ARE YOU MISSING SOMETHING IN YOUR MARKETING?

When I ask that question to authors, the normal response is to list how they are promoting their books. Sometimes it includes social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. They may also say they have a page on their website dedicated to the book. Or maybe they have set up book signings at bookstores around the country. A few will mention that they talk about the book at conferences and speaking engagements.

This is all great, but what is missing because something is definitely missing. The author who uses conferences and speaking engagements is closest. Can you figure it out?

They never tell me who they are promoting to. If I ask, most of the time, they don’t know what to say. Sometimes, they give a half-hearted answer, but the fact is that as soon and they are done writing the book, they forget about their biggest marketing tool.

They forget about their audience.

I don’t think they do this on purpose because I believe that they still have their audience in mind, especially if they are working on a second book. But they don’t think about their audience when they start marketing their book.

Why write a book to a specific group of people if you are not going to market directly to them?

Let’s look at an example.

Marketing a DIY home redecorating book on Facebook is great, but if you just put up an ad or boost a post with no targeting, you may reach 1,000,000 people, but very few will be in your target audience. So, if you want to reach your audience, you have to create that target audience when you boost or run an ad.

What is the main takeaway here?

Remember your audience. You needed to know them when you wrote the book, so don’t ignore them once you are done. Remember them to help you better promote your book, which leads to more sales! Your audience can take you to best-seller status, but only if they know you are there.

WHY BOOK REVIEWS MATTER BEFORE AND AFTER YOU PUBLISH!

Have you ever wondered how authors get so many reviews sometimes even before the book is released? Maybe you have wondered if those reviews really help sell the book?

Let’s answer these two questions one at a time.

Many authors have reviews on books before it’s released thanks to ARC Teams.

ARC stands for Advance Reader Copy. This is a book that is still in final edit, usually doesn’t have the cover finalized yet either. The ARC Team consists of people who are interested in the subject and will give a review on several platforms for a free advanced copy of the book.

Pre-release reviews can be found on sites such as Goodreads and Bookbub as well as several others. ARC Team members can also give reviews on their own social media pages, especially if they have a strong following. Getting pre-release reviews on Goodreads guarantees these reviews will be transferred to Amazon on the day the book releases since Amazon owns Goodreads.

When you send your book to the ARC Teams, make sure they agree to not only provide pre-release reviews but also reviews on other site, such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other bookstores on the day of release. This ensures you have reviews immediately.

But how do reviews really help sell your book?

Think about it this way: Have you ever looked at a book—nonfiction or fiction—and looked at the reviews. If there are no reviews, you are probably less likely to take a chance on the author. If there are a few really bad reviews, you won’t be interested. However, whether there are 10 or 1000 semi-good to great reviews, you will more than likely buy the book. This is why reviews are so important and needed.

However, there is another aspect of reviews and their ability to sell your book.

They can help you make best-seller status without a lot of work on your part.

Remember, if you see a book that has great or even good reviews, you are more likely to buy that book. Best-seller rankings are based on book sales each week. The most important week is release week!

Wouldn’t you love to be on a best sellers list on the week you release your book?

The easiest way to do this is pre-release reviews. People see those pre-release reviews on social media sites and book review sites, and they pre-order the book. This means your sales increase even before the book is available. This is how people make the best-seller list immediately upon publication!

Great! You now have one of the formulas for gaining best seller status early on, but you probably want to know how to build an ARC Team.

There are many ways to build an ARC Team. One way is to use your following. Put a call out to your social media followers saying you’re assembling a special group to read your books first before publication. You will be inundated with responses, but you don’t have to pick everyone.

Pick 10, 25, 50, or 100 people to be on your team. Just remember this is a two-edged sword. The more people on your team, the more reviews, but it also means there are fewer people who will need to buy your book. You normally don’t want more than 50, so base it on your following size and know your max is 50 people. Have them sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) saying they will give a specific number of reviews on specific platforms but that they will not give the book away. Some people won’t want to sign the NDA. That’s fine; either choose not to move forward with them, or if you move forward with them being on the ARC Team, they don’t need to be on the ARC Team for the next book. Some people will not give reviews even though they promised. That’s fine; again, they don’t need to be on the ARC Team for the next book.

