You know the answer to that, right? There’s a good chance you feel the same way she does.

If you’re like most authors, you’d much rather be doing just about anything other than trying to figure out how to market your book. While book marketing comes easily and intuitively for some, it’s a struggle for many because they don’t have experience marketing anything — let alone a book.

Follow these 5 steps

Actually, book marketing  isn’t as hard as you might think. And once you understand the basics, it gets even easier. To publicize, promote, and market your book, you need to know five basic steps. Following them, and taking as much time as you need to do so, will help you make sure that you’re using your book marketing time wisely and effectively.

Here they are:

Step 1. Know your audience.

Who is really and truly most likely to buy your book? Many authors are overly optimistic about the size of their book’s target audience. In reality, the more specific you can be about your target audience, the more successful you will be.

For example, the audience for a book about how to select a long-term care facility isn’t going to appeal to all baby boomers, but it will appeal to baby boomers with elderly parents who are struggling to live independently.

Step 2. Figure out where to find your book’s audience.

You can’t find them if you don’t know who they are, so it’s important to take Step 1 first. Then, do the research to find out how they get their news and information and where it comes from. Do they watch TV news or read a daily newspaper? Are they on Pinterest or do they use Twitter?

Step 3. Know how to reach your audience.

If your research tells you that the people most likely to buy your book are using Twitter, do you know how to use it effectively and appropriately? What if they enjoy getting advice from blogs — do you know how to connect with them through your blog or those of others?

Step 4. Understand what to say to your book’s target audience.

You probably know already that constantly repeating, “Buy my book! Buy my book!” is only useful for alienating potential book buyers. It’s important to know how to use the best communications tactics for book marketing — and the messages to share when you’re using them.

Step 5. Be certain which marketing tactics will work best for your book, not anyone else’s.

The tools and tactics you’ll use to reach the YA market won’t be the same as those you’ll use to reach retirees, right? If you’re trying to reach young adult readers, you’ll want to be posting the right kinds of video clips on YouTube. If you want to reach retirees, you’ll want to make sure your book marketing plan includes snagging newspaper publicity.

Need a little help?

If you’re ready to discover how to market your specific book, register for one of my three “Book Publicity 101 Premium E-courses” starting next week and running for four weeks. The courses are taught in a group forum format, but I provide a great deal of individual and personalized instruction. You’ll get lots of great how-to content (including demographics of social media networks so you know where to find your audience online), feedback on your homework, guidance and advice, and answers to your questions whenever you have them.

Ready for some personalized guidance? Take a look at the curriculum for each course:

• Traditionally published nonfiction authors: http://bit.ly/qOJErA
• Self-published nonfiction authors: http://bit.ly/10CVqWv
• Both types of fiction authors: http://bit.ly/14iGEJF

Your book deserves to reach the people you wrote it for. Let’s work on that together.

What’s keeping your from doing more to market your book? What’s holding you back? Please tell me by commenting here. 

Rao told interviewer Pat Flynn that  he had sold a few hundred copies of his book early on but one day, when checking his Amazon page, he noticed something new.

“I saw it was #1 in Entrepreneurship,” he said. “I was like, ‘Oh, cool!’ so I tweeted about it. Some guy replied back saying, ‘Hey, you might want to thank Glenn Beck! He raved about your book on his show.’ ”

Rao sold 1,000 copies the day Beck mentioned the book and later, after appearing on Beck’s national show, he sold 10,000 copies in one week.

Imagine that!

Publicity power

This shows you the power of publicity. Get a positive mention by a powerful media personality with a huge fan base, and your book sales will take off.

But how do you get that kind of priceless media exposure? I can teach you how.

It starts with a good book, of course. (Read more about why quality counts here.)

Then you have to know how to catch the attention of the journalist or media outlet.

You can do it!

This is one of the skills I teach in the three “Book Publicity 101: How to Build Book Buzz Premium E-courses” (traditionally published nonfiction, self-published nonfiction, and fiction) I’m offering again February 3-28, 2014.

If you need to learn how to get the media buzzing about your book (and if you need to learn how to use social media effectively, rock it on Amazon, plan a virtual book tour, get speaking gigs, and do lots of other things to publicize, promote, and market your book), register for this course now, before the price goes up in 2014.

Get everything you need to know at these links:

• Nonfiction authors who are traditionally published: https://buildbookbuzz.com/how-to-build-book-buzz-workshop/
• Nonfiction authors who are self-published: https://buildbookbuzz.com/self-published-how-to-build-book-buzz-workshop/
• Both types of fiction authors: https://buildbookbuzz.com/bookpublicity101fiction/

Then start thinking about what you’ll wear for your first big TV appearance.

