Book Marketing Can Be Weird

What marketing plan will work best for you? Are there any "sure-fire" ways to sell books? Here's what I learned yesterday.

The Potential

I've heard cutting edge book marketers say that one of the biggest keys to sales is collecting e-mail addresses on your site or blog and then sending regular e-mails to give readers useful information and inform them about your books. That tact would seem to work perfectly for me, since I've got two busy websites, one for youth workers and pastors (www.youth-ministry.info ) and one for those who teach character in public schools (www.character-education.info ). About 1,000 people visit these sites each day, and I've collected over 10,000 e-mail addresses.

The Plan

I've thought all along that my biggest opportunity for marketing my book on personal finances is through those sites, by posting links from the sites to my book on Amazon (did this for weeks ago), and mentioning the book in e-mails to the site members. In preparation, a couple of months ago, I found a great company that I can send my e-mails through. ( Vertical Response offers wonderful tools for creating your e-mails, managing your lists, and reporting the results. They'll also allow not-for-profits to send 10,000 e-mails free each month.)

I've spent a lot of time over the past week putting together an e-letter to the members of the youth ministry site and figuring out how to set up and send the e-mail. I have about 6000 e-mail addresses from the youth ministry site and sent out the first 2,000 e-letters yesterday.

The Underwhelming Response

So far, exactly 0 people have bought books from that e-mail! (As of last night, only one had even clicked through the link from the e-mail to look at the book.) I also have reason to believe that I've achieved no sales through people discovering my book on the sites and clicking through to order from there. Go figure.

[May 29 update: I sent an e-zine to my next list - about 3600 people, primarily teachers, who subscribed to my character education site. I offered a copy of the book at 60% off, or free if they're on budget restrictions, to review as a possible text. Two paid and one asked for a free one. If just one of these three decides to use it for a text...if they like it...if they give me a good blurb to use with other teachers...this would be a great payoff for the time and effort. But still, only three request a book out of 3600 educators?!?. Then again, how many of these actually teach a personal finance class?]

The Lesson

Throughout my life, I've occasionally attended seminars by super-successful people, who, with knowing glows about their faces, taught me seminars such as "Five Easy Steps to an Effective Ministry" or "Seven Sure-Fire Ways to Sell Tons of Books." But for me, nothing was ever easy and either I sucked at implementing the "Seven Sure-Fire Ways," or they simply didn't work for me.

Today, I'm more likely to teach a seminar entitled,

"Strategies That Worked for Me, and Just Might Work for You, but No Guarantees."

You can see why I'm not teaching many seminars. Everybody wants the "Sure-Fire" stuff.

The Lesson

I was a bit down last night, due to the "failure" of this effort. But after reflection, I've learned a wonderful thing. I'll go ahead and send out the rest of the e-mails. Perhaps this is the first time they've heard of the book and they'll make a decision later on. Maybe they need to hear about it from several sources. But if I see no real results in the e-letters, then the good news is, I don't have to do e-letters any more! One less thing to do, so that I can concentrate on things that actually work for me and my book.

I believe that successful marketing is finding out what works for my individual personality and gifts, combined with what works for my specific book.

Every book is different. Some can be positioned well on Amazon and do great without any further promotion. My book on church music, The Contemporary Christian Music Debate, isn't setting any sales records, but it sells pretty steady, although I've done absolutely no marketing at all for the book in 14 years. Being a niche book, those who struggle with musical style in their churches are likely to find it by searching "Contemporary Christian Music" or "Christian Rock" on Amazon or through Google. This is very different from my financial book. A person searching "personal finance" on Amazon would find thousands of books on the subject and wouldn't likely find mine unless they searched the exact title. The difference in subject matter requires different approaches to marketing. [May 29 update: My financial book is now #3 on a search for "personal money management" on Amazon. I didn't think this could happen. I couldn't be happier to be wrong on this one!]

Every author is different. Some have bubbly personalities that shine on radio and TV and book signings. Others prefer writing articles, sending e-mails and blogging.

There are myriads of ways to sell books and probably no silver bullet that works for everyone. Beware of what everybody says you have to do. Beware of doing only what makes the most sense. Figure out what works for you and your book, then pursue it with a passion!

