Advice for First-Time Authors

By Mike Sprouse

Earlier this year, after I published my first book called The Greatness Gap, I wrote a post that has gotten a lot of really great feedback where I give some advice to first-time authors, since at the time I was a first-time author.

So I felt that I learned a few things about the publishing process, the editing process, and the "industry" in general. Now that it has been a little over six months since that post, I wanted to follow up with a second post. Or the "now what do I do?" post.

You see, once your book is done and published and the whole world can see it on Amazon, I believe most authors - especially first-timers like me - ask themselves "Ok, now what do I do?" That question hit me very early on. There are a few ways to answer that question: 1) Focus on marketing; 2) Write a second book; 3) Both; 4) Proudly put your book on your bookshelf and leave it be.

For any author, I don't recommend the last option. Why? Because you poured your heart and soul into it, and you hopefully want to share it with the world rather than making it a relic.

For some writers, publishing a book is one of those aspirational things. Some people see it as the equivalent of running a marathon, where they do it once and then are done. So option number two above likely won't happen, at least not right away.

Which leaves option number one: to focus on marketing your book. I've long believed that the hardest part about writing and publishing a book isn't actually writing and publishing it. It is marketing it. This is a scary proposition for most people, since writing and publishing certainly isn't "easy". Marketing is tougher though.

Here are some more things I've learned - both mistakes and stuff that has worked - that perhaps can a first-time author out once their book has been published.

1) Always, and I mean always, have at least a few copies of your book in your bag or purse.

This was a big mistake I made for about 4-6 weeks after publishing. I didn't carry enough books with me. We all meet new people every day, and inevitably the question gets asked "what do you do?" Part of the answer is now "I'm an author". Then people want you to tell them about the book; which is a lot easier when you actually have the book to show. Carry a few books with you so you're always prepared to market yourself 24/7.

2) Keep seeking professional, third party reviews for your book.

Even if your book has long since been published, it does not mean you can't get your book professionally reviewed. Quite the contrary! True, a majority of my reviews did occur right around my publish date. But I still actively seek reviews and have had good luck even 6 or 8 months after the book was published in getting reviewed. Don't discount the importance of this.

3) The content from your book is valuable; valuable to people who don't even know it yet!

You spent a lot of time writing your book, and put a lot of thought into its contents. Put it on the web! You should have your own website to post bits and pieces of your book. Or, you can choose to syndicate your content to other websites in your genre. Don't expect to get paid for sharing your content, that's not the point. The point is that by posting content on your website or offering it to other websites for free, you are marketing yourself and reaching a new audience who wouldn't have likely found your book to begin with.

4) Get creative in your marketing.

By this, I mean that most authors think about a few outlets like Google, or book review sites, or book forums to advertise and promote their book. Why? The competition is fierce and going this route in marketing is very tough. Why not do something really unique and creative? How about printing up 500-1,000 bookmarks and giving them to local retailers or restaurants to include to their clients and customers? This works wonders, and you're not competing against thousands of other authors who are pumping their books. Doing something "guerrilla" like this doesn't cost that much - probably under $100 to print up some bookmarks and hand them out. If you live in a large city with lots of commerce, this is a no-brainer. If not bookmarks, key chains or fliers or postcards work just as well too.

5) Get aligned with a charity.

You know those free copies of your book that you received from your publisher? Use them wisely! Give some to a charitable organization, who in turn can hand them out (and probably promote you at the same time). Be active and public with your charity of choice so that people know you and know what you stand for; all the while, you can sing your book's praises in a "non-salesy" way.

I hope some of these ideas and thoughts help you. Who knows, maybe in another six months I will do another post on this topic. In the meantime, good luck to all of you first-time authors in your marketing!

Mike Sprouse is a Chief Marketer, Corporate Entrepreneur, Author and Philanthropist. He is a recognized public speaker and marketing expert, having run every facet of marketing and corporate strategy for public and private companies. Mike is the author of the critically-acclaimed book, "The Greatness Gap", and is a frequent blogger on his website at http://www.mikesprouse.com. He is a former professional tennis player with an ATP world ranking in singles. Mike is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a BA in Accounting. If you would like to read more about Mike, you can visit his "About" page on his website at http://www.mikesprouse.com/about-mike-sprouse-marketing/.