Marketing your Books

(This post was originally featured on aripublishing.com/blog6)

Let’s get right down to it, you’ve written a book, had it properly edited, submitted a carefully crafted query letter and received an automatic rejection letter.

But your book is really, really good!

Doesn’t matter. In order to get a book publishing deal you have to convince the publisher that you know how to sell the book. Nothing else matters. Forget all those fairy stories where some kid writes his first novel and submits it and he’s instantly rocketed to the best seller list.

Doesn’t happen.

Here’s the reality. Book publishing is a business! AND THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF ANY BUSINESS IS MARKETING THE PRODUCT. Without marketing many great products die a lonely death on the shelves. With knowledgeable marketing even the crappiest bit of fluff can generate millions of sales.

Here’s the reality. If you’ve written a book and believe it should sell on its merits alone, you will likely die broke and undiscovered. Sorry, but that’s the truth.

Want a book deal? Then you need to understand how to market your product. And that’s what your book really is…

A Product!

Right now you have two choices. Keep writing books, sending out queries, attending conferences and receiving rejection letters…

OR

Take my free no cost or obligation 7 day course on marketing and learn all you need to know on how to promote, build a buzz and generate sales!
My buddy Marcus Campbell, one of the most successful marketers in the business, has created this FREE 7 day course on marketing. Each step by step video shows you how to get your product in front of the largest number of people who want what you have to offer.
Most books get rejected because the publisher’s marketing department doesn’t believe the book has a big enough audience to warrant the advertising expense.
Isn’t it time you learned how to fashion your book so it meets the marketing criteria of the publishing business so you can break out of the rejection letter cycle?
Learn Book Marketing FREE

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Authors and Marketers and Self Promotion

     Most people feel uncomfortable drawing attention to themselves. Oh sure, its fine if you’ve got a good joke or an interesting tale but nobody wants to be sucked into a sales pitch, especially by someone who is selling their own wares.

   However there is no other way to sell your stuff unless you have lots of money to pay an advertising firm to create a sales campaign. So if you don’t have venture capital, the only other option is to stand around pounding the proverbial bass drum and exercise your carnival barker skills while people slink by with their index fingers press together in the form of a cross or whispering the word ‘Unclean, as they pass.

   As the late Rodney Dangerfield used to say, “We can’t get no respect.

   However, if we’re clever we can disguise the sales pitch as a form of entertainment, or as a learning experience or as a quick joke.

   As all writers know: People love CONTENT.

   So instead of showing you another picture of my book cover (as seen here)

 

   I’ve created a YouTube video that entertains, educates and is fun to watch. It’s a little over two minutes and well worth your time, so why not have a look?

http://youtu.be/BhBYZFeY870

   Then again as writers and marketers we’re often get grief for self promotion. The premise being how good can you be if you have to hawk your own product?

   Well apparently VERY GOOD as Author Gigi Gait points out in her tongue-in-cheek blog post titled ‘Authors who self-promote-Oh the Shame of it all!

Here’s the link: http://gigigalt.com/

   Author Kimberly Grabas makes no bones about the importance of author self promotion and has written a blog post containing 71 ways to do it.

Here’s the link: http://www.yourwriterplatform.com/promote-and-market-your-book/

Thanks ladies.

   There is nothing wrong with self promotion especially if you’ve worked very hard to create a product well worth the price. Lately, because I own a small publishing company and understand how much effort is required to get a company off the ground, I prefer to purchase products from people online.

   They work harder to satisfy you as a customer and value your business. Plus I’d much rather see my money go into the pocket of a fellow small businessmen/women than into the pocket of the CEO of a big box store.

   So when the opportunity arises, purchase from a small online business. Or from a company that supports online business like Amazon. Once your product starts selling regularly they help promo it to their customers at no cost to you.

   A friend forwarded me this email he received, I took a screen shot of it. 

And there is my novel Noon: The Rise to Power.
Thanks Amazon!

     So when the opportunity arises support the people rebuilding the economy and maybe someday those very same people who will offer you a job.