Did you get media attention for your book? Tell us about it in a comment!

Authors wrote and publishers did the rest.

My, how things have changed.

Today, authors need to be good at everything involved in getting books to readers:

1. Book writing
2. Book publishing
3. Book promotion

It can be overwhelming if you don’t get help.

1. Book writing

The reality today is that because there are so many ways to self-publish now, authors aren’t necessarily “writers” anymore. Even so, while you might have a good story to tell, you have to learn how to tell it in an engaging way and without spelling, grammar, and structure errors. Nobody has the time to read anything that isn’t well-written.

If you’re not a professional writer, invest in your book by taking a writing course online or in-person at a community college. As a writer, you always need feedback that helps you see your strengths and weaknesses  and improve how you communicate.

2. Book publishing

Many authors are also self-publishing now in one form or another. You’re either paying a company to “manufacture” your book or you’re  partnering with a publisher that isn’t paying you an advance, but isn’t charging you publishing fees, either. With so many publishing options available, you want to investigate all models before selecting one.

Research the publishing companies you’re considering before signing a contract. Pay an attorney to review and explain the contract to you. The inter-web is littered with sad stories from authors who didn’t understand what they were getting when they signed their contracts.

3. Book promotion

Understand that regardless of the publishing model you use, you have to be your own book promoter. This applies to authors with advances from traditional book publishers, too. All publishers expect and need their authors to publicize and promote their books.

This is where I can help. I’m teaching three “Book Publicity 101” courses online during four weeks in October. The three options are specialized for:

• Nonfiction authors who are traditionally published
• Nonfiction authors who are self-published
• Fiction authors with traditional publishers or who have self-published

There’s a lot to learn about book promotion, from getting news media publicity to hosting a book contest, figuring out how to really sell on Amazon, using social media effectively, planning and leveraging virtual book tours (author blog tours), and speaking to sell books. These three courses cover all of this and much more. The self-published nonfiction course gives special attention to book launches while the fiction course has specialized content addressing the unique challenges novelists face.

Learn how to buzz your book

Each “Book Publicity 101: How to Build Book Buzz” Premium E-course runs October 7 to November 1, 2013. During those four weeks of intense online instruction, you’ll benefit not only from the depth and breadth of the course content, but from personalized feedback on your weekly homework assignments and access to me for all of your questions. It’s like having a private book marketing coach — but it’s much more affordable, especially since I’m holding the course registration fee for this session to $199 (it will increase in 2014). Those who have taken the course say it’s a steal — read comments from many of them on the course description pages:

• Traditionally published nonfiction
• Self-published nonfiction
• Fiction published both ways 

It’s time to make an investment in your book.  Learn how to write, publish, and promote. And let me help you with that last part. You won’t be disappointed.

How have you invested in your book this year?

Sit back, relax, savor a cup of your favorite coffee, play with the kids, go for a walk, visit your mother — or celebrate now that you’ve completed the manuscript. Then take a deep breath and start thinking about what you need to do next with that Word file.

If you’re self-publishing the book, you’ve got a long to-do list. If you’re working with a traditional publisher, you can shift immediately to creating your book publicity and promotion plan and begin executing some of the elements.

Yes, you have to promote it

For many authors, this is harder than writing the book. They know how to write. They know how to tell their story. They know how to teach, entertain, or inform. But promote the book? “Do I really have to do that?” so many ask. Yes, you do — even when you’ve got a conventional publisher.

If you want people to benefit from all that your book has to offer, you need to make sure that they know your book exists.

I can help.

Training makes a difference

The next four-week, online, “Book Publicity 101: How to Build Book Buzz” e-course starts next week. This course shows you how to start the planning process, details the many tactics and tools available for book promotion, helps you figure out which ones are the most effective for your book, and teaches you how to use and execute them. You might start the course feeling lost and helpless, but you end it empowered and excited.

That’s how Richard Cheu, author of Living Well with Chronic Illness: a practical and spiritual guide, felt after taking the course in June. Here’s his unsolicited testimonial:

“Achieving significant sales of a new book, especially a self-published book, requires a dedicated and sustained effort by a team of experts working with the author. The team should include expertise in publishing, marketing, publicity, distribution, sales and web design. Book Publicity 101: How to Build Book Buzz by Sandra Beckwith is an online course that teaches authors the fundamentals of how to promote a book with maximum effect and at the least cost and effort. The value of the course is many times its reasonable cost. “

I know you want to feel like you understand the promotion process and that you’re in charge of your own plan. Let me show you how to do that in a group environment that includes one-on-one coaching. The course Richard took in June is offered again in October — it starts Monday, October 1, 2012. I’d love to help you feel as confident about what to do next as Richard does! There’s a course for authors who are self-published and one for for those who are traditionally published:

• Self-published authors: https://buildbookbuzz.com/self-published-how-to-build-book-buzz-workshop/
• Authors with traditional publishers: https://buildbookbuzz.com/how-to-build-book-buzz-workshop/

The courses are taught together so you get exposure to as many other authors and their projects as possible, but the self-published course has extra instructional material related to their book’s launch.

