In a post today ( in BBC News ), discusses the government of India’s strong interest in returning to the expansion levels of yesteryear. With a former growth rate of around nine percent annually, India’s latest growth rate has been around 6.5%+ recently. Actually, 6.5% looks great compared to many countries around the world for [...]
Many an author discovers that writing a book is just half the equation to becoming a successful author. An author with an outgoing personality can have lots of fun with the promotional aspect of publishing, while an author with an introverted personality has to work at developing the ability to interact. I have been active in the publishing industry one way or another for more than 15 years and have seen many creative promotional techniques. Here are three proven promotional techniques in this series that an author can use to sell more books…
Commenting on Relevant Leading Blogs
When an author is trying to build their platform, being “seen” commenting and linking on high-traffic blog about relevant topics keeps their “name out there.” To start searching for relevant blogs, visit Alexa (owned by Amazon) or Technorati.
Commenting on a popular blog calls for an author to offer worthwhile feedback or information readers can benefit from without overtly self-promoting the author. Practice posting succinct comments on three blogs to gain your footing, and then gradually develop a list of 15 to 20 well-trafficked blogs on which to routinely comment.
Relationships on blogs take time to develop, so an author should plan on regular comments for at least two to three months before seeing measurable recognition.
Triangle Marketing Program
An author who wants to benefit a nonprofit and distribute many books at once can create a triangle marketing program. In the triangle marketing program, an author coordinates with a company interested in reaching the constituents of a nonprofit. The company pays for books that are donated to the nonprofit who sells the books and keep the proceeds.
The triangle marketing program is attractive to the groups involved because:
a) An author sells many books at once. Sure, the price per book is lower, but the exposure to the nonprofit’s constituents promotes author name recognition and volume of sale is high.
b) The company is “seen” as philanthropic for helping a nonprofit with a fundraising project (while being “seen” by the nonprofits’ constituents) and,
c) The nonprofit receives an item with high perceived value (your book) that is paid for by a corporate sponsor. The nonprofit can turn around and sell your book and keep 100 percent of the proceeds.
Everyone wins!
Booklets
Readers are slow to take a chance on an unknown author. If an author gives readers something free to “taste” what is in the book, resistance to a book sale diminishes. A condensed version of a book in booklet form is an inexpensive bridge to bond an author and reader, without a major commitment on the reader’s part.
A 15 to 20 page booklet that fits in a reader’s pocket makes it easy for a reader to carry your material everywhere and acquaints potential readers to an author. Readers often pass along booklets to friends and colleagues…like an appealing magazine issue a reader wants to share with others. Booklets are inexpensive to print (around $0.12 apiece in quantities of 1,000) and conversion rates are high (number of readers who received a booklet and ended up buying the book). Paulette Ensign is known in the book industry for her use of booklets.
Stay tuned for more upcoming creative promotional techniques that an author can immediately use…
Mike McCann
Mike-at-GlobalBusinessCafe.com
Write a book as an emotional connection…whether fiction or nonfiction. An author who “connects” with readers will sell books. In order to “connect” with readers, readers have to know an author exists through creative promotional techniques. These three comments seem obvious to an author writing a book, but it’s amazing how many an author will write a book without planning the “connection” with potential readers. Here are the first three creative promotional techniques an author can use to build a “platform”…and make promotion fun!
Endorsements and Testimonials
Influential talk is “buzz.” Ideally, an author has developed personal relationships with influential individuals available to pen short blurbs and kind words for a new book. An author can meet a future endorsement or testimonial (handled much the same) at a trade show, conference, personal visit… Following an introduction, an author should follow up the personal meeting with a note and stay in touch at least once every six months.
To start a relationship with a fellow author, pick up a book by that author and look for contact information. Call, e-mail or mail to this author and begin a mutually-beneficial relationship.
For Hollywood celebrities, look up the Screen Actors Guild in Los Angeles or New York City. Celebrities always have a manager or agent. As a creative promotional technique, mail a nice, low-key, handwritten (if your writing is easy to read) card to the agent/manager introducing yourself as an author and what your interest is for contacting their client. Stay in touch, whatever the response, every three weeks in a professional fashion and your request should eventually get a nod.
