What are you doing to promote your book(s)? Are you still trying to figure out a way to get them into bookstores? <\/p>\n
I field a lot of questions for freelance writers and authors each week through SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), through my Web site and via links from some of my published articles. The majority of these questions relate to book promotion. Most of the authors want to know, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How can I get my book into bookstores?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n
Typically, these authors have spent the last several years writing the book of their dreams and then they take just a few days to search for a publisher. They gleefully and gratefully sign up with the first fee-based publishing service that issues them a contract and assume that their book will be available in bookstores nationwide. Of course, they envision copies of their book flying off of bookstore shelves into the eager hands of thousands of readers. Their job now is to sit back and rake in the royalties, right? Not even.<\/p>\n
Tell me now, at some point in the process of writing your book, did you ever look around a mega bookstore and consider the vast competition? Visualize your book in that bookstore. Think now\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhat would cause readers to find and purchase your book among the tens (or, in some cases, hundreds) of thousands of other books? <\/p>\n
Few authors realize that booksellers rarely carry books produced through fee-based publishing services. I know, I know\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthis isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t what the publisher told you. Likewise, booksellers avoid carrying self-published books. Some legitimate, traditional royalty publishers even have trouble getting books into bookstores. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m telling you, the competition for space in a bookstore is stiff. And books that are accepted by these mega booksellers had better fly off the shelf or else\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 What happens to books that don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sell well? They are promptly returned to the publisher for a refund and I mean promptly. You might only have a three to six month window of time to prove your book worthy of bookstore status. Unfortunately, this is true whether you have paid a publishing service to produce your book, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve self-published or you managed to land a major publisher.<\/p>\n
You can prolong your book’s place on a bookstore shelf by bringing in customers. This does not mean soliciting your friends and family members to order the book over and over again. Publishers\/authors who have been caught doing this sort of thing usually have their books banned from the bookstore thereafter. What I suggest is creating a buzz, getting exposure, establishing a name for yourself (your book), getting publicity… Do whatever it takes to attract customers to the bookstores that carry your books.<\/p>\n
But don’t rely totally on bookstores to sell your books. Sure, pursue bookstores if you wish, but be aware that bookstores are not the be all, end all <\/em>answer to book promotion. Upon your first inkling to become an author, start planning your book promotion strategy. There are many countless avenues for promotion outside of the bookstore. Discover them, study them and, if they are appropriate for your particular title, pursue them. <\/p>\n Again\u00e2\u20ac\u201dpublishing is a business and your book is a product. In order to put your book into the hands of readers, you must stop dreaming and start thinking like a businesswo\/man. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve heard people say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Think before you speak.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Think before you act.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Well, an author must think before s\/he publishes. And your thoughts really should reach beyond the bookstore. <\/p>\n Try this exercise: Can you come up with five (5) ways to reach your target audience outside of the traditional bookstore? I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d love to hear your promotional ideas. Send them to me at plfry620@yahoo.com. Here are five of my ideas for promoting my writing\/publishing-related books:<\/p>\n 1.\tWrite articles for writing-related magazines and newsletters. If you need more book promotion ideas, help writing a query letter or book proposal, information about finding and working with a publisher, steps to self-publishing, hints for better writing, distribution and shipping info, resources or other information related to authorship, purchase my latest book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/em> http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What are you doing to promote your book(s)? Are you still trying to figure out a way to get them into bookstores? I field a lot of questions for freelance writers and authors each week through SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), through my Web site and via links from some of my published […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[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
\n2.\tParticipate in writing\/publishing online bulletin boards.
\n3.\tSolicit book reviews and interviews in magazines and newsletters and at Web sites for freelance writers and authors.
\n4.\tSeek out book festivals and writers conferences and offer to give workshops.
\n5.\tKeep adding to and improving my Web site so it continues to attract my target audience.<\/p>\n