I can tell you very honestly that the best book marketing campaigns are created and executed when the author, and the marketing team, are all on the same page about goals and expectations.

Of course, your book has to be amazing, and the readers have to resonate with it – but finding those readers and making those connections is critical, and a good book marketing plan is the first step in getting to the next level with your brand.

So I wanted to compile a list of 5 questions you should be asking any book publicity team you’re considering working with.

1. What are realistic goals for my campaign based on my current platform?

Goals will always be unique to you, but I think it’s safe to say we’re all looking to sell more books – selling more books means more readers, and it means your platform is growing.

But a lot of people forget that marketing isn’t sales. Marketing is awareness. So marketing can bring a lot of potential buyers to the table, but the book makes the final sale. And that’s where your platform comes into play as well.

The reality is if you’re starting from scratch with your first book release, you’re starting from scratch! We’ve all been there! But that also means your goals for your first marketing campaign should be different than an author with a backlist, a strong Instagram account, and a new release on the horizon.

Having appropriate goals for where you are in your authorship career is the best book marketing strategy you can employ – because it keeps you focused on the next right thing. And each right thing will add up to bigger things if you keep at it!

2. What should I expect to be responsible for when we’re working together?

Many authors feel like they’re hiring a book shepherd or a publishing admin assistant, but the reality is these are very different specialties from book marketing and book publicity.

I encourage you to get a good understanding of where your marketing team’s work starts and stops because they probably work with a variety of authors with varying levels of publishing knowledge – and I can tell you from experience even the best book marketing teams can’t prepare for each author’s unique needs entirely.

So be open and ready to take recommendations if your marketing team suggests you hire a virtual assistant to help support you, or offers consulting time above and beyond the original scope of your project so they can continually tailor the collaboration to your needs.

3. What kind of education should I expect to get, or how can I get it?

Many authors are new to publishing and marketing, but similar to the above, most book marketing firms have pretty clear lines about how much education they provide along the way, and you should be prepared to go in.

Because I can tell you our most memorable (and successful) clients are those who are eager and willing to learn, but at the end of the day – you hired us to promote your book, and we’re focused on ensuring we’re doing our very best work in those areas.

So, if you’re looking for a publishing or marketing education along the way or find yourself in that position, it’s fair to assume your team may have to add to the scope of your campaign, which could be an additional investment.

But I assure you it will be worth it, investing in yourself is never a bad thing!

4. Is there anything I can do right away to make the most of our time together?

If your book is a way out from releasing perhaps, you’ll want some coaching on things you can do to prepare. Or maybe a cover update could help. Or a website clean-up. If you’re open to making the most of your investment, please ask and be open to what they might recommend.

And just because you start the conversation doesn’t mean their recommendations are deal-breakers. Still, a good, reputable book marketing company will aim to keep your expectations in check while encouraging you to put the best book out there.

I can honestly say we want our authors to succeed, and if we have ideas and recommendations, we speak up!

5. Do you help with the production phase, or when does that work start?

Knowing the timeline for the work will also help set expectations or give you the opportunity to ask about getting the help you need when you need it.

There are a lot of moving parts to producing, releasing, and promoting a book, so don’t make assumptions that your marketing team (or your publisher) will handle everything for you from the beginning until the end of time.

Think of it like building a home; a lot of different experts and teams come together at different phases to get the project completed correctly. You wouldn’t expect the people pouring your foundation to turn around and do all the electrical work the next day, right? Same with a book!

Knowledge is power, and while assumptions can make the present simpler, they can also really bungle the future!

At the end of the day, the best book marketing collaboration you can find will include an individual or team that’s honest about their recommendations, the work they’ll be doing, and what your expectations should be as well.

Resources and Free Downloads

Are You Ready for Big Media Coverage

Quarterly Amazon Planner

Do You Want More Book Sales? It’s Time To Get To Work!

5 Questions to Ask Yourself to Create a Stronger Author Brand

Check Out Our Podcast!

Check out Jane Friedman’s site, she’s an excellent resource

The post The 5 Best Book Marketing Questions to Ask a Publicity Company appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

I recently came across this awesome infographic from Global English Editing from buildbookbuzz.com, and I absolutely had to share it!  As authors, we may think we have a pretty good grasp of the world’s reading habits and trends. However, some of these statistics may surprise you!

Take a look and see how 2021’s reading habits can help inform your 2022 book marketing decisions.

You may be thinking, “Woah, this is a lot to take in!” Well, here are some of my major takeaways.

The Romance Genre Is Booming

Yes, it’s true! The Romance genre is the most popular in the United States. If you have a romance story in the works, I would push to get it finished and out there.

Young People DO Read!

Just because the younger generations love social media doesn’t mean they aren’t reading! Millennials also read more books than any other generation, and Genz increased their reading habits the most during the COVID-19 pandemic. There should be a siren going off in all authors’ minds- who are you marketing your book to? Are you successfully marketing your book to these reading-crazed generations?

People Love Audiobooks

In my 2022 predictions post (I’ll link it down below), I talked about how I see audiobooks gaining popularity because this was absolutely the case for 2021. Also, Audible is the most popular source for audiobooks. If your audiobook isn’t on Audible, it may be time to consider it!

There is so much information packed into this infographic! I know you will benefit from understanding these trends and applying them to your own marketing strategy. And, as always, I am here to help.

I hope you found this post useful. Let me know which statistic or reading habit surprised you the most in the comment section below.

Resources and Free Downloads

22 Awesome Book Marketing Promotions and Predictions for 2022

How to Sell More Books in 2022: New Year’s Planning Goals

Are You Ready for Big Media Coverage

How Can I Sell More Books

Check out our Podcast

Check out the IBPA for publishing industry news 

The post How to Sell More Books Using The Global Reading Habits of 2021 appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

I know it may be hard to hear, but book sales don’t happen by themselves. It takes some real work to get your book out there and seen by the right people. In the world of marketing, often, what your give is what you get.

Make a Plan and Stick to It

I’ve written tons of blogs about making an effective plan and how to stick to it, and I’ll link them down below in the resources section. I always say creating a plan in advance is the key to spending less time marketing, but with better returns! You’ll feel like your hard work is worth it when done right.

Use Resources Available to You

I don’t expect everyone to be an expert in marketing, but that’s where I come in! Use all the available resources to learn more about marketing and other aspects of what it takes to get more book sales. Collaborating on a project opens up a new world of possibilities for your book and can bring sales to the next level.

It’s the harsh truth; book marketing takes work! You can’t expect book sales to magically appear without putting in some real work. But fear not, I am here to help you.

If you want to go a step further, let’s set up a time to discuss your unique strategy. Check out the resources section below for more information!

Resources and Free Downloads

A New Book Marketing Plan for 2022: Book Marketing Podcast Recap

How to Sell More Books in 2022: New Year’s Planning Goals

Let’s Talk About You! Sign Up for Coaching Here

Blog Outreach Tracker

Check Out Our Podcast

Check out KM Weiland’s site, she’s an excellent resource

The post Do You Want More Book Sales? It’s Time To Get To Work! appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

We hear the term author branding a lot, and truthfully it always feels a bit nebulous. Creating an author brand feels hard. But it doesn’t have to be. Let’s start first with the elements that make up a great brand: YOU!

Your author brand is your promise to your readers. It’s how you show up in the world and your platform supports this message and promise.

Your author brand also encompasses your website, author newsletter, social media, and speaking, just to name a few. But creating that author brand and platform can be challenging, mostly because it’s hard to know where to start. But as I mentioned previously, the best place to start is with you.

Things we love make up our brand and also contribute to our brand, and a solid brand is a combination of what you write and who you are. It’s also good to share small personal details with your reader market – in other words help them get to know you.

Ask yourself things like:

• Why are you writing?
• What three things could you not live without?
• You had to give a TedTalk tomorrow, what would you talk about?

But figuring out what your brand looks and feels like may not be that easy, so let’s dig into this further:

Who are my readers and what do they want?

Understanding who you want to sell books to is key. But I mean really understanding what they want – not just “they read these books” but specifically other things they are interested in. Why does this matter? It matters because as you find a “theme” to your reader preferences, you can use these to potentially weave them into your brand and messaging. Get started with our reader profile. We have a free download and the link in the resources section of this post!

Who is my competition and what makes them great?

Success leaves clues. Understanding who your competition is and what they’re doing right can be really inspiring. Are you following other successful authors in your genre? If not, you should be.

What is my vibe?

This is the fun part, but it’s super important. Colors, fonts, tone, and your public persona all work together to create the look and feel of your brand. This includes your website, all social, your Amazon presence, your book covers, even the kind of swag and bonus materials you create – the better it all compliments each other, the stronger and more professional your author branding will be.

What can I do consistently?

Be honest with yourself here. Author branding literally encompasses everything you put out there, and what you neglect to do. So, consistency is key when it comes to reaching and connect with current fans and potential readers. Create a marketing plan that you can execute consistently, and stick to it, so your brand stays top of mind.

What are my short- and long-term goals?

As authors we are always evolving but having clear short- and long-term goals helps you better establish a brand that can support those goals. This will also help you create a clear plan that you can roll out incrementally, too.

Author Branding and Beyond

Thinking about your author brand doesn’t have to feel intimidating or overwhelming, sometimes it’s just as simple as paying attention to details. I often tell authors this: don’t be a grey box on Amazon. What I mean by this is adding an author photo can really help boost your conversion rate on the platform. Details matter and a smart author brand is all about details. The details of how you show up in the world, and the details are what matter and speak to your reader.

Let me know in the comments if you found this post helpful! I can’t wait to hear from you.

Resources and Free Downloads

Reader Profile Brainstorm

Sell More Books on Amazon

Check out our Podcast

Check out the Alliance of Independent Authors for news and resources

A New Book Marketing Plan for 2022: Book Marketing Podcast Recap

Update Your Author Platform with These 3 Easy Tips

The post 5 Questions to Ask Yourself to Create a Stronger Author Brand appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

I write non-fiction and have a longstanding blog with free content, so I feel like I am a prime example of someone who’s faced the challenge of convincing people to buy books when there’s tons of free information out there, not just from competitors, but from yourself as well!

We see many non-fiction authors leave this out when planning and executing their book releases and promotions. The fact that they’re not just competing with other books, but they’re also competing with Google and all the free information available out there on pretty much any topic.

So, let’s talk about ways to make your non-fiction book stand out in today’s super loud and distracting market.

Establishing Your Unique Approach

It’s critical to figure out your unique approach to your topic. What are your key selling points? It has to go beyond simply saying, “My way works better!” because that’s not convincing enough if you’re a potential buyer. Trust me; everyone says that.

Once you create your list of key selling points, you need to include those on your Amazon description in the form of a bulleted list. Bullets draw attention and should be extremely compelling. What if the bullets were all potential buyers got to read about your book? How convincing will you be?

Don’t Forget Your Buyer

Yes, you have to sell your book’s content, but people don’t buy a book just because of the content. They buy a book because of what they hope it will do for them.

So your unique selling points are important, but so is convincing people you’ll make their lives better in some way. That’s something a lot of free online content doesn’t get a chance to do!

Use your book description to convince potential buyers you wrote your book with their needs in mind.

Free Information

So you have your unique selling points and your emotional appeal. You should also hit people over the head with Google and free info reference! There’s no such thing as making it too easy for someone to make a buying decision.

Too often, we see authors miss key sales opportunities in their book description because the value of the book seems so incredibly obvious to THEM. But don’t assume it’s obvious to your potential buyer!

Work it into your description WHY your book will serve someone better than simply Googling info about your topic online. If you don’t have a strong argument at the ready, then you have some serious work to do.

Have a Clear Plan

Have a clear plan for what you give away for free on your platform and what you include in your book or books.

There’s a lot you can accomplish for your sales funnel by giving away quality info on your blog or in your podcast, but if you give away too much, it makes your book less competitive.

Don’t wing it; figure out your boundaries and justify why that division serves your long-term goals.

