation to carry your book for the book store trade, as well as for other retailers. Print and online publications provide longevity to your marketing campaign in terms of having something tangible for people to reference ongoing.
I’ve not found that book signings sell many books for publishers and are often a waste of time; better to spend it elsewhere. Make sure to promote and market your book each and every day, both online and offline. Market your book to your number one market first, and then go after the secondary markets.
Make five telephone calls a day that relate to marketing your book. Be your own publicist and send a press release along with a review copy of your book to publications in your book’s genre and to book review magazines. Remember to make sure your book is listed in Books-in-Print; don’t assume it’s already listed.
Make sure not to overlook the Internet; get yourself interviewed or profiled for sites both about writing, publishing and about the topics covered in your book. Contact any companies, corporations or organizations that might use your book for promotions; offer significant discounts for volume orders or for thousands of copies offer a specified amount above book production costs. Get as many testimonials about your book, as possible, from experts in the field relating to your title, not customers; use on your fliers and back of books.
Place free ads periodically for your book’s website on Craigslist in different categories to drive even more traffic to your website. Women buy more books then men; see how you can fit your book into the women’s’ market.
When you get a nice write up or feature about you and/or your book, have it laminated and set it up on an easel at trade shows. Build a web site that provides another avenue for ordering, a virtual online press kit and link exchanges with sites that relate to your topic.
Yes you can market and promote your book on a shoestring budget, just be careful about your marketing dollars. If you apply yourself every day and you promote your book like crazy, you can achieve that ultimate goal of selling thousands of copies of your book, many self publishers have. With these book marketing tips you’ll be well on your way to conquering the world of self publishing and book publishing.
For more tips about book marketing and selling more books go to http://www.TwinPeaksPress.com since 1982, giving advice and help to authors, self publishers, ebook, and book publishers including media, and library mailing lists and more, press releases – online, wire service, offline distribution
Free Co-op Mailing Listing Service Helps Book Publishers & Self Publishers Sell Books
Publishers know they can save a lot of money joining others in joint or cooperative mailings. Co-op mailing is not a new concept or idea, but finding other publishers who want to mail to the same lists isn’t easy.
A free service is helping publishers sell more books through cooperative mailings with other publishers. Publishers submit listing information, as to what kind of mailing they want to do, the nature of the books or items they want to promote, and contact information. DVDs, audiobooks, CDs, software and other items work easily here too. The information is published each month free in a newsletter for entrepreneurs and publishers – ‘Helen Hecker’s Biz Hotline.’ We aren’t involved in helping with any arrangements you decide on. We only help you find others who are interested in joining with you by publishing the information in the newsletter, free.
You arrange with others and send out your fliers in co-op mailings to, for example, public libraries, independent bookstores, new age bookstores, children’s bookstores, hospitals, hospital gift shops, elementary schools, high schools, college libraries, college newspapers, colleges & universities, various departments in elementary schools, high schools, colleges, and universities, to medical libraries, military libraries, museums, and Christian and religion-related lists, etc.
You arrange with others and send out your press releases to daily newspapers, editors, travel columnists, health columnists, medical columnists, weekly newspapers, major magazine and trade publications in the genre field of the book – business, health, medical, disability, travel publications, etc. I’ve mailed several of my own press releases, successfully, in one business-size envelope third class ( bulk mail) for many years, promoting several of our books, videos, DVDs, titles and services and reaping a ton of orders for us in return. We’ve had thousands of write-ups -articles, items and features in many publications over the years. I think the envelopes are opened in the mail room and the editors never see the envelopes that press releases come in. Also they’ll never know if it arrived by priority mail, first class or third class (bulk) mail.
For many years I ran a sideline fee-shared cooperative mailing service to help our publishing company branch and other publishers, promote titles and sell more books through press releases to the print media (newspapers and magazines, for example) and news releases to the broadcast media (radio station talk shows, TV shows, Oprah, Today show, Good Morning America, etc.) Also we sent fliers to libraries, schools, hospitals, hospital gift shops, newspapers, independent bookstores, new age bookstores, etc.
The costs to do a co-op mailing are established by you and your co-op partners, for the amount necessary to do the mailing, then divided up and paid for well in advance of the mailing. This would include the cost of buying and printing #10 business-size envelopes, the cost of renting the labels, postage cost determined by the weight of the piece and other factors, and cost for the mailing house to do the mail out. All fliers are shipped directly to the mailing house with instructions on the box as to which mailing it’s for. The lead person gives them instructions so they know the boxes are coming.
We’ve always had good results from cooperative mailings and many others have reported they have too. Publishers need to know what markets their genres fit into. No two books or products are exactly alike. So one can’t compare the outcome for titles of books in mailings others have done, to their own titles and potential outcome.
Doing co-op mailings is a good way for book publishers, self publishers, (entrepreneurs and other types of business owners too) to distribute their press releases and fliers, and to save a lot of time and money. And this free cooperative mailing service is a good way for you to find other publishers with the same marketing goals.
Helen Hecker helps book & self publishers, heads Twin Peaks Press, a PR, offline-online marketing, mailing list, consulting, publishing co. Do AP press releases. Publish books, ebooks. Helen Hecker’s Biz Hotline for biz owners. Free co-op mailing service. Since 1982.
http://www.TwinPeaksPress.com