The Value of Early and Ongoing Marketing

These are interesting times in the publishing industry. There is a perception from some people that book publishing is dead. Nothing could be further from the truth. It isn't that consumers aren't buying books but rather how they are buying that has changed. Consumers are still buying books but they aren't walking into bookstores to make their purchases, they are turning to the Internet (e-readers, blogs, other forms of social media) to make their purchases.

To adjust to this shift, today's publishing strategy should include a number of activities even before a book is released. Once an "author" (this could include one individual or a group) has decided to publish a book they should start to develop a "community" of individuals who would be interested in knowing about the book, the purpose of the book, the target audience, etc. Facebook and Twitter are necessary tools to utilize and launch for an effort like this.

It is also important to keep this community engaged along the way with updates, photos, requests for recipes (if it is a cookbook) or short stories that might be included and are applicable.  Details such as the format, retail price, release date and how to order should be sprinkled in along the way.  In addition, you should be working to "grow" the community.  One tool to assist you would be to create a blog and ask your followers to spread the word as well as interact via comments. 

All of these strategies should continue through the life of the book because the marketing function never ceases. It is imperative for future sales that the life of the book be extended by aggressive and regular marketing efforts. I have witnessed more failed books due to a lack of marketing than due to bad content.

In my next post I'll discuss blending e-books into the mix. If you were thinking about publishing a book who is your audience and how could you reach them?