subject: Get your book noticed - use non-traditional marketing [print this page] Before you start a book promotion, book marketing tour or delve into pitching your book, you need a business plan.
First steps
I would recommend outlining your financial steps, strategies and expectations prior to publishing your book. Keep in mind even the best laid out plans will omit unforeseen expenses so set money aside.
For example, my friend wrote, Francesca of Lost Nation, and decided to publish it under her own business, luckycinda. A business license, at least in California, is pricey. We also had to pay for a web hosting site and a domain name there are free services but I still think it is best to have your own. After the printing and shipping costs of the book, there are still other fees to consider:
Book signings If invited out of town, you need to determine how many miles you want to travel that would make it feasible if you only sell three or four books. If you need to stay overnight, you will also have to factor in lodging and dining costs.
Book festivals You are required to have a seller license which will cost you money and you will also be charged for the right to have a table or booth at the event. While book festivas tend to draw book readers, there is no guarantee that they will purchase your book.
These are just two examples of expenses that can be incurred when promoting your book. Since your budget restraints differ than mine and the type of book you are circulating may be for a different audience, it's important you jot down the type of expenses you might expect for your marketing plan and incorporate that into your own business plan.
Non-traditional marketing methods
Traditional advertising if you have lots of money is still a good method of promoting your book but the competition is fierce. If you don't have a name people recognize you will be buried in the "book" pile. So you have to starting thinking of unique angles you can draw from your story to promote your book.
For example, Francesca of Lost Nation's main character is a 59-year-old woman who is known as a county fair car race driver. In the story, she meets up with a man who owns a Duesenberg and she convinces him to let her drive in a race.
The story, however, isn't about that. It is an adventure fiction that takes place in the late 1940s in Iowa where Francesca and her doting granddaughter team with barn-storming pilots to capture a wanted felon.
However, I could use the storyline subplots as angles to pitch the book. Here's some "unconventional book marketing" ideas using the Duesenberg angle:
a. I could contact Duesenberg enthusiast by looking up clubs, blogs or organizations online and offering the book directly.
b. Maybe a car club would be interested in buying the books and offering them as gifts to new subscribers or club members.
c. I could video a 59-year-old woman behind the wheel of a Dussenberg and make a mini-commercial to post on YouTube.
By the way, to implement these ideas is free.
Set a promotion timeline:
Marketing your book takes time and money. I would advise establishing one to two goals a month. Here's some examples:
Two out-of-town book signings Estimate lodging, fuel and dining costs
Annual Book Festivals pick one or two a year
Look for unlikely sources of promotion groups you can speak to that have nothing to do with publishing or reading. Do you have a history book and maybe people at a Historic Society or Rotary Club might like to hear about it.
Find enticers can you offer free guides, small gifts or event tickets to drive sales?
Find the right audience:
If you wrote a book about trains go to that audience. For example: Train shops, museums and parks. Contact train clubs, groups and organizations.You can also look up train magazines and newsletters.
The challenge of book marketing, book promotion and book sellingis immense but the possibilities are endless if you're willing to invest into the process.
Get your book noticed - use non-traditional marketing