Let me know down in the comments if you found any of these tips helpful. I always love hearing from you!

Resources and Free Downloads

Blog Outreach Tracker

How Can I Sell More Books

Check out our Podcast

Check out Jane Friedman’s site, she’s an excellent resource

A New Book Marketing Plan for 2022: Book Marketing Podcast Recap

5 Key Book Marketing Strategies for Non-Fiction Authors

The post Selling Non-fiction In The Age of Free Information appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Whether they’re marketing their first book- or their fiftieth- many authors rely heavily on advertising to launch their book. While advertising can be helpful, it’s often not used strategically enough to move the needle.

A lot of times, when I talk to authors and ask what they’re doing to promote their books, they’ll tell me they’re running some form of social media advertisement – whether it’s Facebook or Instagram, or maybe they’re running print ads. Regardless of the ad type, most ads need to anchor to something – and by that, I mean something more than a book.

In this post, I’ll take you through the various types of ads that authors run and suggest some strategies that may help you get more success from your ad campaign. But first, let’s look at some issues with ads and how to fix the ads that aren’t selling books.

Your Ads Aren’t Selling Books

While there are maybe deeper issues here that we’ll look at later on in this piece, let me say that regardless of the ads you’re running, your Amazon book page needs to convert your ad traffic into buyers. I’ve written a lot of blog posts on the importance of your Amazon book page (I’ll link to some in the resources section of this post) but suffice it to say that the #1 reason why your ads aren’t working is this:  your book page isn’t strong enough to turn a click into a buy.

Yes, your ad copy could be bad, too – that’s true. But I find that it comes down to a poorly written or poorly designed book page on Amazon in almost every case.

When it Comes to How to Launch a Book – Some Ads are Main Players, and Others are Your Supporting Cast

One of the best things you can do for your ad planning is knowing which ads are the main players and which are your supporting cast. The reason it’s important to know is that the main player needs minimal incentive to the reader, while a supporting cast member is in support of another, more significant strategy you’re doing. The problem is a lot of authors treat all ads the same way: as main players when they are not.

You’re Sending People to the Wrong Link

Maybe you want to build your mailing list, and you want to send people to your website to buy the book. Certainly, it’s a reasonable idea, but it won’t execute effectively enough to sell books. The reason is this: most consumers default to Amazon for their book purchases, so trying to use your ads to push potential readers to your author website gets tricky. First off, they don’t know you, and with so many scammers out there, we have to be careful. Amazon is a trusted source; almost everyone I know has an account there, and building trust takes time. So consider where you’re sending your ad link and maybe think about updating it.

You Aren’t Incentivizing a Buy

Ads need to push readers to do something, and by “something,” I mean not just buying your book. Ads need to have a strong call to action, and ideally, a limited time to do so! I love using ads – especially supporting cast-type ads – to help push more attention to eBook discounts and promos. I tend to use Bookbub ads (a solid supporting cast type ad) for that very purpose. Running a Bookbub ad strategically placed in a newsletter is a great way to help build more momentum for your promotion.

But it doesn’t have to be a discounted book promotion either. Let’s say that you’re running some other special or incentive to help with your book launch- maybe it’s a limited BOGO (buy one get one) or something of that nature. Ads on social media and Bookbub can work great for that too!

Remember that the best ad campaigns are strategic. Many authors run ads just to run them, to feel like they’re doing something to proactively sell their book when a better use of their time and money is to plan an ad campaign more strategically.

You Aren’t Targeting Readers Where they “Live”

When running ads, one rule of thumb is to make sure you’re running ads where your reader “lives” -meaning online. So you’re running ads on Facebook – but is your reader on Facebook? Are you sure?

Be sure to align your ad strategy to your reader, absolutely. While you may love running ads on a particular social media portal ( maybe you are a pro at running ads), first make sure that you’re targeting in a place that your reader will actually see. Otherwise, you’re just wasting money and time.

Types of Ads Authors Should Never Run

I once consulted with an author who decided to run ads in a movie theatre ahead of the movie. She spent a lot of money on a book trailer that ran during the previews, and the trailer was great, but unfortunately, it didn’t really have an impact.

The reason is that people in movie theaters are often pretty distracted until the movie they’re there to see actually starts. To add another layer to this, the book was a children’s book – have you ever been in a movie theatre packed with little kids? I can almost guarantee you none of them saw the ad, and neither did their parents trying to get the kids settled and ready for the movie.

I think that potentially this could have worked if the author had done something else to support this strategy, like posters in the theater lobby, or a bookmark, or some other swag for each kid.

The other type of ads to avoid are Google ads – though let me say that this isn’t meant to bash Google Adwords at all, but they don’t sell books. If you have a business connected to your book, that’s a different thing. But running Google ads to drive more sales to your book is often a wasted (and very expensive effort).

I’ve also known authors to buy billboard ads in heavily congested areas – where commuters sit in traffic, or they buy subway banners, etc. This is a strategy that could work, if there is a strong supporting cast and a hefty budget to do this. For example, the subway ads could have a QR code or some other incentive to get the book now. The billboard ads would have to have a simple and very catchy URL to send people too, remember your audience is in a car, maybe they have a pen, maybe they don’t. Sure, they could snap a picture of your billboard for later, but then they’d have to grab their phone, taking their attention off of the traffic. It’s risky, at best.

Print/online ads in local or national publications are another good news bad news kind of a thing. I think print ads, much like the example of the author doing movie theatre ads, needs to have a separate foundation to drive potential readers to a purchase. Maybe that foundation is an upcoming local event. Either way, tread carefully here. I had an author once spend over $5,000 to run an ad in the New York Times book section and got nothing for it in return. The problem wasn’t the ad, or the publication – because we know this book section gets a lot of eyes. The problem was the author was an unknown, with his first book just out.

The lure to run ads, and especially pricey print ads, is that we often see big, full-page ads running for people like Nicholas Sparks or David Baldacci. These ads are specifically designed to activate their existing readership. Authors with big, robust platforms can afford to take a chance on a print ad, knowing it’ll probably show a return in the form of a pre-order, because their fan base is solid.

But honestly, this works for maybe 3% of the authors out there, so don’t feel bad if you had your heart set on this strategy. Instead, save your money and look at some other opportunities that might better fit your audience.

When Should You Run Ads to Launch a Book

Most consumers are impatient, we don’t want to wait weeks and weeks to get a book. Yes, I understand wanting to build some momentum for your book launch, but running ads weeks in advance of your launch probably isn’t the best way to do that.

Instead, consider running Amazon ads for the two weeks leading up to your book launch. Will this sell books? Well, maybe – but my goal of running Amazon ads is not to sell books, per se, but to build up the algorithm to help rocket your book strongly out of the gate.

Book ads can be a terrific partner to help launch a book. If used strategically and with the proper reader incentive, a solid ad campaign can be a great addition to everything else you’re doing. But it’s almost never a stand-alone strategy. Though ads can help to elevate the book impressions that helps to attract more buyers, so in cases where your clicks aren’t converting to immediate sales, but your book is still selling, you know you’re doing something right.

Good luck!

Resources and Free Downloads

5 Ways Ads Improve Your Book Marketing on Amazon

Increasing Book Discovery with Smart Advertising

Amazon Cheatsheet

How Can I Sell More Books

Check out our Podcast

Check out the IBPA for publishing industry news

The post How to Strategically Use Advertising to Launch a Book appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

A New Book Marketing Plan for 2022 is a recap of, “Creating (and sticking to!) a Book Marketing Plan in the New Year” a recent episode on our Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast.

We delve deeper into our discussion about this important topic for authors trying to figure out the ins and outs of marketing, so be sure to download and listen to the show for all the details, recommendations, and considerations!

This post is about creating a marketing plan that you can stick to and tips for kicking off 2022 stronger than ever.

The “maybe it’ll work” and the “let’s try everything because I don’t know what works” mentality has to stop! It creates this frantic, exhaustive pace, and, frankly, if you’re running all the things at once with no consistency, you never really know that ONE thing that’s actually working.

Stuff takes time to work – it’s like planting a garden; you don’t plant something one day and then expect it to start growing the next day.

Strategy, focus, and consistency are key when it comes to setting yourself up for success.

Before we start giving you strategy recommendations to add to your book marketing plan, I want to remind everyone that we’re not suggesting this “fix” for marketing in 2022, which requires hours of effort every week. In fact, it’s the opposite. Creating a plan in advance is the key to spending less time marketing, but with better returns! The traction you can create with strategic planning is priceless.

Consistency

I first want to speak about consistency – which I know I mentioned earlier – but consistency is absolutely everything you do. I see authors dip in and out of stuff, trying this and that, and never really giving anything a chance to work. So consistency is a really big part of everything that we recommend. And this doesn’t mean that you can’t change things up. By consistent, we mean: always staying on track with “something.”

Once a month, take a look at your brand: check your website, your social accounts, your Author Central, and your individual book pages. This is just a quick, 30-minute run-through to see if you can tie everything together or update the content across the board with something current – like an announcement about your next book, an upcoming holiday, or a seasonal tie-in. It will make a huge difference in your book marketing plan.

Honestly, just 30-60 minutes per month to put eyes on everything you have “out there” will dramatically improve the impact of your brand on readers.

Social Media

Planning is absolutely key here. We could spend a lot of time talking about social strategy, but your takeaway should simply be making your life easier.

Choosing theme days, themed content, monthly video releases quickly help resolve the dreaded “I don’t know what to post today!” problem most authors have. Plus, the added bonus of choosing content in advance is you start to create consistency, and as humans, we gravitate toward consistency, and your readers will too!

Last but not least, don’t be everywhere, be everywhere that matters. So if you have accounts on all major platforms and are feeling overwhelmed, do yourself a favor and cut the cord on the ones you don’t use. It seems scary, but you’ll absolutely thrive once your attention is more focused. And a tip for making the transition – start posting content on the platforms you’re going to stop using that sends people to where you want. For example, if you’d like to finally ditch Facebook for Instagram, spend the next 30 days on Facebook pushing followers to Instagram and then commit to your final day.

Goodreads

I can almost hear the collective sighs, but add checking in on Goodreads to your planner. Why? Because Goodreads is entirely focused on readers, authors, and books, you basically have a captive audience.

Even if you just spend an hour a month responding to messages, posting a comment or two in genre groups, rating and reviewing a couple of books, and posting a quick update on what you’re up to, your footprint and exposure will grow dramatically. More readers will start clicking over to your profile and checking out your books.

Bookbub

BookBub ads are inexpensive, and the site is really intuitive. Plus, their template ads have gotten even better over the last six months! So you don’t even need to start with any design experience.

The best way to incorporate BookBub ads in your book marketing plan is to use them to support your other work. If you’re doing a limited-time discount, run BookBub ads. If you’re releasing a new title in a series, run BookBub ads. And hey, even if nothing groundbreaking is happening for you in a single month, BookBub ads will still help guarantee you’re getting in front of hundreds, and often thousands, of new genre fans!

Education, Market Research, and Fan Gratitude

Education can be as simple as reading blogs, listening to podcasts, and attending a few book marketing webinars hosted by individuals with a strong track record.

I also think a commitment to learning is a really great idea – and now, thanks to 2020, many of these conferences and webinars are virtual – so if you aren’t up for a flight, you can always attend from the comfort of your own home. Learning is an important part of your success because it gives you a chance to explore new ideas and gain some insight into things you may not have considered.

Market research sounds scary but really, what I mean is, take an hour each month to be a fan of your genre. Check the bestseller lists, follow top authors or book influencers on social and see what they’re up to, rate and review books – just dedicate some time to staying on top of what’s going on from the reader’s perspective. It will go a long way in your book marketing plan.

And finally, fan gratitude. Each month, do one thing that’s solely designed to reward your readers and fans. We did an entire podcast episode on gratitude that dropped for Thanksgiving, and I have a lot on our blog about creating bonus content. If you spend just a little bit of time going above and beyond for fans each month, you’ll stand out from the crowd of other books and authors out there.

