When It Comes to Publishing, A Full Court Press Is Best by Elizabeth Gordon
No matter what side of the publishing coin you’re on, you are an entrepreneur. For those in the publishing industry, it is important to know how to promote a book just like a business. In business, there are entrepreneurs and there are Chic Entrepreneurs. Chic Entrepreneurs like Bobbi Brown, multi-published author and cosmetics mogul, combine style with industriousness to form a strategic marketing plan. In order for you to become a Chic Entrepreneur, you need to plan a full court press and make a name for yourself in the publishing industry.
With the advent of virtual book tours, podcasts and blog-mania, those in the publishing industry must be on the cutting edge of social media and technology in order to keep their promotional strategy relevant. If you don’t land a book deal with a big name publisher (I didn’t), this is especially pertinent for putting your book in front of the eyes of the people who can garner you more media attention or put your book in front of a target audience that is likely to buy it. If you don’t have a full court press going yet, you should be blogging and emailing to put yourself in the game.
More of the essay after the jump.
Start your own blog and post to it twice daily. Your blog should be relevant to you, your book, your business, world happenings, etc. Through a blog, you have a platform to become a person to those that have never met you. So you should use a voice that people will be attracted to (read: keep the cynicism and meanness to a minimum). You also want your blog to become a tool to benefit others. If you do book reviews and interviews, it’s likely that other people will come to you for recognition. You can then ask them to reciprocate the favor. A blog is also a way to up your own Search Engine Optimization (SEO) by linking products, services, ideas and items that you mention.
An example of a worthwhile blog is Running With Quills. This blog goes above and beyond in their promotional endeavors. It features six different female authors who continuously write entries and post links to other websites – so they essentially are promoting their individual ventures, their group efforts, and other people’s work. This is the perfect example of cross-promotion in action.
Another effective tool for getting exposure is to have an article written about a book or a person that mentions the book. The best way to get this attention is to craft a personal email to key media people. If you know why a particular journalist would do well at covering your book, write to them and say,
Dear Ms. Soandso,
I’ve had your SmallBiz article “Great Business Book Beach Read” on my bulletin board for six months as I crafted a book that I hoped would be both a beach read and a teaching tool for women. As a woman who obviously appreciates a strategic business book with fun and flare that doubles as a good beach read, I thought you might be interested in “The Chic Entrepreneur: Put Your Business in Higher Heels,” which will be released in May.
Using an attention grabber in the introduction tells the journalist that you know who they are and are not spamming. You can go on to talk about your credentials and what the book is about, but remember that the key is brevity. Remember to ask if they would like a review copy of a book. A question or call to action should always be included in an email.
There are many other ways to market and promote yourself and your work, but you must remember to be focused and follow up via email or phone call, so don’t stretch yourself too thin. If you do these three things consistently, you will see results and book sales!
Elizabeth Gordon owns Flourishing Business, a management consulting firm headquartered in Atlanta, GA. She is the author of the Amazon bestseller The Chic Entrepreneur: Put Your Business in Higher Heels, a business strategy book for women that teaches how to succeed with sass and style. Visit Elizabeth’s blog here.