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Marketing and Distributing Your Book

By Emma Ward

Whether you are a well-known consultant, or just starting out, writing a book adds depth and credibility to your resume, especially as it can be used as a validation tool for your work. But bringing a book to market is a challenging experience. To succeed, you need to learn as much as possible about the process of marketing and distributing a book.

According to experts, approximately 25,000 manuscripts are rejected for every one book that gets published. And the publishing industry is awash in books. Print on Demand (POD) in particular has brought about many changes for publishers and authors, and the market has been flooded with books on every subject.

It seems like everyone has a book and is fighting for shelf space in every bookstore. Being a seasoned versus newbie author does help—your books may have priority, especially if they sold well in the past. But even first time authors can break in to the market.

Many people in the publishing industry feel that the easiest part of bringing a book to market is writing the book. With that in mind, you must begin planning at least as soon as you have written your manuscript—preferably before.

Differentiation is the key to marketing a book, and although you must include the basics in your marketing plan, there is no reason you cannot mix the standard elements with the new to differentiate your book from the millions of others on the market.

There are many complex factors that affect the successful launch of a book, but there are some elements in marketing and distribution that you can control. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Research and Marketing

1. Identify your target market(s). This is not as simple as saying “business people” or “executives.” You must identify with your target market. Finding the largest group of readers to target is not necessarily the best; find a specific niche for your book, as someone may not have filled their reading needs yet. Also, don’t forget to identify a secondary and even tertiary target market. Do your research.

2. Tap into their sources. Once you have identified your target market, find out where they look for books and services, online and off: Are they part of specific reading groups? Use discussion forums and scour blogs to learn more about where they get their information. Add your comments and posts to forums and blogs. Also, go to bookselling sites and write reviews of other books in your field, as this provides an opportunity to get your name and opinions known. These are good ways to tap into your market and create some hype.

3. Start the build-up to your book release early. Submit your book to the usual array of newspaper editors, but also look into companies where reviews are their business. They will usually match your book to readers in your target market so you can get some good feedback. Find moderators of online forums and see if they would be interested in taking a look at your book. They are usually active elsewhere online and could help you spread the word. Recommendations are a powerful tool for selling your book.

4. Look into free sites where you can list your book. Submit information about your book to newsletters, and write and publish your own press releases. Write a few short articles on your topic and submit them to relevant newsletters and web sites. Editors are always looking for good content and this will help you promote your book. Invite them to interview you, or offer your services.

5. Check out the “Links” pages on web sites you or your target audience might visit. They can provide you with a wealth of information about similar sites that you may want to visit later. It is helpful to create bookmark folders for each stage of your marketing plan, for instance, News Sites, Similar Authors, Reading Groups, and Advertising. Keep your resources organized.
  
6. Develop a web site for your book. This is one of the most important developments in the industry: publishers and authors develop their own web sites. You can communicate directly with your target market, promote your book, and post updates about developments in your campaign: media comments, awards, book signings, pictures, and so on.

However, don’t rush to start your own blog unless you thoroughly understand the amount and constancy of work involved. This may not be the right step for most people as it is so time consuming. You may just want to post monthly updates on your web site.

7. Create one or more e-books. Although they haven’t completely taken off in the mainstream publishing industry, e-books are great tools for promoting your book. You may already have your book in a PDF file, so why not post the introduction of your book on your web site? Give readers a good look at things to come.

Distribution

Whether you are traditionally published or a self-published author, or representing one or the other, obviously, you have to drive book sales. This means getting the most out of your marketing dollar.

By the time a book reaches bookstores, it has already been discounted 55 percent—that’s if it is accepted, and sold directly. It’s no wonder that most authors have to work other jobs! This is not a cost-effective model, as everyone gets a piece of the pie and authors are left with a sliver. If a bookstore sells your book for, say, $20, your publisher may get around $6.30 (gross), and you may get about $2.70 from the sale of each book.

Non-traditional methods for distributing your book can help you reach your target market more efficiently, and can be more fiscally rewarding while you are battling to get your book into bookstores. Direct selling from author and publisher web sites has taken off. The big advantage is that you don’t have to give that 55 percent discount.

Interactivity is imperative to keep visitors coming back to your site, so add some extra benefits, such as signed books and free special reports, to your marketing plan. Web sites are an easy and simple way to directly communicate with your target market, and they are easy to keep up-to-date with the latest news.

If you sell books on your site as a publisher or author, you can get $20 (gross) from the sale of each of your books. Or, you can take the percentage you would have discounted, and offer your readers better value on the sale of a book. If your book will be sold on your publisher’s site, it may be best to direct consumers to your publisher—if the savings will be passed along to you. It is time for authors to pick and choose where to direct readers in all of their marketing efforts so that everyone benefits.

Changes in book distribution are influencing the way that you can market your books. There are many non-traditional avenues used by numerous authors to reach their readers successfully and on a more personal level. Whether you write a book for the prestige, or to help others, there is no reason why you shouldn’t help yourself when marketing and distributing your book. Take an active role in marketing your book, not just writing it.

Roll up your sleeves, start a grassroots campaign, do the research, and make contact with your target market. Use the Internet as an inexpensive means for your research, marketing and distribution efforts, and reap the rewards.
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