So you want to be a bestselling author, I hear? Well, I hope you understand that comes with a price. Yes, in fact, it reminds me of the hit musical Fame from the 80s. Famous dancer and actress Debbie Allen (sister of Phylicia Rashad, in case you didn’t know) declared these famous words to her wannabe superstar dance students:
“You’ve got big dreams! You want fame?
Well, fame costs and right here is where you start pain and sweat!”
It is true that any award worth receiving or recognition worth having is going to cost something. When it comes to getting your book “out there” (from my previous blog), your second most important job after writing the book, will be your marketing efforts. Marketing should be done before, during, and after the publishing of the book.
I remember when my book Prayers That Get Results – The Doers Guide to Turning Tragedy into Triumph & Overcoming the Failures in Life showed up on the Amazon’s Hot Sellers list. I had created quite a buzz with my tribe of followers in order to get to that point. However, I learned later that had I started much earlier in the process and was more focused and disciplined in my marketing approach, I could have far exceeded even the great results I was producing at the time. This is why I am so adamant about teaching authors how to develop the mindset to market their books. Your success depends on it.
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So, I will briefly explain a disciplined approach and marketing formula that you can use to stay consistent and produce results. Here’s what you must do and how you should do it:
1. Develop a Launch Team – These are people who believe in you and your message and are willing to help you get it out on an on-going basis. Traditionally, these people are your family members, close friends, dedicated followers, and satisfied customers.
2. Develop a Long-term Launch Plan – You don’t just launch; you launch and relaunch. You are always launching here, there and everywhere. This means you should have a list of every venue, location, event, and opportunity that you can take advantage of to present your message.
Notice, I just didn’t say “book” but instead “message” because what you are presenting is greater than a 6X9 compilation of bound paper with your words inscribed on them. You are presenting a message that is changing lives whether through information, inspiration, or entertainment.
3. Discipline Your Efforts – Now, here is the key to it all. I’ve noticed that many people start off good but finish bad. What do I mean? I’m glad you asked. Many self-published authors initially possess the zeal and enthusiasm that it takes to start off spreading their messages. But, oftentimes, because they are what I call “ignorance on fire” they have a lot of speed but little direction, resulting in running out of gas and losing enthusiasm.
It will take a disciplined mind and concentrated efforts to see your book marketing goals come into fruition. You must purpose in your heart and put your marketing efforts on your schedule. The formula is…
2 Hours Per Day
2 Days Per Week
2 Months Straight
Follow this formula until your funnel of book sales, opportunities, and engagements matches your goals!
So, to be clear, you need to look at your schedule and pick 2 days out of the week where you can schedule 2 hours each day to work solely on the marketing aspects of your book.
Schedule it in because what gets scheduled gets done.
Work on this plan for 2 months straight until your schedule is filled for at least an entire year’s worth of engagements. Revisit this plan anytime your bookings get lean or your schedule has gaps. Also, remember our last teaching on the 1FL Strategy in my previous blog? I mentioned that free opportunities are good opportunities and that’s mostly what you’ll be doing in the beginning anyway. So, schedule those free opportunities in and to increase your enthusiasm, place a $ beside each one so you’ll get excited every time you look at your schedule.
There you have it — my 2X2X2 formula that you can use to lay out a marketing plan to get the results you want from your book publishing project. Now that you have a plan, work the plan and be sure to let me know how it went.
By the way, how are things going with your book? Where are you at in the process? How are your marketing efforts going?
Comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
Talk to you soon,
Coach Kish