Congratulations! You finally finished
the book! The hard part’s over now, right? If you’re a
self-published author, the hard part is just beginning.
Because you don’t have the built in publicity and promotion
networks that the major publishing houses have, you will
have to work extra hard to gain credibility and attention
for your book. Since self-publishing is still a relatively
new phenomenon in the publishing industry, the system isn’t
set-up to easily market, distribute, and sell independent
books.
Having your book published by a major
publishing house gives your book “third party credibility.”
In other words, if they think your book is good, than it
must be good – or at least it will sell well anyway. The
idea is to break-in to the system by providing that
third-party credibility without the stamp of approval from
the traditional publishing world.
The bottom line is that writing may
very well be an art, but publishing and book-selling is
definitely a business. If your book can make money, people
in the business will be interested in it.
With all that out of the way, let’s get
started…
Your first course of action should be
to identify your target audience. Who does your book appeal
to? What group of people is the most likely to take the time
and money to buy your book?
If you’re not sure how to go about
identifying your target audience, try asking yourself the
following questions about your book: Does your book fit into
a particular genre or subgenre? What are the important
themes, ideas, or subjects in your book? Are there any
geographical places or historical events depicted in the
book? What are the professions or hobbies of the characters
in the book? Is there anything about your characters or you,
the author, which a group would identify with?
Trying to appeal to multiple groups is
certainly acceptable and understandable; however, if you
have a limited publicity budget, it’s better to boil down
your target audience to a well-defined group of people. If
your book takes off in that group, it will be much easier
for you to broaden your audience at that point. If you’re
itching to appeal to a wide variety of people, just think of
this as establishing your base.
Now that you have defined your target
audience, you need to determine how to reach them. What
places do they like to frequent both physically and online?
What media do they tend to read, watch, or listen to?
Online marketing can be less costly
then other traditional advertising. Find where your target
audience lurks online and plant mentions of your book there
- email, chat, newsgroups, message boards, etc. Be mindful
of the rules of that whatever site you are using however.
And don’t forget to send copies of your book to editors at
target Web sites. If one of these targeted editors likes
your book, you may get some free promotion on their Web site
or even a rave review. This all goes back to establishing
that third party credibility. In fact, it’s even better if
the editor requests a copy of your book based on a recent
intriguing press release.
Traditional media, such as newspapers,
radio, and television definitely work well, but they are
expensive. Also, simply purchasing advertisement does not
give your book third party credibility. Any paid
advertisement you do shell out for should be to niche media
outlets and you should always include any raves by a
credible party within the advertisement.
The best way to work your way into
traditional media is through the press release. This is a
give and take process between you and the media outlet. You
provide material for an interview on a newsworthy topic or
an interesting article, and they will provide promotion for
your book. It’s as simple as that. The trick is how to
properly communicate to the media what you have to offer in
a way that is most appealing to them.
Create a simple skeleton press release
to keep on file as your template. Most likely, you will need
to send out multiple press releases to create buzz for
yourself and generate attention. When writing the press
release, keep in mind the upside-down pyramid format: place
your most important information at the beginning and work
your way down from that.
The first paragraph is the trickiest.
While it needs to be attention getting, it also needs to
quickly get to the point (who, what when, where, & why) and
clearly express your angle. The second paragraph should back
up the first with some interesting credibility. A quote fits
nicely into this slot. Each subsequent paragraph should
supply supporting information. Remember, most journalists
probably won’t get past the first paragraph.
Certainly include an “About the Book”
and/or “About the Author” at the end of the press release.
Don’t forget to state the 1) title of the book 2) author’s
name & credentials 3) when and where the book is available
4) subject or hook of the book – Make sure to write a sales
handle, hook, or keynote phrase that describes and sells
your book in as few words as possible. This hook will be
useful not only in press releases, but in most advertising
situations where you have to say a lot with only a few
words.
Next installment: Guerrilla Book
Promotion
Example of Self-Published Writer’s
Press Release:
Contact Information:
Jill Q. Doe
For the Love
Phone: (555) 555-1212
Web site:
www.jillqdoe.com
Email:
jillqdoe@forthelove.com
For the Love Author
Encourages Abused Women to Break the Cycle
Anytown, TN – July 22, 2004 – For
the Love author, Jill Q. Doe, is scheduled to be the
keynote speaker at a Genesis Home fundraiser this weekend.
After spending years as a social worker in an abused women’s
shelter, Jill Q. Doe has turned her talents to writing and
raising awareness.
“We are just thrilled that Jill has
offered to give a percentage of all her book sales to our
women’s shelter,” states Genesis Home Director, Peggy Smith.
“She has steadfastly supported our cause and gives an
accurate depiction of abused woman syndrome in her book. The
best part is that the abused woman escapes and overcomes –
all while you’re being entertained.”
For the Love is a sweeping
contemporary romantic-suspense novel. After an abused woman
picks up and leaves the man she thought she loved, she finds
herself entangled in a murder mystery in which she becomes
the prime suspect. The victim’s brother seems to be out for
revenge while the sympathetic detective always offers a
shoulder to cry on… and much more. For the Love is
currently available to order from Jill’s Web site at
www.jillqdoe.com and will be in select bookstores on
August 1, 2004. Free media review copies upon request.
Jill Q. Doe is a social worker with
many years experience working with abused women. She says
she was inspired to write her novel after witnessing the
amazing strength and courage of the women that came to the
shelter. For the Love is dedicated to all abused
women struggling to break the cycle.
For more information about Genesis
Home, please contact Peggy Smith at (555) 555-0000.
# # #
Due
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self-published book.