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Thursday, July 10, 2014

A Marketing Test for Your Book? --- You KNOW You Need One, Right?

A lot of talk about book marketing has been going around lately --- Actually, talk about marketing books has been going around since the beginning of ‘book time’ --- It has just taken a 
more center stage in this new era
where more writers are acting as their own publishers.

We all come to realize sooner or later that writing the book is just phase one of the book project. Getting the damn book in front of readers, phase two, is also of paramount importance to its success and, by extension, the writers sense of achievement (not to mention financial reward).

‘If you’re writing for a major publishing house, you will probably pass the marketing test before your book gets accepted. Books are chosen based on marketing appeal as well as the author’s writing skill and timeliness of topic.’ --- Cathy Goodwin, Phd.

When do you start your book marketing strategy? When you first start laying out and diagramming your new book storyline; even before you write the first word!

You do this by designing a marketing checklist that you apply as you build your new storyline. An example is defining or fine tuning your story so it fits into a particular genre; this lends your book to easier marketing trends/strategies and placement in bookstores. This singular built-in marketing concept will also invite more professional reviews and reviewers.

Nonfictional books already have a built-in marketing checklist, of sorts, in the form of their ‘Book Proposals’, which must be submitted before approval by major houses. Book proposals address such things as: Market for your story and demographics of proposed readership, why your book is different from others of similar subject matter, table of contents of your proposed book, proposed summary of the chapters of your nonfiction work, etc.

Now, this by Cathy Goodwin, PhD, published author, copywriter, writing coach, top reviewer and speaker.


Does Your Book Pass the Marketing Test? A Reviewer’s 7 Point Checklist


  
Authors frequently think of “book marketing” when the book is printed and ready to hit the shelves. In fact, nonfiction book marketing begins before you write the first line. After your book has been written and published, you and your marketing team will have to look for marketing copy, reviewers and more.
If you’re writing for a major publishing house, you will probably pass the marketing test before your book gets accepted. Books are chosen based on marketing appeal as well as the author’s writing skill and timeliness of topic. When you write for yourself or for a smaller house, of if you don’t have a promotion budget, you are on your own.
Before you come to the final moment when you say, “This book is finished!” here are 7 points to check off.
1. Your book belongs to ONE genre and you know ONE place where it belongs on a bookstore shelf. Mixed genres (such as self-help plus memoir) rarely succeed in the marketplace.
If you’re not sure what genre is, or what genre best characterizes your book, you’ll need to visit a bookstore, talk to some people and get some professional advice. Without understanding “genre,” you can’t market you book or get reviewers.
2. Your book has a simple theme that you can state in a sentence or two. When someone asks, “What’s your book about?” you can’t go on for ten minutes. You need a concept statement that lets the reader know exactly what the book is about. You’ll need this statement when you look for book reviews.
For instance, my relocation book’s theme was “the psychological aspects of moving.” Sometimes I would add, “Lots of books tell you how to pack a box; this one tells you how to pack your life.”
3. Your book fits together with a simple unifying premise that can be explained easily. For instance, my relocation book was premised on, “Relocation changes your identity in three ways.”

4. Your chapter titles expand the theme and also read like copywriting headlines. Readers will pick up your book and skim the table of contents. You’re selling them on the importance of digging in.

5. Each chapter has hooks that grab the reader’s attention. When you hook the reader in the first paragraph, you’ve probably got a reader who will finish the chapter and continue to the next one, until the book is done.

6. You know what the book adds to the existing possibilities. If asked, “How is your book different?” you have a clear, accurate response.

7. Your book is written concisely. Recently I was asked to review a memoir with a fascinating premise. But when I saw the book was 500 pages of tiny type, I gave up. A few books can get away with monumental size, usually if the author is famous to the point of notoriety. Most will end up as doorstops.

When your book passes this checklist, you’re likely to get awesome reviews, and you won’t have to struggle to get them.

The Writers Welcome Blog is available on your Kindle here :)))







Article resource: http://wordpreneur.com/16532/does-your-book-pass-the-marketing-test-a-reviewers-7-point-checklist/

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