Self publishing a
book requires a lot of work, time and effort. It is a labor of love
for most authors and the end results are unbelievably rewarding.
However, publishing a book is one thing, but marketing a book is
something entirely different.
Many
authors are shocked when they finally complete their book after
months, or even years of work, only to find that they now have to
sell the book. The dream of bringing much needed information to the
world often overrides the fact that the world has no way of
magically knowing of the book's existence.
Self publishing a
book also means
marketing a
book. If you don't have a thorough understanding of both,
you likely will not succeed. When you hear success stories of self
published authors who have sold hundreds of thousands, even millions
of books, you must know that the book did not sell that many copies
based on content alone.
There is much more to it
than that. Seeing a need and filling it is a great reason for
writing a book. Bringing new information to the world is an
incredible task. If what you are offering in your book is needed,
then yes, people will buy your book.
You may be missing one
very crucial element though...
How is the world going to find out
about your book?
Your job in marketing
your book is to create awareness and drive sales. Without this
component, your publishing venture will struggle. It takes us back
to the old adage of "build it and they will come". Surely in our
world of mass marketing and overused commercial advertising we now
know that this simply does not work. The single biggest challenge
facing most self published authors is breaking out of this thought
pattern.
As a self publisher, you
are now a business owner. You are a business person and you must
think like one. In writing and publishing a book, you have created a
product. Your job as self publisher is now marketing a book --
marketing a product. Your job is to run your business. Running your
business means earning revenue and earning revenue means selling
books.
The
stronger your focus is on your book marketing plan, the more
books you will sell. Start thinking about
marketing your book as you're writing it and you will
be well ahead of the game.
© Copyright 2004 Ink Tree Ltd.
Ink Tree Ltd. helps authors publish, market and sell books.
We have all the tools you need to succeed in book publishing. Let us help you make your book a success. http://www.inktreemarketing.com
Trying to
Market a Book? Let us help you.
Here's
how we can help:
The Ultimate Book
Marketing Kit
The
Beginner's Guide to Publicity
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