Book Marketing Tips from Market Your Way to Wealth

Jill Lublin was the final speaker at April’s Market Your Way to Wealth, and even though I have both an education and experience in public relations, I still found some wonderful information in her presentation. This was in part because she was targeting those people who either have written a book or should be writing one right now.

And that’s perfect, for this month I’m going to be covering book marketing. Fancy that.

Anyway, one thing she said really stuck with me: You should start publicity nine months before your book comes out.

So, if your book isn’t out yet, what are you publicizing? Here are some ideas I came up with, gleaned from both her presentation and my own experience and knowledge. They are listed in no particular order.

Jill said during her presentation that the media is interested in your story, so some things you could talk about in your publicity include:

• Getting a book deal from a publisher
• Your “reason why” — why did you write the book and why are you the person to write it?
• Tips excerpted from your book
• Tie-ins between current events and your topic
• Something unique about you that can be tied into your topic

As part of your publicity plan, you’ll want to send out simple 4-sentence announcements every 60 days, said Jill. These announcements should be sent to:

• Your local daily newspaper
• Your local business journal
• Your local Chamber of Commerce
• Associations that you belong to or are tied to your topic
• Your alumni magazine(s)

The purpose of this is not so much to get a story in a publication, but to keep you top of mind as an expert in your topic so when a reporter is working on a story that you can comment on, you’ll be the first person that reporter thinks of.

Of course, in all this make sure you are sending useful content. Remember, you are trying to help the media accomplish their goals, for in so doing, they will help you accomplish yours.