Resources and Free Downloads

Reader Profile Brainstorm

Are You Ready for Big Media Coverage

How to Sell More Books in 2022: New Year’s Planning Goals

22 Awesome Book Marketing Promotions and Predictions for 2022

Check out more episodes of our podcast!

Check out the Alliance of Independent Authors for news and resources

The post A New Book Marketing Plan for 2022: Book Marketing Podcast Recap appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

It’s time to run through our January observances and unique author branding enhancements and content ideas for your monthly book marketing plan!

Without a regular connection to readers, you’re just another book on the shelf.

Take the time to make yourself stand out by using our monthly observances and tips to create interesting content with your own unique twist.

This is part of really refining your author brand!

Timely content that uses popular and trending search terms and hashtags is a great way to enhance your visibility and improve SEO in a very simple way.

And what’s really key: content ideas don’t always have to stem from your genre or topic.

When it comes to author marketing and building an author brand, ensuring that your fans and followers have ways to connect with you on a more personal level is as powerful as speaking about your genre and topic.

How to Use My Content Ideas

Below are holidays and just plain wacky and fun January observances for 2022.

I’ve also included a few content ideas and angles to help spark your creativity and help you wrap your mind around how to work them into your author branding.

Not all of these are worth an entire blog post or article, but nearly all of them can be turned into a fun or thought-provoking social media post or blurb in your newsletter – so it’s like getting triple the ideas!

There are always a lot of holidays around food, drink, and cooking, so get ready to share recipes or tag local fave establishments and ask followers to share theirs. The same goes for activities: this is a great chance to take selfies and/or to share a bit about yourself outside of being a writer.

These also open up opportunities for you to make recommendations for products – no, not official ads, but again, people love to follow someone who’s a great resource. Think outside the box to come up with ways you can help people out and make their lives easier or more exciting.

Keep in mind: ALL of your posts should encourage your fans and followers to respond, chime in, share their feedback, insight, stories, etc. Don’t forget to work that angle: let them know you want to hear from them!

Also remember: Your goal is to encourage engagement – never post flat content; be creative with how you pull others into the conversation and offer ways for them to easily engage.

Giving yourself a bar to reach is the first step to upping your author branding game.

Do polls, giveaways, fan art contests: remember to make it about your readers – not about you – and you’re guaranteed to see better engagement.

If you need some additional support on how to translate these ideas into actual content and posts, consider signing up for email coaching with me and we’ll get personal!

And don’t forget to grab our Monthly Book Marketing Planner from the Free Resources and Downloads section at the end of this post.

Getting Started with January Observances

Start with these month-long ideas! Several offer opportunities to support a cause close to your heart by sharing stories, raising awareness, and/or giving your followers ways to donate money, time, and love to your favorite issues.

National Bath Safety Month

National Blood Donor Month

National Braille Literacy Month

National Hobby Month- Share who you are outside of being an author! Encourage people to chime in with their favorite hobbies and activities (other than reading of course).

Hot Tea Month

National Oatmeal Month

National Soup Month

January Observances by the Week

2nd Week Letter Writing Week

January Observances by the Day

January 1

National Hangover Day

New Year’s Day- C’mon, 2022! Here’s to a year filled with hope and happiness. Share your New Year’s resolutions and encourage your followers to start chasing their goals.

January 2

Feast of the Epiphany – Three Kings – date varies

International Stop Spam Day

Run up the Flagpole and See if Anyone Salutes Day

World Introvert Day

January 3

Festival of Sleep Day

Fruitcake Toss Day

Humiliation Day

January 4

National Spaghetti Day

Trivia Day- This is a great opportunity to host a giveaway! Create a trivia quiz and reward the winners with a free sticker or a discounted book price. Enough buzz around your trivia will bring tons of new readers to your platform.

January 5

National Bird Day

January 6

Bean Day

Cuddle Up Day- If this day isn’t begging for a cozy reading selfie, then I don’t know what is!

January 7

Old Rock Day

January 8

Bubble Bath Day

Male Watcher’s Day

January 9

Play God Day

January 10

Bittersweet Chocolate Day

Houseplant Appreciation Day- Show off your green thumb and your plant babies! Houseplants and greenery have become such a popular aesthetic. Use a nice photo to freshen up your social media feed!

Peculiar People Day

January 11

Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day

Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend’s Day

January 12

Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day

National Hot Tea Day

National Pharmacist Day

National Take the Stairs Day

January 13

International Skeptics Day

Make Your Dream Come True Day- Do you have big goals for 2022? Make them known! Use this day to declare your dreams and take actions to make them reality.

National Rubber Duckie Day

January 14

Dress Up Your Pet Day- We could all use more adorable pet content in our lives. If you are going to use just one of these ideas- let it be this one!

January 15

National Bagel Day

National Hat Day

January 16

Appreciate a Dragon Day

National Nothing Day

January 17

Ditch New Years Resolutions Day

Kid Inventors Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday  – celebrated on the third Monday

January 18

Thesaurus Day

Winnie the Pooh Day –  the birthday of author A.A. Milne

January 19

National Popcorn Day

National Tin Can Day

January 20

National Buttercrunch Day

National Cheese Lover Day- Share your favorite cheesy dish. My mouth is already watering just thinking about the possibilities…

Penguin Awareness Day

January 21

National Hugging Day

Squirrel Appreciation Day- Sure, why not? Show some love to the nutty characters in your life.

January 22

National Blonde Brownie Day

January 23

National Pie Day

National Handwriting Day

Measure Your Feet Day

January 24

Beer Can Appreciation Day

Compliment Day- The world needs more positivity. Start a compliment train with your followers- respond to as many people as possible with kind words and compliments.

Global Belly Laugh Day

January 25

Opposite Day

January 26

Australia Day

Spouse’s Day

January 27

Chocolate Cake Day- Share your favorite recipe, or ask your readers to share theirs. Hopefully cutting down on sweets isn’t one of your resolutions…

Punch the Clock Day

January 28

Data Privacy Day

Fun at Work Day

National Kazoo Day

January 29

National Puzzle Day

National Cornchip Day

National Seed Swap Day

January 30

National Inane Answering Message Day

January 31

Backward Day

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day – last Monday of month

Inspire Your Heart with Art Day- Appreciate the beautiful works of art in your life, or share an image that really speaks to you. Be creative!

The Takeaway

Remember, being an author demands creativity, and it also demands authenticity when developing a marketing plan to support your author brand.

Coming up with unique content ideas for authors as part of your marketing plan is a great way to take your success seriously, without taking yourself too seriously! And these January observances should really help.

Resources and Free Downloads

Monthly Book Marketing Planner

How Can I Sell More Books

Check out our Podcast

Check out Jane Friedman’s site, she’s an excellent resource

How to Sell More Books in 2022: New Year’s Planning Goals

The post Unique Author Branding and Content Ideas Using January Observances appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Watch Out for These Red Flags, is a recap of “How a Publisher Can Kill Your Success,” a recent episode on our Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast.

We delve deeper into our discussion about this important topic for authors trying to figure out the ins and outs of book marketing, so be sure to download and listen to the show for all the details, recommendations and considerations!

Let me say up front that we aren’t here to badmouth publishers. Instead, consider this more a guide to help you decide what publishing options are best for you because right now, authors have a lot of choices- and there are a lot of bad publishers out there!

Many authors have this set path they follow from book idea to release and beyond, but they don’t realize how much their publishing choices can affect the future viability of their book. So yes, a publisher can seem like the lucrative or easy way to get the book out. However, that’s typically not the case once it’s time to start getting the book in front of readers.

The issue for many authors is that they want the cache of having signed with a publisher – regardless of who that publisher is. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all, but really it’s important to remember that this is a business decision and, as such, you need to make sure that the publisher is doing their BEST work for you.

Types of Publishers

Let’s discuss the different types of publishers out there because that gets confusing. So you have indie or self-publishing companies, and Kindle Direct Publishing is a good example of that.

Hybrid publishers are an interesting mix between like a KDP and a trade publishing house – whereas they may charge you to publish, but they’ll also do a certain number of things to help you sell your book – and that’s key, because you need to know WHAT they’re doing and, get it in writing (because if it’s not in writing, it probably won’t happen).

I also think it’s worth mentioning that you need to interview any prospective publishers. Speak with them and ask good questions, and look at other books they’ve published. Look at their covers, look up the books on Amazon, and then go a step further and Google the authors to find out their experience with the publisher. Because authors are *always* willing to share insights into things they’ve done, people they’ve worked with- so don’t hesitate to ask!

Access and Control

One of the biggest issues we face with authors is access and control regardless of who they have selected as a publisher.

When authors contact us about a marketing collaboration, I always verify how they’ve published or how they’re publishing. Our ability to assist you in marketing your book through as many channels as possible is absolutely affected by your publishing contract.

Some publishers sadly leave us with very little we can do. And it’s not just us; it’s you because our access is a reflection of your autonomy over your work and what can make your book a success.

One of the workarounds for the control piece of it is to publish your eBook straight to KDP, so you have access, but authors are sometimes hesitant to do that – which I understand, if you’ve signed up with a publisher, they want to do all the editions – so if you aren’t going to publish straight to Amazon, it’s good to ask them about getting access to your book editions, especially your eBook.

Pricing

A huge part of this is the price point of your book. So even if the publisher prices your print edition out of the market (meaning, it’s priced much too high for what typical readers or your topic or genre are willing to spend), having control over your eBook gives you the option to counter that.

We’ve seen enough publishers mismanage books when it comes to pricing, in particular. One reason that publishers often price books so high is that they know that typically the authors buy the first 100 copies, so that’s how publishers often earn back the costs they incur for cover design, etc. and this is particularly true if you aren’t paying them to publish your book.

The reality is there are hundreds of publishers and a spectrum of different ways they can go about selling their services, there is no consistency or regulation on this, so you just need to do your due diligence.

This is critical for authors who want to publish a series, whether it’s a more traditional fiction series or if you write non-fiction and plan to release multiple titles for your topic or area of expertise. If you go with a publisher for your first book, and it’s not a good match, and that book gets stuck in a contract that limits your book marketing abilities, it’s going to create a big disconnect between that book and your future titles.

Book Rights

I think the final major issue is the book rights because if you’re using a hybrid publisher or any indie publisher, you should NOT be signing away any rights to the book at all.

If you want to explore using a publisher to get your book out there, by all means, look into your options! But if you remember one thing from this post, it should retain your work rights.

So similar to dating, if things go south, and you decide it’s not a good fit – you must be able to walk away with everything you showed up with, no questions asked, so that you can try another path.

I hope you found this post helpful. Again, make sure to listen to the full episode of our book marketing podcast and leave your suggestions for episode ideas down in the comments below!

Resources and Free Downloads

Check out more episodes of our podcast

Amazon Cheatsheet

Are You Ready for Big Media Coverage

Check out the Alliance of Independent Authors for news and resources

How to Launch Your Book and Still Have A Life

The post Watch Out for These Red Flags: Book Marketing Podcast Recap appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

It’s that time of year when I hope many of you are looking ahead and figuring out how to sell more books in 2022.

And the number one tip I want to give you for reaching those sales goals: planning!

Not the top-secret answer you were hoping for? Hear me out.

Planning drives purpose and grounds you in a way that no free-floating marketing ideas ever will. I love brainstorming and letting the creativity fly, but you won’t stay on track if you don’t pave the runway.

So, I’m going to cover how planning supports not just goal setting but goal achieving. I will also outline some tips and recommendations for how planning plays into your success depending on your publishing schedule for 2022.

Know the Difference Between Goals and Action

Step one for figuring out how to sell more books is identifying your goals.

And I need everyone to get away from confusing big flashy goals with actual action items. Examples of flashy goals are: I want to sell 10,000 books, I want a Netflix movie, I want to be on national television.

Because while there’s nothing wrong with wanting these things for yourself and your work, they leave little to be desired when it comes to a game plan. How do you get from your newly released title to a movie deal? Believe me – there’s a lot to accomplish along the way.

