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Must Have Advice for Authors

Getting your book published is only half the battle. Promoting and selling it is the other half. Even if a major publishing house does the work, the author is still expected to promote, promote, promote. I’ve heard horror stories from authors who’ve discovered their precious "baby" was stockpiled in a distributor’s warehouse or the in-house publicist did little or nothing about getting booksignings. So whether you’re a self- or traditional published author you must campaign for your own product. Here are some ways that have helped me:

• Rubber Stamp. As soon as my book was published I purchased a rubber stamp promoting my book. Actually, I have two. One says, "New book takes error out of raising tots; Parenting Power in The Early Years by Brenda Nixon, order toll free 877-421-7323." I brand every envelope that leaves my home or office with this stamp! Who knows who might read my book information while it’s passing through the postal system?
  
• E-mail Signature Line. At the end of your e-mail you can promote your book. It’s simple to go into your e-mail options and add a standard line – the signature – that will be attached to all outgoing messages. At the bottom of mine are these words: "Brenda Nixon, speaker, author of Parenting Power in the Early Years available on Amazon. Don’t let any daily opportunity to promote your book pass."
  
• Join Associations. Writer’s associations are mutually beneficial: you can learn to hone your craft plus network and promote your book. One that particularly applies to me is the National Association of Women Writers at www.naww.org. Rated one of Writer’s Digest Top Ten "Best Sites" the NAWW annual dues are only $55/year and you can join using PayPal payment services. I’m a member of other professional associations and while it’s not my primary goal to promote my book it happens and I’ve sold some through this avenue.
  
• Marketing Sites. Scour the web for sites that give book promotion tips. One of my favorites is www.bookmarket.com - website of the author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books. Here I can read success stories from other authors promoting their books and get new ideas for mine.
  
• Independent Reading. Authors are on a learning curve about publicity. I recommend writers get and read Sally Stuart’s Guide to Getting Published (1999, Shaw). There’s some info on marketing in her book but, in my opinion, the bible of marketing is Carmen Leal’s You Can Market Your Book, subtitled, all the tools you need to sell your published book (2003, Write Now Publications).
  
• Website Promotion. Publicize your book through your own website. Not only do I have a picture and order information on my book but my website gives testimonials and a brief description. If you don’t have a website you can design one and register it at a reasonable price with www.GoDaddy.com. Because of deregulation you can register your domain name with any company now even if you previously registered with a particular provider. So shop around for the best service and price bargain.
  
• Book and Gift Stores Chains. If you’re self-published you must have an ISBN or bar code. Since most stores are computerized, an ISBN helps them order books and track sales. A self-published book without a bar code is suicide. For books published through a traditional house where the ISBN is provided there should be no trouble getting your book into the system. Getting the store manager or acquisitions person to order it is another challenge. My book, Parenting Power in The Early Years is on bn.com, the Barnes & Noble website. It can be in any Barnes & Noble around the country. But walk into a location now and you probably won’t find my book. I or another customer must personally request that Parenting Power in The Early Years be stocked because Barnes & Noble doesn’t routinely order it. This is to warn you that the ISBN does not guarantee stores will carry your book. You must do individual requests.
  
• Independent Stores. There are thousands of these around the country and it’s pretty easy to get them to buy your book. For example, last summer while on vacation I walked into a pharmacy in a small Utah town. After visiting with the cashier, whose husband owned the store, about my book, she promptly purchased five copies. Although my book is available through major distributors such as Baker & Taylor and Spring Arbor I ALWAYS carry books in my car. In this instance, I was able to immediately fulfill her request.
  

  Think of stores where your book will be a good fit. My book is for parents-to-be and those with toddlers so I try to get hospital gift shops to carry it. Recently, I was a counselor for my daughter’s youth camp. The camp offers a tiny gift shop, which serves all age camp programs. After describing my book’s topic to the gift shop manager she ordered some to sell during Family Camp. Schools, churches, and daycares have lending libraries that may need to know about and want your book too.

• Pray. Ask the Creator for creative ways to promote your printed words.
  
• Remainder Dealers. There are companies that purchase out-of-print books and overruns. They’ll also buy high quality self-published books from the author. One dealer is Ideal Books, Hollywood, FL. Website: www.idealbks.com. You can contact Bonnie Kaufman to query her interest. But she only pays $.65 for each book. So before you go this route make sure you’ve expired all your promotional options.
  

I hope some of these tips are new to you. Perhaps some you know but forgot. A virtue I practice in book promotion is persistence. Success is not a respecter of intelligence but of diligence.

Copyright © 2003 by Brenda Nixon

Brenda Nixon ~~ www.brendanixon.com
Parenting Speaker, Writer, Educator, Author of
Parenting Power in the Early Years and Writers Who
Speak, columnist, and radio personality

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