Book Marketing Made Easy: If You Write It, They Will Come

Here’s a big fear we all have when it comes to writing a book, what if no one buys it?

While that is always possible, with a little planning and advanced buzz, it’s highly unlikely. The key is to get others excited about your book and to get them talking and sharing the news with their friends.

Host a Launch Party. In the weeks before your official publication date it will be time to start revving up the launch engine. Offering bonuses for early purchases, incentives for a review, and free chapter downloads are all proven strategies for building the buzz for your upcoming book.

There’s a lot of moving parts in a successful book launch—landing pages, mailing lists, JV partners, social outreach, and more—so make sure you’re prepared!

Make the Interview Rounds. Two to three months prior to your book release, have your virtual assistant begin researching podcasts, blogs and other media outlets for potential interviews. Create a press package to send out, including headshots, book cover art, blurbs and testimonials, and let everyone know that you’re looking for interviews and guest posting opportunities.

Blog About It. You are your own best publicist, so don’t be afraid to toot your own horn on your blog, in your email newsletter, and on social media. Include images of the cover, blurbs from advance readers, and give your audience plenty of time to get excited about the upcoming launch, so when the buy button finally goes up they’re eager to get a copy.

Boosted Posts. Facebook is a terrific way to get new eyes on your book. Paid ads leading to your launch page are ideal, and can generate a lot of traffic for a very low cost.

Free Kindle Days. This technique alone can catapult your book to bestsellerdom in a matter of days. The key is to build up a buzz on your mailing list, share on social media, and ask your friends and colleagues to do the same.

Book marketing isn’t as easy as listing it on Amazon and becoming an instant bestseller. Anyone who tells you that is the exception to the rule. But that doesn’t mean selling your book is impossible either. With some strategic planning and a little effort, you can have a fantastic launch, whether it’s your first book or your fourteenth.

It might just be the most stressful decision you ever have to make: what to charge?

You’ve got the competition to consider, your own skill set, what you perceive to be your skills (yes, this is different from the former for most of us), what your market will pay, your location, and a host of other variables. Working it out can feel like a hurdle you can’t quite get past.

Of course, there are some strategies you can employ. One popular method is to use a calculator such as the one found on Melissa Ingold’s Time Freedom Business, or similar websites. These will quickly tell you what you need to be charging to reach your income goals, and they’re a great place to start.

But what about all those other questions? Creating a solid pricing structure requires you to do a little more digging. So with your starting number in mind, take a look at:

Your Competition. This might take a little detective work, since some businesses &  service providers don’t publish rates. But if you pay attention to their websites and social media, and ask a few discreet questions, you can figure it out.

Be realistic about who, exactly, your competition is, though. Don’t undervalue or over-sell yourself. In other words, make sure you’re comparing yourself to another business that shares the same skills, market, and track record, rather than simply looking at who you strive to become.

Your Skills. In some fields, this is easy. There are certifications and educational programs that allow you to charge a certain rate. If you’ve followed this path, then pricing will be easy for you. If not, take a solid look at what you can legitimately claim as a skill.

Look, too, at your track record. Have you proven yourself by helping former clients (and do you have the testimonials and case studies to show for it)? Have your former clients moved on to bigger and better businesses after working with you? (That’s a good thing!) These are all reasons to maybe consider a higher price range than you might have first thought.

Your Market. In the game of setting rates, it’s your market that has the final say.

If your goal is to give newbies a helping hand and lead them down the path to success, that unfortunately means you can look forward to low paying gigs. That’s not a bad thing—everyone has to begin somewhere—but it does need to be acknowledged. If, on the other hand, your target market is more established and economically stable, then a higher fee isn’t just warranted—it’s a must. They will expect a higher price, and will not find value in the lowest-cost provider of anything, whether it’s coffee beans or business coaching.

Finally, don’t forget that pricing is never set in stone. It’s flexible. If you find you’re attracting the wrong market (or no market at all) you can always change your rates. Working too hard for not enough return? Raise your rates.

It’s your business. You get to call the shots.