By Launching a book: mistakes you need to avoid
Everyone has a story to tell, and there is no better way to tell it other than writing. The market fully appreciates the efforts that are put in to make the stories a success. It takes a lot of time and effort for you to write a story and give it the ultimate taste it ought to have. Your efforts should therefore not go unappreciated, however, that is only the beginning. All the painstaking processes of writing, rewriting, proofreading and editing will not matter if you as an author does not put into perspective a reliable marketing strategy.
For you to get the audience you need for writing, you will need to use an equal amount of energy on marketing just as you use on writing your book. Digital marketing comprising of paid advertising, emails, Search Engine Optimization, social; media, and many more are just some of the best ways to reach your audience.
Here we walk you through some of the mistakes you can avoid as an author by launching a book, to make a huge sale and build an audience for your book.
1. Late Marketing
One of the biggest mistakes that authors make is starting their marketing only a few days or weeks before the launch. For you to get a successful sale, you should start creating a marketing strategy while still writing the book. This means marketing should start around a year or at least six months before the launch.
The main aim of this is to ensure you not only gain a large audience but you will also need time to gain their trust. This is usually the case mostly for first-time authors. Before a target audience can purchase your book, they need to know that they get value for their money. You will therefore need time to establish a great connection between you and your audience.
2. PR Mindset: Thinking PR Will Single-handedly Give You High Sales.
PR is undoubtedly one of the main book marketing strategies when launching a book. However, it does not comprise everything that you need to drive a large target audience to purchase and read your book. A PR campaign is mainly aimed at creating awareness and building reliable credibility to show how your work and prove your expertise in the said writing sector.
For PR to work well, you need to pair it with other marketing strategies such as the use of social media. Emails and newsletters have also been proven to boost book marketing and is known to drive more audience if well utilized. Be sure to also use paid ads to gain an audience through platforms like Google and Facebook.
3. Underutilizing Your Network and Connections to Gain Audience
Your book is featured in big reality shows like Oprah and the rest is most likely your dream as an author. However, before you start reaching out to such venues, it is important to know the type of books that are likely to match such platforms. Of course, it is good for you to have your book presented to big and influential individuals, however, you should not underestimate the power of your small and supportive network.
Build your network! It is likely to drive more audience that you may anticipate than struggling to feature in venues like Oprah. Ranging from business partners, friends, and family or you’re your spiritual community could be excited to help you market your book. Online platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram all provide a decent opportunity to help with your marketing. When you are launching a book You should use your connections to get as much audience as possible.
4. Expecting all The Work to be Done by Your Writing Team
Just like any other carrier, you are likely not to see the expected success if you do not get to work your hands-on deck. Your publisher and marketing team will do a great job of ensuring you get the best audience, but you will not get the best results if you are not directly involved in the whole process.
By being involved in the marketing of your book, you will be able to identify your strengths and weaknesses therefore rectifying the loose ends. For you to get the best results, collaboration and active participation is key.
Being an author is not only about writing, marketing is key. Successful authors can attest to the power of marketing in terms of driving larger audiences and getting huge returns for their books. Many authors fail in their writing career because they do not take into consideration the key elements of being a successful author. With proper marketing strategies, authors shouldn’t have a problem in getting their target audience and convincing them to buy their books.
