Are You Worried about Promoting and Marketing Your Book?

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief, Southern Writers Magazine

Many people wind up worrying or worse, becoming overwhelmed with the aspects of marketing and promoting their books, especially if they don’t have a marketing background. They may feel the secret eludes them.

Right here –– I want to tell you there is a word that describes how the mind must function and master this ability in order to succeed––focus. One must have the image ingrained in their minds, defined with clear edges and contrast. What you focus on and concentrate on, you will draw towards you.

This focus should start as you are writing your book. What better time to know your target customer for this book than when you are in the developing stages of the story. Without the full understanding of this, you probably risk missing your targets. So instead of your book sales focused on your target customer market you wind up using a shot-gunning method –– like throwing spaghetti up against the wall and seeing what sticks. Okay, I know that was a bad description but you will remember it. You see, you own the book; you are the President of the book. You are the Manager of Development when you are writing the book. Then there is the title of Director of Marketing –– also a most important job.

The Director of Marketing develops the marketing strategy by studying trends, identifying customers and what the customer needs. Whom will you market your book to? What book/genre similar to yours is selling and where. What kind of customers want to buy the type of book you are writing?

Who is the target audience for these different books/movies?  Star Wars, Zootopia and Miracles from Heaven. Think about it.

If there is an author, your writing is similar to check out their reviews on Amazon.com. What are customers saying about their books? Go to the bookstore, strike up a conversation with a sales clerk, and ask them how that writer’s books are selling. You will be surprised what you can learn.

Talk with the sales clerks at the bookstores. Ask them what author in that particular genre is selling the most books. Then google the authors, read about them; go to Amazon.com and read their reviews. Check out their Facebook pages, what are the comments you see. You may have to do this several times, but eventually you will see pattern developing in your mind.

Authors wear many hats. All are important. Each has its own job description. But if we work at it, day by day, we can become the author selling the books.