Self-Publishing Your Book - a Concise Training Course | Part 9 of 9 - Marketing, Promoting and Selling Your Book

Consider the Following Guidelines:

• Imagination, persistence and effort are usually required to publicize your first book. For subsequent books, as you become more well known, promotion and publicity opportunities can emerge more easily.
• When contacting free sources about publicizing your book, empathize with your recipient. Always try to put yourself in the position of the person whose support you're trying to gain. Ask yourself: what do they want, then look for ways to meet their requirements. Famous US publicity expert Paul Hartunian (Hartunian.com) suggests that if you give journalists the kinds of stories they want, you can get all the free publicity you need. That's not to say, using this method is easy.
• Contact suitable e-mail newsletter suppliers and offer to joint venture to publicize your book. Be creative and responsive to promotion ideas that prospective joint venture emailing list providers may suggest. However, do carefully consider the risks and benefits of any come-back proposals.
• Ideally, get a quantity of one-page leaflets printed that briefly provide details of your book and what the book is about. Ensure that an order form makes up half of this leaflet and contains your full contact details and simple order instructions.
• Make a list of all the people you know, with addresses. Then send your leaflet to all those on your list.
• Ask your friends and personal acquaintances to tell their friends about your book. Talk to family members far and wide. Tell your work colleagues, and so on. Always keep a number of leaflets with you as you talk to people and travel around during your daily activities, ready to hand out a copy to anyone who is interested.
• Consider the value of local media PR. Local newspapers are usually interested in interesting local news, and can lead to news sources further afield also contacting you. Think from a human interest story angle.
• Don't forget about magazines: they too might be interested in the topic that your book examines. Especially consider special interest magazines that focus on the areas that your book covers. Check sources such as your local library, appropriate media directories, The Writers' and Artists' Year Book and The Writer's Handbook. Make a list of magazines that might be interested in your book. Again, find an angle that might interest them. Consider a plan before contacting editors.
• Local, regional and even national radio stations might also be interested in your book. Ask around. Make exploratory phone calls, remaining upbeat and polite whatever the reaction. Sometimes, a PR source that may not want your piece today, may remember your "sunny personality" and phone back next week, so try to create a favorable impression always.
• Write several press releases - ideally about four - all variations on a theme - with different headlines. Ideally, find a way to tie in your book with current events. Send out one press release say every two weeks. Press releases that are faxed to key PR sources usually work best. Don't fax a press release to a named person - that person may be "out" or ill, or absent. Instead send to the correct office fax number.
• Phone several prime sources from the suggestions above who can help promote your book, get the names of key contacts, then send each a review copy of your book. You may want to include a cover letter explaining that you are available for interviews, and provide a phone number and email address. Ideally, don't use an answer-phone during this period: simply be ready to answer the phone or ask a responsible family member to perform that role when you're out. Ensure no background music or noise is present when the phone is being answered.
• Speak to the head librarian of your local library and ask if they will purchase some copies of your book. Local libraries tend to be sympathetic to local authors - especially if your book has a local flavor.
• Also visit local and even regional bookshops and likewise ask if they will purchase some copies of your book.
• Think "outside of the box" to come up with new and unusual ways of gaining publicity. For example, consider: social and hobby clubs, trade associations, shops other than bookshops, petrol stations, garages, gift shops, markets, schools, writers' groups, women's institutes, and church groups.

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