I have a plethora of books in my library on writing, but a dearth on marketing what I’ve written. That’s a mistake. Most authors I know end up spending as much time marketing their books as writing them. Why don’t we get professional guidance as often for the latter as the former?
One reason for me: I have trouble finding books that address the types of online marketing that are affordable (or free–that’s nice) and doable for an author who’d rather write than market. Recently, I found two books I think assist with marketing the newly-published book:
Online Marketing for Busy Authors: A Step-By-Step Guide
by Fauzia Burke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I met Fauzia Burke when she was presenting at a San Diego writers conference and came away with no doubt she knew her stuff. I wasn’t surprised she has marketed books for some of my favorite authors (Jeffrey Archer, Dean Koontz, and Daniel Silva to name a few). When her how-to book, Online Marketing for Busy Authors (Berrett-Koehler Publishers 2016) became available on NetGalley, I grabbed it.
Based on what I’d seen at her presentation, I expected expert advice that would kickstart the online marketing campaign for my latest novel in a down-to-earth voice with suggestions achievable even for the novice marketer. And that’s exactly what I got. It’s important to note: If you’re looking for a palette of marketing options that includes physical events such as book tours and radio interviews, this may not be the book for you. If you’re looking for online events you can participate in that are low-no cost and the payback on time spent is excellent, this is the right book. Fauzia specializes in showing authors how to use readily-available online tools to market their books such as blogs, websites, social media, and more.
She calls this an introductory book but don’t let that confuse you. I consider myself pretty savvy with online marketing–I’ve published dozens of ebooks over a decade–and I found nuggets that I can make use of immediately. Fauzia organizes the book into three parts:
- Getting organized
- Turning Your Thinking Into Action
- Staying the Course
Each has relevant subtopics like personal branding and know your reader, as well as worksheets to help writers organize their efforts around the specific topic. Here are some of my favorite ideas:
- The best part about online marketing is that it levels the playing field.
- How do you prevent your brand from getting lost in all the social media noise? The answer: Be uniquely you. Aim for authenticity.
- …building an effective brand is a marathon, not a sprint.
- Over the years, authors have told me interesting things when it comes to their audience. Most of the time it’s half the planet. “My audience is women…” [this is part of the chapter on knowing how to narrow your audience].
- Develop a long-term relationship with your readers…
- You don’t have to be an early adopter and chase every new social media tool. Use tools that have a track record for success.
- When you look at all the different elements of online marketing, you may feel overwhelmed. But here’s the thing: You don’t have to do it all. You can start slow and small and grow gradually.
- Double down on what’s working and ditch what’s not.
- The bottom line is this: Don’t spam ever, on any network. Always show respect for others and their time.
Overall, this book is highly recommended to all authors who are trying to market their book and just need a few meaty suggestions to make that go well.
Your Book, Your Brand: The Step-By-Step Guide to Launching Your Book and Boosting Your Sales
by Dana Kaye
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Dana Kaye’s Your Book, Your Brand: The Step-by-step Guide to Launching Your Book and Boosting Your Sales (Diversion Books 2016) came recommended by several friends when I was whining about the lack of success I was having marketing my latest novel. While Kaye doesn’t have even a decade of experience in publicity, she does have a fresh eye and addictive enthusiasm. Once I got started reading, it was easy to see why her ideas were so valuable to writers.
Rather than the linear approach to marketing in Fauzia Burke’s book above, Kaye writes about typical problems writers might have with marketing and how to fix them using both online and physical solutions. She includes topics such as branding, online media, pitching, social media, in-person branding, and promotions, often with worksheets so readers can determine how to fit the topics into their world. A nice inclusion is a sample campaign and a suggested timeline for events.
Here are some of my favorite suggestions:
- Book promotion is more of an art than a science. What works for one author may not work for another…
- The first step is to always write a good book.
- All authors, regardless of audience, will need an author website. This serves as your online business card,
- All websites should include the following: [and then Kaye tells you what the critical pieces are].
- …always pay for your images through stock photo companies; never pull images from the web.
- To stay focused, answer the following questions: Does your audience prefer print or e-books? Where do they get their information (TV, radio, websites)? What else do they read (newspapers, magazines, blogs)? Where do they buy their books (online, grocery stores, chain bookstores)? What social media platforms do they utilize (Facebook, Twitter…).
- There are many companies that will charge you thousands of dollars to boost your SEO, not telling you about the many easy ways you can do it for yourself. One of those ways is securing online media coverage.
- A press kit is like a highlight reel, an expansion on the one-sheet that encapsulates all aspects of you as an author. It should feature all your books, showcasing the most important titles, as well as a longer bio and more in-depth talking points. It can also include any or all of the following: [and then Kaye lists those for readers].”
- …Google+ is less about social networking and more about search engine marketing.
Overall, this could be an important part of the professional library for authors who are new to marketing.
–I received free copies of both of these books from NetGalley in return for my honest reviews.
More books on the business end of writing:
4 Reasons You Want a PLN and 13 Ways to Build One
Top Ten Marketing Tips for Your Ebook
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, and the thriller, To Hunt a Sub. She is also the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for TeachHUB, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. You can find her books at her publisher’s website, Structured Learning.
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Hahlelujal! I needed this-you’re my savior.
