If you read the first part of this series, you will know what a commitment to writing and self-publishing can mean.
Maybe you want a book contract with an established publisher, Good Luck if that’s what you want! However self-publishing can also work.
For the moment, forget about books and getting articles published. Think about your PRODUCTS and how to promote them. In all honesty, people with products to sell, often fail to promote their work at all. Are you one of these people?
Most people know why promotion matters. In simple terms, if potential customers do not know what you are selling, they cannot buy. No promotion, no sale.
Promoting your work means you must arouse interest in what you do. Yes, you might be selling your books but you might be selling: alarm clocks, new software, collections of recipes, gardening tools, seashells from a defined area and many more.
You have to think about where, and how, you promote your products AND ONLY PROMOTE AND SELL WHAT PEOPLE ARE READY TO BUY.
At this stage don’t think too much about buying advertising.
Try thinking about who your potential clients are and what are they looking for NOW.
Using Social Media
There are lots of ways in which you can use social media. Focus on building awareness of you and what you do.
When you are posting updates, remember the advice below.
Don’t say: “Buy my alarm clocks.”
Don’t say: “Buy my books.”
Instead, ask questions.
“Did you know …”
“Have you seen …”
The item below can be used now, if you are supplying your product online. Say something like:
“People who have recently moved to the south east of England will have lots of things they need to buy,” Download a list. It’s free.”
Also, think about your audience and what they need.
“These little shoes are available in lots of colours. Children wear them, from when they start to walk until they grow out of them. By the way the most popular colour is red”.
These approaches ask you to use your brains rather than just your money.
And What About Discussions?
This is not a section about networking. It’s about building the understanding of individuals without selling to them.
Which people know about you and about your work? They could refer you on, but only when they know about you and your products, That statement could refer to colleagues. It could refer to people you have met at various types of meeting.
For example:
“I really enjoy the local history group that meets at the parish hall once a week.”
Have you related some of the things you say to people at the history group’s meetings to your products?
“When I was researching for use at a group meeting, I discovered (you supply the context.) I learned a lot about…”
If you explain things well, you will attract interest at the history group meetings. The best answer you could hope to hear would be:
“That’s interesting. I really like what you’re saying. When can I hear more?”
So What Does This Mean?
The first thing to remember is that if you are selling your book or books, use the sort of methods that people use for all sorts of products.
The second point is that marketing a book is necessary, if you want it to sell.
Finally, remember to keep promoting your products, if you want “perennial” sellers.
In the next but one article in this series I will write about selling a book or any product, long term, and about selling other products over time. Take a look at the next post, too.
Meanwhile, take a look at my current list of books that you can find on Amazon. The book below has a “hot link” to one of my books.
