I originally published the article back in 2008 and have updated it a few times, most recently on june, 2012. Get your book edited, a cover designed, and it formatted. How to create a book marketing and publicity campaign. Both book marketing and advertising can be portions of broader publicity campaigns. I have sold 600 books and recently started to speak to schools about how kids can change their thoughts to create more happiness in their life. Book marketing for selfpublished authors marketing takes planning, organization, and consistent action. Laura barta took this approach even further with her 2011 selfpublished book, my china travel journal, which follows a pair of american children as they visit china and learn about its culture. After all, if you get it wrong, someone could steal your work and pass it off as their own. Many major outlets wont even consider a selfpublished book, especially fiction.
Selfpublishing is the publication of media by its author without the involvement of an established publisher. Elk grove press is a semi traditional publishing firm. I totally understand the reasons to selfpublish, but its important to be aware of the. Expert book publicity and marketing for authors and journalists. So, youve written a book and youre planning to selfpublish. There are also a number of ways new authors can access professional services without breaking the bank. Regardless of whether you selfpromote or seek professional help. In the six weeks since the pub date, temptation rag has sold about 42 percent more than the beauty doctor. A lot of us get caught up in a confusing haze of laws.
But the good news is that marketing is also about fostering connections and relationships, which can be rewarding to you and your fan base. After spending all that time and effort writing and maybe even illustrating your book, you want to make sure you do everything rightor at least as right as you can. Then do your very best to implement the basics of book. How to create an effective book publicity plan reedsy blog. Creating an effective and timely book publicity plan. But it is very rare to find a business of any kind, including selfpublishing, that has succeeded on the back of the skills of one person and without a cent of investment.
Ten steps to marketing your selfpublished book whitefox publishing. Creating a book marketing and publicity plan is necessary for all authors, whether your publisher is a traditional house or youre trying to selfpublish. Jan 22, 2020 effective book publicity is vital to a robust book launch. Selfpublishing is a ton of work getting the manuscript written, copyedited, revisions. How to publicize and promote your book writers digest. Book promotion is designed to get people to find your book, and not, to find people to get your. List of self published books score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. You may be able to turn your successful selfpublished childrens book into a successful, traditionally published childrens book. There is a wealth of knowledge available online, shared by authors who have developed proven. Last year i wrote and selfpublished magic thinking for kids, that has won a cipa evvy award, living now book award and recently was a finalist in best book awards with american book. One of the advantages of being published by a major, traditional publisher is that youll have the support of the publishers inhouse publicity department. May 05, 2020 the reality is that most start marketing your book early warnings come from people involved in traditional publishing. Writing what can potentially be a bestseller and publishing it is certainly important, but making sure that potential readers know about your books existence is equally important when it comes to generating sales.
Theres a big difference between selfpublishing a book with the hope of selling a few copies and taking the decisiveand potentially priceystep of hiring a professional publicity firm. How to save money and do online book publicity yourself. Contact the leading book publicity agency for a free marketing consultation. Yet some authors, including unknown ones, will buy a billboard or ad page in the book section of a newspaper. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook. Finally, when the dust settles, youre rewarded with a handful of daily sales. Book advertising overview for authors book publicity book. You dedicate a few weekseven monthsto writing the book. But heres the interesting thing book launches arent that complicated in fact, here at authority. For example, if youre with a major publisher and are planning to release your book in the fall, theyll need to pitch it to bookstores in march. For many selfpublished authors, book marketing can be intimidating.
While writing tends to be a solitary endeavor, marketing is the process of. Craft a great press release for your book using your strategy. When it comes to self publishing your book, however, that curve can be steep. Amazon is full of successful self published authors with books that have barely made any sales, leaving many writers dejected if you want your books to succeed, to get into the hands of your readers, to potentially achieve bestseller status. What it takes to get great publicity for your selfpublished book. Isbn data by proquest affiliate bowker reveals that the number of self published titles in 2012 jumped to more than 391,000, up 59 percent over 2011 and 422 percent over 2007. The newswire is bookventures advertising service which aims to widen the exposure and coverage of any self. Ebooks continue to gain on print, comprising 40 percent of the isbns that were self published in 2012, up from just 11 percent in 2007. How to copyright a book quickly stepbystep with examples.
When it comes to selfpublishing, marketing is half the battle. From being a better literary citizen to understanding social media platforms better, these resources will help get you started. As such, you should think about it and get in touch with publicists as soon as. Selfpublishing is a ton of work getting the manuscript written, copyedited, revisions, choosing text layout, and the cover design all come first. Dec 31, 2018 creating a book marketing and publicity plan is necessary for all authors, whether your publisher is a traditional house or youre trying to self publish. Isbn data by proquest affiliate bowker reveals that the number of selfpublished titles in 2012 jumped to more than 391,000, up 59 percent over 2011 and 422 percent over 2007. February media gets your work and ideas in front of audiences that matter to. Traditonal or self published you are the head of marketing. Knowing how to a book the right way is something that scares the crap out of most authors.
How to save money and do online book publicity yourself jane. Ben cameron is the managing director of cameron publicity and marketing ltd, a full service publicity company for selfpublished authors and publishers, and can be reached on 020 7917. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using pod print on demand technology. In general, very targeted, mostly online media buys are best to achieve a positive return on investment. Learning how to selfpublish a book and getting your ideas into the world is easier than its ever been. I will begin my advice on how to promote a selfpublished book with the three key elements a book needs to stand any chance or success. The good and bad news about selfpublishing your childrens book. For example if you wrote a book on dieting or healthy eating, tie it into such ideas as healthy holiday eating tips or eating healthy for the summer. But if its your goal to reach readers other than friends and family, then selfpromotion is a. But this is just the tip of your book publicity plan there is so much more a books launch team needs to do, according to this new post from publicist coleen hatrick.
