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Saturday 17th May

How To Market Books

Posted at 6:23PM Monday 07 Jan 2008

I originally wrote this book because frankly I was not quite sure what I was supposed to be doing when I began in the marketing department of my first publishing company. So many potential readers, so many ways of reaching them, so little budget. So how do you decide where to place the limited spend at your disposal and try to get people to part with their money? There was scant guidance available, a variety of 'standard procedures' I did not understand, and – to be honest - quite a bit of reinventing the wheel. I eventually used my maternity leave to write the resource that I wished I had been given access to. It's now in its fourth edition.

I've since gone on to write 15 other books and resources, mostly to do with publishing, how to get into print, market yourself (as well as co-author one on parenting teenagers – Whatever!). I reckon the experience of being both publisher and author is helpful to my writing – I can see both sides of the fence. Authors often feel little is done for their book, but if publishers explain the limited resources available, and how many other titles they have to promote at the same time, and then enlist their help, great things really can be achieved.

Top tips for those trying to market books on limited resources.

1.Use the author. Find out what they belong to (and hence they can circulate information via), whom they know (any possible endorsements?) and how you can work together to sell their book. Manage their expectations so they understand it is a partnership and you are investing in them, but look for them to help you do so. Ask them for interesting stories about how they came to write the book – anecdotes are loved by the press as well as retailers and may help you establish the book in the public's mind. But most authors will not provide them unless you ask – for fear of trivialising both themselves and their writing in your eyes.

2.Capitalise on the benefits of being independent. Life today is getting blander and books are cultural capital – how we differentiate ourselves from each other. So a taste for the output of independent (rather than mass market) publishers arguably marks you out as a discerning individual. This is really topical right now so milk it for all it's worth!

3.Different marketing formats need different types of copy. A blog works best if it is informal and opinionated; the bookseller meanwhile needs to know little about the content and is much more interested in proof of demand. Feeding the same information to every potential marketing vehicle shows no understanding of how they variously work.

4.Viral marketing is cheap and highly effective. Ensure your website is up to date, fascinating, and that those who visit can forward information they find useful to friends with similar interests. Talk about why you publish and how you do what you do – if visitors to your site are drawn by a sympathy of interest, they will be gripped.

5.Always start a marketing plan by thinking about whom you want to reach, not how little you have to spend. Starting off with the money limits your thinking. There are always other routes to reach the market, besides the expensive.

6.Look for overlappings of interest: offers that persuade people to buy two books rather than one; the chance to promote titles from your backlist at the same time as your new publications. Never miss the chance for the customer to up the size of their order.

Above all, always remember why you are doing what you do, and why it is worthwhile – this increases your sense of achievement. Publishing matters. You are fulfilling individuals' dreams and adding to the cultural richness of both local and national environments. This must be recognised.

How to Market Books: The Essential Guide to Maximizing Profit and Exploiting All Channels to Market

How to Market Books is available from Kogan Page, price £25