Buzz-based Book Marketing

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Once upon a time, people went to bookstores when they wanted to buy a book. Or at least, that was the theory. Actually, non-bookstore channels have been a big part of book sales for decades—at least since authors like Joe Karbo (”The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches”) back in the 1960s.

For my own books, whether they were self-published, done with a small commercial house, or by a New York conglomerate, I’ve found that selling direct is more secure, more financially rewarding, and far less hassle than sweating out the returns game with the bookstore channel.

All along, I’ve sold through speeches (I love getting paid to do my own marketing), over the Web (the first of my four websites went live in 1996), to clients at my office, who stare at a rack of my work throughout their entire appointment, and through an extensive effort to create “buzz.”

The great thing is that *anyone* can generate buzz. Three of my techniques:

1. Be a source or guest for conventional media. I’ve been quoted in Reader’s Digest, the New York Times, Woman’s Day, Bottom Line, the Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, Inc, and dozens of other well-known and obscure publications. I’m also a call-in guest on at least a dozen radio shows per year. Whether or not I sell a lot of books directly through these interviews, I definitely create a lot of buzz (search for my name at Google and see for yourself)–and the best interviews sell a number of books through my websites or toll-free numbers.

I have a “secret weapon” for getting coverage: a service that sends source queries from journalists working on stories (see below).

2. Find your niche on line, and participate actively. There are literally hundreds of thousands of “communities” online: virtual watercoolers where people gather to talk shop: mystery, historical novel reading groups, professionals in every line of work. Find a group whose audience is the same as your book, and participate often. I currently participate in three groups for small press publishers (a primary market not only for my books but for my copywriting services), a group for Internet marketing professionals, three for professional PR and copywriters, and several others. Yes, I spend an hour or two per day keeping up with–and participating on–these lists, but the impact on my business is huge.

3. Distribute content. Articles, book excerpts, blogs…if you write often enough about a subject, you become an expert. And you can find dozens of websites, discussion groups, print newsletters, ‘zines, even radio shows–all hungry for well-written, informative material. You get “paid” with a few lines of blurb and contact info.

For my sixth book, “Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First,” I am adding three things to the mix: an Ethical Business Pledge campaign that ought to bring publicity for years, a network of independent representatives who will sell my book on commission–thus reaching new networks I’ve not been able to reach on my own–and aggressive pursuit of corporate sales and foreign rights. I’ve had some success with the latter: 1000 copies to a prominent airline, and foreign editions in India and Mexico. And that means the book was already profitable before it rolled off the press!

Links:
“Secret Weapon” that lets me respond to journalist queries: http://snipurl.com/la5x
List of media that have covered me: http://www.principledprofit.com/press-room.html
Business Ethics Pledge: http://www.business-ethics-pledge.org

Shel Horowitz, author of *Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People
First,* *Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World,* and
four other books, offers affordable, effective copywriting and strategic
marketing planning to clients on three continents. He is the originator of
the Ethical Business Pledge Campaign to change the World at http://www.business-ethics-pledge.org His sites at http://www.frugalmarketing.com and http://www.principledprofit.com offer
hundreds of useful articles for entrepreneurs and marketers, including
the complete back issues of his FREE Monthly Frugal Marketing Tips.
Shel will be glad to help you create your next press release, sell sheet,
web site, or other marketing material. He can be reached at
shel@principledprofits.com, 800-683-WORD.

Tags: articles, Book Marketing, buzz, direct selling, media coverage, speaking

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