I recently listened to a special podcast with Brian Jud and he talked about selling books to special markets. Thought I would share with you some of the things he covered. Most of this works better for non-fiction, but there are plenty of markets for fiction, too.
He talked about selling what your book does, not what it is. When you’re contacting these special markets, how will the person/company you’re speaking to benefit? How will readers benefit? What problems will your book solve? Can you reformat your book into booklets, pamphlets, or pdf downloads? Can you match your book with an association’s cause?
Some of the markets he mentioned:
Book clubs
Associations
Airport stores (besides the bookstore)
Corporate libraries
Alumni groups
Catalogs
Corporate gifts
Reading groups
Military
Gift and specialty stores
Display marketing
Cruise ships
Museums, parks, and zoos
Home Shopping Network
Does this give you some new ideas? Here’s another great thing about these markets - they don’t return books!
Visit Brian Jud’s site Book Marketing Works and sign up for his newsletter.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Promotion Begins With the First Word
I was supposed to have a guest post today, but since that fell through, here's some promotional considerations during the writing phase of your book.
Promotion Begins With the First Word
Marketing is often a writer’s greatest challenge. The sooner you can begin planning your promotions, the greater your chance of success. And marketing should begin with the very first word.
Before pouring your heart and soul into your efforts, consider the marketability of your work. Explore bookstores off and online to determine if your niche is too small or genre too large. Examine the competition in depth. Most book purchases are determined by either subject matter or the author’s reputation. Do you have enough status to be considered an expert in your field? Does your book fill a need? If writing fiction, will the hook of your story be powerful enough to make you stand out from all the other authors in your genre? Remember, no one book appeals to all people, so know your target audience. Take all of this into account before passionately writing a book you cannot sell.
Tie-ins play a key role in the success of a book as well. Start asking yourself now – who would endorse my book? Favorably Mentioning specific products, companies, individuals and locations may garner endorsements. A celebrity endorsement, whether from an actor, an athlete, or another author, can increase the credibility of your work. Don’t forget organizations, non-profit groups or even political parties that might recommend your book or even use it for a fundraiser. The setting of your story might be of great interest to the people who reside there and in fact could be your target audience. Consider all of these aspects as you create your work.
Be aware of the length of your book. When exploring the bookshelves, look at the average length of books in your genre. Will yours be too long or too short? Page sizes and fonts will vary, so think in terms of word count. Research your genre thoroughly and be aware of the maximum and minimum word counts. Publishers and agents don’t want to see a book from an unknown writer that’s over 100,000 words - some want it closer to 80,000. Watch your word count even if you intend to self-publish.
The promotion process begins with the writing phase. If you do not prepare during this time, you may find it difficult to market your book or entice the interest of a publisher. Write success into your book right now!
Promotion Begins With the First Word
Marketing is often a writer’s greatest challenge. The sooner you can begin planning your promotions, the greater your chance of success. And marketing should begin with the very first word.
Before pouring your heart and soul into your efforts, consider the marketability of your work. Explore bookstores off and online to determine if your niche is too small or genre too large. Examine the competition in depth. Most book purchases are determined by either subject matter or the author’s reputation. Do you have enough status to be considered an expert in your field? Does your book fill a need? If writing fiction, will the hook of your story be powerful enough to make you stand out from all the other authors in your genre? Remember, no one book appeals to all people, so know your target audience. Take all of this into account before passionately writing a book you cannot sell.
Tie-ins play a key role in the success of a book as well. Start asking yourself now – who would endorse my book? Favorably Mentioning specific products, companies, individuals and locations may garner endorsements. A celebrity endorsement, whether from an actor, an athlete, or another author, can increase the credibility of your work. Don’t forget organizations, non-profit groups or even political parties that might recommend your book or even use it for a fundraiser. The setting of your story might be of great interest to the people who reside there and in fact could be your target audience. Consider all of these aspects as you create your work.
Be aware of the length of your book. When exploring the bookshelves, look at the average length of books in your genre. Will yours be too long or too short? Page sizes and fonts will vary, so think in terms of word count. Research your genre thoroughly and be aware of the maximum and minimum word counts. Publishers and agents don’t want to see a book from an unknown writer that’s over 100,000 words - some want it closer to 80,000. Watch your word count even if you intend to self-publish.
