Congratulations on the publication of your book! Sharing your distinct expertise adds to the collective knowledge of your industry and community, while also providing value to you and your readers. But, with over a million books published each year, according to Bowker, why spend the time, effort, and money promoting your book when there is so much competition?
Let's take a look at some of the advantages.
Sales
Every Author wants to sell books, both to see their ideas flourish and to see a return on their time and/or money investment. Unfortunately, readers will not find and buy your book simply because it is for sale.
Publishing a book without a marketing strategy is akin to launching a sailboat into the water and expecting it to move without any wind. Industry reviews, consumer reviews, social media shares, banner ads, CPC advertising, and awards are just a few of the book promotional tools that can help propel your book's sales.
Nonfiction books frequently provide readers with evergreen content, which means that the themes and takeaways are timeless and provide regular and recurring opportunities to promote.
The key to increasing book sales is to try new promotions, give promotions enough time to work, promote consistently (a gust of wind can only take a sailboat so far), and analyse results to make smart promotional decisions.
Expert Visibility
What's the first thing you do if your boss or a coworker mentions an expert you've never heard of? You look them up on the internet. What are you likely to find on the first page of Google results? The expert's website, possibly some interviews, and links to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple if they have a book.
If you're like most readers, you'll go to the most well-known site, Amazon, read the book description, and then jump to see what people are saying in the reviews.
Will you believe an expert if the book has a low number of reviews or a rating of less than three stars? No, you're going to close the window and go about your business. What if that book has 100 reviews and a rating of 4.7 stars? You're much more likely to add that book to your shopping cart, visit the author's website, subscribe to their newsletter... you get the idea.
That's just one example of how the more visibility your book receives as a result of promotion, the more visibility and social clout you receive as an expert.
Help with Lead Generation
Your book is a physical representation of your knowledge. It can be found, searched for, and shared. Regular content creation, such as blog posts, article placements, newsletters, podcasts, and social media engagement, feeds a community that will eventually seek your services. This could include consulting, speaking, online courses, or other higher-paying opportunities.
It's not uncommon for an author to learn that an executive saw their book at an airport and called to inquire about consulting services. Or, perhaps, a company read a book for professional development and now wants the author to speak at its annual event. All it takes is for the book to reach the right people and generate significant business and revenue outside of the book sales.
Return On Investment (ROI)
While consistent, long-term book sales are the goal of book promotion, book promotion is about more than just selling books. Other advantages, such as expert visibility and lead generation, may be more valuable in the long run.
Perception is reality, and book visibility equals author visibility, which establishes expertise and generates monetization opportunities. Aside from sales, the following metrics are used to assess book visibility and campaign success:
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Amazon category rankings and bestseller status
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Amazon and Goodreads reviews and ratings
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NetGalley engagement
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Industry reviews from Publishers Weekly, Foreword, Kirkus, and others
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Awards like the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards, Axiom Business Book Awards, Porchlight Business Book Awards, and others
The book market is constantly changing, but one thing remains constant: connecting with readers and realising the full potential of publishing a book requires a strong, consistent, and intentional promotional plan.
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