Book Marketing in Nutshell - Part 2

By Misty M Beller @MistyMBeller

Free Workshop in Progress: This summer on our ACFW-SC chapter blog we are happy to welcome one of our members, Misty M. Beller, for a special 12-week workshop on Marketing. Misty has experienced great success marketing her first novel and later ones, consistently selling 10,000 books a month. Join this free workshop and be blessed. Be sure to leave a comment and tweet the blogs to your friends. 

Elva Cobb Martin, President, ACFW-SC Chapter  www.elvamartin.com

This is the final week in our marketing workshop, and we're highlighting the final takeaways from the course. Sort of the "Cliff's Notes" version. :)

Last week we discussed prerequisites and advertising. This week, we'll cover the rest!

• Social media (domino affect): Can be mix of direct sales and word-of-mouth
  
  visibility
• Includes Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc., as well as personal blog
• Great for building relationships with readers. Can take time to become a successful tool for book sales
• Crowdspeaking tools such as Thunderclap or Headtalker can be helpful to spread a one-time message, although can be hard to reach the target count of supporters
• When blogging, make sure you know whether your goal is to reach new target readers, or connect with existing reader. Fine-tune your blog content accordingly.

• "Personal" appearances: Mix of direct sales and word-of-mouth visibility
• Online
• Guest blogs
• Interviews
• Discussion forums
• Blog tour services
• In person

• Book signings in book stores and libraries, especially either in your hometown or in the real life town where your book is set
• Booths at festivals and conferences
• Speaking for church or literary groups, including book clubs
• Typically promotes print books more than ebooks
• Events are most always more successful if you have local influencers to help with word-of-mouth promotion
• Great way to gain newsletter subscribers

As you develop your strategy, start with what's most comfortable and feasible for you—your low-hanging fruits. Then, broaden your approach as needed to achieve the results you desire, within your constraints.

And now, I leave you with the best tip I can share. The one I've found most successful: Prayer. 

Seek God's plan for you and your books. Listen for His guidance. When you're in God's will, He will bless your efforts.

Now, it's your turn! Which marketing approaches have you tried from our discussions these last twelve weeks? What's worked for you? 

Misty M. Beller writes Christian historical romance, and is author of the bestselling novels The Lady and the Mountain Man and The Lady and the Mountain Doctor.

Misty was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. About ten years ago, she made a career change from farm life into the business world, where she now works as a Senior Manager and Director of Process & Training. Her husband and two daughters are gifts from God, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

You can find her on her website, reader blog, marketing blog for authors, Goodreads,Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.