The most important thing to do to ensure the successful marketing of your book is to actively network and spread the word, as wide and as far as possible. You should never be afraid of self-promotion. You have an important message to deliver, and you are your own most important asset.

 

Here are some best practices that you will want to consider:

 

PERSONAL CONTACTS AND REVIEW COPIES

 

Secure the best reviews. Your list of professional contacts—clients, colleagues, and friends—are the prospects Sales and Marketing will approach. We’ll also include these contacts in email campaigns. You can supply us with a list of contacts at blogs, journals, and other publications that are doing work in your field, and we will request book reviews to include in promotions. We can arrange for a copy of the book to be sent to these contacts.

 

Generate some buzz in your own circle! We are also happy to send out complimentary copies of your book to generate buzz by word of mouth to a targeted list of personal contacts you provide. We can send these out with a personal letter from you if you want to provide one, or we can send a set of books to you if you would prefer to do the mailings on your own.

 

Follow up. When your book is published, you’ll want to email the personal contact list you’ve compiled about your book’s publication, with a link to the Corwin website.

 

Create an Author Page. To increase your visibility and drive Amazon traffic, set up an Amazon Author Page. This is a way for future customers to learn more about you and your book. You can feature a photo, biography, bibliographies, and even a link to your website and blog posts. See Jim Burke's Author Page for an example.

 

Generate Amazon Book Reviews. The more book reviews you have on Amazon, the more visible the book becomes to site visitors. Once the book is published, you will want to urge your friends to read and review your book. Provide us names, and we’ll be happy to send complimentary copies of the book to a targeted list of personal contacts.

 

PUBLICATIONS

Spread the word with journal articles. Submit proposals and articles on your book’s topic to major associations and publications, and let us know when you have something published. Don’t forget to include bylines directly citing your book title! We can add links to these articles on your book’s web page and/or your online author bio, and use them as the basis for social media promotion and potential email campaigns. Links to publications and submission deadlines can be found at the Corwin Author Guide website.

 

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Let your voice be heard. Each year, Corwin exhibits at the most high-profile national conferences. But there are another several hundred—if not more—smaller conferences, and it is unfeasible for us to have a corporate presence at each of these. For us to best promote your speaking engagements, it’s essential that you keep us informed of all upcoming events. If neither we nor one of our distributors is exhibiting, we can provide digital flyers and either arrange for book sales with the conference bookstore or facilitate your book purchases at a 40% discount.

 

You may want to take a look at the conferences where Corwin is planning to have a presence, and consider submitting speaking proposals to them. For an updated list, please contact your marketing manager. With a Corwin presence at the conference, we would be more likely to maximize the opportunity for sales of your book while you are in attendance.

 

When you speak at a conference, be sure to have extra copies of your book on hand. Many associations forbid authors from book promotion during presentations. One clever way around this is to feature in your PowerPoint presentation actual book excerpts, with a clearly visible copyright line. Also, read a piece from your book, making sure the cover is viewable by the audience.

 

Many professional associations and publications request conference proposals or articles as far as a year in advance. Carefully consider your book’s publication date and schedule your efforts around it. One of the best ways to get the word out is by presenting or publishing on the very same topic once your book is available.

 

If you’re on the road consulting or speaking, be sure to share the news about your book at every opportunity. And if you can provide your marketing manager with the contacts and email lists from these events, we can include them in targeted campaigns.