The Encouragement

Yesterday evening, Cherie checked our voice mail and discovered that a pastor friend wants to know how to get my financial book by the case. This was totally unrelated to the e-mails I sent out. Go figure. Marketing is weird.

Post by J. Steve Miller, Author of Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It.

Blogging About Popular Articles

How can we get more people to read our blogs? How can we choose topics to blog about that people are really interested in?

A recent marketing newsletter recommended connecting popular, recent articles with your blog posts. Since people are already talking about an article and its topic, mentioning it can add authority and interest to your post, as well as attract readers who are further exploring the subject matter.

Example: You've written a book on personal money management. So you go to the Wall Street Journal site and browse the most popular recent articles. How do you know which are the most popular? Go to this page , which lists their recent articles in order of "Most Viewed" and "Most Emailed." It also lists the most popular by section and their most popular blog posts. (You can do the same with the New York Times, and probably other major newspapers you follow.)

The most popular article is, "Rejection, How Colleges Do It." Interesting. It's more popular than the articles on the current outbreak of Swine Flu, that has people around the country panicking and wearing face masks. But it makes sense. It's Spring, close to high school graduation, and parents are wanting to make sure their students get into college.

So, I've found a hot topic that the readers of my money blog might find helpful. I could simply summarize the main points of the Wall Street Journal article and link back to the article if my readers want to read the source.

This little trick helps me to identify felt needs and quickly provide information to help my readers.

Posted by J. Steve Miller, author of Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest it and Give It.

Week Three (Part 2) Think Local

Much of what we read concerning book publicity urges us to pursue channels at a distance: mailing the book to distant contests, book reviewers, book tours to major cities, etc. Sure, take advantage of opportunities around the country (and world), but while peering into the distance, don't overlook the possibilities close to home. Since it's difficult for me to travel, due to raising kids and caring for my 103-year-old granny, I'm spending a lot of time thinking about local sales.

My good friend David Cady, an hour north of me in Dalton, Georgia (pop. 30,000), self-published a riveting novel about a snake-handling cult entitled The Handler. In the six months of its existence, in addition to other outlets, it's sold about 200 copies at a local restaurant! That's more than the total sales of a significant number of books!

Local Potential

• 18,000 people live in my town of Acworth.
• 700,000 live in my county (Cobb), which is a part of metro Atlanta.
• 5.5 million live in metro Atlanta.
  

Hmmm....I'd say that within an hour of my house I've got a pretty decent market. And even if I just marketed in Acworth, and fans began to recommend it to others, who recommend it to others, isn't it conceivable that we could reach a tipping point that provokes national sales? If David has sold 200 in one local restaurant, what if I could get my book into 200 stores? It's a worthy goal.

Local Stores

Last week I talked to local bookstores, local places I shop, local places I rent videos, the local gym where I work out. Most were friendly, receptive, and took a free copy to look over. [In case stores needed a book display, I bought some white, cardboard counter displays (8 5/8" wide) from Meridian Display (ask for Carole), at $4.34 each, for a box of 25 ($3.65 each if you purchase two boxes).]

Although you might have to go through more hoops with big chain stores, even Wal-Mart has has a way for local managers to purchase local products they wish to sell in their stores. It's called their "Local Purchase Program."

Local Speaking

In two weeks I'll speak to a group of about 100 students at a student organization at our local university. I'll be part of a panel on personal money management and will sell books in the back.

Think about speaking on the topic of your writing wherever it's appropriate. Civic organizations and schools are often looking for speakers on various topics. Perhaps your state has a grant like in Georgia, where approved authors are paid through the grant to speak in public schools.

Local Newspapers and Radio and Library Signing

Well, surely you've already thought about these. Your book is exciting news to your hometown. They want to know!

Excuse me, but 700,000 people in my county need a copy of my book. I'd better get out there and sell some!

Week Three: Contacting Newspaper Columnists

How do you get newspaper columnists to write about your book? The secret? It's all about them, not about you and your book. Keep that in mind and you may go far.

