Marketing
Marketing
The question we are most asked - "Can you do my marketing?"
Our role is to help authors navigate the winding road of the publishing landscape. And yet, there is one aspect that we know you will do better to make this book a success: the marketing. A good campaign takes a lot of time and devotion, and, since this book is your baby, it should be something that YOU invest in.
The thought that you are responsible for your own publishing success is not a rare. Even in traditional publishing it is expected that the author spread the word about their book.
We provide our award winning author platform pdf booklet freely to all author/publishers we work with. This is our commitment to your marketing success. We are happy to work with you through book coaching - whereby we guide you into the world of book marketing. If required, we can provide you with referrals to our marketing colleagues should you prefer a third party undertake the marketing (See below 3 marketing areas).
Due to the volume of authors we work with, our principal Julie-Ann Harper (who has an extensive background in marketing/advertising) - is unfortunately unable to allocate the time and resources for a full marketing package and quite often authors are unable to meet the budget required $5000 - $15,000 as a guide. However with coaching she can work with you in the following areas to achieve book marketing success:
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Identifying, growing and reaching your target audience
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How to gain recognition through reviews and awards
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Assisting in the creation of marketing content to promote your book and message
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Focusing on when and how to use a specific strategy or service
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Linking you to tools and platforms available to promote your book
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All aspects of publishing, marketing, and distribution
Before you even start the marketing process, your book coach (Julie-Ann Harper) can help you shape your idea into something marketable, so you can start the process with a confident and positive attitude. We can answer your questions, give you tips, alert you to our helpful articles and send you templates and guides as needed. For example did you know there are templates for effective press releases that will get your publicity moving?
Always remember: even though you are responsible, our team will always have your back.
There are 3 areas you should investigate to start:
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Social Media Marketing: Creating an author platform' and connecting to your readers on a more personal level.
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Online Book Marketing: Leverage the power of the internet for your book
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Traditional Book Marketing & Publicity: Still relevant today ...a more traditional approach.
What area do you feel most comfortable with in marketing your book (See FAQ's below)?
8 Reasons you should consider undertaking your marketing
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Successful authors have done their own marketing
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Hiring a publicist doesn’t guarantee success - It might be a comforting idea to put the marketing part of the process into someone else’s capable hands, but that doesn’t guarantee a book’s success.
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Marketing a book before it is published is vital for its success - If you wait with marketing your book until after it’s published, you’re too late.
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You’re in charge - If you’re looking to hire the best person for a job, you want someone who has extensive knowledge of the topic at hand. That would make you - the person with the most intimate understanding of your story - the perfect candidate to spread the word about it.
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It allows you to get creative - Promoting your book tests the limits of your creativity. What new ways can you find, to get as many people as possible enthusiastic about your book?
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Marketing is sharing what you love with people who will appreciate hearing about it. You've got to find ways to connect with readers who would want your book if they heard about it – that's marketing (not cheap tricks to force readers to buy).
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A book launch is only the first step in your marketing. Most authors sell books over the long term, and as you write more books, launches become regular events to connect with your readers.
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Marketing is an investment. You need a budget. It is so easy to keep throwing good money after bad. Allocate some money to push the book in front of readers. If you want your book to have any chance of reaching your target market, then you will need a budget and you MUST record your results in each marketing strategy. Remember, marketing is an investment, which means you will need to put in the time and/or money now, with the expectation that you will receive money later to offset those costs. All businesses, including publishing, invest in marketing to drive sales. If you want to sell books, you need to do the same.
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Can you undertake my legal requirements for me?Yes we are more than happy to do this for you and we charge you a service /admin fee to undertake the tasks. You will pay for the actual costs through the relevant organisations (barcodes and isbns etc).
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What is a legal deposit?Legal Deposit is a requirement under the Copyright Act 1968 for publishers and self publishing authors to deposit a copy of any work published in Australia with the National Library (or library of Congress in US) and when applicable, the deposit libraries in your home state. Legal Deposit ensures that Australian publications are preserved for use now and in the future. We are happy to undertake this task for you and a service fee applies.
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Do I need an ISBN and who should own the ISBN?The short answer is yes, if you’re intending on selling your book, and you should own it. ISBN's are to most authors, just one more detail to look after when they are already feeling overwhelmed. Self-publishing companies prey on unsuspecting authors with low budgets, so when they say, “We’ll provide you with one of our ISBNs for free,” authors breathe a sigh of relief. But little do they know this is one of the worst decisions they wiill make. ISBNs can only be purchased legally from Bowker. Self-publishing companies purchase ISBNs in bulk (as can any author). In a nutshell - who owns the ISBN owns the book. When you purchase an ISBN, Bowker wants to know the name of the publisher. So, if XXX self-publishing company buys the ISBNs, they enter their name as the publisher. When they assign one of their bulk-purchased ISBNs to a book, the company becomes the publisher of the book and not the author/publisher. At Pickawoowoo Publishing Services, each author is considered an independent publisher. We do not pass control of your book over to ourselves nor forfeit a percentage of your compensation (royalties). For that reason, we will purchase ISBNs on behalf of an author with the author listed as the publisher. Total transparency and you own it.
