Regardless of whether you decide to go the traditional publishing or self-publishing route, you will need to create a marketing plan. You'll actually need to create one for each book. Gone are the days when publishing houses would sink money into advertising every author they publish. Unless you are an already known entity (James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks, Stephen King, Nora Roberts etc.) you have to do the work yourself.
Some publishers even ask you to submit a marketing plan with your query, synopsis and manuscript. They want to see proof you will work for them (promotion), not the other way around.
I’ll be honest. I’ve never created a marketing plan. I’ve been researching them online so I can create my own. I have been generally dissatisfied with the information I found. However, I do want to share three promising posts on the subject.
If you’ve found some great references or don’t mind sharing your own marketing plan, please leave a link in the comments.
Happy writing and good luck marketing!
22 comments:
Oh, Wow! My husband requested I write one for him, just to show my seriousness about my writing. Instead, I devised a plan on how I was going to accomplish on publishing my first book. The writing of one is much easier. The book that is.
Shelly - what you did is a good idea as well. Anything you can do to help yourself visualize and achieve success is well worth the effort!
I'm not sure about self publishing fiction stuff. I want someone else to tell me it's worht publishing as I've seen some cringeworthy examples of 'Delusions of Grandeur' out there, though I am aware that there are always exceptions to the rule. :O)
Thanks for that, very useful. Carole.
I think this is what really scares me about being published, whether doing it myself or going with a publisher.
Hi!
Those links are great and full of info. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day!
Sherrie
Just Books
http://sherriesbooks.blogspot.com/2011/04/to-z-blogging-challenge-m.html
Thank you, I will bookmark this!
Heres to success! Thanks for the marketing material, Sylvia.
I'm epublishing on my own and will be posting a lot of marketing info on my blogs and during my blog tour. I think marketing is a blast.
Whew, I've been working on a marketing plan aw well. Thanks for the helpful links.
I love how creative marketing can become. And, I feel as though learning how to blog effectively is a sound exercise in marketing. Making connections, putting ourselves out there, even though the product is a blog, not a book. (Yet, anyway!)
Very interesting post. I plan to self publish my cookbooks one day and know it will mean lots of marketing.
Wow, I've never even thought of a marketing plan! Definitely something worth taking the time to work on, although I kind of have to finish a novel first. :)
By the way, I'm having a little contest on my blog if you're interested!
Many thanks for the links, especially the Creative Penn which I have bookmarked for more through reading as it seems excellent!
Creative Penn has great stuff - so helpful. I@ve bookmarked this page for all the links. Thanks for this - its a bit pants that we have to do it all ourselves now - but we do get more freedom in publishing than we ever did I suppose (says someone writing her first book ;D). Shah at wordsinsync.blogspot.com
this is blissful for all writers.
well done.
I found some great tutorials and a template for business plans and marketing plans at the small business administration. I did do both, and now find that I am modifying the plan as new things open up or I discover them. It is not as hard as you might think if you have a template and instructions. Once I looked at my market, that helped me drill into my keywords and that leads to better SEO. Great post.
I can say only thank you fr sharing links.I really liked your blog!
Marketing Letters
This is great information! Maybe one day I will publish a book about my birth doulaing experiences. :)
Writing is a difficult way to bring bread to the table. Yet marketing is still an essential part. And if you play your cards well, you may not end up with just one loaf!
- Staci Burruel
Why have you been dissatisfied with the information you found? Thanks for the promising posts on the subjects! We wish you a happy writing! And can offer proficient essay help required for any academic needs.
I can create my own. I have been generally dissatisfied with the information I found. However, I do want to share three promising posts on the subject. http://www.bestatsresume.com/easy-steps-to-a-perfect-resume-keyword-optimization/
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