And if you don’t stay focused on the game plan, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

Let’s use reviews as an example because I think that’s a goal we can all get on board with, no matter our genre or how long we’ve been publishing. We all want reviews.

So if you’re releasing a book this year and you want to get 100 new reviews within the first 90-days, what will you do to get there?

Make sure you have a clean website and newsletter to build that dedicated fan base. Your fan base will be made up of people you can tap into for important things like reviews.

So your end goal of 100 reviews now has an outline with a checklist and action items: build a website, add a newsletter, add an ethical bride for signing up, send traffic to your site.

And within each of those action items are micro-steps that you’ll need to implement.

For example, deciding on your ethical bribe and getting on social media to send people to your website to begin engaging with you.

So now you should have a solid understanding of the difference between goals and action – and the order in which things need to happen to get you the results you’re looking for.

Now let’s look at some individual publishing situations and their accompanying plans!

Considering Publishing in 2022

Now is a great time to lay the foundation for your success.

While you’re finishing that book, start to outline what your brand will be. How will you show up in the world? What’s your promise to readers?

Your brand should be consistent across everything you put out there – including your website, covers, and social media presence. It all matters.

For example, if you’ve written a historical book, readers are accustomed to websites with lots of content, background on the research, additional insight into characters, etc. If you’re a non-fiction author, you’ll need a blog for sure and engaging social media because both of these elements help prove your thought leader potential.

You’ll also want to start planning out your budget—quality matters. If your only goal is to save money now, you’ll end up with a product that likely won’t make you much money later.

A good editor, cover designer, publishing plan, and marketing plan cost money. Not make you go broke money, but the earlier you start planning, the less intense the investment to get your book out there should feel.

And here’s a final tip: take some classes.

Start attending writing and publishing events, virtually or in-person, depending on what’s available to you. Knowledge is power, so even if you plan on hiring a team to support your future release, a basic understanding of the foundational elements that will support you long term will just make you a stronger author all around – and you’re more likely to make smart decisions about who you hire!

Publishing Your Debut Title in 2022

Hopefully you have your website and brand focused on your market, and you’re in a pretty solid place to release a book.

If not, it’s never too late, even if your book releases in Q1. Continuity is key, so clean and straightforward but with solid attention to detail can be your brand to start, and it can evolve from there.

Your goal should be to hit the ground running about 30 days before your book comes out. I’ve done a podcast on the first 30 days of your book’s life that can give you a lot of additional insight into this important lead-up window and why it matters!

Plus, if you’re hiring a book promotion company to help you, it helps to get a plan in place during this window as well.

I recommend creating a book marketing plan that includes what you want to do on your own and what you’d like to hire out. Get more creative than “I’ll run some Facebook ads,” though because I hear that a lot from authors. And while it works for some, those authors are never doing just ads, and that’s how focusing too much on a single strategy can be misguided.

Be mindful of what works for your topic or genre. Who is succeeding? Not sure? Then it’s time to start researching your marketplace for best practices. Success leaves clues.

And what about reviews? This is where your planning really starts to pay off. Authors with a website, a newsletter, and active social media, have networks to tap into to start requesting reviews or posting review reminders.

Here are some other things to consider when figuring out how to sell more books this coming year:

• Can you plan and support a 14 to 30-day pre-order campaign to push early sales?
• Have you scheduled some limited time discount promotions?
• Do you have a list of media or thought leaders you’re going to pitch?
• Do you know who you can pitch locally to get some close-to-home coverage?
• Are you tracking how local events are being handled, could you potentially host one?

I could go on for quite awhile listing ideas, but I think I’ve made the point that there’s a lot to do that can be planned for in advance. All of these smaller action items lead to achieving bigger goals.

So that interview you want on a morning talk show?

It’ll require the list above times 20!

I’m not trying to discourage you, but there are no shortcuts to major success. Start planning and outlining the steps you need to take to get there.

Veteran Author with No Plans to Publish in 2022

This is no time to ride on your success. You must stay top of mind in between releases.

If you have some books out and want to keep writing and driving attention to your work, then you’ll want to plan out things that keep your already released titles in front of new, potential buyers.

Download our Monthly Book Marketing Planner, print off three months at a time, and start filling it in. Having a plan outlined will allow you the time to write that you’re probably looking for!

Strategies like BookBub ads, limited time eBook discounts, Goodreads giveaways, special promotions like BOGOs, and outlining themes you can follow on social to ensure you’re putting out content with minimal chaos – all add up to a lot of new reader impressions month after month that will absolutely help drive traffic and sales conversions.

Veteran Author Publishing Again in 2022

Now is the time to make all your other books work for the new one.

I love working with veteran authors because you can use the prior books to pivot attention to the new one, and the new one always helps to drive attention to your backlist too.

Momentum is key, and authors in your position potentially have this in spades with some strategic planning and consistent marketing.

So as you consider how to sell more books in 2022, think about the tools you might already have in your toolbox, and how you can maximize them for a greater reward.

You should already have a website and newsletter, so use those to highlight your upcoming title or titles. Consider doing an ARC offer for early reviews to your subscribers.

Maybe now is the time to do some updates to your covers so they all look like they come from the same brand. Because the visuals matter, and the human brain gravitates toward consistency, and covers that all complement each other, even when they’re not part of a series, make you look more professional – which makes people more willing to spend their money.

Use BookBub ads to send traffic to your previous, successful titles to get your name out there again so when the new book releases, people have your name top of mind.

If you or your previous titles were reviewed or featured by the media or genre thought leaders, get back in touch. Let them know you have another title coming up and ask if you can send them an early copy or if there’s another way you can help contribute to their site.

No matter what you have available to you, now is the time to take all of it up to a new level.

If you haven’t picked up a copy of From Book to Bestseller, you’re my target audience, so I encourage you to use it to find other ways to take things up a level.

Why Planning Helps How to Sell More Books

Goals are achieved by a series of action items. Planning helps you create an outline you can follow to actually to start making strides toward your goals. Even the flashy ones!

Planning also helps you establish a budget you can work with and maximize on. Doing everything last minute will almost always create a lesser quality product or cost you more than it should – or both.

Planning out how to sell more books also makes the marketing and promotion less chaotic.

Most of us have probably stared at our computer and said, “Now what?” because we just lost our way or lost steam. It’s unfortunately common for many authors, so you’re not alone, but planning can combat this.

Be sure to track your success. I can’t emphasize this enough. Keep track of everything you’re doing AND all your wins. It won’t be a direct tit for tat of effort to results because effort is cumulative, but it’s easy to forget how many times we win along the way if we don’t dedicate time to appreciate what we’ve accomplished. So document and celebrate once you’ve hit ten reviews. Or once you hit those first 100 sales. And then you can look forward to celebrating the first 1000 sales!

Don’t forget that your readers matter. I’ve mentioned readers throughout, either engaging with them or growing their numbers. Regardless of what your publishing plans are for this year, one of your main goals should be to build your reader base – both current readers and potential readers.

So as you consider how to sell more books in 2022, remember: PLANNING is key.

If you need some help, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Resources and Free Downloads

FREE Monthly Book Marketing Planner

Sell More Books on Amazon

Check out our Podcast

Check out Jane Friedman’s site, she’s an excellent resource

22 Smart Author Marketing Strategies to Start Using in 2022

10 Amazing Gift Ideas For Authors That Won’t Cost You A Dime

The post How to Sell More Books in 2022: New Year’s Planning Goals appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

When it comes to book author marketing strategies – not everything has to cost a lot of money – in fact, some of the best things you can do for your book are close to free. Specifically, the idea behind this list is to work smarter, not harder, in the new year. Now, doesn’t that sound promising? Well, then let’s unpack the 22 smart author marketing strategies to use in 2022:

1. The Power of the Book Series

I wrote a prediction post last week, and I talked about the power of the book series – it’s really true. Books in a series do better. And this strategy doesn’t have to be exclusive for fiction authors – non-fiction authors can also benefit from this strategy. For example, I publish lots of books on book marketing – these are part of an author marketing series—all under the umbrella of book marketing and promotion. See what I mean?

You can and should absolutely look at making this strategy work for you in the new year. And if you have a lot of books out already, maybe you can repackage them into a series!

2. Less is More When it Comes to time spent on Social Media

We know that not all our time spent on social media necessarily moves the needle when it comes to author marketing. In fact, a lot of it is wasted effort.

If your posts get very few likes, shares, or comments, maybe it’s time to reconsider what you’re posting and where. Author marketing is about communication, and if your posts aren’t helping to foster more communication, maybe you’re on the wrong social media site (or your posts just aren’t interesting to your reader).

This is a great time to assess your various platforms and see where you really need to be! Being everywhere that matters is more important than being everywhere.

Not sure where to start when it comes to social media? Try taking our social media quiz and find out!

3. Publish Consistently

In the first point, I talked about the power of the series. If you’ve been sitting on one book for a while, unsure what to do next, then maybe your next step should be another book.

Many authors I talk to publish one book to “see what happens,” and more often than not, the results don’t meet the author’s expectations. Sure, sometimes they do (and yes, we all have to start somewhere), but commit to publishing consistently. This doesn’t mean you have to crank out a book a month by any means! Maybe publish some of your shorter books. I have published books that are under a hundred pages and do really well. Fiction authors often publish novellas to keep adding books to their library of offerings because they’re faster and easier to produce.

Why do you need more books? Because having more books is like having multiple storefronts – and readers love a good series. Also, you really do get more bang for your marketing dollar because everything you do benefits everything you’ve published.

4. Don’t Wait to Market a Book

I’ve mentioned the series idea twice in this blog post, and many authors might think: well, if it pays to have more books, then maybe it makes sense to not market book one till book two is out. The problem with that idea is that books age, and once a book is past a certain “age,” it becomes harder to get reviews and get any kind of momentum for it, which sort of defeats the purpose of having a successful series.

5. Price Your Books Competitively

We all want to make lots of money selling our books, but some authors take the wrong stance on this. Meaning they price their books out of the market.

The idea behind this is that if they price their books high enough, they don’t have to sell that many to recoup their investment, but this isn’t true at all. Most books that are priced out of the market may sell one copy, but not more.

Pricing your books competitively doesn’t mean pricing them lower than they should be. For example, I’m not a fan of a .99 cent book, unless it’s priced that low as a special eBook promotion or because the book is so much older or first in a long series, for example.

6. The Cover Wow Factor

When was the last time you looked at the bestseller list in your genre? If your cover doesn’t look like it belongs on the shelf beside the other books on the bestseller list, then you have a problem.

Good covers are an investment in your future, so if your cover isn’t great – maybe this is a good time to consider a cover polish or an entire redo of your cover. Nothing can kill an author’s success faster than a so-so cover. It’s simple; no matter how much money you throw at marketing, if your cover doesn’t live up to the expectations of the genre, your marketing is never going to pay off.

7. Plan Ahead with Your Promotions

I know this sounds silly, but it really does make a difference. As we get busier, it’s easy to forget to run a promotion, whether it’s a discount promotion or something else. Planning also brings some consistency to your marketing. It also avoids the dreaded, What will I do now? question when it comes to your author marketing.

Always have a few book marketing strategies ready to go, and also, if you plan ahead – you can buy up eBook ad slots early and get ahead of big holidays, like Christmas!

Author marketing is a conversation, and once that conversation stops, so does your book’s visibility. I often tell authors to always be promoting, but that doesn’t mean you have to run a big blog tour every month. Sometimes it’s an eBook promotion, a fun contest, or running some BookBub ads. Planning this out a month at a time is a great way to stay on track and not feel overwhelmed.

We have a great planner that’s been downloaded literally thousands of times, and I’ll post the link below so you can download it, too!

8. Stop Focusing on Readers: Consider Building Relationships Instead

In 2017 Digital Book World did a study and found that 95% of books are sold word of mouth, which means that readers are telling other readers. The goal should always be not to find the next buyer but to create the next reader.

