Book Marketing Lessons from John Kremer

by Sophfronia Scott

Book marketing dynamo John Kremer had many tongues awagging at the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop after his presentations on the Amazon.com book launching strategy. The author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Book discussed the tactic of enrolling joint venture partners to help catapult your book, if only temporarily, onto a bestseller list. He also did a special session on using viral video and attracting mega-traffic to a website. Many of the attendees were incredulous and didn’t see how the ideas could apply to their books. That’s because, I think, they were getting too caught up–perhaps even overwhelmed–by the details and missing out on the big picture. Here’s a way to look at John’s lessons–and your book project–in a whole new light.

Big Picture=Your Vision For Your Book

Before you look at the lessons you must have a clear vision for what you want from the promotion of your book. Do you want more speaking engagements? Have you self published and you want to attract an agent or traditional publisher? Do you want to attract more clients? If you don’t know what you want it will be harder for you to choose which tactics will be right for you or even know how to gauge their success. Once you understand your vision, it will be easier for you to see that…

Each Tactic is a Part of a Bigger Process

This means that each tactic you employ will not end when the tactic is done. Ideally it should lead to something else. Let’s take the Amazon.com launch strategy as an example. I overheard many writers in the room asking each other, “What good is it to have my book be #1 on Amazon.com for only an hour?” Well, if your marketing of your book goes no farther than making this one thing happen, it won’t do you any good. But if you take that ranking, write a press release about it and send it out to the media, then highlight it on your website and even perhaps on subsequent covers of your book, then you’re parlaying that #1 ranking into further promotion and more attention. Throughout this process you will also be…

Developing Relationships

John Kremer insisted that this was the real key in executing your marketing strategies. If you do it well you’ll be making connections with many partners who own their own lists and have similar interests to yours. If you hire someone to execute an Amazon.com launch for you, Mr. Kremer pointed out, you miss out because you won’t get to develop these relationships. If you nurture and maintain a connection with the partners who launch your book, you’ll be able to work with them again in the future to launch other books, products, workshops or even your services. Again, it’s about the big picture. Too many writers might do a launch and never contact their partners again. That would be such a waste.

Think Creatively

You would think as writers we wouldn’t have to be reminded to think creatively, but from what I overheard at the conference it seems a necessity. Mr. Kremer showed us many instances of how video is used to promote on the internet. Again, I heard writers say “I don’t see how that would work for me.” Understand that when you think that way, you’re closing yourself off to possibilities. Sometimes all it takes is a little imagination to take an idea and stretch it to fit your situation.

Try this. Sit down with a sheet of paper and answer this question: if someone were to hand you $1,000,000 to write out a 5 minute concept for a YouTube video for your book, and you could make it as silly as you wanted, what would the concept be? Don’t think too much, just write the most ridiculous thing to come into your head. Play with the ideas. Once you have something written, see if you could (with a few tweaks perhaps) execute it in real life. If you don’t like it, scrap it and try another. See? You’re already on your way to trying something completely different in your book marketing!

Of course not every marketing tactic will be right for you, but it’s up to you to think outside of the box and see the possibilities. And who knows? Maybe your book will stay on the bestseller lists a lot longer than you planned!

© 2008 Sophfronia Scott

Sophfronia Scott is Executive Editor of The Done For You Writing & Publishing Company. Get your FREE audio CD, “How to Succeed in Business By Becoming a Bestselling Author” and your FREE online writing and book publishing tips at www.DoneForYouWriting.com.

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