1) They need to produce a column each week. Give them something that would delight their readers and make the writer look good. The fact that a new book is out isn't typically a great headline. Think deeper. Here's what I'm saying in an introductory e-mail to financial columnists:

e-mail title: Financially Illiterate Graduates

Dear ____,

Thanks for your column, which helps so many with their personal finances.

With graduation season just around the corner, I knew that many of your readers would want advice for graduating high school and college seniors, who, as we are well aware, are typically clueless concerning getting jobs, excelling at jobs, entrepreneurship, and personal finance. Also, readers might want recommendations for graduation gifts (why not the gift of financial wisdom?)

My book, targeting young people (ages 16-27), just came off the press. I'd love to send you a free copy for review. I think you'll find it well-researched and documented, but written in story form to make it a quick, fun read. It covers getting and thriving in jobs, as well as saving and investing money. It's called: Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It.

Hopefully, during these difficult economic times, the book can help young people catch a vision for working hard, living beneath their means, etc., before they get into serious financial trouble.

If you're interested in a free copy, let me know an address and I'll send it on.

Thanks again for your life and writing!

Sincerely,

J. Steve Miller

smillero@mindspring.com

www.character-education.info

Put yourself in the columnist's shoes. Every year at this time, she's got to come up with something new that relates to the graduation season. My book gives great ideas. It's a win/win!

2) Find the columnists.

I Googled "Major Newspapers" and found them listed by state here:
http://www.newslink.org/metnews.html . By going to each newspaper site and looking through the sections and columnists, I was able to find their e-mail addresses.

3) Personalize your e-mail to each columnist. That way, it doesn't come across as a chain letter. I'm sure they get lots of books to review.

4) Offer them something. In other e-mails, I spoke of linking to their sites from my site, recommending their books, etc. If I publicize their projects, their more likely to publicize mine.

I've sent out my first four e-mails to columnists at the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, LA Times, and Washington Post. To prep for each of these syndicated columnists, I read a book by each one and am recommending their books from my Website. All but one have replied that they want me to send them a book. Cool!

5) When you send a book, include a brochure, press release and sign the book. Since they requested it, I wrote "Requested Materials" on the front of the mailer, to ensure it gets opened.

Hey, this is fun!

Publicity on Facebook: A Case Study

For some time, I've been contemplating how to let my 150 or so Facebook friends know about my book. I resisted letting them know the first day it came out on Amazon. They would have come to an Amazon page with no customer reviews, a publisher description that needed tweeking, and no way to "Search Inside" the book. But after two weeks, I had six nice reviews (all five-star) from people who had read my manuscript before publication and everything looked great to welcome all my Facebook friends. I was excited!

Here were some of my strategic thoughts going into it:

1) Put my announcement into the correct slot, so that it actually goes to all my friends (not just a select few, not just published on my Facebook page.)

2) Be personal and non-pushy. Facebook is a gathering of people I care for. Don't abuse that.

3) Time the announcement. I decided to do it on a weekend, when people are more likely to catch up with their Facebook friends. Otherwise, if I did it during the week and they checked their home page two days later, my announcement would likely be buried down on a secondary page and they'd never see it.

4) Let them know, in a few sentences, what the book's about, why they might be interested in getting a copy, and how they could get it.

Here's what I wrote (including the image):

FINALLY! My book’s off the press and available at Amazon! It’s called, Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It. Lots of documented research, but presented in a fun, story form. Nice gift for high school or college graduation. If you like it, pass it on to your other Facebook friends! (btw, my author name is J. Steve Miller)

The result? As of the end of the first day, I had two "Congratulations!" comments. Today, I find three more. But I don't see any sales from yesterday (I can track my daily Amazon sales through Booksurge). Not one.

Ruminations on my underwhelming Facebook publicity campaign?

1) Glad I did it. Hey, they're my friends and I want to share my excitement with them.
2) Yes, these are people I know and care about.
3) No, the book's not for everyone. Never expected all my friends to go buy a copy.
4) I'm unsure how many actually follow their Facebook homepage each day. Of 150 friends, I've got to wonder if 15 even saw my announcement.
5) Sales often come over time. Perhaps when they need to purchase a graduation gift, they'll think of it. If I get more response later, I'll update this report.

