As the publication date of your book draws near, it's important to take some time to review the pieces of your branding and marketing strategy to ensure everything is working towards your ultimate goal, whether that's book sales, establishing your expert brand, or securing speaking or consulting work.
The title (and subtitle) of a book does a lot of heavy lifting. It has to attract the intended audience, communicate the book’s promise, differentiate the book in the marketplace, and accurately convey the book’s theme and content.
The landscape of book buying has changed dramatically over the years and trends heavily towards online book sales as opposed to brick and mortar bookstores. Based on this trend, it’s important for authors to create a digital marketing strategy to ensure that their book is discoverable online and to encourage consumers to become readers.
The launch of a book, or any product, can earn a lot of attention from the media, industry colleagues, and the public in general. Debut launches done right are sexy and full of potential, bringing with them opportunities for feature stories, author profiles, “ones to watch” lists, and so on.
After the shiny launch veneer has worn off, how do you remain on the radar of the influencers who can help your brand grow?
What are the three keys to building a strong online sales strategy?
Discoverability. Awareness. Action.
There are a multitude of ways to promote your book online. A strong foundation for your book marketing campaign should include tactics to promote discoverability, awareness, and action. Build discoverability by optimizing your book to ensure that readers are able to find it. Create awareness by building conversation, buzz, and reviews for your book. And, finally drive action that encourages readers to buy your book.
One of the most exciting (and nerve-wracking) times for an author is putting their book into the hands of readers for the very first time. This is when all of their hard work comes to fruition, and they begin to hear what readers really think of their book and ideas.
In the process of publishing a book, the publication date can often be viewed as the end goal. But for a book to truly be successful and have staying power in the market, it’s important to see beyond the publication date. During the lead-up to publication and surrounding publication, there will be a flurry of marketing, promotion, and publicity. But what do you do after the initial fireworks to keep your book top-of-mind with readers?
