Marketing My Book - (Programme)
Welcome to the Marketing My Book programme!
Please WhatsApp Matt Bird immediately to be added to the Marketing My Book COMMUNITY and the monthly COACHING meetings and start the weekly marketing tasks recommended in the ACTION PLAN below:
Week #1: Your Motivation
Remind yourself why you first decided to write a book and consider how you can use this as a measure for the success of your book.
a) Why did you decide to write a book?
b) How are you going to measure your books success?
WhatsApp: Your why & how
Week #2: Your Launch Event/s
Getting you and your book in front of your core audience is critically important. Discounted authors copies of your book can be ordered once your book is published and take approximatley 2 weeks to arrive so plan a launch event after that date.
a) Who are you going to invite to your book launch event?
b) Where are you going to host your book launch event?
c) When are you going to host your book launch event?
d) What are the things you need to do to pull the event together?
e) Who can you get to take the all important photographs for social media?
WhatsApp: Answers
Week #3: Public Speaking
The #1 way to sell books is to speak. This could be giving talks, being interviewed or taking part in discussion panels.
a) Who is your audience?
b) What is your core message?
c) How can you find opportunities to speak?
d) How do you change your bio to reflect you are a speaker?
WhatsApp: Answers
Week #4: Strategic Collaborations
The #2 way to sell books is to form collaborations with organisations, events and networks who want to discuss the subject that your book also covers and so buy books in bulk.
a) What is the main subject of your book?
b) Who are the organisations, events and networks who are focused on this subject?
c) How do you start a conversation with people in these organisations, events and networks?
WhatsApp: Answers
Week #5: Review Marketing
What else do you need to do to ensure you are up to date with your weekly assignments?
WhatsApp: Update
Week #6: Primary Social Media Platform
The #3 way to sell books is through news and social media engagement.
a) Which is going to be your primary social media platform for your book?
b) Add/update your primary social media platform:
- Picture
- Bio (describe your specialism, add role & org, state ‘Author of <name of book>)
- Link to your org & your dedicated PublishU author & book page, until its live add https://www.publishu.com/books
WhatsApp: The link to your primary social media platform.
Week #7: Additional Social Media Platforms
Apply your primary social media platform adds/updates across your other social media platforms.
WhatsApp: Links to your additional social media platforms.
Week #8: Write Local Media News Release
The #3 way to sell books is through news and social media engagement. Draft a news release for use with local media. Lead with you as a local resident and make the book the icing on the cake! If you struggle why not ask Chat GPT to draft it for you!
WhatsApp: Draft news release.
Week #9: Research Local Media Contacts
Research local media contacts - radio, newspaper, magazines, websites - that you will send your news release. You need name, email and telephone number.
WhatsApp: Your list of local media contacts.
Week #10: Engage Local Media
Email your local media news release to your researched contacts AND within 48 hours follow through by telephone.
WhatsApp: Dates and times.
Week #11: Review Marketing
What else do you need to do to ensure you are up to date with your weekly assignments?
WhatsApp: Update.
Week #12: Global Publication Day
There is a lot to do on publication day, here are some of the most important tasks:
- Order a copy of your book from Amazon. Check you have correctly signed off your book. Although it will cost you to make changes at this stage better that than order hundreds of author copies that have an imperfection!
- Amazon Author page: Create an Amazon Author Page to raise your visibility and add to your legitimacy create an Amazon Author Page. NB PublishU will be asked by Amazon to authorise a link between your Amazon Author Page and your Book. https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200644310
- Email your local media release to your local media contacts.
- Announce the publication of your book on social media, using your 3D book cover image (avaliable on request from PublishU).
WhatsApp: Link to your Amazon author page and social media launch post.
Week #13: Order ‘Author Copies’
Once you have reviewed your book place your initial author copies order:
- Email: authorcopies@publishu.com
- Frequency: Monthly (during the last two working days of the month) and on your Global Publication Date.
- Cost: Around 40% of the cover price. This includes, as per your publishing contract, the PublishU 15% Agency Fee, which is added to the Author Copies cost and already included in the retail price.
- Payment Terms: 24 hours (PublishU pays for the books in full at the time of order).
- Minimum Order: 50 copies (per delivery address).
- Delivery Address: To your home address used on your contract unless you request otherwise. A telephone number also needs to be provided, in case of problems with delivery, your mobile number will be used unless you request otherwise.
- Delivery Timescale: Typically two weeks.
Remember when your box of books arrive to take photographs and video footage of you opening the box and holding your books. This is great content for your social media!
WhatsApp: Confirmation of your order.
Week #14: Host Launch Event/s
You may have a big and flash, or small and low-key launch event, whichever ensure you have fun and get photographs for your social media from this special moment.
a) Have lots of fun!
b) Ensure this special moment is captured on camera.
c) Post on your primary social media.
WhatsApp: Photographs of your launch event and social media links.
Week #15: Research Podcast Contacts
Research podcasters whose podcast discuss the subject matter of your book. As my mum always said, “Unless you ask the answer will always be no”, so do not disqualify yourself from any opportunities no matter how big you might think they are.
WhatsApp: Contacts.
Week 16: Write Podcast Pitch
Draft a generic pitch that you can adapt and send to each of these podcasters. Please find below a draft template and maybe use Chat GPT write something jazzier!
Dear <their name>, I love your Podcast; I particularly liked episode <number> because <state reason>. I am <explain what you do in relation to the theme of the podcast> and have also recently written a book on <very briefly explain your book>. Would you be interested in me being a guest on your podcast? Yours <your name>
WhatsApp: Draft pitch.
Week #17: Send Podcast Pitch
Email your podcast pitch, personalised as you are able, to your podcast contacts.
WhatsApp: Confirm that you have emailed your pitch.
Week #18: Follow Through Podcast Pitch
If you have a telephone number for the podcasters you email them please call them to follow through. If you don’t have a telephone number then send a follow through email.
WhatsApp: Confirm you have followed through and results.
Week #19: Review Marketing
What else do you need to do to ensure you are up to date with your weekly assignments?
WhatsApp: Update.
Week #20: Write Specialist Media News Release
Draft a news release for use with specialist media. For example to coaching publications if you have written about coaching. If you struggle why not ask Chat GPT to draft it for you!
WhatsApp: Draft news release.
Week #21: Research Specialist Media Contacts
Research local media contacts - radio, newspaper, magazines, websites - that you will send your news release. You need name, email and telephone number.
WhatsApp: List of specialist media contacts.
Week #22: Specialist Media Engagement
Email your specialist media news release to your researched contacts AND within 48 hours follow through by telephone.
WhatsApp: Dates and times.
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Week #26: Review Marketing
Review this ACTION PLAN and ensure you have covered all the bases and then prepare your next action plan covering the next 6-12months.
WhatsApp: Next Action Plan.