In the end, it's one less thing to worry about. I have plenty of ways to market this book. Now I can go back to concentrating on them. Facebook will continue to be a place where I keep up with my friends, rejoice with their successes and pray for their needs. It's not for hard "marketing" of my "products."

UPDATE: The following day, I got a few more personal responses. Now it's becoming more of a conversation item that will come up naturally as people interact. One will post a note on Facebook to say they're ordering the book, which may give an occasion for another to see the post, etc. With this new info, let's say that the announcement started a conversation that will continue. My book is a part of my life, and friends are interested in that aspect of my life.

Week Two: Sending Early Review Copies

Solomon said, "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth." People believe what others say about my book more than what I say about my book. Thus, in order to "let another praise" my book, I've got to get it into the hands of potential praisers - preferably lots of them. According to book marketing guru John Kremer:

"Send out review copies. Send out lots of them. Send out more than you think you should. Hit every major newspaper and magazine which you think might be at all interested in the subject of your book. In most cases this means sending out somewhere between 300 and 500 review copies. Don't be stingy about sending out review copies."

But sending out free books costs me a lot of money. Can I really afford this? Kremer responds,

"For every hundred copies you send out, you'll get perhaps ten reviews. And those ten reviews will bring you anywhere from twenty to one hundred direct sales and many more indirect sales. Even at a conservative estimate, you'll receive 200 orders for every 100 copies you send out. That's cheap advertising." (1001 Ways to Market Your Books, p. 138)

Thinking economically, if Kremer's on target, then I'll pay about $4.50 plus shipping for each book sent for review. For each book sent, if I get two Amazon orders, I'll receive a check from Booksurge for $11.20. So, I receive a 100% increase on my investment. That pleasant thought takes the bite out of the initial expense.

Beyond sending lots of review copies, he recommends sending a news release, brochure, and reply card to less-than-prime reviewers. Send them copies only if they request them.

When do I send these out? Kremer recommends that most should be sent out during the first four months. That gives me time to see how the response is to the first group, and plan accordingly for the following mailouts.

Of course, although the initial sales generated by the reviews is encouraging and helps my bank account, what I'm shooting for is the sales that these early sales generate, as word of mouth takes over and people start blogging about the book and suggesting it to their employers for employee birthday and Christmas gifts. If it reaches a tipping point, where more sales bring even more sales, I've got a top seller.

So any day I'll receive my first shipment of 150 books. Here are some of my thoughts and action points:

1) Since I don't have to send them out all at once, prioritize those who require the earliest copies and those whose blurbs might carry the most weight with later reviewers.

If the MidWest Book Review calls my book "this year's best bet for a graduation gift," I can mention that review to get the attention of later reviewers.

2) Spend the time necessary to build a comprehensive list and narrow it down. At age 75, Warren Buffett was hunting for undervalued international stocks. First, he narrowed down the countries, then got a book the size of a large telephone book that listed the financial details of South Korean countries. (Additionally, he had to read up on how to understand the terms and symbols used in Korean accounting and company reports.) The result? One legal sized sheet of paper listing attractive Korean companies. (Alice Schroeder, The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life, pp. 813, 814) No wonder he's so successful. Who's as thorough as Buffett? In the end, his sifting of pan after pan of dirt yields gold and precious stones.

My narrowing down a list of magazines, newspapers, bloggers and radio shows is similar to Buffett's search for good companies. Books such as Ulrich's Periodicals Guide and Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media help me to find publications that want information on my book's topic. Technorati's search engine leads me to the blogs about my topic (click "Blogs" and "Blog Directory"), conveniently listed in order of "authority" (how many sites and blogs link to the blog).

So how do I choose and prioritize potential reviewers? Here are my thoughts:

• Choose those who write about your topic. Don't just send it to "Ladies Home Journal." Send it to the columnist for LHJ who either reviews your type of book or writes about the topics covered in your book.
  
• Choose those who are most highly respected. Some are popular among those who like fluff, but are scorned by virtually all the authorities in the field. If they've got a book, check out their reviews on Amazon.
  
