Marketing is Not Always About the Book
By Jerry D. Simmons | August 29th, 2006 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
If you spent a few thousand dollars, many months of your time and in the end you have a few hundred copies of your book and no clear idea of where to turn next, you may realize that you made some mistakes. Questions may haunt you, your frustration level is high and you are looking for answers but really don’t want to admit or reveal that you made mistakes. Join the crowd, it happens to almost all authors whether they want to admit it or not.
If you are trying to make informed decisions about your publishing career the first step is to talk with a professional. Don’t spend more money or waste valuable time chasing bad ideas, cut your losses and get back on track. What you need is to redefine your goals as an author and refocus your attention on marketing. The world is full of readers and thousands of titles, the key is (re)establishing your goals as an author, finding your niche, outlining your story or message, identifying your market and then deciding how to reach your audience. Often times it helps to discuss your plan with someone who understands the marketplace and can help direct you without trying to sell more products or services.
For self-published authors this business is loaded with many so-called “experts” who want nothing more than to sell you solutions to your problems, while in fact, they don’t have answers, only more products and services to sell. Don’t be fooled by the hype, it may sound good but in all likelihood, their guidance won’t work simply because they don’t have the background or experience to offer sound advice. This is not rocket science and the sun will rise tomorrow, but failure to recognize that your book needs help will only result in more mistakes, lost time, and money wasted.
Have you ever stopped to think: Perhaps it’s not just the book you are marketing?
Leave a Reply
