Marketing a book
My opinion on marketing a book, especially a self-published one, is that there is a three-step process that increases the chances of marketing success. This approach, while seemingly straightforward, requires dedication and a strategic mindset to execute effectively.
The first step is to create a strong landing page. This page serves as the virtual storefront for your book, making it crucial to capture potential readers' attention and convey the essence of your work. Step 2 is to build up an author platform. This involves establishing your presence as a writer across various channels, including social media, a personal website, and potentially a blog or newsletter. In step 3, the author tells the world about the book.
Promoting the book -- step 3 -- shouldn't take place until these two steps are completed. This sequential approach ensures that when you do start promoting, you have a solid foundation to support your marketing efforts.
From my experience, first-time self-publishing authors often overlook the importance of creating a strong landing page. These authors are faced with demands for information they are not familiar with. These include keywords, categories, and description, to name a few. The first-time author will usually fill in the keywords and categories by taking guesses. In the case of the description, this is frequently just the synopsis, which may not effectively sell the book to potential readers.
Without proper guidance, these authors then try to market the book using whatever offer they come across, and this usually involves a social media campaign aimed at the general population. Trying to market a book this way with a weak landing page and without an author platform is doomed to expensive failure. It's akin to building a house without a proper foundation – no matter how much effort you put into the promotion, it's unlikely to yield the desired results.
Now comes the bad news. While the three-step marketing plan seems simple on the surface, each of the steps requires a great deal of work that will require a newbie author to do a lot of research or work with a mentor. This is where many authors become overwhelmed and may be tempted to take shortcuts, which can ultimately hinder their book's success.
My current project is to create a series of whiteboards that will explain the three-step process in depth. This graphic depicts the overview whiteboard.
This series of whiteboards will allow me to lecture on this concept and make videos. By breaking down each step into manageable tasks and providing visual aids, I aim to make the process more accessible to first-time authors. This resource will serve as a roadmap, guiding authors through the complexities of book marketing and helping them avoid common pitfalls.
Ultimately, successful book marketing is about more than just promoting your work – it's about building a sustainable author brand and creating a connection with your target audience. By following this three-step process and investing time in each stage, authors can significantly improve their chances of success in the competitive world of self-publishing.
(I write the original of this article. It was edited and expanded by Perplexity.AI)
My new book The Author's AI Toolkit can be pre-ordered at a reduce price.
https://www.amazon.com/Authors-AI-Toolkit-Concept-Publication-ebook/dp/B0DV4M13BH?