Finding creative ways to connect with your reader, bringing them into your exclusive circle or tribe makes them feel special – because they are! Readers bring in new readers, and at the end of the day, that’s how the majority of books take off.

Relationship building should be your #1 priority in 2022, and the reason is simple: there are lots of books out there, lots of authors vying for the same virtual shelf space – having a solid reader tribe is a great way to kick every book launch into high gear.

9. One of the Best Author Marketing Strategies in 2022: Video

Whether short or long, video is a great way to entice readers to read. But don’t feel like you have to start a TikTok account to get into video – unless you want to. Video can happen on virtually any platform – including Amazon Video Shorts which are a fantastic way to repurpose a great video you did, a book trailer, or a snippet of you teaching!

Keep in mind that while many authors have book trailers, my preference is always a personal video. Maybe a behind-the-scenes video, something short thanking your readers, or whatever you feel compelled to do.

10.  Amazon’s A+ Content

I wrote a blog post on this when it first opened up to KDP authors – and whether you’re self-published or traditionally published, great A+ content should absolutely be added to your list of author marketing strategies.

Not sure how to get started? I’ll add a link in the resources section of this post!

11.  Maximize Amazon via Author Central

Are you using Amazon Author Central to its fullest extent? Are you sure?

Amazon has a ton of great features that help you promote your book and show up better in searches. Amazon Author Central is a great example of this. There’s a lot of content you can add to your book page via Author Central.

Outside of Author Central, have you optimized your book page? Added keywords and a bio? Much of this can be added via Author Central, too!

12.  The Importance of your Amazon Book Page

When an author tells me that their Amazon ads aren’t converting, or their Facebook ads are sending lots of people to their book page, but no one seems to be buying, that tells me one thing: your book page needs a polish.

I’ve written a ton of blog posts on this (I’ll link to a most recent below) – but suffice it to say, if you’ve got some time over the holiday break, by all means, spend some time cleaning up your book page. Add your bio, add keywords, add video – and most of all: make sure your book description is scannable with lots of white space, bolding, and bullets (when appropriate) and lead in with a great review or review snippet!

13.  Get Savvy with Amazon Ads

Haven’t explored Amazon ads recently? Now is a good time to do so. Amazon ads are a crucial step in getting exposure on this site and, if done well, shouldn’t cost you a lot of money.

14.  Focus on your Branding

Everything is your brand, and whether you know it or not, your brand is talking about you. Do you like what it’s saying? If not, now is the time to clean it up. Your brand is your promise to your reader, and everything matters -from your website to your presence on Amazon to your social media. All of it.

I’ve done a lot of pieces on branding, and I’ll link one below. Now is a great time to dig into this for the new year!

15.  Collaborate with Other (similar) Authors

One of the big things I talked about in my predictions post was authors collaborating. If you haven’t considered this, maybe start by networking with some authors in your genre and offer up the idea of collaboration. This could mean something as simple as a newsletter swap, a social media takeover, or just sharing each other’s eBook promotions or other book discounts!

16.  Be a Fan of Your Genre

Stephen King once said that in order to be a great writer, you need to be a reader. Being a fan of your genre is so important, but not just because you want to know what else is out there. Being a fan of your genre is a great way to zero in on new nuances in your genre, too – which is really important, especially if you’re writing genre fiction.

In 2022, commit to reading more books in your genre, following the authors on social media, and sharing their stuff! And if collaborating with authors (mentioned above) is on your wish list, this is a great way to start!

17.  Smaller Steps = Big Results

We all want to shoot for the moon, and that’s great, but big results often start with smaller steps. I talk a lot about this in our podcast, and we have a show on goals I’ll link below, but suffice it to say that breaking down big, massive goals into small, manageable steps will create a better pathway to success. It’s also a much more strategic way of thinking about author marketing.

18.  The Importance of Audio

I covered this in my predictions post but sufficed to say that audio is a fast-growing market in whatever form. But an audiobook is an investment, so be sure that there’s an audiobook audience for your book first. Check the Amazon bestseller lists and see what other authors in similar genres do.

Also, if your books have lots of links, graphics, and images, an audiobook might not be right for your readership. But you could do other things like audio snippets, etc. check out the link in the resources section of this blog for more ideas!

19.  The Power of Book Editions

For those of you who have just an eBook or just a paperback version of your book – you could be leaving money on the table. Various book editions can help to expand your audience and sell more books. Sure, you may have a readership that loves eBooks, but do they all read in electronic form? Are you sure?

And what about large print books – ever considered doing one of those?

I mentioned audio previously, which is an enormous market right now – but it’s not inexpensive to produce. However, other editions of your book might be. If you’re not sure what’s right for your audience: paperback, hardback, large print, and eBook – try perusing the bestseller lists in your genre and see what other authors are doing!

20.  Be Clear on Your Genre

Maybe this seems like a silly thing to mention, but I talk to a lot of authors who aren’t at all clear on what their genre is. It’s really hard (if not impossible) to market a book if you aren’t clear who you are marketing to.

By the same token, having a multi-genre book isn’t good either. Certainly, there are books that appeal to different readers, but these books always have one primary market that they focus on. It’s crucially important to have a focused reader market not only because it’s easier to reach readers that way, but it’ll save you a ton of money on marketing. And, your marketing will be more fruitful in the long run.

Marketing a book that sits in a variety of genres is hard, if not impossible, and, much like a lackluster book cover, you can throw a lot of marketing dollars at this and still not get any results.

21.  Create Bonus Content

Bonus content and additional materials related to your book allow fans to immerse themselves in your brand further, and, even better, it keeps them engaged longer! This is especially true if you are in between book releases.

This also helps to keep readers on the website longer, keeping readers engaged and coming back for more. Consider character interviews, deleted scenes, free downloads, quizzes, recipes, or travel guides.

The options are truly endless, and the only requirement is that it relates to your book or your topic!

22.   Commit to a Newsletter

Earlier in this post, I mentioned the importance of the author/reader connection. A newsletter is a fantastic way to stay on their radar screen and communicate your news, giveaways, or book releases directly to them! If you haven’t wanted to delve into this, trust me, now is the time. We did a podcast on this, too! If you’re interested in learning more, there’s a link in the resources section!

Cheers to Smarter Author Strategies in 2022

I wish you all the very best in the coming year and hope we get to chat at some point. Whether you’re a seasoned author or a first-timer, a return client, or just starting with us, there’s so much knowledge I’d love to share with you!

Good luck with your promotions in the new year and beyond!

Resources and Free Downloads

SOCIAL MEDIA QUIZ – Which social site is right for YOU?

22 Awesome Book Marketing Promotions and Predictions for 2022

Monthly Book Marketing Planner

Sell More Books on Amazon

Amazon Book Marketing: A+ Content Now Available to Self-Published Authors

Optimizing Your Amazon Book Page to Sell More Books: Book Marketing Podcast Recap

Unique Author Branding and Content Ideas Using December Observances

Podcast Episode: Why Some Goals Never Work and the Problem with Brainstorming

Podcast Minisode: Double Your Newsletter Sign Ups with This One Tip

Check out the IBPA for publishing industry news

The post 22 Smart Author Marketing Strategies to Start Using in 2022 appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Shopping for your favorite authors isn’t always easy, and with Christmas a little over a week away- it’s crunch time, isn’t it?

If you’re struggling to figure out what to get for that fabulous author in your life, don’t worry! A lot of us are in the same boat.

Getting authors that perfect Christmas gift doesn’t have to be hard (or costly!).

Sure, you can get them that pricey pen to aid them in their next book signing. Or a shiny new desk lamp, maybe even a standing desk? But honestly, for most of us authors, our wish list isn’t that big and doesn’t cost a lot. Why? Because sometimes our biggest wish is to spread the word about our books!

I get asked a lot about the ideal gift for authors, and really, we’re a pretty simple lot. We love a good review, we love it when you share our social media posts, we love it sign up for our newsletter – or share our book with a new reader. We’re simple that way.

So, I thought I’d create an easy list you can share with your readers, friends, and family who might be on a tight budget, or who just want to add a few things to your Christmas stocking.

This list is designed to be easily shareable so your readers can give you one, or (if you’ve been extra nice) all ten of these fun, easy and free gift ideas! Share this with your followers and other authors, because the idea really isn’t so much in the gift itself, but what this kind of simple act can do to help an author. Sharing their stuff, writing a review, following them on Bookbub, it all adds up and it all helps our platform, our reach, and ultimately, our exposure!

Happy shopping and Happy Holidays!

If you found this post helpful please use the social buttons at the bottom to share on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn and tag me, or you can email this post to a friend or colleague!

Resources and Free Downloads

Bonus Holiday Sales Strategies

How Can I Sell More Books

Update Your Author Platform with These 3 Easy Tips

22 Awesome Book Marketing Promotions and Predictions for 2022

Check out our Podcast

Check out KM Weiland’s site, she’s an excellent resource

The post 10 Amazing Gift Ideas For Authors That Won’t Cost You A Dime appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

I love doing end of the year predictions! It’s so fun to see how far we’ve come and where the industry is going- so without further ado, here are my 22 book marketing predictions for 2022!

1. Audio books

It’s no secret that audio books are booming and will continue to grow as we head into 2022. With audio book revenue has been up 14.3% year over year. Audio books are one of the biggest growing sectors of the publishing industry. But it’s not just audio books, but all forms of audio content.

Spotify joined the ranks this year, as well as Storytell, by offering audio book content. The Digital Public Library of America striking a deal with Amazon to deliver more audio books to libraries.

I believe we’ll see lots of audio-centric content in 2022 and not just full audio books, but audio sampling, etc. In fact, I wrote about this on Spotify – audio snippets of your book blended with music!

What does this mean for you? It means you should consider making all or part of your book into an audio book. While audio books aren’t right for all titles (like books with lots of links and screenshots) most books do very well! But audio books aren’t cheap to create. So if budget is a concern, maybe consider producing audio snippets using the Spotify format linked in the resources below!

2. eBooks continue to grow

All right no surprise here, but what does surprise me is how many authors still don’t have eBook versions of their titles! Especially now with paper shortages and shipping issues plaguing the publishing industry, eBooks are a must. eBook sales have increased 16.5% in the past year. Part of the reason for this growth, is the adoption of more digital content in libraries, too.

If you haven’t released your book or books in electronic format, by all means now is the time.

3. Print books

Yes, there are shortages with paper and issues with shipping, but don’t count print books out just yet because they continue to rebound. According to a recent report in the Hotsheet (and according to AAP) print book sales rebounded nicely over 2020. So while eBooks continue to be popular, print books will continue to grow in popularity as well. A recent report by NPD Bookscan shared that print book sales are up 10.5% over 2020!

If you only have an eBook version of your book, maybe it’s time to consider adding a print book, too. Yes, some genres do much better in eBook, but reader preferences continue to surprise me. So, check your backlist and see if adding some print book versions could help you.

Also keep in mind that releasing new versions of your book allows you to refresh your book marketing, too!

4. Self-publishing keeps growing

To give you an idea of how much this area has exploded, search growth for the term “indie publishing” has grown by 485% in the last five years alone.

We’ve already seen the flood of hybrid publishers enter the market and this trend will continue. Wattpad entered the fray several years ago, but they are really hustling. Wattpad Books and Wattpad Studios are examples of them developing their own movies from content on their site.

We’ll continue to see indie publishing surge in ways that didn’t seem possible almost five years ago, in fact LinchpinSEO shared that 17 out of the top 100 books on Amazon are indie published.

In 2022, I think we’re going to see many of these indie publishing houses becoming more selective and perhaps focusing on specific areas, rather than publishing broadly. I also think we’ll start to see more and more traditionally published authors jumping to indie publishing because they can control so much more around their title, branding, pricing, audio and international rights.

5. More focus on the reader

Maybe this sounds odd, you’re always focused on your reader, aren’t you? Well yes, but also there’s the broad approach of going after wide markets via social media, advertising and the like. More and more publishers and indie authors are beginning to see that direct, relationship marketing has tremendous value and will start to spend more time going directly after readers via email marketing, and direct relationship building.

