The 3 Biggest Marketing Mistakes Authors Make

There is nothing worse than having a great book that is well-written sitting unpublished on your computer, or having a well-written published book sitting on the shelves not selling.

If you find yourself in either of these positions, you are not alone! More than likely, the problem is that you have made one or more of the three most common author marketing mistakes.

1. Failing to market yourself and your book, or not marketing early enough!
2. Failing to utilize available marketing tools, or not using them properly.
3. Failing to follow through to keep your marketing momentum going.

If you are guilty of making any of these mistakes, or all of them, have no fear. You can turn your your situation around!!

Let's take a closer look at each mistake and the solution:

1. Failing to market yourself and your book or not marketing early enough!
The first thing that comes to mind for many authors, especially new authors, when working on a book is completing it, not marketing it! There's plenty of time for marketing later, they say, and don't give their marketing plan another thought until after the book is completed and in the submission process, or until after the book is contracted.

Others try to put off marketing their book onto the publisher, mistakenly thinking that marketing it is not their responsibility, they are writers not marketers!

But succumbing to these lines of thinking in today's market is a bit like cutting off your nose to spite your face as my Great Aunt Ida used to say!

Readers and fans are faced with hundreds of new titles being released each and every month, and are much more apt to purchase works from authors who they are familiar with, or who have been recommended by other readers or authors. And, it takes time to build up social relationships and to make yourself known.

So when is the best time to begin developing and enacting a marketing plan? The moment you decide to write your first word.

Agents, editors, and publishers often go online and google authors who have submitted manuscripts to them. They are looking for authors that have already established a following, because this indicates that there is already a market for the author's work established that can be built upon. After all, they have a lot at stake in the success or failure of the books that they publish.

2. Failing to utilize available marketing tools, or not using them properly!
In some of the writing groups I belong to, I am amazed at how often I hear fellow authors make excuses for not marketing themselves and their books. Two of the excuses I hear the most often are:

a) Marketing takes too much time!
b) I don't know how!

It is true that marketing yourself and your books does take some time, but it is time well spent if done properly. After all, nobody will buy your book if they don't know that you or it exist! Effective marketing helps to build visibility and awareness of both you and your books.

There are tons of resources out there that can show you how to effectively market yourself and your books. Here are a few places to start:
The Creative Penn
Author Marketing Experts Blog
Marketing tips For Authors
Author Insider
TribalAuthor
Author Marketing Ideas
The Savvy Book Marketer
Self Publishing Coach

These resources can guide you on the most effective ways design an author marketing plan and on how to use a variety of free and low-cost resources and tools to begin building your author platform.

3. Failing to follow through to keep your marketing momentum going.
Another all too common mistake that some authors make is that they start off strong but then start floundering after a few months. I have been guilty of this mistake myself.

The key to effective marketing is to continually and consistently be utilizing available tools to build and grow your author platform. Remember, as a writer you are an entrepreneur and business owner with a product to sell. And like any other business, marketing your product is a necessity if you want to be successful.

So take a moment to review your are in your marketing, what tools you have available, and what actions need to be taken to get your marketing back on track.

Stay tuned for my upcoming series of marketing posts where I will be sharing some of the most common free and low-cost marketing tools and tips to use them effectively to build a successful author platform.

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Building your Author Platform

Image Source: Writer's Digest



In their current print issue (Mar/Apr 2011), Writer's Digest featured an article by Christina Katz entitled, "50 Simple Ways to Build Your Platform in 5 Minutes a Day." I highly recommend this article to every writer, especially those upcoming authors not yet published. So snag a copy of the magazine and learn simple steps every author can take to develop their personal brand and build a loyal following long before it is time to find an agent or publish that first manuscript.

A few of my favorite suggestions from the article include:

02 - Start Surveillance: As a writer/author it is important to connect with readers, reviewers, and fellow authors. The best way to know if others are aware of your existence, and perhaps even following your progress, is by setting up a Google Alert on yourself. After doing this, Google will notify you every time your name, article, blog, twitter handle, website, etc. is mentioned anywhere on the world wide web. When you are notified that someone else is promoting you, be sure to pop over and say thanks.

03 - Poll for Solutions: Use social media outlets to ask questions and get answers from others already in the business, or from potential readers. Twitter and Facebook are great for connecting with fellow authors and asking them questions. Most authors are very willing to help once they know you need it, and this also can be the start of a long-lasting friendship and can snowball into multiple new contacts.

15 - Review Worthy Writers: Anytime you come across an author or work that you feel was exceptional in some way, share it with others. You can mention them on your own blog or on review sites like Amazon.com, GoodReads, and Red Room. Not only are you helping to promote other authors, which will more than likely cause them to notice you and your work as well, but you are also helping to bring more attention to yourself and your own work.

17 - Take Time To Interact: With the multitude of blogs available on the web, it is sometimes a small miracle that your posts get read at all. Be sure to show your appreciation to those who have taken the time to read your posts and leave comments by commenting back and answering any questions that readers have. This is a great way to build a rapport with your readers and assure that they will continue to follow your posts.

20 - Create a Quickie Blogroll: Include writers and other blogs that you read regularly. This serves two purposes. First you are providing additional resources for your blog readers, and secondly, you are making other authors aware of your blog as well when they notice your link.

23 - Get Together: If you are participating in events, be sure to let people know where you will be and what you will be doing. Facebook has a great event application so you can also invite your friends/fans and get an RSVP. Also follow other author's events and support those whom you admire and respect by attending their events as well.

24 - Spark Conversations: With the infinite number of blogs, websites, social networks, forums, and chats out there today, find someone talking about a topic you are interested in and join the conversation! Not only can you learn something new, but you might also pick up a new fan or two, or find another networking partner.

25 - Friend and Follow Media Pros: Find out who the movers and shakers are in your genre (ie: well known authors/writers, literary agents, publishers, book reviewers, etc.) and interact with them (DON'T stalk them!!). They can be valuable resources and can help point you in the right direction.

30 - Shake Things Up: Don't be afraid to shake things up on hot button topics where you have a strong opion. If you disagree with something, tactfully rebut it. If you can think of a new and interesting angle about a topic, share it.

31: Capture Email Addresses: Start a newsletter to keep your fans informed of your progress, upcoming events, causes you support, book releases, and more. This is the easiest way to keep in contact with a multitude of people and keep them informed, and to market your books. There are several great services that make newletter production quick and easy and most have a free trial period: Mail Chimp, Constant Contact, Aweber, and Get Repsonse. Also be sure to include an RSS Feed on your blog so readers can get each and every post.

35 - Share This: Be sure to utilize social networking buttons from Facebook and Twitter on your posts so that your readers can share your content with others. Also if you come across some great content, be sure to share or tweet the post or article to your readers. I guarantee you will make lots of new friends who will appreciate you promoting their work.

37 - Grow Your List: Be sure to include an email sign up link on your site, in your Bio signature, your business cards, and anywhere else you have a media presence. Also make sure to take an email sign up sheet with you to each event you attend so that people can receive updated information from you on a regular basis. Remeber the people on your list are the most likely people to purchase your work when it is ready.

41 - Round Up Resources: Include a resource page for your readers or other authors and share helpful content with them that they can share with others. This will also help generate traffic back to your pages when your content is shared by others.



For more great ideas on ways to build your author platform, check out the full article in Writer's Digest or visit Christina's website. She has tons of helpful and free resource info there for you to peruse at your leisure.

She also has a great book available for purchase that gives lots more tips and tricks about how you can become a well known author way before you land that first book deal. Click the image to the left to find out more about Christina's book and begin building your platform right now!