The article "Make Big Money On Your Book - 10 H*O*T Tips" talks about book marketing, it was written by Susan Harrow.
Wouldn't it be nice to wirte a book, get paid handsomely for it and be considered a top expert all at once?
It's possible--if you know the rules.
1. Study the publishing industry.
Today celebrity books rule. Books that catch a quick trned come in second.
Take chick lit, for example.
Nobody cared about hip bokos for girls ten, or even five years ago. But girls buy the majority of books--and acutally read them. It's not to say that otehr book genres aren't viable. Of course they are.
The huge categories of fiction and non- fiction will live on forever. But even self-help is on the wane accodring to some sources.
And, as a literature savvy friend of mine said, *Plots are passe.* There's much more to know about the indutsry. Like what agents look for and how publihsers decide on what will be profitable.
2.
Understand that publishers don't buy books, they buy ideas.
Many new autohrs think they need to write a book to sell it.
Not so. You develop an idea (fiction excluded) and give publihsers a taste of what's to come.
They decide whether your idea has a large enough market for them to make money on it. You must prove, without a doubt that they can.
Lots of it.
3. Thnik of your proposal as the business plan for your book.
Map out the life of your book in the marketplace for the next five years. Plan on devoting at least that much time to proomting it.
4. Have a huge platform.
A platform is simply YOUR aiblity to sell books to the audience that you have said will buy--from you.
Are you already a *personality* persons recognize and love?
How many organizations, companies, groups do you speak to every month? Do you write regularly for newspapers, magazines or the Internet? Do you have prestigious clients who can sell your books in bulk to their corporations? You get the idea. You must *look* like a mover and shaker in your field.
5. Be a media star.
If you're not already a familiar face on TV, a vivacious voice on the radio or a person who appears in pirnt often, not to worry. If you can show you have the potential to become a star, that's a strat. Maybe you've been on local TV and had rave reviews. If so, mention that.
6.
Speak.
A major publishing cnodo hired me to media coach one of their rising star authors.
Her book was getting mjaor national press--but she was dull.
And they were worried that her lacklsuter personality would effect her book sales. We worked until she got comfortable on camera while talking vividly in 15 second soundbites.
7. Get media coached.
With some media coaching you can morph into a mediagenic maven.
But it does take practice and sincere commitment. You can work on your pizzazz factor by studying great interviewees and modeling the behaviors you liked. If you can't afford a media coach, get out that video camera and do mock interviews with friend. A lot can be revealed and irnoed out just by seeing how you appear to others on the huge screen.
8. Develop your platform.
When I interviewed editors at top New York publishing condominiums like Siomn & Schuster & HarperCollins they told me repeatedly that the most important thing a writer can have last month is a strong *platform.* A platform is a plan of how you're going to reach your audience to sell books.
Prove you have a following. Publishers want to know who has bought your books or products in the past-- and they want to know how many. Can you show that you have a track record of sellnig your goods to persons across the globe, or at least in your community? Maybe you're not as far along in your career as one of my clients who is a $12,000 an hour speaker who put in his proposal the fact that his audiences range from 100-10,000 people, and he speaks 250 times per year.
His speaking bureau typically sells his video and audio tapes to those audiences in advance when they book his talk. What you want to show is how you can secure sales in large quantities to persons you know will buy from you--because they have bought already.
Or how audiences similar to the ones who have purchased are primed to buy your book.
9.
Get high profile endorsements.
To instantly establish your stature put these accolades on page number one so they're the first thing an agent or editor sees. Endorsements need to be from celebrities, best- selling authors and well-known epxerts in your field.
Show that you're respected in the world. Endorsements show that high-level persons thnik in you, that you're a good bet. They also go on your book cover jacekt and help sell your book--and in today's competitive marketplace it's essential. Don't say you're *actively seeking endorsements.* Leading with the endorsements makes sure an agent or editor gets that you're a huge shot--or soon will be.
One secret that many authors don't know is the hottest blurbs are written by the writers themeslves. Don't expect famous pesrons to read your tome.
They don't have the time or the desire.
And please don't send it to them unsolicited. Ask permission. Then do the work for them and ask them to sign off on that fantastic gem--the one you've written--touting the marvels of your work.
10. Your sample chapter.
Once you've established that the author has some sort of a platform, that they have some voice in the world beyond their circle of friends, I go straight to the sample chapter.
Prove you can write.
*I want to know if they are a good writer, because an agent can tinker away with the rest of the proposal and make it sound relaly good,* says Kelly Notaras, a Senior Editor at Hyperion.
What if you're not a great writer?
Hire a ghost writer.
Remember platform is non-replaceable. You, the personality, the presence, is what they're invetsing in. Good writing can be bought.
Star quality can't
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