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3 - Where will you sell your book?
Start Worldwide (world wide web that is) and then get local: Where are your customers? Probably scattered around
country. Use power of print on demand and just in time fulfillment to deliver books all across nation without having to print hundreds at a time. Where does your customer hang out online? What magazines and papers do they read? What stores do they frequent – that AREN’T bookstores? What associations, clubs, or affiliations do they join? What conventions to they go to? How can you reach them? Promote your books where you find your potential buyers.
4 - How will you promote your book?
The least expensive and most effective ways to promote books are with book reviews, news releases, search engine registration, and some form of highly targeted direct advertising – such as email campaigns, news releases, and pay-for-performance click through advertising. Longer term promotions include author signings, TV and Radio spots, and tradeshows – these are also most difficult, time consuming, and expensive to secure.
Do NOT neglect power of you author – many publishers promotional packages include materials that can help turn you into a promotional machine. Business cards, posters, bookmarks – all are available to support your marketing efforts.
Follow these steps on creating a plan for your book, and you'll find it much easier to create an effective and efficient marketing program for your book.
Ray Robinson is a partner in Dog Ear Publishing (http://www.dogearpublishing.net) a self publishing company specializing in delivering "high touch" services to the author community. His company provides a full range of services to authors, from editorial to page layout to marketing and fulfillment.
