Leaderboard

"No one wants to pay for distraction, but they will pay if it's packaged as help." (me) How help is defined is tricky. It depends on the client/customer's wants. If your prospective customer wants to escape their environment, then consider if you, the independent author have the skills, resources, and experience packaged in your book to help. If your book is the solution, then show them how it can get what they want. In this case, adventure, exotic destination, and as a bonus, a mental place where they will experience something new. If your book doesn't qualify to assist, then recommend one that can and sell it to them. Note: selling is an exchange of goods and services for currency. (Currency could be signing up for your newsletter because they value your judgment.) You can increase your market to gain their trust and sell them what they want another time. This marketing mix relies on the SAVE* strategy. When marketing your book, consider a promotion campaign that features Solution, Access, Value, and Education. S = solution - show us how your product helps us solve our problem. A = access - consider how your readers decide to make purchases and provide product info along those channels. Remember, following customers around a store doesn't work - so don't cyberstalk your prospective buyer either. Think about affiliate marketing - advertisers want to appear where they know prospects are receptive to their solution. It's soft promotion because there's no one aggravating them, allowing the candidate to seek out information for themselves. V = value - ask how does this product (book) benefit your reader. Every book is not for everyone. So first find out who reads your type of books - and then share with them how your book fits their desires. E = education knowing who your readers are allows you to share information on topics they enjoy. If your book is a romance - then romance readers would be thrilled to learn the latest - like a romance industry gossip website will bring them to you - and you can engage and build a community around mutual interests. And this how you can position your book, product/service, in a way that helps them help you. "You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want." ~ Zig Ziglar (salesperson, motivational speaker) *Eduardo Conrado, who was senior VP and the chief marketing officer at Motorola Solutions, allegedly came up with the SAVE marketing mix framework.

@Chevdove Thank you for asking!!! (I'm so excited)...ACCESS = LOCATION and refers to where people are most likely to get information about something that interest them. Example - If you are interested in creole cooking - you're are likely to show up to a location that either serves creole food or teaches creole cooking. You will most likely search for creole recipes and even find a creole history club to join locally or the internet. You may even show up here AALBC to look for books on the origins of creole culture or if experts post here. You might even start your own thread about creole culture. NOTE: business owners provide what customers need so the customer can get what they want. Your interest in creole cooking means either you or loved one wants to eat it. So business owners fills the need - by selling a cookbook, opening a restaurant or inviting you to take a trip to the source. So, someone who is promoting, lets say Louisiana travel tours, will make sure they share their information at all those access points where you are likely to show up. They will be at the places where you might look for information creole cooking. It may be advertisement or even information about authentic creole cooking spot on the tour - or even the best dish and include a recipe... Now they have your attention you may even jot down their information for future reference - and remember them when you plan your trip so you can get some good food. This is how the best marketers are getting noticed in today's marketplace. EDUCATION = A MOVEMENT A lot of independent authors think they don't know their audience. My suggestion is to start of movement of one. Ask yourself, "what do I believe needs changing?" I did something similar when starting this blog. I believe Marketing = Change. Marketing is a force that shakes up the status quo. I believe independent authors are unaware they use marketing in the course of their daily living. Therefore, my mission is to help authors realize they can create change through intentional use of the marketing techniques they unwittingly use daily. I was the first person in my "marketing is a four-letter word" movement. I was the first one in the audience. I'm so passionate about this topic, I just want to spread the word to anyone who will listen. I believe, "If you don't believe in your movement or are passionate about it - no one will be." Creating a movement of one is the first step. It will help you clarify what you intend to change. Then, you will be able to identify the people who are interested in your subject matter. You'll notice there are "followers" who will agree with your mission. (note: it might not happen immediately - that's why you have to be patient and passionate.) These people are your core audience. Don't waste your time trying convert anyone who is not interested. Focus on those who are interested. -These "followers" will become your ambassadors who will bring other like-minded people to the movement. How to start a movement: Now, the best thing about being a writer is ideas and words are our movement. We just have to educate others and lead them to the goal we he hope to accomplish. If we didn't believe in changing something we wouldn't write in the first place. And the best way to help others make a change is by sharing information (Education). So when you start your movement answer "Who, what,where, when, why and how." from there you will understand what information you need to share to build your audience.

