Are you the author of a nonfiction book? Have you positioned yourself as the go-to person for your topic?<\/p>\n
By this, I mean do journalists and radio program hosts seek you out when they want to do a segment on your topic? Are you considered among the experts in your field? I know authors who are frequently contacted by freelance writers who are doing stories on the subject of their books and authors writing new books on the topic, for example. A couple of my clients have been interviewed on TV with regard to their books\u2014one on the war in the Pacific and one on a true crime that occurred years ago in California. I know other authors who have been guests on TV and radio shows talking about their cookbooks, the stories they wrote about local murder cases\u2014one in CA and one in CO\u2014their expertise on cat behavior, the entertainment industry and many other topics.<\/p>\n
So how do you become the go-to person in your topic or your field? The same way you sell books\u2014exposure, exposure, exposure. For example,<\/p>\n
\u2022\tSend press releases initially announcing your new book and intermittently throughout the years to appropriate newspapers and newsletters. This might be local newspapers, newsletters in your field, etc. Report new findings, chime in when there are community or world-wide concerns related to your area of expertise, find ways to make news. For example, if your book features the best and the worst of America\u2019s zoos and other animal reserves, send press releases whenever a new claim comes out against a zoo or a zoo accepts a new type of animal or builds innovative new housing for animals, for example.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tWrite articles for numerous related newsletters and magazines. Depending on the availability of publications on your topic and how widespread the general interest in your topic is, submit anywhere from a couple of a dozen articles per month to a variety of magazines. Consider both publications in your field of interest and general mags.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tContact newspaper editors and other media when news in your topic breaks or on anniversaries. Offer to give your expert perspective. If your book covers little known facts about airline disasters, for example, you might contact the media for an interview or comments when an anniversary of a crash nears. For a book on raising feral cats, you\u2019ll want to bring attention to the plight of feral and abandoned cats in the spring when it\u2019s kitten season.
\nOf course, you\u2019ll also want to have all of the most important means of exposure for your book\u2014a website, a blog site, a facebook page and a twitter account, for example. You should be out speaking about your book often, doing signings, securing booths at book festivals, etc. <\/p>\n
You won\u2019t get amazing and important exposure simply by writing a book, even on an important topic. It\u2019s up to you to bring attention to your book\u2014to become known as the author and an expert in your field or topic.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019d like to sell more copies of your nonfiction book, apply these ideas and you may become a key go-to person on behalf of your expertise or topic.<\/p>\n
For more book promotion ideas for nonfiction as well as fiction books, be sure to order my latest book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author<\/strong><\/em>. <\/p>\n While virtually all of the ideas in this book are for both nonfiction and fiction authors, I\u2019ve given special instructions and pointed out specific ways for the novelist to use some of these ideas. Why? Because inevitably, novelists will say to me, \u201cThis book is for the nonfiction author,\u201d or \u201cAll of those book promotion ideas you spoke of in your seminar\u2014those are for nonfiction, not fiction.\u201d<\/p>\n The fact is that most book promotion ideas are suitable for both fiction and nonfiction. It\u2019s the fiction writers\u2019 mindset that causes a disconnect. Many of you are just unable to embrace the concept of marketing and promotion. That\u2019s why, in this book I have given tips and instructions specifically for the novelist. I\u2019ve pointed out exactly how you can use some of these ideas so you don\u2019t even have to think about it. In fact, I counted 120 tips and instructions throughout this book specifically for the fiction author.<\/p>\n