Three qualities you need to cultivate to successfully write, publish and market your books.

When I was teaching high school French, as the years passed, I noticed that those students who did the best were those who used what I have come to call the three P’s. Planning, Practice and Persistence. Later in my career in the public high school realm, I was teaching in an “at risk” high school with an over-crowded population of “at risk” students, many of whom were clinging to their school lives by a thread. They didn’t know how to study. No one had taught them how to organize anything. They were at a loss as to how to plan ahead, prepare for exams, see into their futures for a glimpse of who they wanted to be when they grew up. Typically, these students were more interested the social aspects of school than they were in the academic pursuits that could help them grow beyond the borders of their “at risk” world. Many of them were teetering on the brink of self-destruction because of the temptations of drugs, sex, and a culture of helplessness. They were not expected to succeed, and so they didn’t try to learn how succeed.

Q: “So what?” you say. “What does this have to do with my being a writer trying to sell my books?”

A: Well, quite a lot, actually. Let’s take the first P and apply it to the world of writing, books and publishing.

PLANNING: The process of planning applies to the creation of the book and to the selling of the book.

CREATION:

For fiction, the plot, characters and theme of the story don’t (or shouldn’t) just happen. The author plans the overview of the action, the character’s personalities, the impact of events, the reason for the story in the first place. Even if the author doesn’t design a detailed outline for his book, he should work out the flow of his book on paper before he begins writing. Some will do this in reverse, write the book and then organize it, making changes to accommodate the re-organization. But, the planning is the skeleton for the story, and wherever the creative Muse takes it, at least there is a first plan.
For non-fiction, in many ways these books are easier to write. There is an over-riding goal to inform, convince, sell or inspire --- or a combination of all these factors --- to the planning stage. Outlines are common for non-fiction books. This doesn’t mean changes don’t happen. They do, but the book has a clear step-by-step organization to it, or at least it should.

MARKETING:

All too often, this part of the process of a book’s life is minimized or over-looked altogether.
Q: “When does the marketing begin?”
A: Before the book is completed. At the very least, while the book is in the hands of the publisher for layout and design, after sending the manuscript in for its first copyright registration (www.loc.gov  form TX short form) the author needs to be sending manuscripts to online reviewers and notable people who can provide endorsements for use on the cover of the book, and selected local media, in preparation for the galley and the book’s release --- usually about 3 to 5 months after the galley is out. Then with the galley, the author should be setting up booksignings, entering tradeshows and awards programs, getting on radio shows, local TV newscasts, sending the galley to mainstream reviewers, and building a press kit from the results of his efforts. At the release of the book, the author should be actually doing the events he has gotten set up for his book.

Q: “That a lot of work! How does a single author manage all that?”
A: One step at a time from the clear, line item outline. The time and effort is considerable, and that is why there are people who are publicity experts who can help in the process. It costs money, sometimes a lot of money, and there is no guarantee that the publicity generated will actually sell the book. But, creating a buzz is essential. To do nothing is to gain nothing.

PRACTICE

Just like learning a musical instrument, or memorizing a poem, or preparing a speech, writing and marketing take practice. Make this your motto, it’s old but true :  “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Any author trying to sell his book is going to try many kinds of exposure that don’t work. Also, she will try things that do work. Those are the ones to practice. They are the ones to expand upon, to modify, to re-create a gain and again. Thinking outside the book is an essential ingredient to the practice of marketing a book successfully. Even when writing the book, knowing there is something in the story or the information it contains that will intrigue the public and consciously putting that “something” into your book take practice.

PERSISTENCE

This is the hardest aspect of writing and marketing a book. Keeping the focus on your task, repeating the process of exposing the book again and again, never giving up on the book itself takes a strong constitution. It takes BELIEF. Belief in the book, in yourself, and in the process of trial and error as realized in the serendipity of finding the best market for your book and reaching it. Some of this is planned. Some of this is practiced. But, MOST of this is persistence driven.
Consider this idea quoted from Samuel Butler whose satirical novel Erewhon appeared anonymously in 1872, causing some speculation as to the identity of the author. "The oldest books are still only just out to those who have not read them."

When Butler revealed himself as the author, some expressed disappointment that none of the more famous personages speculated about had written it. Erewhon made Butler a well-known figure, and he wrote a number of other books, including a not so successful sequel, Erewhon Revisited. His semi-autobiographical novel The Way of All Flesh did not appear in print until after his death in 1902, as he considered its tone of attack on Victorian hypocrisy too contentious.


Q: If your book has been published, and you have done all the things you can possibly do to make it successful, and it doesn’t reach whatever goal you have set for it, what then?

A: Great question. The answer is this: Never, ever quit. Keep re-inventing your marketing approach. Use Ezine articles, Blogs, and Podcasts to spread the word. Go to the stores and shops that fit your niche both online and locally to get you book on the shelves. Get out of your comfort zone and promote, again and again. Send out press releases every time you do anything notable with you book. Talk to people everywhere you can think of about your book. Give presentations in schools and libraries. Keep going to tradeshows. Keep your book visible. If you give up, it’s all over. In the end, there is a lot of luck involved too. But as Ann Landers so accurately puts it:

Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.