The promotion process begins with the writing phase. If you do not prepare during this time, you may find it difficult to market your book or entice the interest of a publisher. Write success into your book right now!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Business Cards and Black Fur
I'm visiting Donna Hole’s BLOG and discussing business cards for writers, authors, and speakers. What goes on a business card? What information? What about book covers? Drop by for the full scoop.
Before you leave, meet the reasons why my keyboard stays covered in black fur…
Before you leave, meet the reasons why my keyboard stays covered in black fur…
Monday, June 20, 2011
People Skills & Communication
The Carnegie Institute of Technology revealed that 85% of our success is based on our ability to deal with other people. How we interact with others is so important. And while we slip now and then, we need to stay positive and remember that all actions carry with them a reaction, especially online. (Think Karma.)
Sometimes we see people do things that are so negative and hurtful. Things that could've been avoided with a little communication. Several incidents this year have caused me to cringe at the lack of people skills.
An unpublished writer posted a very negative book review. That person stated the book was awful, but since it was sent for a review, HAD to finish it. The reviewer went beyond the book, though, and half of the review was an attack on the author as a person. I felt so bad reading it, I wanted to send the author an email saying how sorry I was for the personal slurs - and I didn’t even write it!
Life is too short to read a really bad book and most book bloggers will contact an author before posting a negative review. I doubt this person did that. But the personal attack was uncalled for and unprofessional. It told others this person might do the same to them. It really made the reviewer look bad, not the author. And what happens if this writer one day has a book?
Another person became upset when a review copy wasn’t sent. This blogger had volunteered to feature the author, along with a hundred others. I don’t believe a review copy was even requested. Eventually this person told the author the friendship was over, and all because of one review copy. I read about this when the author posted a general, very humble, and sincere apology to all online friends. (And judging from the comments, no one blamed the author.)
Life is more meaningful when we can do things for others. Online we help one another, like the hundreds of people who supported Talli Roland last December. This person volunteered to help. If a review copy was needed, a request should’ve been sent. (And sometimes the author doesn’t have review copies, so a request goes to the publisher.) But to blame the author and denounce friendship over a book seems trivial and uncaring.
Both of these situations could’ve been avoided with a little communication. The first person could’ve contacted the author before posting the review (and left out the personal attack of course) and the second person could’ve contacted the author or publisher and requested a review copy. So simple.
Fortunately, communication can begin to resolve these issues with the words “I’m sorry.” Again, so simple.
Have you seen a demonstration of poor judgment lately? A lack of people skills? A failure to communicate? A situation you wish you could change? Remember those simple words.
Sometimes we see people do things that are so negative and hurtful. Things that could've been avoided with a little communication. Several incidents this year have caused me to cringe at the lack of people skills.
An unpublished writer posted a very negative book review. That person stated the book was awful, but since it was sent for a review, HAD to finish it. The reviewer went beyond the book, though, and half of the review was an attack on the author as a person. I felt so bad reading it, I wanted to send the author an email saying how sorry I was for the personal slurs - and I didn’t even write it!
Life is too short to read a really bad book and most book bloggers will contact an author before posting a negative review. I doubt this person did that. But the personal attack was uncalled for and unprofessional. It told others this person might do the same to them. It really made the reviewer look bad, not the author. And what happens if this writer one day has a book?
Another person became upset when a review copy wasn’t sent. This blogger had volunteered to feature the author, along with a hundred others. I don’t believe a review copy was even requested. Eventually this person told the author the friendship was over, and all because of one review copy. I read about this when the author posted a general, very humble, and sincere apology to all online friends. (And judging from the comments, no one blamed the author.)
Life is more meaningful when we can do things for others. Online we help one another, like the hundreds of people who supported Talli Roland last December. This person volunteered to help. If a review copy was needed, a request should’ve been sent. (And sometimes the author doesn’t have review copies, so a request goes to the publisher.) But to blame the author and denounce friendship over a book seems trivial and uncaring.
Both of these situations could’ve been avoided with a little communication. The first person could’ve contacted the author before posting the review (and left out the personal attack of course) and the second person could’ve contacted the author or publisher and requested a review copy. So simple.
Fortunately, communication can begin to resolve these issues with the words “I’m sorry.” Again, so simple.
Have you seen a demonstration of poor judgment lately? A lack of people skills? A failure to communicate? A situation you wish you could change? Remember those simple words.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)