By Cathy S. Lewis
This blog was originally published at Sellbox.com, an ebook consulting and publishing service for businesses, publishers, and authors.
You have a great idea for a book. Everyone has been urging you for years to write it. Your concept is truly original—it’s destined to be a bestseller, right? But here’s some news that may surprise you: It’s easier to write a good book than to sell one.
According to the most recent Bowker Report, 3 million books were published in 2010–and that number is growing. That’s a lot of competition for shelf space and media time. Meanwhile, book sales have been on a downward trend since 2007, according to Publisher’s Weekly.
Are you going to be among the 99% whose book languishes boxed up in the warehouse, or the 1% who gets noticed by the media, generates a loyal fan base, and achieves steady and growing book sales?
To sell books and be in that 1%, you need an excellent media platform. Once you have a smart, compelling message that differentiates you from everyone else out there, you need lots of ways to get that message to as many people as often as possible. That’s what a good book publicist and a dynamic platform can do. Here are 7 ways a book publicist can help you create a well-built platform.
1. Develop your brand. What’s the big idea of your book, and why should people care? What makes you different from all the other experts out there in your field? Answer these questions well and you have the first solid foundation for a great platform. Develop 5-7 talking points that can be recycled and repurposed for future media interviews, book signing talks, and presentations. Everything you do and say from here on out should stay true to and enhance your brand.
2. Craft press materials. Develop the identity you created in step 1. At minimum, craft a short (1-2 pages) press release with a bio that positions you as an expert with a compelling message to deliver. The press release should summarize the big idea of your book, and include 5-7 bullets that tell readers what they will learn. Well-crafted press materials become selling tools for you and your book. As your media campaign grows, so will your press materials. When Dr. Terri Orbuch came onboard with our company, she was an academic in search of a brand. Now, several years later, she’s got two books with major publishers, has been on the Today Show and Katie, and has appeared in every major newspaper and magazine as The Love Doctor.
3. Create a smart website. The website is where fans, book buyers, people craving more information, and the media will go for worthwhile content about you, your book, and your area of expertise. Make sure it is attractive, well written, and offers lots of good content: articles and media clips where you’ve been featured; original blogs; featured studies, news items, or articles by other experts; and your social media links. Educate yourself on SEO (search engine optimization) or work with a professional who knows how to make your website come up in searches and be “sticky,” so visitors to your site will linger.
4. Engage in social media. Stay true to your brand when you share your messages in the world of social media. When you write an interesting blog, ask your friends to tweet it, like it, share it, or comment on it. Respond to others’ blogs, or invite them onto yours. If you become a reciprocal expert and sharer of knowledge, tips, and valuable information, your social media influence will be worthwhile to others and grow.
5. Pitch to targeted media contacts. A good book publicist can help you secure radio and regional TV interviews and get you featured in prominent print and online publications. The way they do this is by offering their high-quality media contacts pitches that are controversial, edgy, timely, or exciting and that feature recent studies, breaking news, or a compelling big idea. Basically, the publicist makes it easy for the media to say yes by offering them not only a great story concept, but also the tools to develop it with ready-to-print tips sheets that offer their audience new and useful information and position you as the ideal go-to person. Pieces that feature you should always include your book title and a link to your website in order to promote sales. For example, we pitched a tips-based story idea for author Trevor Blaketo our contact at Inc, and the resulting piece was such a hit that it went viral. His book soared all the way to number 2 on Amazon.
6. Be a blogger. Make a list of topics that you can write about in 500-700 words. Readers love useful tips, case studies, new research, and counter-intuitive or surprising strategies. Post your blogs at your website, and work with a book publicist to secure a regular blog at one of the top sites in your field of expertise. Invite others to be guest bloggers at your website, and offer blogs as guest posts at prominent websites. When our company helped five-time author Phil Simon get regular blogs at Huffington Post and Inc, for example, it helped him spread the word about his books, make valuable industry contacts, and create a loyal following of book buyers and fans.
7. Teach and speak. In addition to radio and TV appearances, other good ways to get your message out to large audiences is through securing book signings, workshops, talks at local and regional venues, webinars, and podcasts. Use the talking points you developed in step 1 to create short presentations that are aligned with your brand and messaging.
Be the 1% who gets noticed, known, and sells books! Through the author notoriety you build with a robust and growing media platform, you can then sell products or services, win new clients, and gain opportunities for speaking and teaching engagements.