If you write it, will they come?
Probably not, unless you get the word out. Books have been some of my best friends and companions since I was a very wee girl, and watching your labor of love and expertise languish, unread, on a shelf (even a virtual shelf on Amazon) is painful for me to see.
Imagine…what if Steven Covey decided that his “7 Habits” should simply be a free ebook download, or if he had uploaded it to Create Space or Kindle and just left it there?
Marketing is the difference between writing a book and creating a global empire.
So what’s stopping you? Let me guess, because it generally boils down to one of two factors: time and money.
Are you telling me that you’re creative and resourceful enough to write a good book, but not creative and resourceful enough to get that book out to the world? Nope. I don’t buy it. And neither will anyone else if you don’t market your book!
Ok, rant over. You’ve got this. Let’s talk tactics!
Create a Book Launch Team
A Launch Team is a group of your colleagues, friends, followers and fans that help you get the word out about your new book. They are your advance troops, leading the charge to let the world know they need to pay attention to this new and awesome show that you’ve created.
Your launch team can come from a number of different sources. Consider looking at your phone contacts, colleagues, email list, clients and customers, social media contacts, fellow members of groups and associations that you belong to, as well as friends and family.
What can you ask your launch team to assist you with? These are 3 of the most common and effective ways that your launch team can promote your book-but there are plenty more. Got a colleague who has a podcast or blog? That launch team member may also welcome a guest post from you, or interview you on their show.
- Sharing your book on social media (with exquisitely written posts and images you’re providing them to make it easy for them, of course)
- Leaving authentic reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Audible, etc.
- Sending out book announcement emails to their lists
Even the biggest name nonfiction authors rely on their launch teams to get the word out about their books, courses, and products – it’s simply a matter of growing the size, scope, and influence of your team and tribe over time. Start now, and nurture those relationships. If you’re not sure where to begin or you want expert support getting your launch team, well, launched – we can help.
Create a Book Trailer
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then a book trailer is worth 1,000 x 1,000! We live in a visual world that loves short, juicy content. Bring your potential readers and listeners into the world of your book by having a short video trailer created. Here’s a book trailer one of our audiobook launch clients had created, courtesy of my friends at Story Pop Studios.
Your book trailer is an evergreen marketing asset – it’s always good to use, forever. Share it on your website, in social media, in podcast, radio, TV interviews and guest blogs. And of course, it’s perfect to have your launch team share as well.
Create a Hashtag for Your Book
I’ve heard it said that Facebook is your dinner party, but Twitter is your billboard to the world. Readers discover books on twitter via hashtags such as #kindle, #ebook, or industry specific keywords such as #leadership, #success, or #relationships. Hashtags can attract readers to your tweets, help readers find your books, and serve as a hyperlink to more tweets with the same hashtag in them.
Research the hashtags used in your industry and book genre, and then pair using those hashtags with a unique hashtag for your book. Remember to look up the hashtag you want to use for your book on Twitter before using it though – if it’s already in use, you’ll want to come up with something unique and easy to remember.
We use tools like Social Jukebox and Social Quant to save tons of time scheduling tweets and also to grow our clients’ Twitter following quickly.
Will marketing your book take an investment combination of time, energy, and money? Yes. All worthwhile endeavors do. Fortunately, your book doesn’t have an expiration date, and you can continue to share, promote, and utilize your book as the incredible asset that it is for many months and years to come. Keep going, and keep growing!
Author Bio:
Tina Dietz is the owner of StartSomething Creative Business Solutions and an internationally acclaimed business consultant, audiobook publisher, podcast host and launch specialist, and professional speaker/voice talent who has been featured in such outlets as ABC, Inc.com, Huffington Post and Forbes.
If you like this blog post, you’ll love our Advanced Book Marketing and Launch Strategies Course! Learn more about our courses for authors here.