What does this mean for you? If you haven’t been focusing on your fan base, growing your newsletter list or reaching out to fans directly – now is the time. This is going to become a crucial way to market your books as we get into 2022 and beyond.

6. Subscription and serialization services will continue to grow

Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited started this- and audio delivery services like Audible, Storytell, and Spotify are expanding this subscription trend. Publishers are jumping on this, too and we’ll start to see more of that with publishers offering early access to titles and special bonuses to keep readers engaged and subscribed. Serialization is appealing to authors who don’t have the time or a reader base to build the subscription model, and serialization (like the one offered through Kindle Vella) is a great way to give a story a test run, getting a thumbs up from readers helps give the author some direct feedback. But if you want more interaction, jump on over to Radish or Wattpad – their format is different, offering more reader interaction, which a lot of authors love.

In 2022 we’re going to see much more of this, different types of subscription services and more ways to get direct to reader.

7. Diversity

When something becomes a buzzword, like “diversity” it seems everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon – and that’s not bad, but often diversity is poorly delivered. There’s a big need for diverse books, characters, and authors – but if you tackle diverse topics and characters, you need to be careful to do it right. Otherwise, you’re just paying lip service to what is really a very important topic.

In 2022 we’re going to see more of this, and I hope more of it done well. So if you’ve wanted to dip into this area, I encourage you to hire a content editor that is versed in diverse topics and issues to help you polish your book. Diversity is still huge, but readers are savvy. Diversity to check a box won’t cut it, but broader representation done well will naturally open up your potential reader market.

8. Books to film

Books to film or series will continue to boom. According to a recent NY Times piece and a recent article in Marie Claire, streaming services produced 532 new television shows. The demand for content is booming. And some books that get picked up aren’t bestsellers, in fact often they aren’t! They’re well-written (obviously) with some reasonable attention, good reviews – but books no longer have to be tapped by any major book club to be considered for online content – though obviously a nod from Reese Witherspoon doesn’t hurt!

9. Pandemic or dysphonia books aren’t welcome by publishers

It’s just too early. Dystopia isn’t a dying market, necessarily – but pandemic related dystopia books just aren’t going to sell. Also, pandemic books in general are a tough sell as well. I don’t think much will change about that in 2022.

10. Get on the Book Series train

If you’re a fiction author, a series is your straightest path to success. According to K-Lytics, which publishes reports on a variety of genre fiction books, series in fiction is almost a must if you want to build your success. If you don’t have a series yet, or haven’t branded your books as a series, you are leaving money on the table. One of the best ways to grow your revenue as a fiction author, is to produce a series.

11. Book Summary Platforms

As we continue to get busier, book summary platforms continue to grow and have had a big impact, in particular, with nonfiction books. Sites like Blinkist, Storyshots, and Instaread all build great subscriber bases with thoughtful, well-produced book summaries. If your book is nonfiction and you’re eager to find new ways to promote it, consider contacting some of these sites to find out what their submission process is like, because book summaries (much like serialization mentioned earlier) are only going to grow in popularity.

12. Video content

This goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: video is only going to get bigger in 2022. With sites like Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook and others – video is only getting bigger. In fact according to a recent post by Neal Schaeffer, customers retain 95% of information contained in videos. If that isn’t enough to sell you on adding video to your repertoire of marketing options, I don’t know what is. Short, impactful videos are best!

13. Get Creative with Virtual events (author events, book clubs, Meetups)

When in-person events got pulled in 2020, lots of authors went virtual which is fun and easy (you can do them from home!) but now that events are coming back, many authors are opting to do in-person with an in-store audience and also a livestream on Facebook, which makes the event that much more fun.

I think you’re going to see a lot of events, whether book club Meetups, libraries, etc. now have a virtual element attached to them.

14. Get Virtual Speaking

If you’ve ever wanted to grow your speaker career, now is the time. Conferences have changed the way they present to attendees, offering in-person and virtual options, so if traveling (and the cost of being away from your business) has kept you from focusing on your speaking career, now is the time to change that. As conferences and speaking opportunities come back online in 2022 and beyond, lots of new ways to be a speaker will present themselves!

15. Amazon ads

I know this platform is challenging for the new author, but absolutely make it your goal to learn how to manage ads – or hire someone to do it for you! Amazon ads are crucial to enhancing your visibility – and it’s not just about running ads, but the optimization that you get through Amazon ads will continue to grow in 2022. Amazon is also going to expand their offerings to indie authors, too. They recently launched Brand ads, which is great if you have three or more books out – and I believe in 2022 we’re going to see more ad types offered via the KDP dashboard so get versed on this dashboard now, so you can be ready to expand your book marketing into different ad types.

16. Amazon ads will begin appearing in Google’s search stream

I know that Amazon is experimenting with this, though I don’t know to what degree they are ready to launch it, but Amazon is going to start using their ad platform to dig into Google’s search. So knowing how to run and manage Amazon ads is going to be crucial.

17. Direct Reader Connection

We know it’s important to be able to reach your reader directly, but even more so in 2022 as readers become even more brand loyal. If you haven’t started to build your reader tribe via your newsletter, it’s a good time to start focusing on that in your book marketing strategy.

18. Collaborative marketing between authors

Instead of competition, I see more collaboration and I think for the right set of authors, this can really be a goldmine. You don’t have to overthink this! You might want to start by doing a newsletter swap, or just taking turns sharing another author’s eBook price discounts on your social media feeds. Collaboration between the right set of authors – is going to be a great way to drive fan interest to new titles and authors.

19. Podcasts

I’ve written a lot about podcasts so I know I don’t need to elaborate on this one too much, but podcasts continue to gain traction- both having one and pitching yourself to one. But before you jump headlong into creating your own podcast, make sure that you really want to, because so few podcasts really succeed. Much like blogging, authors jump on this bandwagon eager to get their own podcast, but then fail to produce enough content to drive interest. Instead, keep an eye out for great podcasts to be featured on, because the interest in audio content is only going to grow in 2022!

20. Your Author Brand

Now more than ever, it’s important to fine-tune your author brand. Readers are brand loyal – and your brand will either pull them in, or discourage them. Whether you know it or not, your brand is telling your reader about you – do you like what it’s saying? As more books are published, your author brand will continue to be an important part of your book marketing efforts.

21. Book editions

I mentioned print books being popular, and eBooks continuing to grow in popularity, but have you ever considered large print editions (which is helpful to get into libraries) or hard cover editions of your book – maybe sold exclusively on your website autographed by authors?

Considering all of your options when it comes to publishing – and this includes audio versions of your books, because so often I see authors leaving money on the table because their book isn’t in a format that the reader prefers. There are a lot of easy ways to get different editions out there, and in 2022 you should consider your reader, what they want – and what you need to do to give it to them in your book marketing approach.

22. Fail fast

When it comes to book marketing and publishing, if you’re going to fail, fail fast. By that I mean, don’t sit around and wait for someone to nudge you into changing your book cover, rewriting your book description, or taking your book down to polish it again. The faster you fix a fail, the faster you will succeed. I saw a lot of this in 2021 and I think in the next year we’re going to see even more authors move through failure (and into success) more quickly. Now, more than ever, there are a lot of options out there to redo projects, book covers, book descriptions, even book titles. Don’t let a bad book launch pull you down, move quickly to fix it – because in the new year (and with all the new competition you’ll face) you don’t want any subpar projects pulling you away from your success.

I hope you enjoyed these book marketing predictions, and maybe even got inspired to work on a few of them in the new year!

Resources and Free Downloads

Articles cited in blog: Trends Transforming The Publishing Industry Outlook In 2022 and The Top 34 Video Marketing Statistics for 2022

Bonus Holiday Sales Strategies

How Can I Sell More Books

Monthly Book Marketing Planner

Book Marketing Plan: Why Audio is the Next Big Thing in Book Promotion

Check out our Book Marketing Tips & Author Success Podcast

Check out the Alliance of Independent Authors for news and resources

The post 22 Awesome Book Marketing Promotions and Predictions for 2022 appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

It’s easy to become overwhelmed when launching a new book. It can become all-consuming until the point where it seems your entire world revolves around this one book. But, fear not! It doesn’t have to be this way.

Learn from my experience and find a way to have a successful book launch, and still have a life. Your job, family commitments and whatever else in your daily life don’t have to prevent you from book marketing– or from being a successful author. This is especially important during this time of year, when family and holidays should be your main focus. You just have to be prepared to plan ahead.

The best book marketing is done over time, meaning that you plan to do a few things a month to keep your book in front of new readers, and keep your book promotion alive. Book promotion and marketing takes time, but it doesn’t have to take all of your time. You still can have a life outside of your launch!

When it comes to launching your new book, planning is key, as well as being honest with yourself about how much you can do (or want to do).Tackle the things you love and outsource the rest. If outsourcing isn’t in the budget, then plan to spend some time learning, or set the strategy aside for now until you have time.

Let me know if you found these tips about how to launch your next book helpful down in the comment section below. I’d love to hear form you!

Resources and Free Downloads

Are You Ready for Big Media Coverage

Reader Profile Brainstorm

22 Must-Have Resources for Book Marketers in 2022

Unique Author Branding and Content Ideas Using December Observances

Check out our Podcast

Check out Jane Friedman’s site, she’s an excellent resource

The post How to Launch Your Book and Still Have A Life appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

The Secret to Selling More Books, is a recap of “Why Gratitude Marketing is the Secret Sauce to Success and More Book Sales,” a recent episode on our Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast.

We delve deeper into our discussion about this important topic for authors trying to figure out the ins and outs of gratitude marketing, so be sure to download and listen to the show for all the details, recommendations and considerations!

Gratitude is a huge piece of being a successful author. And we’re not just talking about saying thank you- we’re talking about appreciation marketing, reader gratitude, vendor gratitude, all of it!

Because yes, we talk about book marketing and that’s all important, but book marketing speaks at people, while gratitude or appreciation marketing speaks with people.

In this post, we’re going to breakdown appreciation marketing, and talk about some of the things you can do not only for readers, but also for the people you work with.

Keeping the Right Perspective with Gratitude Marketing

What I mean is, books typically aren’t expensive, they’re not high ticket items in the big scheme of things, and I think that’s why a lot of authors get so frustrated when sales are lagging. But instead of the price point, think about what you’re really asking for.

You’re asking for their time. In most cases many hours of their time!

Honestly, my time is so much more valuable to me than $20, so when I’m introduced to a new title or author and I’m thinking about whether or not to buy it, the biggest deciding factor is if I have time to read it. This is also a good time to remind everyone why timing matters, and why consistency in marketing matters.

Maybe I land on a book page on a day where I’m just overwhelmed with everything on my plate – I won’t be buying a book that day. But the next time I see the book on say, a BookBub email, if I’m in a better place mentally, I may snag it!

Acknowledge Those Who Acknowledge You

One of maybe the easiest things to check off your list is to acknowledge anyone who featured you this year. For those who did a review on their blog, or featured you on their social media– send a handwritten thank you note. This is such a lost art and I love doing handwritten notes.

Being memorable is important, and these small but meaningful efforts are key for establishing a positive working relationship with thought leaders, and they’ll really make a difference when you go back to that person for your next release.

You don’t want to just hit up bloggers and such when you need something. Make sure that you acknowledge and thank them for their contribution to your success- this is so important.

And don’t forget, you can (and should) always show your gratitude by supporting their platform as well. So share their site on social, in your newsletter, sign up for their newsletter, follow their social accounts, help support what they do.

Don’t Forget The People You Work With

Think about your cover person, who was tremendously helpful, or your editor that you love so much, or whoever you’ve worked with.

We naturally want to support and prioritize people who we have positive relationships with, and gratitude is at the top of the list for creating a positive working relationship. I’ll be honest, I am ten times more likely to bend over backwards and look for special opportunities for clients who have positive attitudes and show their appreciation for our team’s time and efforts. We’ve sent clients opportunities long after their campaigns closed when they were awesome to work with!

