When most people talk about marketing, what they’re actually meaning is promotion, specifically, advertising. We were raised in a time when promotion was a combination of radio, television and print advertising, perhaps supplemented by letterbox fliers (better known as junk mail). That’s how we found out about and were encouraged to try new products. Large …
Review: The Extroverted Writer by Amanda Luedeke
If you have a website and are already active on Twitter and/or Facebook, then The Extroverted Writer probably isn’t the book for you. It gives good advice on why authors need to set up a website and be active in social media, but it doesn’t give much in the way of new advice on how. …
Marketing 101: Price
This article is part four in my series on marketing, following posts on planning, product and place. What is the right price for a book? If you are accepted for publication by a trade publisher, then they will set the recommended retail price for your book. The actual retailer may discount that price, so you …
Book Review: Let’s Get Visible by David Gaughran
Let’s Get Visible: How To Get Noticed And Sell More Books begins by explaining the intricacies of the Amazon algorithms (the computer programmes that dictates lists such as the bestseller lists, as well as what each individual customer sees on screen). He explains both what they algorithms are (as best anyone outside Amazon can know) …
Marketing 101: Place
Where do you sell your books? Trade Published If you are trade published, whether through a major or small publisher, the publisher will be responsible for distribution. They will ensure your book is listed with the main distributors so bookshops can order it on a low-risk sale-or-return basis. They will ensure Kindle and epub versions …
Book Review: Let’s Get Digital by David Gaughran
I’m inclined to like Let’s Get Digital: How To Self-Publish, And Why You Should a lot because David Gaughran has a lot of nice things to say about editors, especially about how important they are for the self-published author: Editors are the unsung heroes of the publishing world. and Writers shouldn’t consider editing an expense; …
Marketing 101: Product
We are looking at the basics of book marketing. If you missed the first post in the series, you can find it here. When considering marketing, the first and most important element is the product: your book. The single most important thing anyone can do to succeed in any job, in any profession, is to …
Book Review: 10 Keys to ebook Marketing Success by Karen Baney
10 Keys to Ebook Marketing Success delivers what is says on the cover: ten steps to kickstart your ebook marketing efforts. What sets this ahead of some of the other marketing books I’ve read is Baney’s professionalism. She is a professional, and she expects her readers to act in a professional manner. Other self-published authors …
Marketing 101: Introduction
Anyone who has ever done a course in marketing will have heard of The Four P’s that form the basis of marketing strategies – Product, Price, Promotion and Place. But how does that apply to publishing? Over the next few weeks, my Saturday posts will look at what you need to know about the Four …
Book Review: How to Market a Book by Joanna Penn
I’ve read quite a few books on marketing books on Amazon (or marketing books in general), and this is one of the best. Many books I don’t even get through the Kindle sample before finding something that’s outdated, unethical or just plain wrong. Of the ones that pass the sample test, many end up being …