I am sure like
me most authors hate the thought of ‘Sales & Marketing’. It is
much more fun to sit in the conservatory on a sunny afternoon alone
with the laptop and write.
That is fine but… You want to sell your books after you have written them don’t you? So the necessary evil ‘Sales and Marketing’ has to be faced. Now days whatever method of publishing you use to get your book in print you will be expected to take an active part in its sale and publicity.
So let’s tackle Marketing first. My publisher runs a regular How to Sell Books Seminar. Surprisingly I am actually looking forward to it! (I will amend this page once I have attended the seminar in June)
The first thing the publisher will expect you to do is complete a Marketing form. It is tempting to just skip through it and put down the first thing that comes into your head. Don’t! This is an important document. The publisher knows nothing about you and you are expecting them to put some effort into selling your book on your behalf.
You need to take time and think carefully about the answer to each question. Think of the time and effort you put into writing your book. It would be a pity to waste it all by being uninterested and slapdash when it comes to the selling of your book.
What sort of questions do they ask you? Below is a selection of questions a typical Publishers Marketing Dept., will expect you to answer. Read through them and be prepared.
If you are writing with the sole aim of making a living then it would be a good plan to have these questions in your head before you start.
1. The Elevator Test – you have one minute / one sentence to tell a top book reviewer or Mr Waterstones what your book is about. Start now, and make it good.
2. Every book should have a catch-phrase or sub-line to tell the reader why they particularly should read it. What’s yours? (in no more than 12 words).
Book benefits
3. What does the book do?
4. What benefits does it offer the reader?
5. Why should it be read?
Audience
6. Who is your primary target audience?
7. Who is your secondary target audience?
8. What makes your book so pertinent and interesting to them
9. Where are your audience?
10. What clubs do they go to?
11. What magazines do they read?
12. What events do they congregate at?
13. Where do they buy books?
14. Do they get books referred to them by friends, clubs, education facilities, newsletters etc?
15. Do they buy online? Or at bookshops? Or at supermarkets?
16. What sort of gimmicks do they like? What promotional activity would they notice and appreciate?
Competitive titles
17. What other books out there are similar to yours?
18. What distinguishes your book from others in the same genre / with a similar theme?
Inspiration
19. What author/s do you most admire? Why?
20. What author/s do you think your writing style is most similar to?
21. Why did you write the book?
22. Where did inspiration come from?
23. What knowledge, experience, skill, training, hobby or association enables you to write on this subject?
Publicity
24. What contacts do you have that could help promote or endorse the book? Ie. celebrity, spokespeople in their industry etc.
Who are you?
25. What’s your current status? (age, married, family, where you live, work etc)
26. Any famous relatives?
27. What’s your work history?
28. Have you won or been shortlisted for any accolades, prizes, awards etc?
29. Are you a member of any clubs?
30. What further educational establishment did you attend?
31. Do you have any influential contacts from your past ? List out any celebrities, potential endorsers, reviewers or spokespeople who will comment favourably on your work.
32. Is there anything particularly unique about you that you would happily talk about?
33. What else have you written? Magazine articles, short stories etc.
34. What are your interests and hobbies ?
PLEASE LIST ON MARKETING SHEDULE FORM
• Local newspapers
• Local magazines
• Local radio stations
• Local TV stations
• Local bookshops
• Local libraries
Need some advise on an authors website? Then go here
That is fine but… You want to sell your books after you have written them don’t you? So the necessary evil ‘Sales and Marketing’ has to be faced. Now days whatever method of publishing you use to get your book in print you will be expected to take an active part in its sale and publicity.
So let’s tackle Marketing first. My publisher runs a regular How to Sell Books Seminar. Surprisingly I am actually looking forward to it! (I will amend this page once I have attended the seminar in June)
The first thing the publisher will expect you to do is complete a Marketing form. It is tempting to just skip through it and put down the first thing that comes into your head. Don’t! This is an important document. The publisher knows nothing about you and you are expecting them to put some effort into selling your book on your behalf.
You need to take time and think carefully about the answer to each question. Think of the time and effort you put into writing your book. It would be a pity to waste it all by being uninterested and slapdash when it comes to the selling of your book.
What sort of questions do they ask you? Below is a selection of questions a typical Publishers Marketing Dept., will expect you to answer. Read through them and be prepared.
If you are writing with the sole aim of making a living then it would be a good plan to have these questions in your head before you start.
1. The Elevator Test – you have one minute / one sentence to tell a top book reviewer or Mr Waterstones what your book is about. Start now, and make it good.
2. Every book should have a catch-phrase or sub-line to tell the reader why they particularly should read it. What’s yours? (in no more than 12 words).
Book benefits
3. What does the book do?
4. What benefits does it offer the reader?
5. Why should it be read?
Audience
6. Who is your primary target audience?
7. Who is your secondary target audience?
8. What makes your book so pertinent and interesting to them
9. Where are your audience?
10. What clubs do they go to?
11. What magazines do they read?
12. What events do they congregate at?
13. Where do they buy books?
14. Do they get books referred to them by friends, clubs, education facilities, newsletters etc?
15. Do they buy online? Or at bookshops? Or at supermarkets?
16. What sort of gimmicks do they like? What promotional activity would they notice and appreciate?
Competitive titles
17. What other books out there are similar to yours?
18. What distinguishes your book from others in the same genre / with a similar theme?
Inspiration
19. What author/s do you most admire? Why?
20. What author/s do you think your writing style is most similar to?
21. Why did you write the book?
22. Where did inspiration come from?
23. What knowledge, experience, skill, training, hobby or association enables you to write on this subject?
Publicity
24. What contacts do you have that could help promote or endorse the book? Ie. celebrity, spokespeople in their industry etc.
Who are you?
25. What’s your current status? (age, married, family, where you live, work etc)
26. Any famous relatives?
27. What’s your work history?
28. Have you won or been shortlisted for any accolades, prizes, awards etc?
29. Are you a member of any clubs?
30. What further educational establishment did you attend?
31. Do you have any influential contacts from your past ? List out any celebrities, potential endorsers, reviewers or spokespeople who will comment favourably on your work.
32. Is there anything particularly unique about you that you would happily talk about?
33. What else have you written? Magazine articles, short stories etc.
34. What are your interests and hobbies ?
PLEASE LIST ON MARKETING SHEDULE FORM
• Local newspapers
• Local magazines
• Local radio stations
• Local TV stations
• Local bookshops
• Local libraries
Need some advise on an authors website? Then go here
