Online and offline promotion strategies to build your audience and sell more books, and own your niche. Book promotion strategies are changing all the time, so im giving you a leg up with these 19 rock solid ideas for strategically marketing your book. The following is a marketing plan developed for a new collection of childrens bedtime stories called goodnight canada. But these days, a solid online marketing plan is a logical and affordable place to start.
No matter whether or not youre trying to do it yourself or plan to work with an expert book marketing agency like smith publicity, youll need a wellrounded program. If something is not working for you after you have given it a. Oct 15, 2014 continuing with this weeks series on book marketing plans, its time for a freebie. This is a guest post from joanna penn, who is the author of career change and also writes the bestselling arkane thrillers under j.
We offer a range of book, ebook, and novel marketing services for fiction titles including. The ultimate book marketing timeline for indie authors ingramspark. Novel marketing podcast hosted by thomas umstattd jr. The best fiction book marketing programs require a varied and sustained approach. Aug 24, 2012 a simple marketing plan outline for indie authors. Abby mcaden, associate publisher at scholastic, agrees that the marketing of middle grade books is multifaceted in terms of its targets. Find out who your book appeals to, get to know those people well, and be where they are, both online and off. Every single time i teach one of my book marketing workshops, i get some form of this question. Today shes going to show us how fiction authors can use some of the tools of book marketing. Take this free piece of advice and think through about marketing as soon as you can. You might want to believe that marketing language is different from fiction. I am a first time author writing a nonfiction, self help book to females on. Engaging your audience by asking for their input about your book characters if its fiction such as a choice your main character must make. The purpose of a marketing plan is to spread the word about yourself and your upcoming new book, and to give potential readers aka, customers access to a point of sale where they can purchase the book ahead of, on, and after the launch date.
Marketing your fiction frugally phyllis zimbler miller. If youre writing fiction you could write a short story set in the world of your book that introduces the characters. This document should be an outline of how you will achieve your income or sales goals, and it should identify in detail the market youre targeting. Creating a detailed book marketing plan or author business plan will help you think about all the strategies and effort. When to start marketing your book and how to balance your time. Why are agents constantly scheming to make us crazy. The professional guide to profitable selfpublishing, the nonfiction book marketing plan.
Fiction book marketing and marketing for novels smith publicity. Fresh out of ideas on how to help your writing take off. 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 wholesalers, is a great first step. How to write a book marketing plan in easy steps 1. Marketing plans for novels janet reid, literary agent. Your book marketing plan for distribution setup guide.
But nothing is more practical than seeing that plan come to life. A simple marketing plan outline for indie authors the wise. How to write a marketing plan for your book youtube. Jul 31, 2017 marketing plan template via the creative penn. Goals why did you write this book, what are you trying to accomplish, what are your sales goals 2. The nonfiction book marketing plan is loaded with proven and effective tactics to make the marketing journey a bit easier and a lot more effective. Three ways marketing fiction differs from marketing nonfiction. This is a book marketing plan outline that you can use. An agent who wants a marketing plan for a novel at the query stage has the cart before the horse. The novel marketing 5year plan to becoming a bestselling author. Jay lemming provides some strategies that have worked for him, as an indie author of literary fiction, and encourages other literary authors to follow suit. How to write a book marketing plan for publishing success. This part of a fiction book proposal should outline your ability to promote your novel, and a plan to do so. Heres a list of the most critical, innovative things you can do to market your book online.
Were authors carolyn howardjohnson and phyllis zimbler miller, and this is our nonfiction book proposal for marketing your fiction frugally with the huge upswing in ebooks and amazon and other ebook retailers constantly and continually changing the opportunities for book authors we want to share with you what we have been learning. What to include in your book marketing strategy ingramspark. Joannas blog, the creative penn is one of the best blogs anywhere for writers, and her new book is the best work on book marketing ive seen in quite a while. Spread the word with these simple book marketing ideas. Book marketing and promotion provide the most traction for your book, but most selfpublished authors and small independent publishers do not. Oct 23, 2017 marketing is one of the biggest challenges facing selfpublishing authors of literary fiction. Fiction book marketing and marketing for novels smith.