Members of the National Speakers Association are often experts in a variety of fields and stay current in a variety of industries. Search the association directory online for a professional speaker in the topic matching the author and get in touch. Speakers love promotion in a book and are often an author themselves.
You get the idea. As an author, decide what high-profile groups will help you sell books with their blurb and name. Now, go build relationships with creative promotional techniques.
Online Publicity/Publishing Resources
As an author, stay up-to-date by following publishing and media-related newsletters for creative promotional techniques. Here are four excellent resources that have been in business for years:
a) PartyLine – Partyline carries breaking news, media requests and PR opportunities.
b) SPAN – Small Publishers Association of North America’s website (and member resources) contain many author marketing tips.
c) The Publicity Hound, facilitated by Joan Stewart, features tips, techniques and tools for free (or real inexpensive) publicity for an author.
d) Publishers Marketplace is where the publishing industry follows book deals, information from book agents, editors and publishing news.
Write Free Articles for Recognized Magazines
As soon as an author finishes the rough draft for a book, he or she should immediately send professional query letters to appropriate editors of relevant national magazines explaining all the research you, an author, has completed. Suggest that the queried magazine would be interested in your current and researched information as an upcoming article. Essentially, query relevant magazines matching your topic during the manuscript phase to solicit an article assignment as a creative promotional technique. Editors at magazines work anywhere from three months to one year on article selection…look at Wooden Horse Pub for magazine inspiration.
Trade magazines (vertical industry magazines such as “Meetings and Conventions,” “World Trade 100,” etc.) usually pay little to nothing for articles, but definitely include a byline on the author (contact information). Consumer, flight, special interest (National Geographic, Entrepreneur) and professional magazines generally pay from $0.10 to $2.00 per word (plus payment for professional photography). Remuneration is not as important, as is an author promoting their expertise and building a platform through exposure. Author, get the word out!
Creative promotional techniques for an author are abundant….especially with the Internet. Relax, plug-in to promotional techniques that match your personality and book…then press GO!
Mike McCann
Mike-at-GlobalBusinessCafe.com
Getting Organized for Forward Momentum
Preparing a rough outline with section and chapter heads was my last post toward helping you write a book. Today, we’ll cover writing a book by organizing your materials in one comprehensive location. Necessary materials include:
a) three-ring binder with interior pocket, writing instrument and ample supply of three-hole paper for notes
b) three-hole organizational tabs to separate note paper by segments and chapters and,
c) two+ 4GB USB flash drives.
Carry this three-ring binder everywhere. Ongoing story: I never know when an idea will come to mind and am constantly ready to jot notes pertaining to one of the chapter subjects (or introduction, foreword, back cover, “about the author,” testimonial segments).
When an idea comes to mind, I immediately write the idea on paper and insert the idea within the tab segment corresponding to the ideas’ topic. Another application for the note paper and binder idea comes when researching book material and need to take notes and jot down references.
I carry 4GB flash drives because these media devices are small enough to carry easily and substantial enough to hold much material. I choose 4GB flash drives because 2GB flash drives are too small to accumulate a large amount of material for a manuscript and 8GB is too large to depend on in case the flash drive is damaged or lost.
Two flash drives insure that I am never caught by surprise without adequate media storage while away from the office. Also, on one occasion, one of my flash drives malfunctioned and all the material from the bad flash drive had to be transferred to the second flash drive for peace of mind.
If carrying a three-ring binder everywhere is a burden, BE SURE to carry adequate note paper and writing instrument with you…transferring any notes taken to the three-ring binder system on a disciplined basis.
Helping you write a book through always carrying note paper and writing instrument crystallizes thoughts and keeps you on a disciplined timeline toward completion of writing a book. In two days, I will discuss options for different book formats and recommended page lengths on the road to writing a book.
Mike McCann
Mike-at-GlobalBusinessCafe.com