FIVE New Year's Book Marketing Resolutions

As we prepare to leave 2009 behind, it is a good time to focus on your goals for 2010 in regard to book marketing.

Did you mean to create a Facebook fan page but never got around to it? Did you create an email news list for a targeted audience? No? How about starting a blog? Oh you started one but you've only posted on it a few times?

Guess what? NOW is the time to buckle down and recommit yourself to your author platform building! "Oh, but Kat," you say, "my manuscript isn't finished yet! My cover design isn't complete! I don't have a title yet!"

That's even better! You can really begin building your author platform from the ground up at those fledgling stages and there is no better time than 01-01-10.

The nice thing about New Year's resolutions and book marketing is that none of it will require abstaining from fattening foods. The hard part though will be staying disciplined!

So here are five items to work on to kick off your book marketing with gusto in 2010!

1. Identify your target audience
With every book there is a specific niche group that can be identified that are going to be your biggest fans. Remember, these aren't the people who should read your book. These are the people who will read your book. Are you writing a book about spiritual healing? Your core audience are people who already read books about spiritual healing. Not necessarily all the spiritually bereft potential readers that haven't yet decided to seek healing help. Or maybe your book is a recipe book for whimsical desserts. Your target audience is not potential readers that are on a diet.

Tools to use to identify your target audience:

• Internet - Easy and available, the web is a great place to search out people interested in your genre or topic
• Book retailers - How are books in your genre or topic being marketed there?
• Organizations - Are there some special groups that specifically deal with your genre or topic?
• Yourself - Aren't you now an expert in your genre or topic? You are one of your best sources!

2. Lay the foundation for your Author Platform

You've already identified your target audience, now it is time to grab a figurative bull horn and tell them about your great new book. This is the elbow grease period. You have to communicate with your target audience, an audience that isn't always aware you exist. You're going to have to do a lot to garner some attention. Social media marketing is one great way to do this. Another way is through multi-media publicity.

Tools to use to start your Author Platform

• Social Media
• Email
• Press Releases online and hard copy
• Web site

3. Schedule time to Author Platform build

I hear a lot of whingeing from authors: "I don't have time" or "I have a friend who is going to help me but they aren't available for another month" or "I don't see how [enter whatever task you don't really want to do here] is going to help me sell my book" or my favorite "I posted a blog but no one commented. It wasn't working so I just neglected it." If you are one of these excuse makers, I'm looking at you now sort of like Nurse Ratchett: amused but uncaring. Get to work! There is no instant gratification in book marketing. It takes time, consistency, and planning.

Tools to use to help you manage Author Platform building:

• Email news lists - anytime you have something to say you can say it quickly by maintaining a news list of emails you will always send information to. With a news list you will be able to shoot out a lecture invitation, a new book release date, or even a simple holiday greeting with ease.
• Blog posting options - blogging frequently can be hard to work into a busy schedule. Many authors also find that it is feast or famine in the inspiration area. By using your post dating feature on your blog, you can write multiple posts in a day, but slowly release them over a scheduled set of days. One hour of blogging could mean that you've written three posts for the week!
• Priority lists - use free calendars such as Gmail Calendars to help you organize and schedule your author platform building activities. That way you will always know what is next and can be working toward your next goal.

4. Set your marketing goals realistically

"I will sell one million books in six months" is frankly an overly ambitious (not to mention ridiculous) goal. What are your true goals? Are you using your book to help lend your business credibility? If so, what are some ways to set book marketing goals for yourself that will help you do that? I always tell my authors, just try to sell more books this month than you did last month. Don't fret over your Amazon ranking. Worry about your reviews, your sales, and if your marketing activities are fruitful. Often your goals and your marketing techniques don't support each other. Make sure you are tailoring your marketing to help you reach your goals!

Tools for setting goals

• Tracking your marketing techniques - keep track in a spreadsheet, a database, or even on a napkin what avenues you are using for your marketing. By watching what you are doing, you can better see where your efforts are fruitful.
• Quarterly Sales Reports - if you haven't had any sales in a quarter it is time to look at your marketing techniques and consider some new ideas
• Be realistic - you won't likely be able to quit your day job and survive off of your book royalties. If you are wanting your book to generate more income, look at different ways you can use your book as a tool to help you do that. For example, many authors are paid lecturers who use their lecturing money to help supplement their income as well as having book royalties.

5. Don't give up

Just about every author has the same initial experience. When their book is first released they have a surge of book sales from their initial marketing efforts (i.e. their mom buys a copy) and said author is riding high on the enthusiasm of the completed book in hand, the initial sales, and the optimism that they are on their way to publishing success. Suddenly, the sales slow to a crawl. Demoralized, the author's enthusiasm for publishing success is crushed and they give up. They stop tagging key search terms on Amazon. They don't blog. They stop talking to their twitter friends. Their Facebook status hasn't been updated about book-related events in weeks. The only way to get passed this is to NEVER GIVE UP. This is the time to really put your nose to the grindstone and continue working on your author platform. In time, you'll see your book sales increase. The increase might be incremental to begin with, but all increments are better than zero. So don't give up! Get marketing!

Tools to help you through your book depression

• Your account manager - If you are a Wheatmark author, your account manager is going to be one of your greatest assets. Your AM is your coach, cheerleader, and teammate wrapped into one. We'll help you brainstorm marketing ideas. Talk you out of your funk with constructive advice and criticism. If nothing else? We are willing to listen when your family and friends just can't take it anymore.
• Book Marketecture - Our free book marketing guide is full of great information and may be just the evening read to help you get back on the book marketing boat.
• Wheatmark Author Resources - Besides the guide, our website has tons of information to help you get back on track: from the blog to our tutorials, there is bound to be something to inspire you to keep at it.
• Wheatmark monthly newsletter - The article by the president often highlights a Great Expectations success and how that author accomplished their goal of becoming a GE title. Read some of the back editions to read how those authors kept going and are now our bestsellers!

Now get out there and find your publishing success!