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    Write. Market. Succeed.
    Write. Market. Succeed.
    Write. Market. Succeed.
    Ebook161 pages1 hour

    Write. Market. Succeed.

    By Nicolette Lemmon

    ()

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    About this ebook

    A Step-By-Step Guide for How to Successfully Market You & Your Book for Aspiring and Published Authors.

     

    The marketing playbook by Nicolette Lemmon is based on her expertise in running a marketing consulting firm for over thirty years and Marketing Network Groups for writers. The premise is that writing and publishing books is a business, and all businesses need good marketing strategy to be successful.

     

    Many authors have no experience with marketing or the tools and techniques to sell more books. This marketing playbook provides simple checklists and examples to create a marketing plan, develop a target reader profile, author brand, website, promotional campaigns, budget, presentation tips, and evaluation techniques.

     

    There is also a 20-minute marketing audit worksheet for authors to help focus time, talent, and treasure to move forward with their writing business. There are also three questions at the end of each chapter to give the reader "homework" and ensure they understand the content presented.

     

    If you have limited or no experience with marketing, you will find the tools and techniques you need to sell more books. It's easy to read and offers steps to help you prepare the marketing and promotion whether you are independently or traditionally published. Even if you haven't published a book yet, you'll want to get started with marketing to jumpstart your first book launch.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNicolette Lemmon
    Release dateSep 13, 2023
    ISBN9780965088053
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      Book preview

      Write. Market. Succeed. - Nicolette Lemmon

      Write. Market. Succeed.

      An Author’s Marketing Playbook

      Nicolette Lemmon

      Lemmon Publishing Group

      Contents

      Title Page

      Introduction: A Quick Story!

      Chapter 1: Getting Started – Is Writing a Business or Hobby

      Chapter 2: Start by Defining Your Goals

      Chapter 3: The Author Brand to Support Your Writing Dream

      Chapter 4: Building Your Author Success Plan

      Chapter 5: Getting Started on Your Marketing Plan

      Chapter 6: Your Marketing Tool Chest

      Chapter 7: Your Promotional Campaign for Book Sales

      Chapter 8: Promoting Your Book from the Stage

      Chapter 9: Content Marketing Tips to Build Your Outreach

      Chapter 10: Positioning Yourself for Ongoing Success

      Chapter 11: 20-Minute Author Marketing Audit

      Chapter 12: Help with Next Steps

      Bonus: The Ease of Using Artificial Intelligence (AI)

      About the Author

      Acknowledgements

      Bibliography

      Copyright © 2023 Nicolette Lemmon

      All rights reserved.

      A logo for a fishing company Description automatically generated

      Printed in the United States of America

      Disclaimer

      The information and viewpoints in this book are those of Nicolette Lemmon. As the owner of a marketing agency for over 35 years, the intention of this marketing handbook is to share key marketing processes and ideas to enable authors to successfully promote and sell their book(s).

      During the writing and editing of this handbook, every attempt has been made to verify the information, examples and customer stories provided to illustrate ways to effectively create author marketing. Neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretations of the subject matter herein. The views expressed are based on the author’s personal experiences within the corporate world, education, and everyday life.

      This book is for guiding authors in their understanding of marketing only. The views expressed are those of the author alone and should not be taken as expert instruction or commands. The reader is responsible for his or her future action. This book makes no guarantees of future success. However, by following the steps that are listed in this book, the ability to market your book(s) successfully has a much higher probability. Neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility or liability on behalf of the purchaser or reader of these materials.

      Introduction: A Quick Story!

      Why were you attracted to this workbook? Whether you aspire to be published or are already a published author, if your idea of success is selling hundreds or thousands of books with adoring readers, and watching money roll in, it boils down to understanding the business of writing. While you must write a great fiction novel or non-fiction book, after writing is a profession and a business, there is one critical element: Marketing.

      Years ago, I joined a group for mystery writers and was excited to meet other members. When I sat down at a table, one man introduced himself and handed me a flyer about his book. I asked how many he had sold so far, and he answered, about 100. Another author introduced herself and handed me a printed bookmark that had her book cover and description on it. To others at the table, I asked how many books each had written as well as how many had been sold.