And Finally, Readers and Gratitude Marketing

So let’s dig into readers now, because we could all use more of those, too. And reader gratitude can be all sorts of things, so I know we’re going to run through some ideas – but I think it’s important to remember your readers with a little something – like offering to send autographed book plates to anyone who bought your book, even an eBook, because readers love these.

Swag rocks! Everyone LOVES a surprise. We have decals now that say “Ask Me About My Book” that can go on your laptop, your water bottle, car window, anywhere you want to strike up a conversation about your book, and they weren’t crazy expensive but they’re so “on brand” for us and people love them.

I think it’s worth mentioning here that gratitude marketing doesn’t always have to be about sending readers something, sometimes it’s just about saying a ‘thank you’ when someone shares your post, or a response when someone sends you a DM on social media.

The trend here with all these ideas is a willingness to get creative, and your attitude. If your path to success includes the others around you, it will make all the difference in the world.

Resources and Free Downloads

Check Out More Episodes of Our Podcast

Blog Outreach Tracker

How Can I Sell More Books

22 Must-Have Resources for Book Marketers in 2022

Check out the IBPA for publishing industry news

The post The Secret to Selling More Books: Book Marketing Podcast Recap appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

I don’t know about you, but I love great resources – so for all you serious book marketers out there, this list is for you! And I’ve done lists like this before, but this year I decided to create something a bit different.

This year I’m digging into resources, but I also included some fun check lists, and even a link to our free book marketing planner to help kick the new year off right.

Though I’ve tried to be thorough (without creating a list that was too overwhelming) please let me know in the comments if there’s a resource you love that didn’t make this list!

Author Learning and Publishing Industry Resources

1.     Jane Friedman

A combination of publishing tips and marketing advice, this blog is not one to miss. Jane also offers classes and her HotSheet newsletter (a paid subscription). We love it, it’s jam-packed full of industry news, marketing trends, and other insights book marketers will love. @JaneFriedman

2.     Anne R Allen

Anne gives so much back to this industry, it’s hard to know where to start when recommending her blog. She’s been voted one of Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites for Writers. Ann also updates her blog weekly and includes regular contributions from former Big Six editor, Ruth Harris. @annerallen 

3.     IBPA – Independent Book Publishers Association

I love this organization and I’ve been a member of IBPA for as long as I can remember. Created for both authors and publishers, this organization is a fantastic resource for any indie author! They offer monthly webinars, informative e-newsletters and a print magazine, all for one low-yearly membership fee. They also have a yearly conference that’s being held both in-person and virtually in 2022! @IBPA

4.     ALLI – Alliance of Independent Authors

Another great organization for authors to join is ALLI, the Alliance of Independent Authors has several great resources include a newsletter, a super active and helpful blog, webinars and their writers conference- which I highly recommend! They also vet all of their vendors and book promotion information, so they’ve basically done all of the work for you! @IndieAuthorALLI

5.     Midwest Book Review

Midwest Book Review always gives back and they’re definitely a site worth checking out in regards to book marketing. They’re a book review service, but they also have a fabulous newsletter, and if you’re looking for more, here’s a link to many (many) other places for savvy book marketers to dig into: http://www.midwestbookreview.com/links/othr_rev.htm.

6.     David Gaughran 

I’ve often wondered where super-savvy book marketer, David Gaughran finds the time to keep his blog up to date, write books, and stay on top of all things Amazon. His blog is packed with some great book promotion advice and he has several books out which I always recommend! @DavidGaughran 

7.     Helping Writers Become Authors

We’ve worked with K.M. Weiland several times and she’s one of our favorite authors. She offers a lot of information on her site, and also mentors authors through her blog, one of Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites for Writers. @KMWeiland

Website Tools for Savvy Book Marketers

8.     Neil Patel – My All-Star SEO Guy

If you’ve ever wanted to dig into keywords, or tackle some SEO for your website, this is our go-to guy for all things nerdy. His site is free, informative, and his newsletter is jam-packed with easy to implement website tips for better visibility. You do not have to be an expert to follow this guy or implement his tips. Nerd-adjacent authors welcome! @NeilPatel

Media Tools for Authors

9.     Talkwalker.com

When we pitch our authors to the media, they don’t always tell us when and where the author is featured, so we track them with media hits trackers like TalkWalker.com It’s really time to track your media hits, isn’t it? But this site goes even deeper, Talkwalker can show you any mention of your name, or book title on any blog, website, even a mention in the comments so you can track what’s being featured and written about you. @Talkwalker

10.  Top 100 Media Markets in the US

Why would you care about media markets? Well, if you’re pitching yourself to local media, this list will absolutely matter. Here’s a tip: if you are in a top 30 media market there’s a chance your local story could go national. And this is one of the many reasons why I love local media markets! Check the link above to find out where your local market sits in this top 100 list!

11.   Podcast Search

It seems like every author I talk to wants to get on a podcast, but where do you start? Well, this link is a great search tool. Just pop in your keyword and start digging. You’ll find more than enough podcasts to pitch yourself to!

Free Downloads and Quizzes

If you’re ready to put on your learning hat, then I’ve got some cool links and downloads for you. With everything from our monthly book marketing planner to our blog outreach tracker, you’ll be geared up and ready to meet your new year’s book promotion goals in no time!

12.   Monthly Book Marketing Planner

13.   Amazon Checklist

14.   Quarterly Amazon Planner

15.   Reader Profile Brainstorm

16.   Blog Outreach Tracker

17.   Social Media Quiz

18.  Why Isn’t Your Book Selling? Quiz

Book Awards

I love book awards but there’s always so much confusing information out there on the awards available to authors. Which ones are legit and which ones aren’t? It’s often a confusing process! ALLI (also recommended in the link above) has taken all the guesswork out of this process by creating this list of vetted book awards which includes their fees and links to submit your book.

19.   Book Awards for Self-Published Authors

Taming the Email Beast

20.  Sanebox

For years I’ve used Sanebox and love, love, love it so much. It’s basically an email filter on steroids. I use it to keep my inbox clean by forwarding messages to my future self. For example if there’s something I need to remind myself to do, or a link to check, instead of adding that to my to-do list, I can forward the email using a specific date. Sanebox also has a newsletter filter (super helpful if you get a lot of newsletter content). There’s also an inbox called “blackhole” where you can dump stuff you don’t want to see. @sanebox

Image and Design Sites

It seems like it’s all about imagery and video these days, isn’t it? The sites below are a mix of free places to get stock photos, and tools for creating vibrant, fun social media content!

21.   Unsplash, Stockvault, and Pexels

I’m listing these all as one item, but they’re all different sites to get some free images for your social media content!

22.  Canva

Canva which pretty much does all of your work for you. There’s a free version and a paid version. If you’re looking to up level your graphics game this year, look no farther than the ever-awesome Canva. @Canva

I hope this list is helpful and I’d love to know if there’s a resource you’ve love to share that I missed please feel free to post it in the comments!

Even More Free Resources and Downloads

Check Out Our Podcast

Update Your Author Platform with These 3 Easy Tips

Unique Author Branding and Content Ideas Using December Observances

The post 22 Must-Have Resources for Book Marketers in 2022 appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

I talk a lot about your author platform and how important it is. Your author platform is how your author persona shows up in the world and -unsurprisingly- it can impact your sales!

So, if you have spent some time on your author platform, but you know it needs some updating, or if this is your first time really considering this, I have good news: it’s a lot easier than you think.

Figure out something that really works for the kinds of books you write now, and the kind of vibe you want to put out there. Your website, social media, and book covers should match across the board. Author platforms rely on visuals just as much as the content you put out. It’s important to stay consistent and mindful about what you send to your readers or followers, because it’s all a reflection of you.

Even these three small, subtle changes can have a big impact on how readers perceive you, and how successful your book sales will be! Find more information on our infographic below.

I’m not saying you should delete your author platform and start from scratch- in fact, don’t! Implementing these tips gradually is perfect. Nothing happens overnight, so be prepared to make some simple changes and eventually you will see results.

Let me know if these tips helped or if you have any other author platform tips of your own. I’d love to hear more about them down in the comment section!

Resources and Free Downloads

How Can I Sell More Books

Monthly Book Marketing Planner

Blog Outreach Tracker

Unique Author Branding and Content Ideas Using December Observances

How to Market a Book Using ARCs: What They Are and Why You Need Them

Check out our Podcast

Check out KM Weiland’s site, she’s an excellent resource

The post Update Your Author Platform with These 3 Easy Tips appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

It’s time to run through our December observances and unique author brand enhancements and content ideas for your monthly book marketing plan!

Without a regular connection to readers, you’re just another book on the shelf.

Take the time to make yourself stand out by using our monthly observances and tips to create interesting content with your own unique twist.

This is part of really refining your author brand!

Timely content that uses popular and trending search terms and hashtags is a great way to enhance your visibility and improve SEO in a very simple way.

And what’s really key: content ideas don’t always have to stem from your genre or topic.

When it comes to author marketing and building an author brand, ensuring that your fans and followers have ways to connect with you on a more personal level is as powerful as speaking about your genre and topic.

How to Use My Content Ideas

Below are holidays and just plain wacky and fun December observances for 2021.

I’ve also included a few content ideas and angles to help spark your creativity and help you wrap your mind around how to work them into your author branding.

Not all of these are worth an entire blog post or article, but nearly all of them can be turned into a fun or thought-provoking social media post or blurb in your newsletter – so it’s like getting triple the ideas!

There are always a lot of holidays around food, drink, and cooking, so get ready to share recipes or tag local fave establishments and ask followers to share theirs. The same goes for activities: this is a great chance to take selfies and/or to share a bit about yourself outside of being a writer.

These also open up opportunities for you to make recommendations for products – no, not official ads, but again, people love to follow someone who’s a great resource. Think outside the box to come up with ways you can help people out and make their lives easier or more exciting.

Keep in mind: ALL of your posts should encourage your fans and followers to respond, chime in, share their feedback, insight, stories, etc. Don’t forget to work that angle: let them know you want to hear from them!

Also remember: Your goal is to encourage engagement – never post flat content; be creative with how you pull others into the conversation and offer ways for them to easily engage.

Giving yourself a bar to reach is the first step to upping your author branding game.

Do polls, giveaways, fan art contests: remember to make it about your readers – not about you – and you’re guaranteed to see better engagement.

If you need some additional support on how to translate these ideas into actual content and posts, consider signing up for email coaching with me and we’ll get personal!

And don’t forget to grab our Monthly Book Marketing Planner from the Free Resources and Downloads section at the end of this post.

Getting Started with December Observances

Start with these month-long ideas! Several offer opportunities to support a cause close to your heart by sharing stories, raising awareness, and/or giving your followers ways to donate money, time, and love to your favorite issues.

Bingo Month

Safe Toys and Gifts Month

World Food Service Safety Month

Write a Friend Month

Read a New Book Month- I think you know what to do here!

December Observances by the Day

December 1

Eat a Red Apple Day

World Aids Awareness Day

December 2

National Fritters Day

December 3

National Roof over Your Head Day

December 4

Santa’s’ List Day – we hope you are on the “Nice” list!

Wear Brown Shoes Day- This is an opportunity for you to show off your personal style. Take it as seriously (or not so seriously) as you want and encourage your readers to share their favorite pair of brown shoes too!

December 5

Bathtub Party Day

Repeal Day – The 21st Amendment ends Prohibition. I’ll drink to that! Share your favorite cocktail recipe.

December 6

Bartender Appreciation Day – in Europe

St. Nicholas Day

Mitten Tree Day

Put on your own Shoes Day

December 7

International Civil Aviation Day

Letter Writing Day- We all want to feel connected during the holidays, and writing letters is a beautiful way to tell someone you’re thinking of them. Encourage your readers to send a letter to an old friend, family member, or anyone else in need of some holiday cheer.

