Book Marketing
One of the first things a new writer needs to learn is the importance of marketing his or her books. It doesn't matter if you are using a traditional publisher or using one of the self-publishing or vanity presses. The importance of self-marketing does not diminish simply because you were fortunate enough to be accepted by a royalty-paying publisher-in the end you are the only one who can market your book in the way it should be. You may choose to hire a publicist to handle the marketing end of your book, but the cost can be overwhelming for new writers since traditional publishers pay advances based upon the book's potential. Thus a new writer is not going to receive the same advance as an established author, giving you less money with which to promote your book.
The Internet has opened an entire new world for writers, some good and some bad. With the introduction of self-publishing it appears everyone thinks they can write a book. There is a great deal of talent there, however, and it has caused an increase in the number of manuscripts traditional publishers read on a daily basis. In turn this has caused more rejections, thus many authors are choosing to pay to self-publish their books. For those who choose this method of publishing their book, you must include marketing as part of your package or you will discover yourself spending many hours working to market your book.
When you choose to pay to publish your book, you can also choose a marketing package. This doesn't mean you will be relieved of the responsibility of promoting your book because only you know what you want for your book and the target audience you wish to reach. It's important to arrange book signings in your local community, something your book publisher may not be able to do. If you have the time and knowledge you may want to save the money by choosing to market your book on your own, but you will never be able to completely relinquish the responsibility for marketing your book. |
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