Publishing a Book to Market Your Services: 8 Things You Must Know
Of all the credentials desired by professional service providers, perhaps the most coveted is authorship, publishing a book under your own name. A book conveys solidity, credibility and expertise; in the mind of the marketplace, it often distinguishes the serious players from the also-rans. But if you write and publish a book with the hope that new leads and fresh business will magically arrive at your doorstep when your book arrives on store shelves, you’re woefully mistaken. Without your active effort, your book may become little more than an attractive footnote on your resume. With careful planning and an aggressive campaign, however, your book can do more than catalyze a few fresh leads – it can open up new opportunities you may not have even considered possible before. The following are eight points to consider about publishing and marketing. Whether you’re planning to write a book, entering contract negotiations or have already published a book and are currently marketing it, these points can help you make the most of a very good thing. 1) Plan on marketing the book yourself First, a reality check: Unless you’re Tom Peters or Stephen King, your big name, big bucks publisher will not lift a finger to market your book. You want print ads, press kits and publicity tours? Then plan on organizing and paying for them yourself. The truth is, the burden of marketing your book falls entirely upon your shoulders. That may be a bitter pill to swallow, but the sooner you get over your disappointment and assume responsibility for your book, the better. 2) Negotiate for the right things in your book contract Too many authors focus almost exclusively on the terms of their advance (the money you get while writing the book) and royalties. Keep your focus and remember that you’re not writing the book to make money on sales, but as a tool to build your business or practice. Here a few important things you’ll want to address during negotiations: - Placement: The big bricks-and-mortar stores dictate shelf placement – where your book will be categorized – from corporate headquarters, and headquarters takes the lead from publishers. Ask your publisher where they think it should go and be prepared to fight, er, engage in persuasive dialog, if you disagree.
- Free and/or discounted copies: Most publishers will give you a set number of free author copies for you to distribute as you wish. You can never have too many. Publishers may give you more – if you’re prepared to show them a plan for how you’ll use them, such as lists of press contacts you’ll mail them to, or a schedule of speaking engagements at which you’ll offer them as door prizes. You’ll also want to beg for as steep an author’s discount as you can get on additional copies.
- First dibs on remainders: If or when your book goes out of print, standard publisher practice is to unload the leftover inventory as remainders sold at sharp discounts. Ask for a clause in your contract that gives you first rights on buying remaindered inventory.
- Almighty Amazon.com: Not only is Amazon the big gorilla of book sales, it’s a distributor you can directly link to from your own website. Be sure your book gets all the special features on Amazon.com, from an image of the book cover to extensive “search inside” capabilities.
3) Collect promotional blurbs Just as testimonials help promote your business, those little book blurbs you see on back covers, dust jackets and the first few inside pages can go a long way toward selling your book. Since you’re the one best positioned to identify the “thought leaders” who matter in your field, you’re better qualified than the publisher to seek out and collect favorable book blurbs. Ask your publisher for advance galleys or sample chapters you can send to potential blurb writers. 4) Write articles After the back-breaking hard work of writing your book, here’s one of your chief rewards: the opportunity to do even more writing! Your new book is a bona fides that impresses editors who, prior to your publication, wouldn’t have given you more than an invitation to subscribe. Target the periodicals that matter in your field -- and don’t neglect important websites -- with copies of your book (see step 2) and an annotated list of article ideas you’d like to develop. It’s worth the work: publishing articles on a regular basis helps you maintain your presence in front of your target market. 5) Start speaking Your new book can also opens doors to speaking engagements, seminars and/or workshops for conferences, industry events and professional association meetings. Event planners love inviting speakers whom they can describe as “the author of . . .” You may not get paid, but you’ll gain the best kind of marketing possible – a chance for your prospects to experience you in action. 6) Maintain communications with new prospects Your book, articles and speaking engagements will attract a whole new audience of potential prospects who will come to you via e-mail, the web, by phone or even in person through networking. Some of these contacts will convert into sales on the spot. But the majority of them will require some nurturing. Be sure to construct a means of regular communication that will keep your hard-won contacts in your fold. I highly recommend a once-a-month opt-in e-newsletter your prospects can subscribe to. 7) Make new offers Now that you’re an “expert,” you probably have an opportunity to expand your business. In addition to the services or consulting you already provide, consider adding new offers such as coaching, mentoring or training. Listen carefully to the questions participants ask at your speaking events and to the inquiries you get in your e-mail. Chances are, you can identify hot-button topics you can address through pre-packaged workshops or seminars you can bring to their organizations. 8) Revisit your web strategy In many ways, a new book gives you a new identity that parallels your current business role. But your website is probably still limited to your old persona. Be sure to update your online presence to fulfill the needs of your new audience and draw them even closer to you. In addition to obvious changes such as links to your book, you may want to add a blog (if you don’t already have one), an archive of your published articles, and a frequently updated “events” page that lists your upcoming personal appearances. Do the right “write” thing Many people feel that they have a book inside them. But getting it out is just the first step. After birth, there’s the long, hard slog of raising your baby. Put in the love and attention it needs, and you’ll be rewarded with new business growth you can be proud of. Jonathan Kranz is the author of Writing Copy for Dummies, http://kranzcom.com/book.html, and the principal of Kranz Communications, http://kranzcom.com, a marketing communications and public relations writing firm specializing in B2B and consumer services marketing. He offers customized in-house and on-site marketing and PR seminars, and is a popular speaker at professional association events, meetings, workshops and conferences, http://kranzcom.com/speaking.html |
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