Marketing plans for novels janet reid, literary agent. Palacios 2012 novel wonder continues to sell extremely well, helped by the release of the november 2017 feature film. Novel marketing podcast hosted by thomas umstattd jr. Heres a list of the most critical, innovative things you can do to market your book online. By walking through two complete content marketing examples for authors one from a fiction writer lisa unger and the other from a nonfiction writer jacob mcmillen. A book marketing plan is a living document and its important to. But these days, a solid online marketing plan is a logical and affordable place to start. We offer a range of book, ebook, and novel marketing services for fiction titles including. This is a guest post from joanna penn, who is the author of career change and also writes the bestselling arkane thrillers under j. The nonfiction book marketing plan is loaded with proven and effective tactics to make the marketing journey a bit easier and a lot more effective.
Aug 24, 2012 a simple marketing plan outline for indie authors. How to create the ultimate book marketing plan free course. The following is a marketing plan developed for a new collection of childrens bedtime stories called goodnight canada. Its time to get busy on your marketing plan for the book. The first thing authors should do before doing any type of marketing is to put together a marketing plan for their book. Weve written extensively about the importance of book marketing, how to promote a book and marketing a self published book.
Goals why did you write this book, what are you trying to accomplish, what are your sales goals 2. Three ways marketing fiction differs from marketing nonfiction by joanna penn writing editors note. This document should be an outline of how you will achieve your income or sales goals, and it should identify in detail the market youre targeting. This plan is meant to get you started, but effective marketing requires flexibility. That sounds great, but does it work for fiction authors. May 28, 2017 a book proposal argues why your book idea is a salable, marketable product. Take this free piece of advice and think through about marketing as soon as you can. Online and offline promotion strategies to build your audience and sell more books, and own your niche. Creating a detailed book marketing plan or author business plan will help you think about all the strategies and effort. My entire ya science fiction series, the alpha drive, the order of omega, and restitution, are available for purchase in paperback and hardcover. Jul 31, 2017 marketing plan template via the creative penn. The 22 best marketing books you need to read in 2019. If youre just writing as a hobby and dont plan to ever earn a. I thought it would make a great sample of a mini marketing plan for businesses looking to develop one for themselves, especially book businesses.
When to start marketing your book and how to balance your time. Identify your future readers so you can find the right way to reach them. Marketing your book for selfpublishers and indie authors. Today shes going to show us how fiction authors can use some of the tools of book marketing. Choose the right categories and keywords for your book. What they dont know how to do as well depending on the publisher is everything else. The best fiction book marketing programs require a varied and sustained approach. No matter whether or not youre trying to do it yourself or plan to work with an expert book marketing agency like smith publicity, youll need a wellrounded program. The novel marketing 5year plan to becoming a bestselling author. Oct 23, 2017 marketing is one of the biggest challenges facing selfpublishing authors of literary fiction. You might want to believe that marketing language is different from fiction.
Mar 08, 2011 the following is a fictitious mini marketing plan i created for a publishing class while in university studying communication. This is a book marketing plan outline that you can use. Book marketing plan the definitive checklist book launch. The program includes book marketing advice specifically for fiction. Find out who your book appeals to, get to know those people well, and be where they are, both online and off. Oct 15, 2014 continuing with this weeks series on book marketing plans, its time for a freebie. This is a vital step in the promotion and marketing of your book, andif done rightwill make the rest of the process infinitely easier. But nothing is more practical than seeing that plan come to life. After that just follow the plan, make adjustments when necessary, and listen to your readers.
Jul 08, 2009 a comprehensive marketing plan involves both online and offline efforts to use and broaden your existing platform to promote your book. Create a book marketing plan that sells books nonfiction writers. Maybe, but unless you already have a proven track record of sales that indicate a substantial following, its not likely. Jul 09, 20 stephanie chandler is the author of several books including the nonfiction book publishing plan. The professional guide to profitable selfpublishing, the nonfiction book marketing plan. If youve dreamed of having your book in bookstores, enrolling in the traditional distribution program at mill city press, where your book marketing plan for distribution will be presented to book retailers and wholesalers, is a great first step. It acts as a business case or business plan for your book that persuades a publisher to make an investment. Apr, 2020 novel marketing, the longestrunning book marketing podcast, helps authors build their platforms and sell more books with writing worth talking about. Abby mcaden, associate publisher at scholastic, agrees that the marketing of middle grade books is multifaceted in terms of its targets. Attract readers with a great book sales description.