National Cotton Candy Day

Pearl Harbor Day

December 8

National Brownie Day

Take it in the Ear Day- No one really knows where this holiday came from, but let’s use it as an excuse to communicate with each other! What’s something you’ve been wanting to tell your readers? Maybe ask if there’s anything they would like to say to you. Open up your ears and get the conversation flowing!

December 9

Christmas Card Day

National Pastry Day

December 10

Human Rights Day

Nobel Prize Day

Dewey Decimal System Day (Melville Dewey’s birthday)

December 11

National Noodle Ring Day

December 12

International Children’s Day

National Ding-a-Ling Day

Poinsettia Day

December 13

Ice Cream Day

Violin Day

December 14

International Monkey Day

National Bouillabaisse Day

Roast Chestnuts Day

U.K. National Postal Worker Day

December 15

Bill of Rights Day

National Lemon Cupcake Day

December 16

National Chocolate Covered Anything Day- Get creative with a poll asking what item is best covered in chocolate! Or what items should never be…

Jane Austen’s Birthday

December 17

National Maple Syrup Day

December 18

Bake Cookies Day

National Roast Suckling Pig Day

December 19

Look for an Evergreen Day

Oatmeal Muffin Day

December 20

Go Caroling Day

December 21

Crossword Puzzle Day- Create a fun crossword of your own to share with your readers! Make the answers about you, or about your book for a creative way to share information. Perhaps create a giveaway for the first few people to send you the completed puzzle!

Forefather’s Day

Humbug Day

Look on the Bright Side Day

National Flashlight Day

Winter Solstice – the shortest day of the year, date varies.

Celebrate Short Fiction Day – The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. Why not celebrate with some of your favorite short stories?

December 23

Roots Day

December 24

National Chocolate Day

National Egg Nog Day

December 25

Christmas Day

National Pumpkin Pie Day

December 26

National Candy Cane Day

December 27

Make Cut Out Snowflakes Day

National Fruitcake Day- The debate about fruitcake will never be over! Have your readers weigh-in with their opinion on this controversial dessert.

December 28

Boxing Day – date can vary

Card Playing Day

December 29

Pepper Pot Day

December 30

Bacon Day

National Bicarbonate of Soda Day

December 31

Make Up Your Mind Day

New Year’s Eve- Setting goals for the new year is a wonderful way to stay real with your audience. Also take a moment to reflect back on 2021, and celebrate! There are no goals too small to be recognized and it’s nice to start a new year off on a positive note.

Unlucky Day

The Takeaway

Remember, being an author demands creativity, and it also demands authenticity when developing a marketing plan to support your author brand.

Coming up with unique content ideas for authors as part of your marketing plan is a great way to take your success seriously, without taking yourself too seriously! And these December observances should really help.

Resources and Free Downloads

Monthly Book Marketing Planner

Bonus Holiday Sales Strategies

5 Surprisingly Simple Book Marketing Tips to Help You Stand Out From the Competition

How to Market Your Book with Reviews to Get Stronger Engagement

Check out our Podcast

Check out Jane Friedman’s site, she’s an excellent resource

The post Unique Author Branding and Content Ideas Using December Observances appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Why Some Goals Never Work and the Problem with Brainstorming, is a recap of a recent episode on our Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast.

We delve deeper into our discussion about this important topic for authors trying to figure out the ins and outs of marketing, so be sure to download and listen to the show for all the details, recommendations and considerations!

We see a lot of authors that tend to focus on the wrong things. I adore goal setting, and I’ve read tons of books on the topic, so this is sort of a real sweet spot for me.

It’s easy to get caught up in “all the things” because we all want to assume we’re going to finally figure out what sells more books or guarantees more reviews or secures more media attention. And if often feels like you have to do all of it at once, because there’s such an urgency to all of it, right?

We’re told to get busy with our marketing, but the issue is that brainstorming lots and lots of things, isn’t really action, in fact it’s inaction.

How to Effectively Brainstorm

At the end of the day, brainstorming makes us feel productive, and if we’re being honest, it’s usually a hell of a lot more fun than actually getting started on the work.

So, in the context of brainstorming and goals, let’s kind of break this down – because one thing that I see goes hand in hand with brainstorming are vague, undefined goals. And I see a lot of authors email us saying they want to be a bestseller, which is a great goal, but it’s also super vague. The reality is effective brainstorming should also produce clear next steps to take.

Every big goal has a ton of smaller goals, meaning that to get to that movie deal on Netflix, or that bestseller status, you really have to focus on the small goals, the incremental steps to get you from point A to point Z.

Marketing Goals

This is why we created our downloadable Monthly Book Marketing Planner, because a lot of authors ask us, “What do I do next?” and getting things written down and planned out a few months in advance is one of the most straightforward ways to really see how actions and goals build off each other.

Production Goals

You can’t forget how important the production is as well, to include your editing, your interior and cover design, and your book description. I still can’t believe how many authors don’t perfect their description with a professional copy editor or marketing person prior to the release.

Then you want to consider what your building blocks are to success. So every goal, or most goals, have other micro goals that help drive them, too and as you’re building your list, it’s good to remember that so you allocate enough time to take these actions.

Time Considerations

Success is a marathon, not a sprint.

So developing a marketing plan that creates a visual timeline of each step along the way will not only help you reach your goals, it’s a smart, productive way to stay focused and keep your expectations in check.

I also want to say that if you create these micro goals and you achieve them, it creates a momentum to keep pushing you forward.

We really hope this was enlightening, and perhaps it diverted some of you from getting trapped in an endless brainstorm of what you could be doing for your book, or what you hope to achieve, and instead convinced you it’s time to commit to next steps, the small steps that really end up making a difference. Make sure to listen to our full episode on our Book Marketing Podcast!

Resources and Free Downloads

Monthly Book Marketing Planner

Are You Ready for Big Media Coverage

Check out our Podcast

Check out the IBPA for publishing industry news

The post Why Some Goals Never Work and the Problem with Brainstorming: Book Marketing Podcast Recap appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

When it comes to how to market a book, there’s a lot of industry “jargon” – like the term ARC’s and Galleys. And what’s even more confusing is how and when to use them.

The idea behind this blog post is to discuss what they are, and how to use them. First off, let’s discuss what an ARC is.

ARCs and Galleys Explained

The term ARC stands for Advanced Review Copy. Galley essentially means the same thing but you’ll often see these two terms used interchangeably.

The term “Galley copy” is usually reserved for books that are still in the editing phase, meaning this version is maybe only 60% ready to go – it’s probably lacking a run-through by the author and needs one more content pass by an editorial team.

ARCs, however, are generally 80% ready to go and can be used for early promotion, when the final book isn’t “final” yet and when you’re doing early pitching. ARCs are often used for pre-publication review mailing, media mailing, long-lead bloggers, etc.

Do you always need to have ARC’s done to market your book? The answer is: it depends. But we’ll cover the ins and outs of using advanced review copies or when you might want to skip them altogether.

What an Advanced Review Copy Should Look Like

As I mentioned above, these early copies of your book are generally versions that are 80% complete, meaning you probably have one more line edit to go through, the cover isn’t final – in some cases you may not have a cover at all. Check out this example of a Harry Potter book:

The term “uncorrected proof” or “advanced review copy is often added to the front of the book, and in some cases if there’s a tentative cover mockup, some publishers or authors may opt to add this to the cover:

If your book is non-fiction, I’d suggest that the table of contents (TOC) is close to the final, if not the final.

The book layout may not be final either, so if you’re producing ARC’s, don’t worry if it’s not the final, typeset version. But it should have a good layout, even if it’s in Word, so chapter breaks, page numbers, etc. Ideally if you aren’t creating an ARC with a semi-final book layout, your ARC interior should look at close to the final as you can get it, without having it professionally laid out in time to send early copies.

Print ARC’s vs. Digital

Generally when we do early pitching for authors, we tend to use both. So we’ll have an electronic copy on hand for those who wish to get it that way, and a print copy for any mailings we’re doing.

If you’ve already created the outline for the printed ARC, creating a digital copy shouldn’t be that hard. Your digital copy can be a PDF, it doesn’t always have to be an ePub file.

Creating Advanced Review Copies

If you’re traditionally published, your publisher will already have a plan to create these. If you’re with a hybrid or indie publisher – or a small, boutique house, they may not plan to create advanced review copies, so it’ll be your job to remind them, and if they’re unwilling to do it, then it’ll be your job to create these.

If you’re creating these on your own, you can easily do them at a copy shop – granted they won’t be cheap, but also not so pricey that you can’t add this to your marketing budget. If you’re working with a copy shop, ask them for tape binding, make the advanced review copy as close to the final book as you can, in terms of binding. Though things like spiral binding is often cheaper, it’s harder to mail so it’ll cost you more to do so.

How many copies should you print up? Don’t skimp on this step either. Better to have too many (we’ll talk about how to use any extras in a moment) than have to go back and reprint two or three more.

Make sure you know how many you’ll need and then add a few to that number. Count up the media you want to mail them to, and add five on top of that. Again you can always use the remainder later.

Advanced Review Copies: What goes on the back?

While it’s fine to create an advanced review copy without a final cover, you’ll want to add your book description, author bio and any early blurbs to the back cover. As you’ll see from the sample below, there’s also room to add the promotion, which media and bookstores will always want to see. What else are you doing to promote your book? Add it to the back cover. I’ve also seen ARC’s with it on the front, too – there is no hard and fast rule. If you have lots of early blurbs to cram on the back, awesome (and lucky you!), so you can add your promotional plan to the front!

How to Market a Book – Early: What’s the Ideal Timing When You’re Using ARC’s

I generally use advanced review copies for early media and pre-publication reviews, as well as some long-lead bloggers and online media. I’ll mail these out early to get them into their cue early, but also to make sure they get the book ahead of their own magazine deadline or story cut off. You’ll also want to send some early copies to bookstores that you’re pitching for stocking consideration or events. And if you’d like some early blurbs and reviews, ARC’s work really well for that, too!

Typically advanced review copies are used six months out, and sometimes longer if you’re working with a publishing house.

But timing varies depending on who you are going after. In prior blog posts, for example, I’ve talked about identifying magazine deadlines using their online calendars to see when issues close. But if you’re pitching media, let’s say a morning show – and you’re targeting them for the holiday market or some other big monthly observance, like Breast Cancer Awareness Month, know that even morning shows which don’t always have long lead times, often do when it comes to big events like this. I’ve had producers tell me that, for example, they were already lining up their guests for Breast Cancer Awareness in the Spring or earlier. So if you aspire to bigger media, and getting these hits to line up with your publication day/week, you’ll want to start early.

Media and Blogger Follow Up

If you’ve done your early pitching with ARC’s, be sure to follow up with the final cover, and final book once you have it. This is especially true if you’ve secured a placement on a blog, media portal, magazine or show.

Can’t I Just Use My Final Book?

We pitch media and bloggers all the time with a final book, just know that if you are waiting till you’re a month away from release day, you may not get a lot of on-publication day exposure. And to be candid, 90% of our authors come to us on top of their publication date, so we’re often working with final books.

But if you have enough of a window to get copies our early, you can really start to spike your reviews, media hits, and sales, very early.

What Do You Do with Leftover ARC’s?

Here’s a little known secret about the publishing industry: ARC’s can be like gold. I’ve seen some sell on eBay for $15,000 – yes, you read right. Because such a limited number of these are printed, fans really love these! Now, I’m not suggesting you try to sell them on eBay, but why not offer a signed ARC to your most dedicated fans? It’s a great way to say “thanks for being a fan” and will make your readers feel super special!

Advanced Review Copies can be a great way market your book early and start reaching out to the busiest of media, bloggers, bookstores and reviewers!

Have you used ARC’s to promote your book? Let me know in the comments how you used them!

Resources and Free Downloads

How Can I Sell More Books

Blog Outreach Tracker

Check Out Our Podcast

Check out the IBPA for publishing industry news

The post How to Market a Book Using ARCs: What They Are and Why You Need Them appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..