Off "Beat" Book Marketing Plan

by Rick Dale
(Belgrade Lakes, Maine)

Have a marketing plan

I finished the manuscript for my book, The Beat Handbook: 100 Days of Kerouactions, in January 2008. It took me three years to complete. At that point, I used Writer's Market to identify appropriate publishers and identified approximately twenty. I queried or sent the manuscript to them all. I decided that by July 1, if I had not secured a publisher, I would self-publish.

July 1 came and I had a number of rejections and several non-responses. I had been doing some research on self-publishing and decided to go with BookSurge, an Amazon company that uses print-on-demand technology.

By mid-September, my book was available for sale on Amazon. My experience with BookSurge was outstanding. They were helpful, responsive, and timely.

During the the time I was working back-and-forth with Book Surge, I paid a webdeveloper to create a website. I had purchased that domain name as soon as I had decided on a title for my book. I also created a blog linked from that website. I write on the blog daily. It also contains a direct link to my book's Amazon page.

I post links to my daily blog on my Amazon blog. I placed an Amazon widget on my website so that viewers are one-click away from buying my book. I maintain a StumbleUpon page with links to my website and blog and Amazon page. I Twitter daily, pointing readers to my blog. I made hundreds of bookmarks using cardstock and my own inkjet printer. I always place them in books I sell, as well as other appropriate places. I have left them inside library books related to my topic. I have also left copies of my book in Barnes & Noble bookstores, hoping to generate interest (directly on the shelves in appropriate sections and without permission - it's called reverse shoplifting). When I receive unsolicited junkmail with a postage-paid return envelope, I send them a bookmark.

I've conducted two book-signings at local bookstores. I've sent my book to on-line reviewers and contests. I give away a free book every month to the person who posts the "beatest" response on my blog (I ask them for a five-star review on Amazon). Last month the winner was from India. I have placed my book at the bookstore in my home town, in stores where I used to live, in a bar that I frequent, etc.

I track my blog visitors using Sitemeter. I review the analytics to see what is driving people to my blog. One day in the past two weeks I had over one hundred visits, although I cannot figure out why.

I have 7 five-star reviews on Amazon. One of them is actually from someone who discovered my book on-line. The others are from friends or relatives.

So far I have sold over 20 books on Amazon and twice that in person or at book-signings. I have given away a large number for promotional purposes or as gifts.

I left one book at Jack Kerouac's grave and put up a video on YouTube about the experience. I also created a YouTube "commercial" for my book.

One exciting thing that happened is that a traditional publisher contacted me because of my blog and asked me to review their books that are relevant to mine. So I am doing that and hoping it generates more interest in my blog.

The above are most of the things I have done to market my book, and they all were part of a marketing plan I developed. If you self-publish, I highly recommend developing a written marketing plan and following it. Without having done that, I doubt that I would have sold as many as I have.

Visit The Beat Handbook.