I am a first time author writing a nonfiction, self help book to females on. Every single time i teach one of my book marketing workshops, i get some form of this question. A written book marketing and promotion plan will give you a blueprint for promoting. What to include in your book marketing strategy ingramspark. Fiction book marketing and marketing for novels smith. Joannas blog, the creative penn is one of the best blogs anywhere for writers, and her new book is the best work on book marketing ive seen in quite a while. How to write a book marketing plan in easy steps 1. Weve compiled a list of 89 book marketing ideas that will change your life, build your brand, and sell your book. Your book marketing plan for distribution setup guide. A marketing plan from an author assumes the publisher knows how to get books to those big vendors. Spread the word with these simple book marketing ideas. Book description book synopsis, format, page count, isbn, etc. How to write a marketing plan for your book youtube. Aside from the fact that it can be overwhelming, most authors have day jobs and not much time to figure out which book promotion strategies will work.
Spend time going through every item on this checklist, so that you get a feel for all of the options that are available to you. Here are the biggest lessons ive learned for fiction authors when it comes to earning a serious income. An agent who wants a marketing plan for a novel at the query stage has the cart before the horse. If something is not working for you after you have given it a. The book is educational in that it exposes young children between ages four and seven to different cultural communities in canada. Here are our recommended book marketing strategies and what you need for each.
Book marketing and promotion provide the most traction for your book, but most selfpublished authors and small independent publishers do not. Before your book launch, you need a book marketing plan. A publishers marketing budget, if there is one, for a first novel by an unknown author will probably range in the low fivedigit. Book promotion strategies are changing all the time, so im giving you a leg up with these 19 rock solid ideas for strategically marketing your book. Marketing your fiction frugally phyllis zimbler miller. A simple marketing plan for fiction authors book launch. Why are agents constantly scheming to make us crazy. Were authors carolyn howardjohnson and phyllis zimbler miller, and this is our nonfiction book proposal for marketing your fiction frugally with the huge upswing in ebooks and amazon and other ebook retailers constantly and continually changing the opportunities for book authors we want to share with you what we have been learning. How to market your kindle ebook in 10 steps business 2. Rob eagar has coached over 450 authors and helped books hit the new york times bestseller list three different ways, including fiction, nonfiction, and backlist. Jay lemming provides some strategies that have worked for him, as an indie author of literary fiction, and encourages other literary authors to follow suit. Your book marketing plan should be designed to identify the revenue streams you plan to tap into.
How to write a book marketing plan for publishing success. This book marketing plan outline is a short form real marketing plan for indie authors meaning it goes beyond a simple, and often untargeted, list of tactics. Fresh out of ideas on how to help your writing take off. A simple marketing plan outline for indie authors the wise. Fiction book marketing and marketing for novels smith publicity. Aug 20, 2016 home book marketing how to write a book marketing plan the road map to your publishing success is guided by your book marketing plan. As part of its ongoing support for the book, random house childrens. Engaging your audience by asking for their input about your book characters if its fiction such as a choice your main character must make. You can also assume they know how to get books to libraries, and indie stores. The media and digital worlds change and evolve each day, and every book and author are unique. Here are 9 uncommon tips that ive used to turn my books into bestsellers, including my selfpublished wall.
Ask a handful of bestselling novelists how long it took them to go from aspiring writer to bestselling novelist. Marketing plan for fiction titles by brian jud the information below provides ideas, examples, and instructions that will help you create a quick, practical marketing plan for a fiction title. If youre writing fiction you could write a short story set in the world of your book that introduces the characters. Instead of writing the entire book, then trying to interest an editor or agent which is how it works with novels, you write the proposal first. This part of a fiction book proposal should outline your ability to promote your novel, and a plan to do so. The ultimate book marketing timeline for indie authors ingramspark. Jan 02, 2010 below is a sample book marketing plan outline, to give you some ideas of what to include in the marketing plan for your book. The truth is, its even easier for fiction authors to earn a fulltime income from book royalties than for nonfiction authors.