In this blog, I have briefly summarized five key elements in any book marketing plan. Providing an overview will allow you to put the plan into perspective, giving you a broader vision of where you need to go. So, let’s get started.
Radio/Podcast Interviews: Before launching a radio/podcast promo campaign, there are three questions you need to answer:
- How do you find opportunities?
- How to be relevant to the hosts?
- How to pitch your unique opportunity?
Begin with the acquisition of the Gordon’s Radio List, a comprehensive list of more than 1,000 radio talk shows and what they look for. Sort through them to identify those most likely to suit you, then create an Excel spreadsheet that will have laid out for you the information you need, and which will also allow you to track your pitches to these sources. To this you might add a subscription to RadioGuestFinder.com and Pitchrate, each of which provides you, every week, with 10-20 programs actively looking for new guests. There are other sources available as well. For instance, over the weekend I was looking for faith-based radio programs for a client, and found a huge list available at no cost online. This merely gives hot links to the stations’ websites, but hey, it’s a place to start. Careful Google searches will help you build your radio/podcast contact list, as will networking with other writers who have embraced this approach.
It also helps to have coaching on how to handle radio and podcast interviews, in two forms. First, a broad “here’s how you do it” media training coaching session with a savvy media coach; followed by a brief “touch-up” with your coach prior to each interview. I’ve been coaching clients on this since 1977, and I’ve seen how well it works. To reflect on just how important this is, whenever I have an interview in the offing, even though I’ve been a coach for more than 40 years, I contact my own media coach – Al Rothstein – who gives me a great “touch-up” before the interview. It’s amazing how much this enhances my own focus, and my success.
Finally, for some clients, I “appear” with them on the interview, to add another dimension to the discussion. But I only do this for clients who want my active help in this regard. Whomever you work with in your media outreach might also be able to help you in this regard.
News Media Interviews: These are not the same as the typical talk radio/podcast interviews, and these cover all aspects of the media, not just radio/podcasts. Authors like you are almost automatically seen by the media as subject-matter experts in the field addressed by their books. If your book touches on a breaking-news area, many news media outlets will want your help in even novelists, such as the late Tom Clancy and Vince Flynn. They were both regular cable TV and print/internet (and radio) interview subjects on international terrorism and related topics, all because their novels touched on that subject area. Be creative, finding and identifying your niches, based on your book, then follow the following proven formula for getting results.
That formula goes like this.
- First, create Google Alerts using keywords tied to your area of expertise.
- Next, when topical news breaks, decide if you have a position to take.
- If you do, quickly write a short blog of from 250-750 words, articulating your position on the subject at hand.
- Then pitch targeted media, explaining how you can put this breaking news story into perspective for their audience.
This works very well as an approach to generating favorable media coverage.
For example, in 2008, to prove this concept, and using as my credential an
as-yet unpublished how-to book about winning in politics, I made five pitches,
and from that, I landed five interviews on Cavuto, five on Imus, 56 other radio
interviews and more than 100 print/internet interviews.
Create and Nurture a Virtual Platform: All the experts say that self-promoting authors must have a platform – however, relatively few authors have platforms. Most authors have some Facebook friends or Twitter followers, but few have the tens of thousands of followers who are passionate about their works and willing to buy their books. However, you don’t need a platform if you create and nurture a virtual platform.
There are thousands of topical groups on Facebook and LinkedIn – some are sure to focus on topics linked to your book. Collectively, these groups are joined by millions of individuals (some groups are small, but some I belong to reach more than 60,000 people) who have self-selected to join based on their interest in topics that relate to your books. These people can become your virtual network.
Begin by identifying the topical groups with whom you want to network, then list them – along with their rules for participation – on an Excel spreadsheet. Be sure to know the rules for each – they vary, but there are ones where even a single instance of blatant self-promotion will get you booted from the list, so be careful. In addition to topical groups, there are groups where authors go to promote their works. Admittedly, most of the members of these groups are other authors, but authors buy books, too.
Having identified your targets groups, it’s time to become socially active on these sites. By frequently posting topically (without self-promotion, not at first), and by frequently commenting on others’ posts, you will become a “name” on those groups. Once you’ve established your credibility on these sites then you can carefully begin pitching your book. However, only do this after the members of this group “know you.” Be careful because, as noted, many of these groups have rigid rules against blatant self-promotion. This is why I’ve evolved several relatively foolproof ways of getting their attention and interest, but without directly pitching your book. This is an important and effective strategy.
As noted, I maintain a spreadsheet of the groups I follow for myself and for my clients. You should do the same, as it’s a great way of keeping track of topical groups, their rules, and what you’ve posted there before. Then monitor these groups and, whenever the opportunity strikes, create original (topical) posts and “reply” to others’ posts – and when others comment on your posts, engage them in a conversation. Do this to simulate a conversation that is at the heart of the “social” part of social media.
Having done this, having made a name for yourself as an active “member” of this group, the next step is to create blogs or other content on your book’s website (yes, your books need a website). Be sure to prominently note that each blog is “based on my book, ____,” as this is a way of promoting your book without crossing anti-self-promotion rules. When each of these blogs is ready for prime time, copy the blog’s URL, then post to the groups a teaser about your blog’s content. You can mention the blog is based on your book, but don’t include a link to Amazon. Instead, include a link to the blog, and within the blog – or separately on the blog page of your book’s website, indicate that it’s available from Amazon and other locations.
