Launching 1000 Books

Please join me as I talk with Tara R. Alemany about her new book about marketing for authors.

DD: How did you come about the idea to write a book about “The Plan that Launched a Thousand Books”?

TA:In some ways, this book is an off-shoot of my business. I work with authors and speakers to build an online platform, which includes developing strategies, websites and social profiles as well as promoting books, speeches, etc. However, many of my prospective clients are just starting out. They don’t have an established budget to work with, and they need something to get them started.

In the past, if someone wasn’t able to hire me, I really didn’t have anything useful to offer at the end of our conversation other than to remind them that I’m here for them when they’re ready. I’d sadly shake my head and think to myself how much of a surprise they’re in for when they try to figure out everything I know all on their own. So, I decided to do something about it! The result is this do-it-yourself guide on how to market your book online yourself.

I provide a variety of different marketing channels you can work your way through, along with the reasons why those channels are effective, and the specific tools and services I use to promote my own clients’ work online. For the most part, these are no-cost and low-cost options that are easily accessible to anyone.

You can read a free excerpt here.

DD: What do you think is unique in your book, that is, what information will authors find that isn’t readily available in other titles about book publicity and marketing?

TA:I have seen many marketing books that tell authors about different promotion methods, but they’re at a 10,000-foot view. By the time you’re done reading it, you may have a good grasp of the theory, but still have no real idea how to get started.

I have an extensive background as a technical writer. So, what I did in writing this book is I outlined a series of marketing channels, providing enough information about each to give them a context, and then got into the specifics of how I go about doing that. Which sites do I use? What tools and services? I also strive throughout the book to encourage my reader to think and believe that they can do this! It’s actually reflective of my teaching style when I’m working one-on-one with a client.

My intent here is to enable authors to manage as much of their book promotion on their own as they’re comfortable with, at the same time as educating them about what other options are available to them. As they implement what they can, hopefully, they start seeing a return on their efforts, and may then feel more comfortable with hiring someone to do those additional pieces they’re not comfortable with. If they like my style, perhaps that person will even be me.

Buy it now in .pdf form for only $9.99.

DD: 17 ways? Why 17?

TA: Well, there’s a funny story to that… When I first outlined the book, I came up very quickly with 17 different topics I wanted to cover. Around that same time, I became focused on getting the cover designed because I’d never been involved with that before and had no idea how long it would take.

From a blogging standpoint, I know that having numbers in titles is a good SEO tactic. People seem to like lists. I’d already chosen my title, but decided my subtitle would include a number. When the cover was designed, I was well into the writing stage of the project. But hadn’t really gone back a second time to the outline to decide if 17 was all I was going to provide or not. I went with the subtitle “17 Ways to Market Your Book Online.” Rich SEO, I thought. Way to go! My designer finished the cover in just a few hours, and I was very happy with the completed work.

However, I ran into a problem as I got further along in writing the book. I had other ways I wanted to add! So, I included them in the plan, noting that it’s always better to over-deliver on your promises if you want to stand out from the competition. Ultimately, what the reader gets is 22 different ways to market their book online.

If I had to choose a subtitle all over again, I’d probably go with “A DIY Guide to Marketing Your Book Online” instead. Then, the cover would have been perfect no matter how many additional methods I decided to add. For now, it gets to be a funny story about a lesson learned.

It’s also available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble too!

DD: What are the top 3 things every book author should be doing? Or is it different for everyone? If the latter, how on earth can each author find the best ways to promote their book to their target audience?

TA:The most important thing is to recognize that marketing a book is a journey, not a race, and no one can do it without you. You know your book and material better than anyone else, even the publisher. So, recognize the fact that the success or failure of your marketing efforts depends upon whether or not you are involved.

Next, be committed to doing at least 5 things every day to promote your book. That can be sending out an e-mail announcement to your mailing list, researching new connections, doing an interview, finding reviewers, participating in a virtual tour, or any of a host of other activities. But do something!

Finally, my eBook focuses on how to market your book online, and there’s tremendous benefit and exposure in doing that. But don’t neglect offline marketing tactics as well. Connect with your local libraries, colleges, independent bookstores, discussion groups, Meetup groups, etc. to see who’s interested in partnering with you to hold a book signing, small talk or other publicity event.

Learn more about book marketing in my online class!

DD: Is The Plan that Launched a Thousand Books targeted to fiction or nonfiction authors, specifically?

TA: Neither. The Plan that Launched a Thousand Books contains strategies suitable for fiction, non-fiction, print and eBook. Some methods will work better for one format than another, but that’s why multiple strategies are offered in the book. Pick and choose the ones that work best based on the type of book, your target audience, and your own comfort level. How should an author go about starting their marketing and promotion plan? Every plan needs a stated goal. Understand who it is you want to reach, what your marketing budget is, and what your goals are for promoting the book. (Is it simply sales? Building a platform? Becoming a best-selling author? Landing a TV deal? Creating visibility for a related business?) Knowing these things will then enable you to develop a plan to reach the goal. Without a plan, you won’t know whether your efforts are successful or not and your marketing efforts will be haphazard rather than focused. The “scattershot” approach will yield limited results. Focused, targeted messaging is what you need to attract the audience you want. Once you know your goals and marketing budget, it will enable you to decide whether you can hire help or need to manage it all on your own. And knowing who is marketing the book enables you to determine which skills you need to develop, and what components of the marketing plan you want to pursue first.

DD: When should they do this? How long before their book is published?

TA:The earlier you start the process of defining your goals for the book and the associated plan that will get you there, the better! Websites can take a long time to gain traction if there’s a lot of competition for your target audience. Yet, they’re typically a key component of a marketing plan.

What I find is, authors often wait until after the book’s already with the publisher to start thinking about how they’re going to market it. Sometimes this is due to the mistaken belief that the publisher will handle all of that for them. Unfortunately, that’s frequently not the case. Other times, it’s because they’re so busy writing the book that they forget that its success requires more than just them writing it.

Whatever the reason, it’s always better to start building your platform (an online audience of people who know, like and trust you) as soon as possible. Why? Because ultimately, these are the individuals you want to make into your ambassadors. You want to give them opportunities to help you in your marketing efforts, and enjoy the success of your book with you.

DD: Do you think about marketing and promotion before or after the book is written?

TA:In an ideal world, you would think about how you plan to market and promote the book before it’s even written. You may find, especially for non-fiction books, that it prompts you to include extra material that may be accessible on a website (case studies, templates, etc.), or that it allows you to focus your material a bit more narrowly because of the audience you’ve chosen to target.

However, for a fiction story, you may find that developing your marketing plan can take place simultaneously with writing the book. That raises the challenge of having two things to develop at once, but it’s possible to do with proper planning, focus and attention.

Follow Tara on Twitter: @eandtsmom

DD: Have you sold more than 200 books? 😉

TA:Not yet! The book has been out 3 months now. During that same period, I’ve been working full-time in my business, preparing for the launch of another book I co-authored that we’re launching September 24-28th, and preparing for the launch of a third book I contributed to in October.

So, like many part-time writers, I’m choosing one channel at a time, dedicating time to it each week, and working my way through the plan! However, I have every confidence that I’ll exceed the 200 books within the next 9 months.

Learn more about Tara on her website.

DD: Thank you for sharing these tips and taking the time to talk. Best wishes on continued book sales and future projects!