There’s only one way to become a bestselling* author. Get a lot of people to buy your book. - Simple, right? Yes, but it’s not easy for independent authors who must get their book in front of enough people to gain global sales. Well, at least it wasn’t easy before the internet and the growth of eCommerce. Back then, it was nearly impossible to make global sales without a prominent publisher. Now any writer can sell worldwide. So why do so many independent authors insist on selling their books exclusively on Amazon.com? And to their detriment. There are plenty of viable outlets available that will lead to better sales and robust revenue. Yet many stop there and then wonder why they can’t make a living as an independent author. Possibly some of the reasons for poor sales include lack of knowledge, not enough preparation, and not setting an initial sales goal. Fortunately, there are simple fixes for these oversights. For example, Setting a SMART1 ( Specific, Measurable Achievable Realistic Time-based) sales goal. i.e., Using several distribution channels, Independent author will sell 300-1000 units* during the first week of publication. You are identifying viable outlets to sell the book. Direct sales, eCommerce sites, book distributors such as Ingram, hand sellers, independent bookstores, retail bookstores, specialty outlets, etc. Make sure at least one of your outlets is also a reporting agency to NPD Nielsen BookScan Delaying publication to prepare a sales strategy, and to solicit presales. Now that you’ve considered a plan to sell 300 or even 3000 books during the first week of publication, it’s safe to tell you the rest of the story. Determining where you will sell to your customers and how you will get your books to them is also known as Place. It is the 3rd P in the marketing mix. So, deciding Amazon as the exclusive Place to sell books is unwittingly using a marketing tactic that may negatively impact your book’s sales revenue. Note: although Amazon is referenced throughout the article it’s not the focus. It’s about getting you, the independent author, to consider a solid book sales strategy that allows you to make your book available in multiple locations. * (3000 -10000 books sold is the statistical count for WSJ or NYT bestseller, respectively.) ** Post inspired by @Troy 's Tweet (1/7/2020) ~Mel Reference 1. https://www.smart-goals-guide.com/smart-goal.html What is a smart goal? | acronym smart goals 2. https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/bookscan/stores.cgi (npd publishers marketplace BookScan stores reporting 3. https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/industry-expertise/books/ (NPD BookScan book market trends) 4. https://www.ingramcontent.com/publishers/distribution (book distribution worldwide |Ingram content group) 5. http://www.bowker.com/ (Connecting publishers, authors, and booksellers with readers)

Yes, thanks! Great article! You wrote: S = solution - show us how your product helps us solve our problem. A = access - consider how your readers decide to make purchases... V = value - ask how does this product (book) benefit your reader. Every book is not for everyone. So first find out who reads your type of books - and then share with them how your book fits their desires. E = education knowing who your readers are allows you to share information on topics they enjoy. If your book is a romance - then romance readers would be thrilled to learn the latest - like a romance industry gossip website will bring them to you - and you can engage and build a community around mutual interests. I love this! I am very shaky on the 'A' for access aspect. I have no understandable clue as to how to market a book and find interested readers! And the 'E' I do not understand how an author can really know who their audience might be.

I really need a team of people to run this site. That is the next boundary the site must deal with. As smart, hardworking, and mission driven as I am, there is only so much I can do by myself. At any rate, I hope to have the rest of the site restored this evening 🙂

While we're at it, this video was very recently uploaded by Reel Black on You Tube. Otis Redding.

One of Curtis' finest tracks. From his debut album,Curtis.

Whether its ACA or otherwise, average white people's wealth almost doubled under Obama, and continues upward under Trump. Black people are still near ZERO today for wealth. Obviously being forced to pay for something when you have no money to begin with is a financial burden. White people gained more money under Obama, thus didn't take a hit being forced to buy insurance, which does nothing more than enrich the executives at Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, etc.

@Troy The action is here! Some of Independent authors here seem to echo the same thing "I didn't know how to market my book." Except, they do. -It appears they're not strategic in their marketing practices. I was the same way with my first novel - I knew what to do but I didn't work my plan. I like how you call it a (book marketing )"clinic" because it is! We, independent authors, already know what's wrong - we just aren't consistent with our "outpatient" care. I'm writing this out for me too. I believe this is one the best places for original content on the subject. By the way, I like that I don't even have to repost it to my profile - the software keeps track of all my postings as long as I'm signed in. Oh! I'll check out @dtpollard. @Troy OMG @hen81 is my writing "hero"! He didn't come here to play with us one-book every 20 year folks !!! 65 titles according to his last post! 😀

You are giving a clinic now @Mel Hopkins. DT PollarUsed to posr here quiet regularly. He really was cranking the ebook several a year (or so it seemed).