The 22 best marketing books you need to read in 2019. Every marketing plan is different, but here are the nuts and bolts of what should be included. Marketing your book for selfpublishers and indie authors. Here are 9 uncommon tips that ive used to turn my books into bestsellers, including my selfpublished wall. Jan 02, 2010 below is a sample book marketing plan outline, to give you some ideas of what to include in the marketing plan for your book. My entire ya science fiction series, the alpha drive, the order of omega, and restitution, are available for purchase in paperback and hardcover. The book is educational in that it exposes young children between ages four and seven to different cultural communities in canada. Before your book launch, you need a book marketing plan. A publishers marketing budget, if there is one, for a first novel by an unknown author will probably range in the low fivedigit. It acts as a business case or business plan for your book that persuades a publisher to make an investment.
Weve compiled a list of 89 book marketing ideas that will change your life, build your brand, and sell your book. The truth is, its even easier for fiction authors to earn a fulltime income from book royalties than for nonfiction authors. A simple marketing plan for fiction authors book launch. This book marketing plan outline is a short form real marketing plan for indie authors meaning it goes beyond a simple, and often untargeted, list of tactics. Mar 08, 2011 the following is a fictitious mini marketing plan i created for a publishing class while in university studying communication. As part of its ongoing support for the book, random house childrens. Apr, 2020 novel marketing, the longestrunning book marketing podcast, helps authors build their platforms and sell more books with writing worth talking about. Three ways marketing fiction differs from marketing nonfiction by joanna penn writing editors note.
If youre just writing as a hobby and dont plan to ever earn a. Instead of writing the entire book, then trying to interest an editor or agent which is how it works with novels, you write the proposal first. Book marketing plan the definitive checklist book launch. This is a vital step in the promotion and marketing of your book, andif done rightwill make the rest of the process infinitely easier. Jul 08, 2009 a comprehensive marketing plan involves both online and offline efforts to use and broaden your existing platform to promote your book. Attract readers with a great book sales description. Ask a handful of bestselling novelists how long it took them to go from aspiring writer to bestselling novelist. Palacios 2012 novel wonder continues to sell extremely well, helped by the release of the november 2017 feature film.
Your book marketing plan should be designed to identify the revenue streams you plan to tap into. Jul 09, 20 stephanie chandler is the author of several books including the nonfiction book publishing plan. Here are our recommended book marketing strategies and what you need for each. After that just follow the plan, make adjustments when necessary, and listen to your readers. Spend time going through every item on this checklist, so that you get a feel for all of the options that are available to you. You can also assume they know how to get books to libraries, and indie stores.
I thought it would make a great sample of a mini marketing plan for businesses looking to develop one for themselves, especially book businesses. Book description book synopsis, format, page count, isbn, etc. A marketing plan from an author assumes the publisher knows how to get books to those big vendors. That is the first, most essential step to marketing your book. May 28, 2017 a book proposal argues why your book idea is a salable, marketable product. Identify your future readers so you can find the right way to reach them. A written book marketing and promotion plan will give you a blueprint for promoting. That sounds great, but does it work for fiction authors. Marketing plan for fiction titles by brian jud the information below provides ideas, examples, and instructions that will help you create a quick, practical marketing plan for a fiction title.
Maybe, but unless you already have a proven track record of sales that indicate a substantial following, its not likely. Choose the right categories and keywords for your book. Rob eagar has coached over 450 authors and helped books hit the new york times bestseller list three different ways, including fiction, nonfiction, and backlist. The program includes book marketing advice specifically for fiction. Weve written extensively about the importance of book marketing, how to promote a book and marketing a self published book. Create a book marketing plan that sells books nonfiction writers. Its time to get busy on your marketing plan for the book. The first thing authors should do before doing any type of marketing is to put together a marketing plan for their book. How to create the ultimate book marketing plan free course.
Aside from the fact that it can be overwhelming, most authors have day jobs and not much time to figure out which book promotion strategies will work. By walking through two complete content marketing examples for authors one from a fiction writer lisa unger and the other from a nonfiction writer jacob mcmillen. How to market your kindle ebook in 10 steps business 2. Aug 20, 2016 home book marketing how to write a book marketing plan the road map to your publishing success is guided by your book marketing plan. A book marketing plan is a living document and its important to. Here are the biggest lessons ive learned for fiction authors when it comes to earning a serious income.
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