If you’re serious about selling books, you have to accept that marketing is a must do.
Daily marketing is ideal.
Keep in mind, marketing every day is not marketing all day.

Objections Abound

In a recent blog post, I talked about using speaking as a way to sell books. I did receive a few objections regarding speaking.
“I don’t like to speak in front of others,” is a common frustration people have when I recommend speaking to sell books.
Here’s the deal,  you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I’m simply sharing what has worked for me and countless other authors.
I do not believe in a cookie cutter approach, but I do know fear can definitely hold one back from accomplishing all they are meant to accomplish.
In the case of Martha, whose vocal chords were affected by a stroke in 2009, it makes perfect sense to find other, more conducive ways to get her message out.
When you don’t do something because you just don’t want to, or fear is rearing its ugly head, you may want to step back and rethink your objections. IMHO.
There are many, many ways to market. You don’t need to do them all. You just need to decide what works best for you, your market and your goals.

One Day It All Changed

In a recent interview, I was asked what’s changed in the way I market my books today compared to when I marketed my first book years ago.
Simply put…a clear plan. Over the years, I’ve become realistic about what it takes to sell lots of books.
Most authors want to sell books, but many never will. At least not more than a handful.
That was my own story with my first book. I had no plan. I believed I would somehow get discovered. I was incredibly naive.
Today, I know it takes effort to get my books in the hands of readers. Here are a few things you should do to get your books sold.

• Identify your ideal reader
• Determine where they hang out
• Have a plan of how you will become visible to your potential readers
• Work the plan
• Be consistent
• Do something every day

Identify your ideal reader
The more you know about your reader, the better.  One things for sure, “everyone” is not your market/reader. There are those who will devour your words while others will care less about what you write. The more you know who will eagerly consume your words, the easier it is to reach them.
Understanding who your reader is, is the first step in knowing where they hang out.
Where do they hang out?
You can have a “throw it at the wall and home something sticks” marketing approach or you can be laser focused. When you know the type of blogs they read, what social networks they frequent, what magazines they read, radio and podcast shows they listen to and even what television shows they enjoy, the easier it is to reach them.
Create a plan
What is the end result you want to accomplish with your books? Is it simply to sell books  or is it to use the books to create other opportunities such as speaking, consulting, coaching or having them attend your live events?
When you know what you ultimately want to accomplish, this gives you the foundation for a plan that is likely to be more successful.
With my book, Power Up For Profits, The Smart Woman’s Guide to Online Marketing, my goal was to have book buyers attend a three day event. At the event, I introduced a year-long coaching program. I successfully enrolled several clients into the program.
Had I not had a clear vision and plan, I would not have generated the type of sales I did. Simple as that.

Work the plan

Putting the plan together is only as good as how well you work the plan. To not take action is a huge mistake.

Be Consistent

Consistency is another essential aspect of your success. Which leads into the next point…

Do something every day

A common reaction I get from authors who are resistant to marketing is, “When will I have time to write if I have to market every day?”
Marketing every day is NOT marketing all day. It simply means you put a specific amount of time to market each day. As little as 30 minutes a day will get you a greater result that 99% of authors. Why? Because most authors do minimal marketing thus resulting in minimal sales and back-end oppopportunities.
For more ideas on how to market your books, access my FREE report – Hit #1 on Amazon at www.oneonamazon.com

Stand Out

The #1 way to sell books is to do whatever you can to have your book stand out from the millions of others that are out there.

7 very easy to implement “stand out” ideas.

1.  Article marketing
One of the oldest online marketing strategies is still one of the most effective. Writing articles should be very easy. After all, you are a writer.
Even if you don’t have a lot of time on your hands, you can create several articles from the content of your book.
At the end of the article add in a free offer that drives readers back to your blog, website or landing page to opt in for something of value. Yes, ethical bribes still work.
Once you have people on your list, you can drive them to your Amazon book page.
2.  Tell people
You need to let your friends, family, colleagues, clients, peers and just about anybody know that your book is published. After all, if you’re not willing to talk about your book, others may not be either.
3.  Reviews from happy readers
Third party endorsements (verbal or written) are a great way to have your book stand out. Ask readers to leave reviews on Amazon. Often, readers don’t think about writing a review unless asked to do so.
Never pay for reviews.
4.  Facebook
Start a Facebook group. Groups are a great way to build a community of raving fans.
Once you start the group, let people know about it.  Be actively involved with those who joined the group. Otherwise, the group is stagnant and a huge waste of time to members.
A powerful way to get the most out of your Facebook efforts is to build a community of raving fans. This is one of the most important things you can do on Facebook.
Ready to learn how to do this? Join me on July 31st as Denise Wakeman, digital marketing strategist extraordinaire, will share exactly how to do this with members of Book Accelerator group.
This is open to current members. To join Book Accelerator go to www.anatomyofabooklaunch.com

5.  LinkedIn groups
A fantastic way to build a loyal following of potential buyers of your book(s) is to start a LinkedIn group that is specific to the theme or genre of your book.
Does a group take work? Yes. But so do all the other methods outlined in this post.
The fact is, anything you do is going to take effort.
6.  Blogging
By far one of the best things you can do to build visibility, credibility, market reach and SEO is blogging.
You can also guest blog. This gives you even more reach. One thing blog owners seem to like is to host someone who has content already published. This is one reason you should post on your own blog as frequently as possible.
7.  Videos
Without a doubt video is one of the most powerful marketing tools you can use to promote your book.  You can do book trailers, short readings, or simply share stories as they relate to your book. Be sure to be animated during your shooting and use keywords both in the spoken part of the video and the title and description.
Want to learn more about video creation and marketing? Join me on September 12th for an intimate gathering in Portland, Oregon for Visibility and Video One Day Workshop. Go to www.powerupthinktank.com for full details.