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How Going Back to Basics Can Help Open All Sales Channels

Most writers can relate to a statement made by the brilliant statesman and author, Winston Churchill, concerning the life cycle of writing a book. He once said, “Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him out to the public.”

Okay, Churchill can be a little dramatic, although I can absolutely identify with some parts of his description! But in my day-to-day world of speaking with authors, the real issue that concerns me is their despair once they’ve published their book and the public’s response is less than enthusiastic.

After putting all that work into writing their book, what most authors don’t fully understand is that they’ve still only done half the job. Once published, the book now needs to be marketed! And with nearly 400,000 new books published each year, the job of marketing can be even more daunting than the actual writing of the book itself.

So if you are ready to market your book, or you have already tried with little to no results, now is the time to examine the basic tools every author needs to reach the widest possible audience. Ask yourself the following questions:

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How effective is my Web Site?

Here’s the news: 48 percent of ALL books sold in North America are sold online (44 percent on Amazon, 4 percent on Barnes and Noble’s online portal). If you do not have a Web site, you really need to develop one immediately. Consumers now research just about everything they buy online, so you need a site that’s attractive, informative and has great copy that will result in visitors making a purchase! If your site looks and reads like a DIY (do it yourself) site, it’s just not going to do the job effectively. There are lots of professional freelancers who can build you a strong Web site at an affordable price. But, if you have any hesitancy at all about spending the money, let me ask you this: How important is the success of your book?

What’s the Google position of my Web Site?

When you’re shopping for a new TV, bike or just about anything, if you’re like most people you do an Internet search to check out product options and pricing. So, think like a person who might be interested in your book. Google your topic and yourself, and see what comes up. When you Google yourself, the first thing you’ll likely see is a list of hits from any social networks you belong to, like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace (and if you’re not on those systems, you should be). After that, if you’re lucky, your Web site might pop up in the top 20. Now, if you want to improve those results, there are two things you can do. First, register your Web site with Google, Bing and Yahoo so that their search engines know you exist. It’s free, and if you do it once every month, you’ll ensure your site is indexed monthly. If they don’t index your site, you have less of a chance of being found by consumers. The links for these tools are:

• http://www.google.com/addurl/?continue=/addurl
   
• http://search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html
   
• http://www.bing.com/webmaster/SubmitSitePage.aspx
  
   

Further, you want to make sure that your site contains a lot of the more common keywords associated with your topic. Ask yourself, “If I were searching for the topic of my book, what would I type into a Google search?” These are the keywords that people use when they search for you or your topic. Also, you can check what people are ACTUALLY typing when searching for your book by using Google’s free tool. It allows you to type in names and topics, and it generates a list of associated keywords that score well in searches. Once you know what they are, use those words and phrases on your site. The link for that is:

• http://www.google.com/sktool/#
   

Am I Doing Any PR?

If you want people to notice you, your Web site and your book, and be able to add links back to journalists writing or talking about you or your book, then you MUST do some PR. The Web site and Google’s search tools are passive elements of your book promotion. It’s like getting ready for your party before your guests arrive. If you want people to show up, you have to send out invitations. And, that’s what PR does for you. By appearing as a guest on talk radio and TV or having journalists writing about you in their newspapers and magazines, you’re essentially using the media to invite consumers to your party to learn about you and your book. Investing in a great Web site without committing to a PR campaign is like throwing a party, but without having any guests (except family, maybe). Moreover, PR helps to support all your other marketing efforts, including book signings and other promotions. It gets the word out and makes good on your investment in all the things you’re doing to get your book sold.

Will putting all these pieces in place make your book a bestseller? That depends on your book. However, from experience I know one thing, if you don’t do them, you’ll never get the chance to find out, and your book will never reach its full potential.

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More From Marsha Friedman

• You Need Publicity For Your Book…
• Have You Given Up On Book Promotion?
• How to Market Your Book on Radio & TV

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