Questions To Ask Before Marketing and Promoting

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

Authors know they need to promote their books and market themselves.

But, before the promoting and marketing begins here are two questions authors should ask themselves and determine the answers so they can develop a profitable and successful promotion and marketing program.

“What is the value the reader will receive from reading the author’s book?”

“What is unique about the author’s book?”

By the time an author reaches this stage of promoting and marketing their understanding should be clear and concise on how their book stands apart from other books.

What does the author’s book offer that would entice the reader to choose their book over another author’s book?

Without realizing it most readers are expecting benefits from the books they read.

Readers have desires and needs and they look for books to fill these.

When an author can answer these questions, this gives them promotional and marketing material to use in their campaign, which will standout above the other authors.

When an author delves into studying what makes people buy a particular book to read they find the best place to start is with themselves.

Interview questions for the author. (Be specific)

·         When you visit a bookstore, what books draw your attention?

·         Why do you go there first?

·         As you walk and gaze at the books on a shelf, what stands out first?

·         Why did it stand out?

·         Is that why you picked up the book to look closer?

·         Did you turn it over and read the back cover?

·         Did that interest you?

·         Did you open the book and read a paragraph or two?

·       

          What caused you to either buy the book or put it back on the shelf?

These questions, when honestly answered will tell you not only what you do, but it will give you a great understanding of what other readers do. It also gives you information you need for developing your promotion and marketing campaign.

So, grab a pen, pad and go to your bookstore.

Answer the questions above. Have fun.

What Writers Regret

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine


By the time the mag celebrates its 3rd anniversary in July, we will have had the pleasure of featuring over 600 authors in Southern Writers Magazine.  All have published at least one book, some have as many as 50 or more (I think those authors deserve to have a statue made of them).  If you add up all the books by all these authors—and of course, 600 is just the tip of the literary iceberg—we're talking thousands of books by these excellent wordsmiths.

One question we often ask during interviews is, If you could change anything in your writing career, what would it be? And this is the answer we've received hundreds of times:

I wish I'd started writing sooner.

This regret is echoed by writers of all ages, not just the ones who followed their inner Dickens after retirement.  The thrill of having publishing dreams come true at 25 is no less exciting than at 75.  And the bottom line is, no matter when they do it, they regret not having started sooner.

What does this oft-repeated sentiment tell us?  That authors who have experienced the joys and the struggles of committing to their craft have discovered it to be a rewarding enough undertaking that they only wish they could have had more of it in their lives.

How much greater regret will be felt by the many would-be writers who always knew they had a book in them, but never made the time to write the first chapter?

When you're writing, you're 100% more productive than every other writer who isn't writing.  I don't know who said that first, but I'll give credit to Annie K., from whom I heard it first.  (I encourage you to visit Annie K.'s awesomely motivating blog post on the 50 Reasons You Should Be Writing Right Now.)

For any of us who feel the urge to write, it's an essential part of our nature and something that will never be satisfied until it's fulfilled.  Whether we put our everything into it now, or put it off for some distant future, the day will come when we say, "I wish I'd started writing sooner."

One thing's for certain. You will never say, "I wish I hadn't become a writer."