This is your team, and you have control. If they don’t live up to their promises, they don’t get early access next time.

However, many authors, especially first-time authors, don’t have a large following yet. Not a problem. Bookbub, Bookfunnel, and similar sites can actually help. They have a large audience of ARC readers that are volunteers who are willing to not only read your book but also give reviews. These websites do charge for this service, but your work is protected and you don’t have to do anything but provide your manuscript. If you don’t want to do all the work of building a team yourself, then this is the way to go.

So, consider getting those reviews before you even release your book because they can only help ensure you have a strong start for your book upon its release.

Already released your book? Still get reviews. Yes! Still get reviews. You can reach out to your community the same way you would during the pre-release phase and ask for reviews in exchange for a copy of your book for free or for a copy at an extremely reduced rate. (I've seen some authors indicate they will send a free copy, and the reviewer only has to pay $6.95 in shipping and handling or something to that effect.) Tell them once they receive the book, they have until XYZ date to post the review on Amazon (give them about a month from the date you ship the book), providing them with the link to your book on Amazon and directing them to scroll toward the bottom of the page to the area where they can post their review. Approximately two weeks out then again a day or two before the target date, send a reminder email, thanking those who have posted reviews and asking others not to forget to do so by the due date. Again, you will have those who do not follow-through. Expect it, and make a note.

Keep in mind that getting post-publication reviews can position you to see a spike in interest in your book and a subsequent spike in sales.

HOLIDAY BOOK SALE STRATEGY

With a few days left to shop for the season, I'm dropping into your inbox with some quick book selling tips. See if one or more of them fit your marketing plan!:

• Charities. Over the holidays, choose a favorite charity and share a portion of your holiday sales with it. Then, make sure you let people know what you're up to! This a time of year when so many are in giving spirit; buyers will have an added reason to feel good about buying your book.

• Price. In your "pitch" to media, bloggers, and buyers, accentuate your price point with messaging such as "Great Gifts for Young Professionals under $20!"

• Limited-Time Gift Giving. Consider offering an add-on with your book that is available only during the holidays. Think a bonus worksheet to accompany the book, signed bookplates, a custom bookmark ... get creative!

• Social Media/Author Newsletter. If you are active on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, LinkedIn, your blog, and other social platforms or if you have collected names for an author newsletter, show your holiday spirit with inspirational messages, especially as they relate to your book's topi! Create a unique holiday gift message on each platform, incorporating information from above (charity, special price, target audience, limited time offer, personalization, etcetera.) This may spark previous buyers to purchase your book as a gift.

• Local Events. Check your library, civic organizations, religious community, and schools to find relevant holiday events where you and your book would be a welcome addition. Offer to sign books in person with gift bags or other giveaways!

Most of all, have fun and enjoy the holiday spirit by connecting with new readers and fans!

TIKTOK: THE SECRET WEAPON OF AUTHORS

Social media is essential for the branding of an author and can help with selling their books. No surprise there, right?

However, one social media platform is actually leading the way and creating a new way for authors to showcase their books, introduce themselves more personally, and grow their email lists and readership.

What is this social media platform? Is there a cost? How do you become part of it?

Before I tell you, just know that this is not just my opinion but is backed by other sources, including Publishers Weekly, Social Media Today, and more. The platform?

It's TikTok!

Yes, you read that right. TikTok is making a big splash in the world of branding and selling for authors, and you don't have to do any funny dances.

Most people think the TikTok audience is teens and very young adults, but when you start to peruse the site, you realize that you have people posting videos that include individuals in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and at least one 70 something poster.

Sure, many of the TikTok users may be in their 20s or 30s, which, depending on your topic, may be perfect. However, if that is not your prime audience, no problem. On TikTok, the hashtags rule. Getting to your specific demographic is easy. Just hashtag it. For example, #booktok. #over30 #businessguru #finances or any other such hashtags.

The rules are still being written for TikTok, but the platform can grow your authorship quickly and internationally. The only limit is whether you are willing to try out this excellent free marketing and branding option.

Universities, businesses, publishers, and authors are jumping onto this platform because it's still growing with 1.4 billion current users. This makes it a marketing hot spot.

