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Buzz-Based Book Marketing

Buzz-Based Book Marketing

Once upon a time, people went to bookstores when they wanted to buy a book. Or at least, that was the theory. Actually, non-bookstore channels have been a big part of book sales for decades-at least since people like Joe Karbo ("The Lazy Man's Way to Riches") back in the 1960s. For my own books, whether they were s elf-published, done with a small commercial house, or by a New York conglomerate, I've found that se lling direct is more secure, more financially rewar ding, and far less hassle than sweating out the returns game with the b ookstore channel. All along, I've sold through speeches (I love getting pai d to do my own marketing), over the Web (the f irst of my four websites went live in 1996), to clients at my office, wh o stare at a rack of my work throughout their entire appointment, and thr ough

an extensive effort to create "buzz." The great thi n g is that *anyone* can generate buzz. Three of my techniques: 1. Be a sourc e or guest for conventional m edia. I've been quoted in Reader's Digest, the New York Times, Woman's Day, Bo ttom Line, the Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Los Ange les Times, Inc, and dozens of other well-known and obscure publications (s ee a detailed list at http://www.principledprofits.com/pressroom.ht ml) . I'm also a call-in guest on at least a dozen radio shows per year. Whether

or not I sell a lot of books directly through t hese interviews, I definitely create a lot of buzz (search for my nam e at Google and see for yourself)--and the best interviews sell a number o f books through my websites or toll-free numbers. Here's my "secret weapon" f or getting coverage: a service that sends source queries from journalist s working on

stories. (Find out more at http://www.frugalmarketing.com/prleads.shtml ) 2. Find your niche on line, and participate actively. There ar e literally hundreds of thousands of "communities" online: virtual watercoo lers where people gather to tal k shop: mystery, historical novel reading groups, professionals in every l ine of work. Find a group whose audience is the same as your book,

and participate often. I currently participate in three groups for small

press publishers (a primary market not only for my books but for my co pywriting services, a group for Internet marketing profess i onals, three fo r professional PR and copywriters, and several others. Yes,

I spend an hour or two per day keeping up with--and participating on--th ese lists, but the impact on my business is huge. 3. Distribu te content. A r ticles, book excerpts, blogs...if you write often enough about a subject,

you become an expert. And you can find dozens of websites, discus sion groups, print newsletters, 'zines, even radio shows--all hungr y for well-written, informative material. You get "paid" with a

few lines of blurb and contact info. For my new book, "Principled Pr ofit: Marketing That Puts People First," I am addi ng two things to

the mix: a network of independent representatives who will sell my book on commission--thus reaching new networks I've not been a ble to reach on my own--and aggressive pursuit of corporate sales. I've h ad my first success with the latter: 1000 copies to a prom i nent airline. And that means the book was already profitable before it ro lled off the press!

Shel Horowitz, author of *Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First,* *Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World,* and four other books, offers affordable, effective copywriting and strategic marketing planning to clients on three continents. He is the originator of the Ethical Business Pledge Campaign to change the World at http://www.principledprofits.com/25000 influencers.html. His sites at http://www.frugalmarketing.com and http://www.principledprofits.com offer hundreds of useful articles for entrepreneurs and marketers, including the complete back issues of his FREE Monthly Frugal Marketing Tips. Shel will be glad to help you create your next press release, sell sheet, web site, or other marketing material. He can be reached at shel@principledprofits.com, 800-683-WORD.

In The News:

New York Times
Electronic Papyrus: The Digital Book, Unfurled
New York Times, United States - Jul 5, 2008
The price is not yet set, but Thomas van der Zijden, vice president for marketing and sales, said the Readius would be more expensive than the Kindle, ...

Publishers eye online sales in digital era
Jakarta Post, Indonesia - Jul 2, 2008
Erik said there were various forms of online book marketing available on Google, including author or book websites, contextual advertisements, author blogs ...

Immigration Issues, Baseball, and the Queen Discussed on Podcast ...
PR-CANADA.net (press release), Montenegro - 9 hours ago
Writers in the Sky Podcast has all three components covered as four guests are interviewed on this writing, publishing, and book marketing show. ...

Golf entrepreneur Barney Adams kept his eye on the ball
Dallas Morning News, TX - 16 hours ago
Now he's written a book, The Wow Factor, which chronicles the evolution of his business philosophy. Many execs are keen on writing highly glossed how-to ...

Book Sales in Decline as US Economy Contracts
24-7PressRelease.com (press release) - 16 hours ago
... bargain book shows in the United States, staged annually in time for retailers to buy inexpensive stock for marketing during the winter holiday season. ...

Catching the NFL bug
Mail Tribune, OR - 14 hours ago
Which is why Dan Marino gets a chapter in the book. The idea for the book goes back to Tim Clark, of Medford, who runs 541 Marketing and has published books ...

Hindu
Magical terrains
Hindu, India - Jul 5, 2008
Readers should not be hustled into buying a book because of marketing spiel! I think that literature is really a conversation between a writer and a reader. ...

Local writer hopes Led Zeppelin book will fly with fans
Welland Tribune, Canada - 54 minutes ago
“We have 40 years of marketing behind us,” Frank said. “The name is instantly recognizable and there is a huge fan base.” The book is slated to come back ...

Marketers urged to catch up, use online digital media tools
Manila Bulletin, Philippines - Jul 5, 2008
Conceptual discussions in the book are supplemented by best practice examples culled from OgilvyOne Worldwide, a one-to-one marketing network with over 110 ...

Southwest Florida Business Briefs: July 7, 2008
Naples Daily News, FL - 2 hours ago
Paradise Advertising & Marketing added Kathryn Varano as account coordinator in its Naples office. Varano’s previous roles include media buying supervisor ...

book marketing - Google News