{"id":457,"date":"2009-03-13T06:51:56","date_gmt":"2009-03-13T14:51:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=457"},"modified":"2009-03-13T06:51:56","modified_gmt":"2009-03-13T14:51:56","slug":"this-may-be-a-good-time-to-promote-your-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=457","title":{"rendered":"This May Be a Good Time to Promote Your Book"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to an article in the Chicago Tribune<\/em>, while most book sales are flat, some books are selling well. What are they? Romance (I want to feel good), American history (What\u2019s this recession all about?) as well as Science Fiction and Fantasy titles (Take me away, please!)<\/p>\n

Typically, in times of distress, warm fuzzy books also sell, such as my new book, Catscapades, Tales of Ordinary and Extraordinary Cats<\/em><\/strong>, inspirational books and those with feel-good, happy-ending stories.
\n http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades.html<\/a> <\/p>\n

I would venture to guess that self-help books on managing finances\/budgeting, job hunting, growing your own food, dressing your family for less, etc. are also popular right now.<\/p>\n

Are you the author of a book in any of these categories? What are you doing with it? Are you keeping it under wraps waiting for a better economy in which to market it? Maybe this is the right economy. Perhaps this is the time to promote, promote, promote. <\/p>\n

If you are new to book marketing, you might be at a loss for what to do first. If your book has been around for a while and sales have dwindled, maybe you feel that you\u2019ve exhausted all of your options. But, if your book is in any of the categories listed above (and, perhaps, even a category we haven\u2019t mentioned), you might be missing out on some impressive income by hiding that book away.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I would suggest to my clients with appropriate self-help or informational titles or books within the romance, science fiction and\/or fantasy realm:<\/p>\n

\u2022\tGo locate your stored boxes of books and dust them off or order more books printed from your \u201cself-publishing\u201d company and devise a marketing plan.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tConsider what activities were most successful when you were heavily involved in promoting your book. Pursue those. (These might include giving presentations and\/or demonstrations at appropriate meetings and other events, getting book reviews, doing book signings, setting up at book fairs and flea markets, doing home parties, etc.)<\/p>\n

\u2022\tOutline promotional activities that you haven\u2019t tried yet, but that seem conducive to your particular book. (Being guest blogger at appropriate sites, conducting workshops related to the theme of your book, live and online networking or enrollment and participation in related groups and organizations, for example.)<\/p>\n

\u2022\tDeem book promotion more important than watching TV, clubbing, sitting around feeling sorry for yourself and reading\/knitting\/woodworking. Give up something in order to gain the time you need to promote your book.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tEvaluate your website and the content of your blog. Do these promotional avenues need revamping, updating, your additional commitment? <\/p>\n

\u2022\tLaunch a newsletter for greater reach in spreading your message.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tConnect with other websites in order to give your book additional exposure.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s so much more that you could be doing in order to increase or jumpstart your book sales and, authors, this might be just the time to do it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to hear what you are doing to increase your book sales during this economic downturn. Is it working? Would you recommend it to others? What kind of book are you promoting? Has the reception been good or not?<\/p>\n

This blog is just one avenue through which I share with and try to help other authors through the sometimes overwhelming world of publishing and book promotion. You can help, too. If you have experienced success, overcome a book marketing challenge, discovered a great promotional idea, why not share your story here and possibly help a fellow author.<\/p>\n

For additional help during these unsettling times, read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book,<\/em><\/strong> and\/or my ebook, The Author\u2019s Repair Kit<\/em><\/strong>. http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com<\/a> <\/p>\n

Question: Currently, The Author\u2019s Repair Kit <\/em><\/strong>is in ebook form, only. Would you like to see me offer it also as a print book?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, while most book sales are flat, some books are selling well. What are they? Romance (I want to feel good), American history (What\u2019s this recession all about?) as well as Science Fiction and Fantasy titles (Take me away, please!) Typically, in times of distress, warm fuzzy books […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","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