Newly published books need to be marketed to potential. Before your book launch, you need a book marketing plan. Prior to the book launch, i do recommend you establish sites or accounts you plan to be active on for the long termjust be aware theyll be most useful, marketingwise, for your next. Here are a few key elements for a good book marketing strategy. Your work will need exposure and publicity to succeed. Millions of books have already been written to this very day. But the good news is that marketing is also about fostering connections and relationships, which can be rewarding to you and your fan base. You, the author, should assist in the marketing of your book in some way. Every business benefits from smart business planning. Free book marketing plan template from the pantheon collective. This is a fullservice where we work within your budget to get. While writing tends to be a solitary endeavor, marketing is the process of.
The good thing is that new stories keep coming up so you are. A marketing manifesto for selfpublishers by bill quain. It shows you and others who the book is for, how it will help them, how it differs from other books, and how you will market your book so that you and your. Listen to all those things that must be included in emails but the sales pitch must come for you. Online and offline promotion strategies to build your audience and sell more books chandler, stephanie on. If youre selfpublished, you have access to your books dashboard on retail sites so you can see how. If youve dreamed of having your book in bookstores, enrolling in the traditional distribution program at mill city press, where your book marketing plan for distribution will be presented to book retailers and.
As a leading provider of publishing services to authors, we offer a wide variety of book marketing and promotions resources. In fact, with more than 4,500 books published on a daily basis, its more true with each passing day. Your book marketing plan for distribution setup guide. A lot of the below is applicable to both traditional and selfpublished books. Home book marketing how to write a book marketing plan the road map to your publishing success is guided by your book marketing plan. Shes sharing 11 powerful ways to market childrens books. Spread the word with these simple book marketing ideas. I thought it would make a great sample of a mini marketing plan. How to market your selfpublished booka plan by bill quain by joel friedlander on april 2, 2010 64 comments last month i published an article called author platform.
Marketing selfpublished childrens books is an interesting task, different from the marketing of a regular book for one sole reason. Creating a book marketing and publicity plan is necessary for all authors, whether your publisher is a traditional house or youre trying to selfpublish. But if you are publishing by yourself and wish to be read by as many among your target audience as possible, you will have to learn an additional skillhow to market your books. And good news if you dont write childrens books, you can take these principles and strategies and apply them to your own genre and. I will begin my advice on how to promote a selfpublished book with the three key elements a book needs to stand any chance or success. For selfpublished books, some or all of the traditional book marketing functions may be made available from a selfpublishing service or from other book publishing consultants at a cost. With so many book marketing strategies available to promote your book, its easy to get overwhelmed and have difficulty determining what to do and when to do it to give your book the best. How to put together a marketing plan for your book mediashift. The first thing authors should do before doing any type of marketing is to put together a marketing plan for their book. Marketing your book for selfpublishers and indie authors. A definitive checklist by tim grahl is a free, customizable plan. Consider measuring email and social media follower growth. What does it take to promote your selfpublished book.
Despite all their advance promises to give you lots of promotional support, they mostly will leave the marketing of your book up to you. Marketing selfpublished books explained in 9 basic steps. Although campaigns using traditional media still play a big part in marketing strategies and plans for books, especially by indie or selfpublished authors, these. What to include in your book marketing strategy ingramspark. Download this free book marketing template brought to you by the pantheon collective tpc books and omar luqmaanharris, your book marketing expert. Developing a selfpublished author business plan bookbaby. Book marketing plan the definitive checklist book launch. For a selfpublished author, a business plan begins with a mission statement that will help direct your decision making at every stage of the book writing, book promotion, and book selling. Many self published authors have no interest in sales, advertising, or business in general, as they tend to be altruistically artistic.
Use these sample book marketing plan goals to jumpstart your thinking. I would like to add that in addition to a platform building and promotional plan, a comprehensive book marketing plan also includes things like defining goals and target audiences, setting a competitive price, writing a strong sales copy, designing a great book cover, and developing a budget and schedule. The selfpublished book marketing plan page 7 prepare 20 interview questions and answers 45 weeks prior to launch purchase and schedule launchweek advertisements finalize print book. A sample marketing plan small publishers have a limited budget for marketing, and every dollar has to have impact.
But once you have a moment to enjoy your accomplishment, what comes next. But the good news is that marketing is also about fostering. How to market a book, by joanna penn, and lets get visible, by david gaughran, are particularly helpful. The sample book marketing plan template explains the disadvantages of only publishing a book and not marketing it. If youre sure your book is marketready, sit down with a pen and paper, or open up your favorite word processor and get ready to type. If youre selfpublished, you have access to your books dashboard on. We are now offering complete book marketing services based on our 101 book marketing ideas. Tips for marketing selfpublished childrens books marketing selfpublished childrens books requires appealing to both kids and adults. The result will be a collection of pages that is a complete checklist for your book marketing efforts. How to create a book marketing and publicity campaign. Check out these sample business plans for magazine publishers, newsletter publishing, video television production, magazine journalists, music.
For example, if your book is about managing emotional wellbeing, cover the. But if you are publishing by yourself and wish to be read by as. Free publishing and production business plans bplans. How to write a book marketing plan for publishing success. If you think your book fails on any of the first three points, you will. That is the first, most essential step to marketing your book. This is a vital step in the promotion and marketing of your book, andif done rightwill make the rest of the process. Marketing takes planning, organization, and consistent action.
A written marketing plan helps you organize your time and also helps. The below book marketing strategies for selfpublished authors represent a highlevel look at various traditional and digital book marketing. After that just follow the plan, make adjustments when necessary, and listen to your readers. And few ceos would leap into a major investment without a business plan in place. If youre diving into the world of selfpublishing, the best thing you can do for yourself is become your own ceo. The ultimate book marketing timeline for indie authors. This, in my experience, is the most problematic aspect of childrens book marketing and something ive yet to nail or test properly. Book marketing plan template nonfiction writers conference.