How to Use the 4-P’s of Marketing While Waiting for Your Book to be Published by Lauren Crews

I heard a recent statistic. It takes three to eight years to publish a book. For a writer, especially a newbie, that statement can be a deflating. The wait can be challenging, but in the world of building platform, the wait is worth it. There is vital work to be done while waiting to be published.

Gone are the days when we wrote a book and sat back as the “professionals” took over our sales and marketing. Today, publishers require us to work as hard as they do in promoting and selling our book. This can be a daunting task, and if you self-publish, the job becomes even more paramount. So where and when does one begin? It may be helpful to start thinking of yourself and your book in marketing terms-Product, Price, Promotion, and Place and take steps now towards the work of marketing and promotion before you have a book to offer.

1. Begin Fine-tuning Your Brand Immediately.

Your brand is you not your latest project. Your book may be fabulous, but your branding image is attached to it. Consider this your Product. Fine tune your brand by asking yourself – What is my passion? Does it show? Then, create a brand statement to use in your bio and all your promotional work.

Your brand statement should include:

• 1-2 Sentence
• What you do best
• Who you serve
• How you do it

For example, my passions are digging deep into Bible study, the Hebrew language and culture and teaching what I learn to others. So, my brand statement is – Introducing Christians to their Hebrew roots.

Stay true to your brand in your blog writing, your online presence, and promotional material. This includes a consistent headshot, use of colors and if possible profile names. Take time developing how you want to be received by the market because their perception moves with you into your next project. Until your book hits the market and becomes a bestseller, you are the visual and the voice of your brand.

2. What Price are You Willing to Pay?

I’m sure you’ve heard the adage, “You have to spend money to make money” this applies to marketing your brand. These are items you may want to spend money on to begin promoting your brand now.

• Business cards
• Bookmark
• Pens
• Banners
• Website
• Items to leave as giveaways when you speak. I had rubber bracelets made with my hashtag #StrongWomanA2Z. I also splurged and had silver cuff bracelets made with the hashtag, and I use one per speaking engagement as a door prize.

Before being published, be sure the focus of these items is your brand, not the book. This is because the title of your book will likely change – several times. You will want a base of products to use book before during and after the book is out. After you are published, you can always reorder book specific items. Be sure to include your website, a headshot, brand statement and contact information.

3. Begin Networking Now.

The goal in marketing your brand is to establish yourself as an authority. You want people talking about you in a good way. This is Promotion. Some aspects of networking you can do now are:

• Post a positive book review for another author and share the link across your social media. You’re promoting someone else, but your name is getting out there.
• Write a more in-depth book review as your blog post and share it.
• Be a guest blogger for others.
• Friend everyone you meet at writer’s conferences.
• Follow like-minded people on social media and interact with them.
• If you open your social media profiles to public, remember your “brand” is now out there for everyone to see. Be sure to represent that brand well, and all that you post, share, or retweet reflects your brand.

I’m in year three of the publishing journey, but it has been worth the wait. I started as an unknown in the Christian writing world with a private Facebook page. Networking has been my most significant area of growth. Last year I began applying these strategies to my brand, and in one year my social media following grew by 2,000% (really!). I have a solid foundation of subscribers on my blog, and I’ve guest blogged for others which has put me in front of more than 2,300 additional blog subscribers. My platform would not be considered record-breaking, but I’ve come a long way, and I’m delighted with the growth. You will be pleased when you see tangible results as you update your book proposal.

4. Hone in on Your Target Market.

Where can you find your target market? Publishers will work to get you in stores, but where else can you focus on sales? This is the Place you will target to find customers. If you’re trying to reach women, they are often involved in home-based businesses like Pampered Chef, Mary Kay or LuLaRoe. These groups often meet in public places for monthly business meetings. Find a sales consultant, find out where they meet and ask if you can speak with them. Offer a copy of your book as a drawing prize through which you have collected their contact info. (Hey, they do it to us at those home gatherings!) Then follow up. Sometimes they will share additional contacts or networks. Other locations you might find your target market are:

• The Coffee shop
• Library
• Trade shows
• Craft/Farmers markets
• The Gym
• The Gun Range
• City Rotary networking events
• Rotary club
• Women’s clubs
• Men’s clubs
• Country clubs (golf and tennis)
• Readings at school, colleges, bookstores, club meetings, scout meetings
• Can you take advantage of the book’s setting, your character’s interests or hobbies?
• Where would you find your character?

Once you’ve identified where to find your market, mingle with them. Set up an informational table, leave promotional material, read for them or write for a website that reaches them. Do whatever you can to get your information in front your market.

Marketing starts well before your book is published. I was asked by a publisher at a writing conference, “what do you want in a publisher?” My answer, “I want a publisher who will work as hard as I do and let me show you what I’ve already done.” If you begin to refine these skills early, you will become an asset to your future publisher-one harder to resist.

BIO

As a Bible teacher and speaker, Lauren encourages Christians to explore and understand the Jewish roots of their faith. She lives in north-east Florida with her husband and two chocolate labs. She is mom of three fantastic young adults and recently welcomed a daughter-in-love to the Crews crew. She is represented by Credo Communications and working toward the publication of her books Rethinking the Proverbs 31 Woman: Breaking the Myth and Revealing her Legacy and Jesus: The Alef and the Tav. You can connect with Lauren on the web at www.laurencrews.com.