Before you decide, sign up and check out the BookTok side of TikTok. You will be surprised at the potential.

IS IT TIME TO WRITE YOUR NEXT BOOK?

Your first book may be doing well and is still seeing sales,[FIRST NAME GOES HERE]. Or perhaps your sales have plateaued. Either way, the initial rush of the debut book is over, but you have more to say on the subject or even a different subject. Now you’re asking yourself “When is it the right time to write another book?”

Here's the answer.

Take a short breather right after publication and start up again. If it has been a while since your book was released, that is fine, too. But get started now. Set a date to have the first draft done that is within reason but not too far in the future. The ideal timing is to release a book at least every six to eight months if you plan on writing more than one. This gives you about four to five months to write the next one while the first book is still in its initial sales rush. As it starts to plateau, you’ll be ready with book number two.

Consider it this way: If you wrote a business or self-help book and you have more to say on that exact subject of your first book, take the next book to the next level. Move it from a basic level to an intermediate or advanced level.

You may also have new topics you discussed previously at speaking engagements or lectures that you feel could be a great book. Start taking your speaking and lecture notes and write your book. Shortly after a presentation, on the ride to the airport or on the flight itself, jot down great questions you heard from the audience, tangents you went on, ah-ha moments you privately had or that came from others in conversations after your speech.

Maybe a new concept or technology has just become important in your field that you want to make mainstream. Start outlining how you want to discuss this new concept or technology, then start writing.

There is never one book in most cases, and the sooner you published book number two—even if it is a different subject—the more you can ride your own coattails. If it has been more than six to eight months, use marketing techniques to remind your audience of the previous book and to introduce the new one. When your audience finds out you have another book coming out soon, they will probably be interested in reading it, especially if they liked the ideas in the first book.

Don’t let too much time pass if you can help it. Remember, it doesn’t matter what you wrote before; if you still have more to say about that topic or any other topic, start writing book number two now.

A MONEY-MAKING SECRET FOR AUTHORS

One of the best-kept secrets in the world of readers and authors is Goodreads.

Maybe you’ve never heard of it. Maybe you’ve used this website from the reader’s perspective. Or maybe you’ve just never checked it out.

It really doesn’t matter what you did before because now you need to look at Goodreads from the author’s perspective.

Goodreads is a social media platform all about books and reading. But for an author, it is often underutilized. Many authors laugh and scoff at Goodreads, but they miss out on some great promotional and feedback avenues.

In terms of promotions, you can create giveaways of your book in either eBook or print form! This is a paid service, but you have complete control over how it works. You decide how many books you are giving away. Three, five, twelve, or more—and for eBooks, you can give away up to 100 downloads; it doesn’t matter. It is up to you.

There are different levels in the giveaway. Every level is a different cost, so you get to decide how often your giveaway is promoted based on your budget. You can start a Goodreads giveaway for as little as $119. Pre-release giveaways can build possible purchases or pre-orders while post-release giveaways will give your book new traction with audiences. Both options are great. If you decide to release a second book as a follow-up, having giveaways for both will increase your audience!

The readers see the book and enter the giveaway. The book is then placed in their Want-To-Read section and continues to come up on their feed. Also, these Want-To-Read books can be seen by Goodreads friends, so you are reaching a larger audience.

There are also free options to get your book on more pages and in front of more readers. Have those who read your book, including beta readers and ARC readers who read the book before publication, post a review and remind them to post it to the Goodreads platform, not to just the Goodreads book page. These reviews can be done anytime but are also available pre-release most of the time so you will already have reviews when the book is officially released. Still, they are a great way to get the book on the main post page after publication. These reviews let people on Goodreads know that others have read the book and what they thought of it.

Goodreads doesn’t allow for posts like Facebook or Instagram. You can only post reviews and information about books. However, they do have a “Discussion” section where you can start discussions about topics in your book or about your book itself. The discussions are a little harder to get engagement on, but getting your current readers to go into the discussions and reply or ask questions will keep the discussion going helps and brings more readers to the discussion.

Using Goodreads is an easy way to ready a larger audience. And isn’t that your goal? Reaching a larger audience? Then what are you waiting for?! Go now and check out how Goodreads can help you sell more books!