Marketing Your Book

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There are two components to marketing your work: distribution and promotion. You have to get the word out and make sure that your product is available.

The first step is distribution. Summerland works primarily with Amazon and Ingram to make your book available to the public.  Sometimes distribution can be thought of as the macro level marketing. Now your book is available to book stores and individuals to purchase. But they need to know it’s there.

Promotion becomes more micro level marketing – although some is still done at a macro level. What does this mean? The author needs to be a big part of this step. The goal: reach the end-user, the customer.

Summerland Publishing, along with contract marketing experts,  can help you with various facets of the promotion process. We can create flyers, build social media tools, and help you schedule events.

Below are a few general tips:

  • Email / mailing list: Create an email signature and start building your subscriber list while working on the following items in the list.
  • Use mailchimp.com, or a similar platform to create effective email newsletters
  • Promotional items/branding: business cards, book marks, postcards
  • Join clubs and groups where you’ll find your audience/take a leadership position
    • Locally–e.g., chamber of commerce, business/professional groups, civic groups, university or college campuses
    • Internet–discussion groups, social networking, groups within social networking sites, Google key words, Yahoo groups, LinkedIn
    • Review/create your site – Begin a blog
  • Check out online author sites such as:
    • Amazon Author blog
    • Goodreads.com
    • Librarything
    • WeRead
    • Published.com
  • Write articles for:
    • Ezine directories
    • Newspapers, magazines, ezines
      • Your newsletter and/or blog
      • Your own collection of articles and record or make an ebook
      • Special report to give away on your website to get subscribers
  • Video/Podcasts and/or webinars
  • Create info-products–combo written and audio components
  • Develop Press/Media flyers — virtual and real
    • Radio, TV (broadcast) appearances as well as bookstore events starting in your local market
  • Fundraising activities: offer your book at a discount to raise funds for various organizations or groups