You've Written Your Book... Now What?

I am often approached by people who have written books and expect that if they write it, the sales will come. Nothing could be further than the truth. The competition these days for books is fierce. Consider the news that Americans believe we are in a recession and are cutting back their discretionary spending. So, the long and short of it is that if you simply write your book without proper marketing communications planning, they will likely not come.


Many people reading this may say, somewhat haughtily, "Well, I am publishing my book with Publisher X and they said they would market my book for me." Your publisher will do some things to market your book, but you have to be the captain of the ship if you want your book to be successful.


From the time you finish writing your book, you should devote the next 18 months to ensuring your book's success. That means calling on everyone you know to tell them about your book. If you've ever exchanged business cards with anyone who is even remotely connected to the media, e-mail them or call them up.

Distribution of your book is part of the success. Is your book available just in bookstores or just online or both? Make sure that when it goes on sale, you reach out to your sphere of influence and ask them to buy your book . If you have e-mail lists that you have amassed over the years, send an e-mail announcing the publishing of your book.

One of the key components of a successful book is media. The media are the gatekeepers to potential book buyers so, if you can't get through to them, you will have a hard time letting potential customers know that your book is out there. Some people choose to go it alone and conduct their PR outreach by themselves, but it's often easier to go with a professional or agency. Previous posts have talked about the pros and cons of each, but the most important piece of advice is not to go with a professional or agency simply because they give you the lowest bid. They should have worked on books similar to yours (or at least in the same genre) in the past.

To ensure PR success, you should bring on a professional or agency at least 2-3 months before your book is scheduled to be released, especially if you will have bound galleys. Publications that have longer lead times will need to have your book well in advance of it publication date in order to get it into the magazine around the time your book is slated to publish.

One of the most important things to remember about your book, specifically your business book, is that while it is a whole piece, each chapter is a potential story idea for media. Dissect your book to give yourself more media arms and legs. Remember, book sections at newspapers are shrinking or have been cut at many major newspapers, so your goal (and that of your PR pro/agency) is to get off the book pages and into another section of the paper.

You've written your book and these are some of the things you should do to ensure its success.