Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – October 30, 2019
Have you ever had an epiphanot: an idea that seems like an amazing insight to the conceiver but is in fact pointless or mundane?
Have you ever had an epiphanot: an idea that seems like an amazing insight to the conceiver but is in fact pointless or mundane?
"That's how I've come to see rejection: As a push forward, not back. It is a motivator… At USC they like to tell a story about Steven Spielberg. He was denied admission three times. But he didn't give up. He just kept getting better. No matter how many rejections you receive, you only need one yes." Masada Siegel (Wall Street Journal)
Books are commodity items and are difficult to differentiate physically. Separate yours by content, service or author's credibility
People buy for rational and emotional reasons. Market to the head (price, size, form) and heart (benefits, value)
Publishers do it backwards. They accept a manuscript, produce the book and then seek a buyer for it. Start with a market need and then find the content to meet it.
Seven easy steps to improve your attitude
1. Stand up
2. Stretch
3. Take a walk
4. Keep walking
5. Board a plane
6. Fly to Hawaii
7. Never return
What English words rhyme with orange, purple and silver? There are no words in the entire English language that rhyme with them. For additional trivia, there are only two words that end in "-gry:' angry and hungry. There are only three that end in "-ceed:" exceed, proceed and succeed. And liquefy, putrefy, rarefy and stupefy are the only four words ending in "-efy." (The Little Book of Answers, by Doug Lennox)
A Cornell Univ study found that guests at one restaurant, "given the numeral-only menu, spent significantly more than those who received a menu with prices showing dollar signs." Perhaps this could apply to the way you show the price of your book.
An old proverb says, measure twice and cut once. In other words, make sure your measurements are correct, so you don't waste time, material and money. An updated proverb for authors could be, plan twice and act once so you don't waste time, material and money.
Book Selling University has courses to help you produce better books and sell more of them. Today's featured course BSU-130: How to Create Your Personal Brand, by Carol McManus . See it and more at https://bit.ly/2IAQn55 View each course up to 5 times.
When you first published your book, you may have had dreams of fame and/or wealth. But no matter how hard you tried, perhaps your dream did not come true. Nor did it die. Instead, the dream remains, taunting some and motivating others.
Commit to get FITT in your marketing by increasing the Frequency (daily action), Intensity (passion), Time (that you apply to marketing) and Type (the assortment of marketing tools) of your book-marketing actions
Did you ever want to meet someone halfway between your two locations? Meeting halfway has never been easier. Go to https://www.meetways.com and enter two addresses, the type of place you want to meet, and this site help you figure out exactly where to go.
"You don't become great by trying to be great. You become great by wanting to do something and then doing it so hard that you become great in the process." Randall Munroe
Stop selling your books. Start selling the benefits that people receive from buying your books. Retail-store managers want increased traffic and profits. Demonstrate how your promotional efforts will drive people into their store. Librarians are not profit driven, but they want to help their patrons. What do your customers need and how can you help them meet their needs?
Successful marketing starts with good content and high-quality production. Use professional designers and editors. Good marketing will kill a bad book quickly.
The word "deadline" originated in Civil War prisons, where lines were drawn that prisoners passed only at the risk of being shot. When you are given a deadline by the media, take it seriously. If you miss one and call the editor back, that is what you will get – a dead line.