      Then, the nosy marketer side of me asked what they were doing to sell more books. For example, how many people were on their email lists.

      All looked at me like deer in headlights.

      As the owner of a marketing firm for decades, it was clear these authors as well as other aspiring authors, self-published or traditionally published authors, most often have no clue about marketing. Some writers come from backgrounds in government, education, medicine, or other careers where they were never exposed to the elements of marketing. Most believed that a publisher would market their book.

      Here are three things I learned from stepping into the writer’s world:  

      First, many writers/authors are not comfortable with marketing because they do not know where to start or know little about the process and strategies. Second, if an author is traditionally published or seeking to be, they believe the publisher will do all the marketing. Third, most writers are not prepared to fund, or expect to fund, marketing and advertising to generate book sales.

      According to an article by Berrett-Koehler Publishers²  , most book marketing today is done by authors, not by publishers. And according to Publishers Weekly, the average book in the United States has sold less than 200 copies per year and fewer than 1,000 copies in its lifetime.³  In addition, Amazon has made it easier than ever to upload a manuscript as an e-book. The numbers have escalated to over twelve million eBooks on Amazon⁴ with millions more uploaded every year.

      With millions of eBooks available in the marketplace, there is also a huge backlog of existing books to add to the mix. That means there is incredible competition for a reader’s attention. Whether traditionally or independently published, to sell books, you need to create an author brand and platform to engage readers and fans – an Author Success Plan.

      From my long career in running a marketing agency and presenting workshops in a variety of industries, I found myself helping friends in writing groups to better understand how to promote their books.

      A person giving a presentation to a group of people Description automatically generated

      In recent years I have presented writers workshops and tailored my marketing expertise into quick start strategy, tools, and tips for author branding and book sales. Several authors requested a workbook, so I tailored this handbook to help authors, regardless of their backgrounds, with a step-by-step process to promote and sell more books. Having often been asked for a workbook, I pulled together this one to support the busy writer who needs a jumpstart for their marketing.  

      The following pages offer an easy guide to treating writing as a business and the books are your products you create. Check out the 3 Action Steps at the end of each chapter to help you move forward to build your book marketing. If you follow the guidance in this handbook, and complete the action steps, you will have a marketing plan that will propel sales.

      The key is to use the ideas in this handbook to work their magic for your success.

      Chapter 1: Getting Started – Is Writing a Business or Hobby

      Choosing Your Path

      Do you consider writing a business or a hobby? If you are not clear, here is a quiz to find out:

      Are you writing to get a fiction novel or non-fiction book published?

      Is getting your story or message read by lots of people the main goal?

      Do you want to make money from your writing?

      Do you regularly take courses, attend webinars, listen to podcasts, and read newsletters to sharpen your writing skills?

      Do you want to be traditionally published?

      Are you looking to independently publish on Amazon or another indie platform?

      If you answered YES to 4 or more of the above questions, you have indicated you want more from your writing than merely to have it sit on your computer.

      If you are striving to get your stories or expertise into the world, you are acting more like a businessperson than a hobbyist.

      It is important to determine your motivation for writing. Over the last several years, Amazon has made it easier than ever to upload a manuscript as an eBook. Therefore, the hobbyist can upload an eBook and give family and friends a place to buy it. 

      If you are an author who wants to earn money by selling lots of your books, you are considering it a business. Every business requires marketing to sell its products or services, and the same applies to selling books. Marketing is a critical skillset to your writing business success.

      A study suggests that of the millions of books carried in Barnes and Noble stores, less than 20% sell more than 1,000 copies. The Pareto Rule of 80/20 holds true with only 20% of the traditionally published authors selling more than 2,000 copies. Even the average indie published author makes around $1,000 per year according to The Guardian⁶. That’s including many authors who have multiple books and a huge list of fans. In fact, nearly a third of the indie published authors made less than $500 a year and 90% of books sold less than 100 copies.⁶

      ​The key to achieving more success is an Author Success Plan and consistent, ongoing marketing. Those best-selling authors who make six figures spend their time, talent, and treasure to achieve remarkable results. One of my writer friends has earned over half a million dollars as an indie author and she spends an hour per day on her book marketing. 

      ​It is achievable to have success in your writing business with focus and

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