Guest Blogger Alice Anderson

Your book just hit the shelves. Congrats! Now what?

Now you've got some work to do.

What? You thought your work was done? Well, if you want to earn back your advance I'm afraid your work is just getting started.

In my book Tips for Authors I cover all facets of being an author, from career building to developing a brand to advertising. Most authors don't have a background in marketing and the idea of promoting themselves and their book is scary.

Don't let it be. Do your research. Remember that your book is your product. In today's publishing climate, every little thing you can do to get the word out about your book is a good thing.

To give you a better understanding of the components that make up marketing, I'm including an excerpt from my book.

Many people, me included, use marketing and promotion interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing. And if you understand the layers involved, you’ll be a better-prepared author (and that’s my goal).

There are four main sections that make up marketing:

·  Product (your book)

·  Price

·  Placement (distribution within stores, online stores, ebooks, audio, etc.)

·  Promotion (how you get the word out about your product)

Three sub sections make up promotion:

·  Advertising

·  Branding

·  Publicity

Traditionally published authors won’t have a lot of impact on price or placement. But all authors have control over the product and promotion.

Control over your product includes the topic of the book or story, the quality of the writing—research included—and possibly the title.

When it comes to promotion, you’re in charge of building your brand, working with publishers to get attention for your book, connecting with readers. And that’s what the rest of this book covers.

Determine your audience.

When it comes to marketing and promotion, know who your audience is so you can address them.

Do you write fiction about race car drivers? Guess who you should be advertising to? Race car fans, drivers, sponsors, people involved in that sport.

Have you written something that would be of interest to the locals? Advertise on local blogs, websites, newspapers, especially if they have a section on community.

Step outside your niche.

Sometimes a change of scenery can work wonders. If you’ve been focusing exclusively on non-fiction readers, try meeting fiction readers. Find novels that relate to your topic and become friends with the author. If you write cookbooks, find authors who write novels about food. Develop a relationship via their blog or social networks.

Check your calendar.

Is a holiday coming up? Something you can tie book promotion to?

Have you written a book about grandparents? Grandparents’ day is a great time to promote it.

Write romance? Valentine’s day should be circled with a big heart!

There are several other tips in the chapter on marketing. And new methods are always on the horizon. There's no tried or true method, unfortunately. Luckily, there are plenty of authors willing to offer up their experiences.

What about you? Are you still waiting for the call? Do you do a lot of promotion? What has worked well for you? Have you tied your book promotion to any holidays?

Thanks for letting me take over your blog for the day Kate!

Alice can be found at:
http://www.alice-anderson.com 
http://twitter.com/AllyAnderson 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alice-Anderson/190591607652924