Let me recommend Book Club Reading List, a (first class) blog that publishes a newsletter introducing book clubs to authors. They’ve published an excellent article on developing a marketing plan for your book – something that’s all too often overlooked by new and (believe it or not) experienced writers.
As the article’s Author states:
While having a book marketing plan may sound obvious, most survey respondents did not have a marketing plan in place or perform any pre-release marketing whatsoever prior to their book’s launch. In addition, most respondents believed that their lack of planning significantly hindered their book’s success. According to Francene Carroll, author of Shadows of Yesterday, “I didn’t do any marketing for my first book, Shadows of Yesterday … and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this is my worst performing book. I was very naive and didn’t realize how much work is involved in promoting your own books.”
Here’s an excerpt from the article:
A good marketing plan should do four things. First, it should help you identify your target audience. Second, it will help you build a platform to cultivate a relationship with your audience. Third, it will provide a schedule of events and milestones leading up to your book’s launch and beyond. Lastly, it will monitor and measure the success of each activity. Your marketing plan should focus on developing both short tail and long tail sales. Short tail sales events give your book an initial burst of sales right out of the gate, then fade as quickly as they started. These type of sales are crucial when launching your book to gain momentum on Amazon. Long tail sales will provide a steady base of sales that come from a deep online presence and the word of mouth that follows.
For the full article go to: http://bookclubreading.com/articles/how-to-sell-your-book/book-marketing-plan/
Book Club Reading List publishes a quarterly newsletter that introduces book clubs to authors who have agreed to make themselves available to participate in book club meetings. Book clubs can contact authors using details provided on our website and arrange for them to attend meetings by Skype, telephone, or in-person (when possible).
P.S. Season’s greetings and best for 2013. –Lance & James
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Morcan Books & Films 