Marketing is King

March 3, 2021- As we continue to wade through the theme of this month of answering your most asked questions, we have one that comes up time and again over the years, consistently. Here it is:

Q: “I wrote a book last year and have had no traction with it meaning sales have been non-existent. How important is marketing /advertising when it comes to writing a book?

A: A great question! First off, congratulations on finishing your book, a lot of people don’t even come close to that step, so hats off to you. I always say that it’s one thing to write a book, but it’s quite another to sell it! Marketing is ESSENTIAL to selling your book and the success of it. There’s a quote that says, “Writing a book without marketing is like winking at your crush in the dark. You know what you’re doing, but no one else does.” Marketing is something that allows your customers and potential customers to find you, your books, and your upcoming projects.

The key is to start marketing your book before it is even published because we know it takes an average of 7 times for someone to see an ad or promotional piece or online post before they even notice; it takes even more times for them to do something about what they’ve seen. We recommend marketing your book 2-3 months before it launches.

Marketing books can include everything from press releases, reader reviews, handouts, direct mail, social media posts /ads, and more. This is the tip of the iceberg with what we do for marketing our titles and the titles of our clients, we also sprinkle in some consumer neuroscience and neuromarketing best practices to round things out. Please remember that marketing only works if you do. Like everything else in life, you don’t get what you wish for, you get what you work for.

Advertising is something that I don’t love to sink money into. I think that people are already bombarded by ads all over the place and that they can simply tune them out at this point. To prove it, ask yourself what was the company last advertised on your Facebook feed and what were they selling? If you can answer this question, you’re better than most at paying attention. With all of the incessant noise online, it’s hard to find a voice for your book through typical ways of advertising. I prefer word of mouth and I’ll give you another quote, “Advertising is what you pay for, word of mouth is what you pray for.”

Word of mouth is the best form of advertising that you can get! People trust other people to recommend things that they should buy, movies they should see, restaurants that they should eat at, and the list goes on. That’s why providing an excellent product and providing your customers with a great experience should be at the top of your list.

I could write a book on Marketing your books, and perhaps I will, but there’s not enough room in this post to cover everything that needs to be done to sell your book and how to effectively market it.

So, to put it plainly, Marketing is an essential practice for success in your writing and selling your book. If you need help with marketing your book or even figuring out where to start, we can help! Send us an email to pandapublishing8@gmail.com for a price quote and more information or check us out here: Course: Get Your Book Noticed and Increase Your Sales – Pandamonium Publishing House

Did You Blow It?

April 12, 2019– Uh oh, did you totally screw up? Did you drop the ball? Did you blow your one and only shot at properly marketing your book? Well, the good news is, you can start over and begin again, this time more intelligently. Today we’re talking about the top three book marketing mistakes that authors make. Is this you? I hope not.

1. Starting too late. This is the number one thing that will KILL your sales and have you spending money like it’s no one’s business. Waiting until your book is published before marketing it is a terrible idea. It is NEVER too early to start marketing your book. NEVER TOO EARLY.
2. Scattered efforts. If your book is for everyone, it’s for no one. I say this all the time. Same goes for your book launch. If you’re scattering your marketing efforts then you’re also scattering your money and time. Please don’t market your book to everyone! This is a huge mistake and such a waste of energy.
3. Phase Fatigue. Hold the phone, there’s more marketing? Honestly, where did you think you were coming today? Yes, of course, there is more marketing to be done. Marketing is like a human baby, if you don’t feed and water it daily, it’s going to die. Ok, maybe I should have used a plant as a better example. The book launch is only the FIRST phase of your marketing plan! If you don’t continue to nurture each phase of your launch, your book will wither and die (annnnd there’s the plant analogy).

If you’ve done any of these things or haven’t done them properly, stop. STOP. RIGHT. NOW. Focus your efforts, come up with a plan, and start again. I’m always here to help if you want a free consult (30 minutes) all you need to do is email me (pandapublishing8@gmail.com) and I’ll guide you back onto the yellow brick road.

Here’s to your success! X LLB