Authors write through their eyes, from their
vantage point, but they must market through the lens of their potential reader.
What does the consumer need or want and how will they perceive what you offer?
This is what authors must answer.

When you write a book, you do so with passion and vigor. You laser in on what
needs to be done. You give yourself the time that is necessary to complete your
book.

When you market a book, you get distracted or make excuses, and that is a
no-no. You must be as determined and committed to marketing your book as you
were to writing it.

As a writer, you tend to draw from personal experience, what you witnessed, and
what others have shared with you, and you couple it with what you know from
reading books, watching TV and movies, and consuming the news. You have your
own power to dream or imagine things. But it is all from how you perceive
things.

As a marketer, you have to make assumptions, conduct research, and make
educated guesses as to who your likely reader is and what you will need to say
or do to draw them in and win them over. But many authors work out of a
me-centric marketing viewpoint, vs a them-centric perspective.

Another way of saying this: Authors are too close to their book to be objective
and strategic about how — and to whom —to market their baby. So, let’s start
with a few foundational questions. You must be ready to answer them in order to
market effectively:

* Where would my book sit if it were on a shelf in a bookstore — what genre is
it?

* Is it a book people need and are searching for one like it, or is it a book
people may want if only they knew of it?

* Who is your competition and what do those books or authors offer that you can
match or surpass? Do you offer something they don’t?

* What do people get out of reading your book — what are the benefits?

* How do you describe yourself in a qualifying way as to why you are the
perfect writer of such a book?

* Can you narrow down demographic traits or characteristics of your reader—
race, religion, gender, age, wealth, politics, health, education, geography,
etc.

You may have written the book for yourself from your viewpoint. Now market to
others from how they see things. By making that transition you have taken a
huge leap forward.

Need PR Help?

Brian
Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page
views, can be reached at [email protected]  He is available to help authors promote their story,
sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in
successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your
advocate, teacher, and motivator!

About Brian
Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be
followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is
copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now
resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue
dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The
Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This
award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts
over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by
BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018
as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by
www.WinningWriters.com as a “best resource.” For the past three decades,
including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book
publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses,
Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres,
right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark
Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay,
Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan
RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He
hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and
has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence
College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association,
Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and
Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have
been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY
Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington
Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, &
Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured
in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.