In this way, you can first create a virtual platform of people self-selected for their interest in your book’s topic, then you can leverage this group to create sales without violating the group’s restrictions on self-promotion.
Events: There are several kinds of events, and each of them has potential to enhance your target audience’s awareness of you, as well as to sell some books. Here’s how you do that.
First, identify the kinds of events you’d like to participate in – solo readings, panel discussions, read-and-critique sessions or others.
Next, find venues that will allow you to do readings/signings and which will carry your book. Indie bookstores are generally more welcoming that B&N, but with the recent B&N ownership change, this policy may change too. However, not all Indies will carry a book unless they can order it from their distributor. This not only means the books are returnable, but in addition, it means that their computerized sales system can handle the sale without manual input – a big factor for some Indies. If you’re a self-publisher, if you arrange for Ingram-Spark to print-on-demand your book, it will be listed in the Ingram catalog, overcoming this barrier-to-access.
For example, recently, I went with a client to a local museum – an affiliate of the Smithsonian – which agreed to not only carry his book – initially on consignment, and eagerly welcomed having the author autograph each copy, to enhance sales. However, since the author had 200 copies of the book in boxes that he was eager to move, this was no problem. In addition, the venue also asked him to consider delivering one or more presentations on the topic in his book, where the museum could sell his book, and he could personally autograph copies for attendees.
There is nothing that beats shoe-leather – showing up and meeting decision-makers – to succeed. Emails can get ignored. Phone calls can go to voice mail and not returned. But in-person works (if that’s possible – if it’s not, then we fall back on emails and phone calls … and persistence).
This in-person approach also works with local Indie bookstores, especially if you’ll give them (initially) copies on consignment. For you, “local” should include your nearest significant metro areas – places where you could take a day or two to drive in, make the rounds, and return home.
In addition to local events, there are national organization events (such as the annual Christian Broadcasters event, for those who write in the Christian field) where you can effectively promote your book, be interviewed live at the event. This is just one example, but no matter what your subject matter, there are many events that can be used to be used to leverage your book.
As a corollary to this, the Independent
Book Publishers Association (IBPA) is a group that, for $129 a year, every
writer should join, even if they have a royalty book contract – in today’s
market, unless you’re a name-brand author, they’ll still expect you to market
and promote your own book at your own expense, and IBPA is a way of doing this
effectively at an affordable cost.
IBPA offers a number of low-cost/high-value book promotion and marketing services, from mailings that target independent bookstores or public libraries to a “presence” at regional, national and international book fairs. In the US, these latter events are where bookstore owners go to help identify which books they want to carry. However, the international book fair (in Frankfurt, Germany) is where books get picked up for re-publishing in overseas markets. This is where you can sell rights in any English-speaking country. This should also include some countries with other native languages but which, like China, have an extensive population literate in English. Having your book on display at these events can boost sales.
Taking it a step further, attending these events as part of the IBPA delegation makes closing your sales to Indie bookstores even easier. In addition, for writers, they are remarkable events in their own right. For instance, the last one I attended, I got to meet Ray Bradbury, and got an autographed copy of one of his books. I strongly recommend joining and participating in the IBPA promotions that work for you – I’ve been working with them on behalf of my clients since 1996, and have never been disappointed by the quality or value of their services.
Speaking Gigs: As an author, you’re automatically deemed to be an expert in the subjects your book addresses – fiction or non-fiction. So, if you’re comfortable as a platform speaker, there are a few simple steps you can take to pitch and position yourself as an expert speaker at events where you can sell and autograph your books, and – for the right events – actually earn a speaker’s fee or honorarium as well.
For example, more than 25 years ago, I attended the American Marketing Association’s Healthcare Marketing annual convention, and heard Joyce Borysenko, a speaker from Harvard Medical School. She described in detail a double-blind study she discovered which proved the value of intercessory prayer in healing patients. Those praying were located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and they prayed for individuals on a cardiac ward in a San Francisco hospital, 1,500 miles away. They prayed only for people in a given room (I think it was room 759), with the control group in room 758. Those giving prayers had no idea who they were praying for, or even their medical condition, but those in room 759 consistently recovered more quickly and more completely than did those in the control room, 758.
She also had a book to sell, and I found it fascinating. The fact that I remember this talk after so many years is indicative of the power of public speaking – plus, you can often receive an honorarium or speaker’s fee. When you negotiate it, they’ll also give you the chance to autograph and sell your book at the event.
To secure such speaking ops, check out the websites of the convention authorities in nearby urban centers. Typically, they’ll have a list of all the conventions, meetings, conferences and the like planned for in the next year, along with contact information for the convention coordinator. Until you have an established name, you can secure speaking gigs by contacting them in the last month or two (contact them several times with different messages, but the same sales hook) before the event, offering yourself as a last-minute replacement speaker. Count on this – having speakers cancel at the last minute is as inevitable as death and taxes, but easier to solve. I’ve been doing this for clients since the mid ‘90s, and it continues to work.
Summary: These five strategies are not everything you need to do to market your book, but they make up part of the essence of any successful book promotion campaign. There are a few other tactics you’ll want to embrace as well, including how to have your book become an Amazon best-seller (in a single day), how to quickly get 10 five-star reviews on Amazon (by verified purchasers), or how to leverage your book into landing new clients.
But the big-five are those indicated above.
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