• Choose those who are widely read. If a syndicated columnist for a large newspaper frequently writes on your topic, there's your priority. Read her column; purchase and read her book. Recommend her book on your blog or site. Write her a nice e-mail applauding her book, telling how you recommend it to others, and asking if she'd be so kind as to consider your book. How do you know the circulation of a newspaper or magazine? Gale and Ulrich give you the numbers. Technorati lets you know how many people link to a site/blog, giving us an idea of how many people are paying attention to what they say.
  
• Prioritize reviewers who need it now. People will be looking for graduation gifts in about six weeks. Since I think my book would make a good graduation gift, I'll prioritize those short-lead-time writers who might want something on this topic. Big-time reviewers (e.g., Mid-West Book Review) receive lots of books in April and May, due to publishers wanting reviews for their summer marketing. I'll hit them in March, or wait until June, to increase my odds.
  
• Prioritize reviewers with whom I have a relationship. They may not be big-time, but if you get good reviews in local media, that can lead to reviews in bigger media. Starting local is a good way to build a platform.
• Prioritize reviewers who share the views expressed in my book. Financial advisers promoting short-term trading and get rich quick schemes wouldn't recommend a book like mine that warns people to avoid people like them.

By the way, don't apply the stats above (two sales for every book sent for review) to every book. It's just a rule of thumb. Every book is unique, with some having more appeal to reviewers than others.

But let's say that you send out an initial batch and discover that your book's getting good reviews and sales based on those reviews. Then forget the rule of thumb to send out "300 to 500 review copies." If you find 1000 legitimate reviewers with decent followings, keep sending them out over the months. As long as you're making money and generating sales, keep at it!

Sure, it takes some time to find these publications and writers. But it sure beats having a book that nobody knows about. And it sure beats wasting time and money by blindly sending out copies to people who have no interest in your book, only to find them sold as used books on Amazon.

My Book's Not Selling!

If you're looking for a blog to tell you "My Sure-Fire Way to Get on Oprah," or "Fifty Ways to Guarantee Your Book's a Bestseller," try another blog. I'm simply detailing writing and marketing strategies as I implement them and will transparently tell you what's working and what's not.

Week One Review

So my book's been available on Amazon for eight days. The first day, one book sold. Over the next two days, three more sold. According to my research into Neuro-Economics, when we see something happen a couple of times, our mind jumps to the conclusion that a pattern has formed, and we expect the pattern to continue. And as we know in premarital counseling, if we fail to dispel unrealistic expectations, we set couples up for a disappointing let-down.

I think I experienced that letdown a bit after the third day. Nothing else has sold. I should have expected this. After all, my marketing plan involves

#1 - Getting early reviews from big-time reviewers (galleys sent to places like Booklist months ago; hoping to get reviews in two months).

#2 - Get my Amazon page and other Web pages tidied up to look enticing when people come.

#3 - Let all my Facebook friends and other friends know about it.

#4 - Get the word out to magazines, newspapers and other media.

#5 - Speak, sell in alternative markets, and slowly build a following.

So, why would I expect people to be purchasing books at this stage? I shouldn't be expecting any to sell. I haven't marketed it yet.

Sure, my book's in the world's largest bookstore. But I know a person whose book was available on Amazon for a year and never sold a copy. Typically, if you're not already an established author with people eagerly awaiting your next book, you've got to go out and sell books.

So why did my books sell for the first few days? My wife leaked out the word to some of her friends and they bought books. We know this explained a couple of the sales and assume it accounts for the other two.

Books don't sell themselves. The Chicken Soup guys put their first book in the trunks of their cars and marketed them. I'm on track for all this, but my first week's experience is a good, sobering reminder of the importance of getting the word out.

"But what about all those things you've done to fully utilize Amazon?" you might ask. Those things, like choosing tags and choosing search phrases, may pay off in a few weeks. I believe Google "dances" once a month to change rankings according to the new data that its "spiders" have gathered. Surely Amazon's searches work similarly.

My first box of books hasn't arrived yet. When it does...I'm ready to start!