Why Your Book Promotion Is Serious Business

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you all got out to enjoy the mild temperature today. It was windy but all good, wasn’t it? I haven’t been writing so much this week because I’m focused on researching resources that will help me promote and garner reader interest and sales for Unleash Your Pearls, my empowerment book for women. But, don’t think I’m keeping what I’ve learned to myself; I don’t operate that way, unless ice cream is involved, doncha know 🙂

It’s interesting to note that according to The United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or (UNESCO), there are currently 345,766 new book titles this year, a jump from the reported 328,259 titles in 2010. You might be asking yourself, what does this have to do with me? Well, everything, if you are a writer intent upon becoming a published author. Trust and believe when you transition from writer to author and now, business owner? You will want to know all stats pertaining to your book, including promotion and capacity for making sales amid the competitive onslaught of new authors in your genre.

I co-authored a relationship book, Essence of Romance, with a friend and colleague in 2015. We have been doing marketing and promotions for the book via different avenues, collectively and individually, depending upon where our strengths and weaknesses lie.  At intervals we do little comparison talk to share notes on how our collaboration is faring and also plan our next strategic move for the book’s exposure. Essence has a wealth of valuable information inside and reap increments of profit at times, but not nearly enough to cry “Eureka!”

The debate arises for all published authors on how and where topromote our books and possibly rack up enough sales to see us through to the next book or at least garner an honorable mention on that elusive bestsellers list.

Some of the obvious sites to promote your books includes social media… facebook, twitter, pinterest, good-reads and LinkedIn, where you can use your networking skills to ask for, and offer book reviews, blog tours and author interviews via writer/author interchange in a collaborative effort to promote your book.

Mark Coker, founder of Smash-words, wrote the 2015 Book Publishing Industry Predictions where he gave authors plenty of writing, book publishing and book promotion advice. This was the stand out gem for me, however, I feel that as a relatively new author,  and with an upcoming book to launch, my book promotion has to be serious business.

“Many authors spend too much time on marketing and social media when they should be spending more time writing. An author’s best marketing is a book that markets itself. If an author’s book isn’t sparking enthusiastic word of mouth without marketing, then no amount of marketing will make it a bestseller.” Mark Coker

There’s a wealth of book promotion advice by way of articles, bestselling author interviews, seminars, LinkedIn groups and publishing newsletters & periodicals. Here are four popular sites offering how to~ to promoting and marketing your book :

https://www.bublish.com/blog/

http://ariionkathleenbrindley.com/5books.shtml

http://www.yourwriterplatform.com/promote-and-market-your-book/

http://writetodone.com/10-ways-promote-your-book/

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/33825-how-to-promote-your-book-on-amazon

PS~

There will be more talking points in an upcoming post on how to rock your book promotion, along with guest insights on why new authors might not feel the book purchasing love from colleagues/cohorts and other writers in their tribe. If you want to weigh in on this enlightening conversation, send your thoughts to clarawriter@att.net with “book purchasing love” in subject.

For more of Mark Coker book publishing insights, follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter/com/mark coker. If you haven’t heard Evelyn Cogdell’s interview on RARE Woman, go here: http://www.ubnradio.com/

Next week, Clara’s Writers Blog will be participating in Joel Christian Gill’s Graphic Novel Blog Tour for Black History Month. Come on back for this awesome honor!

Was this post helpful ?  When should you start promoting your book, before or after publication? Appreciate your comments.