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I found these because I too desperately need them. You won’t be disappointed.
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Thanks for the recommendations!
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My pleasure!
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Pingback: 12 Surprises and 4 Take-aways I Found Marketing My Debut Novel, To Hunt a Sub « Jacqui Murray
Thanks so much for the tips. Two more books to add to the TBR pile. 🙂
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These are great to pull out when you create your marketing campaign. Lots of fodder for a ToDo list.
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Thank you for writing a great blog!
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Great recommendations, Jacqui. But if I could only buy one, which should it be? 😉
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Ummm, Fauzia’s I think. I saw her at a conference and was quite impressed with her depth of knowledge. But, she does only deal with online marketing.
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Thanks.
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Thanks for these recommendations Jacqui they both sound very helpful.
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They are. They do a good job filling out my marketing library.
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Pingback: 12 Surprises I Found Marketing My Debut Novel, To Hunt a Sub | WordDreams...
Reblogged this on KCJones.
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Thanks for the reblog!
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I love this! I agree…when I was trying to get published, there were mountains of books and workshops and “how to” blogs. You don’t see that once you’re published. It’s like you’re supposed to just know somehow. No matter what you do, though, it never feels like enough! I just did five school visits where they bought one of each of my books. So I put a 25 book minimum on any visit I did and schools stopped emailing me to request I show up. If it’s not going to sell books, why am I going to do it? That makes no sense!
Stephanie
http://stephie5741.blogspot.com
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That is a lot of work for one book sale. They have to know that. You could appear virtually–one of the Skype calls where they talk to the author. Then you can do it from your bedroom.
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Hi Jacqui – these sound such good reads and I’m sure we’ll all learn something for now – or in my case for the future. Thanks for the nod towards them … and as you said earlier – we need to be organised and then properly start the journey … cheers Hilary
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The world is changing. It’s hard to pick what the right changes are so I like a book from an author I respect (as much as I could get to know Fauzia at her workshop). It helps me vet the information.
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Great Jacqui,
am forwarding this post to people I know who can benefit.
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Thanks, Judy. They both offer a lot. Hope all goes well with you. Miss our coffees!
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Thanks for this wonderful post Jacqui. I’m sure many of us authors here are all interested in learning a new dynamic to this tricky business of finding the right marketing strategy. I’m definitely off to check out your recommendations. Thanks. 🙂
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Exactly why I selected these, Debbie. I get used to doing what I do and forget there may be other options out there.
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You’re so right! Sometimes we all need to step out of the box! 🙂
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Jacqui, thank you so much for these detailed reviews of these two books. I think this is exactly what I need. Showing the differences between the books and the strengths of each is very helpful. One of your best posts ever! (and I love all your posts, you know.)
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Thanks, Shari. It was interesting both included worksheets. Very comprehensive approach.
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A couple of books I need in my library. Thanks.
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I only had one how-to-market book in my library. These two filled my shelves out a bit.
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She starts exactly where it’s logical and essential. Get organized.
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I like that, too. It’s easy to forget that a long journey starts with the first step.
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I have a friend who wants to write his book so this information is really great. I forwarded this to him. Thanks again Jacqui. You give out some info that is so useful. These two books sound very good for a first time author.
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As far as I can tell, chatting with fellow writers, there’s no difference between marketing time for self-pubbed and traditional. Sure the main stream publishers have a greater reach, but that doesn’t always translate to more revenue for the author.
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Both books sound great, Jacqui, and I’ll probably pick one up. My problem is time. UGH. There are things that I already know I can do, and I don’t do them because I’m always pressed for time. I need staff. Ha ha 🙂
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I am there too, Diana. I’ve been too busy for so long, the guilt is starting to disappear.
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I think I need to put together a calendar and sprinkle little bits around through each month so it doesn’t feel so daunting. 🙂
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Thanks for the tips- I know I’m definitely going to be accepting your advice and checking out those two books!
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You won’t be sorry. I like how down-to-earth both authors are.
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Thanks for the recommendations, Jacqui!
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I was really excited to find these two books on NetGalley. I know some about online marketing, but these provided the full breadth of options.
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Great suggestions. Also, for the self-published author, Mark Coker (Smashwords) offers a free download on the Smashwords site with lots of information about publishing trends and marketing for the newbie.
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Good suggestion. Do you have a link we can share?
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Go to the home page, https://www.smashwords.com and then down to the section “Publish and Distribute on Smashwords” The articles there are helpful and free.
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Going there… Thanks Alta.
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Reblogged this on Don Massenzio's Blog.
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Thanks for the reblog, Don!
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You’re welcome
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Jacqui,there’s nothing for it but for me to get both of these books!! You’ve sold me on them, the advice is much needed and I like the different approaches of the books. Thank you so much for this review – never having read any book on the subject these will be invaluable. 😀
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I think you are a NetGalley gal, aren’t you Annika? Try there first–see if they’re still available.
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Great idea…heading off to see if I can get them there! I took out a load of books in Spring, some of which I haven’t got round to reviewing yet so I think they’re being more cautious as to what they release for me. Fingers crossed.
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No luck, alas…one archived and the other not found. Worth trying though.
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Interesting… I thought they archived all of them. I wish I could share mine with you, but that function doesn’t work. Sigh.
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