Book editing and my selfpublishing experience bookbaby blog. Improperly planning the publicity and marketing campaign. There is a wealth of knowledge available online, shared by authors who have developed proven techniques for selling more books. As a selfpublished author, you will oversee the entire book writing and production process, from start to finish, at your own expense. Jul 26, 2019 this post, the third in my ongoing series about my selfpublishing experience, is a deep dive into the process of book editing. Jun 19, 2012 i self published via kickstarter and amazon kindle, and am negotiating my way through the publishing world and exploring new business models for entrepreneurial authors along the way. I selfpublished via kickstarter and amazon kindle, and am negotiating my way through the publishing world and exploring new business models for entrepreneurial authors along the way. Self publishing is the publication of media by its author without the involvement of an established publisher. Book marketing and selfpromotion resources iuniverse. We see hundreds of indie and selfpublished books every month here.
This article primarily addresses selfpublishing a print book. Marketing selfpublished books explained in 9 basic steps. So make sure you have a fantastic book first and foremost. Writing what can potentially be a bestseller and publishing it is certainly important, but making sure that potential readers know about your books. Five simple ways to promote your selfpublished book. For example, if youre with a major publisher and are planning to. How to create an effective book marketing plan smith publicity. To put things into context first, here is one clear way of thinking about how to promote a selfpublished book. As such, you should think about it and get in touch with publicists as soon as you start planning your marketing strategy, i. This is a vital step in the promotion and marketing of your book, andif done rightwill make the rest of the process. It will then be sent to over 17,500 media channels all over the united states.
Publicity planning use an existing event as a media hook for your book. Some other ways to market suggested here may appear unnecessary. She is the publisher of the hot sheet, the essential newsletter on the publishing industry for authors, and was named publishing commentator of the year by digital book world in 2019 in addition to being a columnist for publishers weekly. After all, if you get it wrong, someone could steal your work and pass it off as their. Create a list of media contacts and bloggers who might be interested. As much as selfpublished authors dream about being discovered, its your responsibility to tell as many people about your book as possibleeven before its published. May 07, 2019 knowing how to a book the right way is something that scares the crap out of most authors. One of the advantages of being published by a major, traditional publisher is that youll have the support of the publishers inhouse. Have an online book tour and plan a costeffective online campaign. But if its your goal to reach readers other than friends and family, then selfpromotion is a must. Effective book publicity is vital to a robust book launch. How large the publicity campaign depends on many factors, but here are the basic elements that an inhouse publicity department. Many selfpublished authors have no interest in sales, advertising, or business in general, as they tend to be altruistically artistic.
Its practically an authors worst nightmare for good reason. Dec 12, 2019 in this episode of the all things book marketing podcast, vice president of publicity services and host mike onorato talks to sarah miniaci, senior book publicist and business development associate at smith publicity and gets her take on the various options for authors to publish their book traditional, hybrid or self and the pros and cons of each. In this episode of the all things book marketing podcast, vice president of publicity services and host mike onorato talks to sarah miniaci, senior book publicist and business. Ask your friends and family to plan to attend the event and share the invite with. Jul 24, 2015 laura barta took this approach even further with her 2011 self published book, my china travel journal, which follows a pair of american children as they visit china and learn about its culture. This post, the third in my ongoing series about my selfpublishing experience, is a deep dive into the process of book editing. The students just happen to be writing marketing plans for their book projects. As an author, or publisher, you should see publicity as one of the different channels through which you can market your books. Jan 22, 2018 ben cameron is the managing director of cameron publicity and marketing ltd, a full service publicity company for self published authors and publishers, and can be reached on 020 7917 9812 and by email at email protected the company website is uk. Dec 06, 2016 last year i wrote and self published magic thinking for kids, that has won a cipa evvy award, living now book award and recently was a finalist in best book awards with american book fest.
A book marketing plan is essential to effective book promotion. Finally, when the dust settles, youre rewarded with a handful of. A few tips for authors on how to develop a solid marketing plan for their published book. Build it and they will come is advice that rarely works when trying to sell books.
Part of what a large publishing house offers is broad distribution, a sales force, and a marketing and publicity team, but if your book doesnt need that, selfpublishing may be a good way to go. Marketing planning for firsttime authors bookbaby blog. Promoting a selfpublished book is hard work and there are no shortcuts. To create this article, 11 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. She is the publisher of the hot sheet, the essential newsletter on the publishing industry for authors, and was named publishing commentator of the year by digital book world in 2019.
The most common selfpublishing mistakes to avoid jane. To self publish a book, an author will publish a book at their own expense using a self publishing platform, such as amazons kdp, and typically maintains full rights to the book. When authors choose to become publisher and distributor for their own work, they take responsibility and pay for the entire process of writing, publishing, and marketing their book. Just like learning to write well and honing your craft, marketing also takes education and preparation but iuniverse is here to help. Without book publicists and selfpromoting or selfpublished. Marketing your book for selfpublishers and indie authors.
If you submit a book to them they want to know up front what are you going to do to sell your book. Authors who set up some personal market tactics to execute, whether standalone efforts or those in tandem with their publisher, sell more copies. If you submit a book to them they want to know up front what are you going to. A book launch plan for firsttime authors without an. The reality is that most start marketing your book early warnings come from people involved in traditional publishing.
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