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Article: Book Marketing - that won't cost you an arm and a leg to implement...

BOOK MARKETING

THAT WON’T COST YOU AND ARM AND A LEG TO IMPLEMENT

This is the first in an ongoing series of No-cost to Low-cost marketing ideas that you can use to sell your book.

Here is a short list of topics that we will be covering.

LIBRARIES
BOOKSTORES
RADIO
CABLE TV
NICHE MARKETS
COMPLEMENTARY MARKETS
LOCAL PRESENTATION

LIBRARIES

Use your local public Library(s). Giving presentations at Public libraries is a great way to get your book in front of the locals.

Here is a list of things to remember BEFORE you give you presentations.

Call the local library and tell them that you would like to do a presentation on …THE SUBJECT MATTER OF YOUR BOOK. Ask them what dates and times are available.

Once they give you the dates check them against a calendar to see what’s happening locally, regionally, even nationally that might conflict with your presentation. Maybe it’s the SUPER BOWL, maybe it’s a regional election, maybe it’s a big Home & Garden show at the local Convention center. Check it all out to make sure that there is nothing scheduled that is going to compete with people attending your talk.

Most libraries do not allow you to sell anything at your presentation. But they will allow you to speak about your book, bring a copy or 2 with you for people to see and page through and handle. Once again check with them, every library is different.

Make up flyers to hand out at you talk. On your computer you can create a flyer for your talk about your book. This should include a picture of the cover with some important points about the book. It should also include the location, with address, the day and date and the time and also that it’s FREE! Make maybe 250 to 500 flyers or so.

About 2 weeks before the talk you should start to poster around town. You should be able to find low cost postering services that will get your flyer up around town. Also bring 50 or so flyers with you to hand out at your talk. These flyers are how you will make your sale. You will need to put the price of your book, a phone number, an email address, or some way for people to get in touch with you in order to buy your book. You might want to create a discount flyer for your talk attendees to take with them and buy your book at a discount of 10-25%. The level of discount is up to you.

Next, once you have the date of your talk you can contact the local radio stations and have them mention your talk as a ‘Public Service Announcement.’ It will qualify as a PSA because it is free, you are not charging for the talk and you are not selling anything at the talk. You are only handing out flyers.

You may also be able to find local merchants and/or friends who will let you put some flyers on the counters of their stores for interested customer to take.

The more time you have to advertise the talk the better. Thirty days is great.