MARKETING TIPS
As many know, the battle for the reader’s attention is on between your printed book and the digitized version of your book. Many publishers are catching up in the digital realm, but once the digital library partnership-in-progress between Google and the University of California is completed, readers will be able to access virtually every noteworthy volume online.
Of course, if it’s copyright-protected, they will have to buy the download, but the point is made: If you want your print book to sell in a bookstore, you are going to have to push like never before.

This column will provide ongoing tips for you, simple ways to market your books. Here are eight tips for the holiday season:

• Once the publisher releases your title and completes the advertising-publicity blitz, don’t rely on them to continue pushing your book. That’s up to you.
• Build email lists. I cannot stress the importance of a good email list. Put friends, family, acquaintances, business contacts, people you meet in the course of your writing, and target bookstores and retailers on the list. Constantly update it.
• Create your own holiday incentives. Send out and email a bulletin to your lists. If you are self-published, offer gift certificates for multiple purchases or a free bookmark. People are looking for unique gifts. What is more unique than your book?
• Create a simple monthly newsletter. Run excerpts from your book in each issue, along with comments on what inspired you to write that particular passage. Offer seasonal discounts. If you have more than one book, offer package deals. Put this newsletter into a snazzy HTML format and email it.
• Invest in at least one easy-to-mail promotional accessory–bookmarks, postcards, small posters, index cards with key phrases, pens. Put your book title, your name, the publisher, an image of the cover and the ISBN number on there, so people can order the book. Carry your promotional accessory wherever you go. Your next sale is a handshake away.
• If you choose to self-publish, create your own publishing imprint. Too many authors make the mistake of going with the company with which they worked – PublishAmerica, iUniverse, exLibris, Author’s House, First Books. The company in which I am involved, Creative Juice, encourages authors to create an imprint. It gives you identity – and the bookstores are more likely to pick your book up.
• Give your book – signed and inscribed – as a holiday gift to individuals who can facilitate future sales for you: college professors, bookstore owners, newspaper and magazine writers, TV journalists, librarians, elected officials and public figures. They’ll appreciate the free gift, and they’ll tell someone about it.
• Have your friends post reviews of your book(s) on Amazon.com. It’s easy! Tell them to go onto www.amazon.com, search for the name of your book or your name, and follow the directions on the “Write A Review” button. Online shoppers read these reviews—and buy your book(s).