No Comments - Jawbone Publishing Corporation

Posted on August 11, 2012

I hear this declaration all the time.? Such an attitude will limit your sales to your close friends (maybe!) and your parents. Whether you are independently published or have a contract with a publishing house, you are expected to do your own promotions.

Published authors quickly learn that, in order to sell books, the author must promote, promote, promote. After all, who knows the book better than the author? And who has the most skin in the game? The author, of course!

I know. Promotion is not easy. We authors are a dime a dozen. With desktop and e-book publishing, the number of titles seems to multiply each year. But the number of titles that sell in quantity is only a fraction of that. Simply having your title on e-bookstores will not sell copies, regardless of what self-publishing companies tell you.

Let me offer some advice from a veteran in the book business. You may have a dynamite book, a fantastic cover, a distributor, presence in both e-book and brick-and-mortar stores; but if you do nothing to inform the reading public about your title, all those things mean nothing. NOTHING!

Back to speaking. If you're petrified of standing before a group, enroll in your local Toastmaster's Club. You will soon overcome your fear. Or simply dive in. Start small - perhaps an afternoon with friends and neighbors in your living room, a reading at a local book club or a presentation to a civic club's local monthly meeting. Do a reading at your local library. Speak in a school classroom.

Ask yourself: do I have something of value to present to the group? Avoid simply promoting your book; that is a really big turn-off. Offer something of value to the group. If yours is a children's title, don't simply read the book, but have some sort of activity that relates to the story to share with the kids. If you read to a book club, have Q&A prepared. Tie your presentation into something that will be of interest to the organization before which you're presenting.

Always seek permission to do a book signing prior to your presentation. If that is impossible, be sure to invite your audience to go to your website.(Do that, anyhow!) And have something there that not only seeks sales but also offers? added value to them ... a chapter of the book or links to websites where additional information can be obtained (if your title is non-fiction) or a small article you've written that relates to the title.

Plan your presentation. Ask how much time you are expected to speak, and DO NOT go over that time allotment. Add some interesting facts, humorous stories -- anything that will draw your audience into your presentation. Nothing is more entertaining than personal stories or humorous anecdotes.

Avoid? centering the presentation on you. That is a quick turn-off to your audience. Remember: you're there to make the audience like you and what you have to say enough to buy your book.

If you don't sell any books at a presentation, don't despair. You may receive requests from audience members to speak at other events, where you might sell lots of books.

As an author of a physical book, you are seen as an authority on whatever topic you've written. Keep speaking to build up your resume. Word will get out that you are an authority. You will also build up your confidence. And make sure your presentation can answer this question for your audience: what's so good about that (WSGAT)? After all, that's what people want to know.

If you can tie your topic into a current event, that's an added bonus! In that case, get on the horn and let your local radio/TV stations know. Contact your local newspaper. (Actually, you can submit a news release to the paper and you may see it published word-for-word as you sent it.) It's all about human interest. Always.

When Ronald Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, I contacted the local TV stations in Orlando; I had written a book for children about the disease. That very day, a news crews showed up at my house and taped an interview for the evening news.

If you plan on being interviewed, always have a sheet with questions to give to the interviewers. Make their assignments as uncomplicated as possible. In most cases, they will not have had time to read your title, but your questions make it seem as if they have. And this allows you to prepare answers, so that you don't have to stutter in front of the mike or camera.

I welcome any advice you wish to share concerning promoting book titles through public speaking.

Keep on writing. It's the write thing to do!!

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Source: http://jawbonepublishing.com/?p=273

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