Our course forum is a friendly, safe environment where you get one-on-one coaching that helps others learn, too. We’ve got a great group of authors lined-up for this session but there’s room for a few more. Won’t you join us?

5 book marketing lessons from an author who is getting royalty checks

By Laura Laing

So let’s get one thing straight from the beginning. I wrote a book about math. Yes, math. And I’m proud to say that sales are churning along, and I’ve gotten some great media attention. In fact, I’ve discovered a quirky little niche, writing articles about math, giving interviews about math education. Who knew?

If a book about math can sell, you’ll have no trouble making the most of sexier topics, say caring for your elderly parents or a science fiction novel featuring the microscopic inhabitants of Pluto who are pissed off at its downgrade to dwarf planet.

In the year since Math for Grownups first hit the bookshelves, my professional life has completely changed. And it’s fair to say I’ve learned a few a few things along the way.

1. Go in for the long haul. 

Old-timers tell me that before Amazon and the internet, a book’s success was determined within two months of its birthday. That’s because brick-and-mortar bookstores handled all sales and publishers took care of all promotion.

Those days are over.

I’ll be promoting Math for Grownups until it goes out of print—and then I might very well take back my rights, have it republished and go for another round. These days, sales don’t end and neither does book promotion.

Because of that, you’ve got to pace yourself. Come up with a doable plan that won’t put you six feet under within three months. Be very realistic about the number of hours in a day you have to devote to this project, and then give it all you’ve got.

2. Make the most of your publisher’s publicist. 

Even though your book could conceivably be on the shelves for the next 100 years, your publisher isn’t going to offer you undivided attention, even if your name is Malcolm Gladwell.

First off, be nice to your publicist. This person is handling several titles at the same time, so don’t expect it to be all about you. But second, milk that relationship for all it’s worth.

I sent my publicist weekly reports detailing the promotion I did and media mentions I received. These reports included guest posts for other blogs, interviews and reviews. In return, she sent out copies (for reviews and blog contest prizes), handled most of the press inquiries and pitched me to the major media outlets.

My goal was to be the easiest author she worked with, so that I was front-of-mind when she wondered whom she should pitch next.

3. Invest in promotion.

These days, you need a blog, headshot and more. Don’t skimp. When I developed my blog, www.mathforgrownups.com, I ponied up for a dedicated URL and a great designer. When I held my book launch at a local bookstore, I sprang for cookies and iced tea from a fantastic local café.

You want to look like a professional? Act like one.

You can also make your promotion work double duty. My web designer recommends me when his clients need writing. The café owner did a Math at Work Monday interview with me for my blog and promoted my book launch in her café.

4. Stay on message.

Mine was simple: Math doesn’t have to be your BFF, but you do have to get along in public. Once you have that message, find the different angles and make sure that everything you do circles back.

The worst day of my book promotion was last fall, when USA Weekend unexpectedly ran a piece about everyday math—based completely on my book. Should have been the best day, right? Problem was the poor writer got the math wrong. Readers noticed. And they blamed me.

I posted a comment to the web version of the story, explaining that the math is right in my book. Then I started promoting the heck of out of the story. Already, Huffington Post had blogged about it, and it was mentioned in Daily Kos and the Columbia Journal Review’s blog.

When I wrote my own blog post, I chose my message carefully: We all—even fancy reporters at USA Weekend—make math mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes are scary and public. But the world doesn’t end.

In the end, the error played beautifully into my own message: Math is hard, and it’s worth it to get it right. The story became a great example of why my book is important.

5. Don’t be afraid to fail.

You will make mistakes in your book promotion. You will miss opportunities.  You will get tired and take a break. And all of that is a-okay. Take some risks and cut yourself some slack if things not working out.

It’s just a book, not world peace (unless your book is a solution to world peace). Plenty of other people out there have much harder jobs than ours. And if you don’t take the risk, you’ll never know what could have happened.

What lessons did you learn while promoting your book? Please share them by commenting!

If you’re ready to learn how to promote your book, actually use what you learn, and get all of your “how do I do it?” questions answered, join us for the next Book Publicity 101: How to Build Book Buzz e-course June 4-29, 2012.