Promotion Begins With the First Word

I was supposed to have a guest post today, but since that fell through, here's some promotional considerations during the writing phase of your book.


Promotion Begins With the First Word

Marketing is often a writer’s greatest challenge. The sooner you can begin planning your promotions, the greater your chance of success. And marketing should begin with the very first word.

Before pouring your heart and soul into your efforts, consider the marketability of your work. Explore bookstores off and online to determine if your niche is too small or genre too large. Examine the competition in depth. Most book purchases are determined by either subject matter or the author’s reputation. Do you have enough status to be considered an expert in your field? Does your book fill a need? If writing fiction, will the hook of your story be powerful enough to make you stand out from all the other authors in your genre? Remember, no one book appeals to all people, so know your target audience. Take all of this into account before passionately writing a book you cannot sell.

Tie-ins play a key role in the success of a book as well. Start asking yourself now – who would endorse my book? Favorably Mentioning specific products, companies, individuals and locations may garner endorsements. A celebrity endorsement, whether from an actor, an athlete, or another author, can increase the credibility of your work. Don’t forget organizations, non-profit groups or even political parties that might recommend your book or even use it for a fundraiser. The setting of your story might be of great interest to the people who reside there and in fact could be your target audience. Consider all of these aspects as you create your work.

Be aware of the length of your book. When exploring the bookshelves, look at the average length of books in your genre. Will yours be too long or too short? Page sizes and fonts will vary, so think in terms of word count. Research your genre thoroughly and be aware of the maximum and minimum word counts. Publishers and agents don’t want to see a book from an unknown writer that’s over 100,000 words - some want it closer to 80,000. Watch your word count even if you intend to self-publish.

The promotion process begins with the writing phase. If you do not prepare during this time, you may find it difficult to market your book or entice the interest of a publisher. Write success into your book right now!