What good is promotion? You may sometimes wonder why you spend so much time promoting your book when it seems for naught. You create press releases and send them out, sit for long days at book festivals, talk about your book all the time and you even have a few copies in book and specialty stores downtown. But sales are sluggish and you are discouraged. Is it time to stop the madness? Should you just forget about becoming a successful author?<\/p>\n
Welllll, let\u2019s see. Is that what you really want to do? Or would you rather open your mind and try to discover WHY your book isn\u2019t selling? Here are some possibilities:<\/p>\n
\u2022\tIt isn\u2019t a subject or angle that is of interest to very many people. I met a doctor a while back who is working on a book on vital organs. He told me the book would be for the layperson and he planned to market it to a general audience. I think this author will have more success if he creates booklets\u2014one on each organ and then makes them available through doctors\u2019 offices, pharmacies, online health\/medical sites and so forth. If he comes out with the book he plans and tries to market it to the general public, I think he will be terribly disappointed in the results of his efforts. This is a case of the wrong book marketed to the wrong audience.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tThe cover is blah and uninteresting. I\u2019ve read many books by authors I\u2019ve met through SPAWN, at book festivals and at writers\u2019 conferences that I would probably never have bought, but I very much enjoyed reading. Why wouldn\u2019t I have purchased the book? Because the cover was not enticing. I\u2019m working with an author now who had someone (obviously not a professional) design a cover for his upcoming book. I was able to convince him that the cover was pretty awful. He had a cartoonish style for a book on a rather serious topic. The design gave absolutely no indication of the book\u2019s true purpose or focus. Fortunately for him, he listened to reason and created a much crisper, more simple design for his book before publication\u2014one that is conducive to the theme of the book. A good cover designer might charge up to $3,000, but, if you have a quality book on a topic or in a genre that is wanted\/needed, and you promote adequately, you will earn that money back in a year or so\u2014maybe less.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tThe book has not been professionally edited. Way too many authors skip this step or hire the wrong editor. This is usually because they are in a hurry to get it published. Think about it, what is your impression when you start reading a book that\u2019s riddled with spacing, typing, spelling and grammatical errors? Isn\u2019t it distracting? It takes away from the story. And when the story doesn\u2019t flow nicely or the material in a reference book isn\u2019t organized appropriately, the reading experience isn\u2019t as enjoyable or productive. A good book editor might cost you anywhere from $500 to $3,000, depending on the shape of your manuscript. If you skip this step, you will certainly regret it as reviewers refuse to review it or they point out the clutter of errors; readers won\u2019t recommend your book and it isn\u2019t accepted in book clubs, libraries, school districts, etc.<\/p>\n
You have a huge responsibility as an author. And I can tell you that the effort and, yes, money you put into your book during the production phase is almost as important as the energy and time you pour into the promotion of your book.<\/p>\n
Some of you have run businesses before. Many of you know people who are successful in business. Do you know of anyone who was successful in business and who went into that business without knowledge of the industry, a plan and funding? You need these three things whether you open a restaurant, a pet spa, a computer repair company, a nursery, a daycare center, a tax service or a retail store. And your business, like your book, must have a welcoming and professional persona about it. <\/p>\n
Cut corners with your business\u2014neglect to have the necessary equipment or space, show up to work in your upscale retail store wearing dirty sweats and flip flops, slap up a hand-painted sign made of butcher paper identifying your business\u2014and you are not going to attract the clientele you hoped for.<\/p>\n
How many ways have I attempted to make this point in this blog, books, articles and presentations over the years? Yet, I still see authors making the same mistakes. Why? Some of them do not study the industry until after they\u2019ve produced a book. And some just don\u2019t have or don\u2019t want to spend the money to do their book up right. <\/p>\n
Folks, don\u2019t cut corners with your magnificent masterpiece. If it is worth publishing, it is worth publishing it in its full splendor.<\/p>\n
Whether you are just starting to write a book, you\u2019re almost finished or you have been involved in book promotion for a while, order and read my latest book: Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author<\/em>. http:\/\/amzn.to\/oe56Ia<\/a> <\/p>\n Read all 19 reviews at the Amazon book page. And contact me if you have any questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com<\/p>\n If you need additional assistance jump-starting the promotion of your book or if you\u2019d like to learn how to build your author\u2019s platform, sign up for the appropriate online course at http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/courses.htm<\/a> <\/p>\n For my FREE ebooklet, \u201c50 Reasons Why Your SHOULD Write That Book,” go to: http:\/\/www.patriciafry.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What good is promotion? You may sometimes wonder why you spend so much time promoting your book when it seems for naught. You create press releases and send them out, sit for long days at book festivals, talk about your book all the time and you even have a few copies in book and specialty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16,5],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t