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/.

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How to Build Your Author Platform to Enhance Your Book Promotion

By Dana Lynn Smith

As a book author, you've probably seen the term author platform used a lot, but you may be wondering: what is a platform and how do I get one?

Your author platform determines your reach in the market and it's a valuable tool in your book promotion activities. If you're hoping to land a book deal with a traditional commercial publisher, a strong author platform is critical. When publishers evaluate book proposals, they want an idea of how well known you are and how successful you will be at promoting your book once it's published.

The best time to start building your author platform is before you write your book or book proposal, because it takes time to build your platform. But regardless of where you are in your publishing journey, you can continue to strengthen your author platform.

I've seen lots of definitions for author platform, but it basically boils down to three things:

o Brand
o Reputation
o Connections

Branding

Branding helps you stand out in a crowded marketplace and makes you memorable. One of the most important parts of your brand is your author tagline - a concise and catchy description of what you do. Here are some examples of author taglines:

o The Publicity Hound
o The Love Doctor
o The Productivity Pro
o The Risque Romance Writer
o Author of thrilling mysteries
o Author of the Detective McGee series
o Writer of educational children's books

Use your tagline after your name in your promotional materials and signature, like a title. For example, I refer to myself as Dana Lynn Smith, The Savvy Book Marketer.

Your author photo is another important branding tool. Be sure to get a professional looking photo and use it everywhere, to build recognition of you. Professional doesn't necessarily mean a studio portrait - think about how the background, pose and clothing in your author photo can be a reflection of your brand and the type of books you write. Wherever your photo appears, list both your name and tagline as a caption beneath the photo.

Author branding can also include your logo, book covers, the color scheme you use, your distinctive style of writing or speaking, and your academic qualifications. All of these elements together constitute a recognizable brand that makes you makes you memorable and builds credibility as part of your author platform.

Take a look at your own branding and think about what you can do to strengthen it.

Reputation

The reputation component of your author platform is a measure of how well known you are, what you are known for, and how credible you are. Consider these factors in your book promotion:

o Do you have a degree, special training or extensive experience in the topic that you're writing about and/or in the craft of writing?
o Do you have (or can you obtain) a professional certification in your area of expertise?
o What awards or other recognition have you received?
o What kind of media experience do you have?
o How many people do you reach each month through speaking or interviews?
o How many people read your blog?
o How many articles have you written and posted or published in the past month?
o How well known are you and how much name recognition do you have?
o What leadership positions do you hold?
o Why should people listen to you or read your books?

Nonfiction authors can gain a reputation as an expert in their topic through such activities as writing books and articles, speaking and teaching, appearing on talk shows, being quoted in other people's articles, and writing the foreword for other books.

Fiction authors may become known for their writing style and their expertise in writing in a specific genre (such as children's, sci-fi, romance, or mystery) or for their niche within a particular genre (vampire stories, romantic adventure).

Your reputation and author platform can be enhanced by winning awards, receiving excellent book reviews, and getting testimonials and endorsements from celebrities and experts in your field.

What can you do to boost your author reputation and expert status and increase the number of people you reach in your book promotion activities? How can you highlight your credentials in your marketing materials?

Connections

When promoting a book, it's not just what you know, it's who you know!

To sell books in today's marketplace, you need to be connected. Here are some examples of the type of connections that are valuable to authors book promotion:

Contact Database - Clients, prospects, colleagues, friends, and family.

Opt-in Mailing List - People who have given you permission to contact them.

Influencers - Celebrities, well-known people in your field, book reviewers, media, and bloggers.

Online Networks - Connections on Facebook, Twitter and other online networks, groups and forums.

Blog Readers - People who read your blog or subscribe to the blog's feed.

Professional Associations - Fellow association members and leaders. Serving in a leadership position enhances your visibility within the organization.

Other Groups - Alumni associations, civic and service organizations, hobby clubs, etc.

What can you do to increase your connections and leverage the connections that you have? How can you partner with others to extend your reach in your book promotion?

Dana Lynn Smith is a book promotion coach and author of several book promotion guides, including The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Successful Social Marketing. For more tips, follow @BookMarketer on Twitter, visit Dana's book promotion blog and get a free copy of the Top Book Marketing Tips ebook when you sign up for her complimentary book promotion newsletter.

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