Completing a manuscript is a huge accomplishment, but finding readers is a whole new challenge. If you have a writer in your life who is ready to publish, Book Rookie: Tips for First-Time Authors will help prepare them for the tough job of marketing their literary baby.
When I started publishing, print-on-demand was still very new. Amazon bought BookSurge in 2005 to launch CreateSpace and we published the first edition of Ruth by Lake and Prairie in 2006. Publishing technology has changed considerably since then. What hasn't changed is the work needed to find an audience. If anything, it's only more difficult because of the competition.
I'm not talking about competition from other authors. People can read books way faster than authors can write them, so there's plenty of opportunity for every writer. The competition comes from all the other advertisements bombarding folks constantly. Even before self-publishing, agents and editors wanted to quantify an author's "platform" as an indication of how many books they might sell.
Through the years, I've read a zillion blog posts and books and watched another zillion webinars and videos on author marketing. I belonged to an author marketing MeetUp group for years and even ran it for a while. At writing conferences, I attended classes and talked with fellow writers about marketing. All that education and experience was distilled into Book Rookie.
I'll tell you now: Book Rookie is not the most comprehensive book on marketing for the self-published author and was never meant to be. Book Rookie is a breezy read for inspiring new authors and getting them started on their marketing journey. The nuts and bolts of "how" change over time, but the "why" doesn't change. Thinking it through before jumping into — or being tossed into — the expense and time suck of marketing helps us make better decisions.
Book Rookie discusses the pros and cons of topics important to new authors. The book is divided into ten easy-to-read chapters:
- Gathering Your Data
- Building Your Platform
- Creating Your Website
- Committing to a Blog
- Marketing First Steps
- Talking to Real People
- Hosting Your Book Signing
- Attending Author Fairs
- Pursuing Speaking Engagements
- Living Your Author Life
Each chapter features a quote from one of my fellow authors and ends with a checklist of action items for quick reference.
So, if you're looking for a gift to give a new author this season, one that celebrates their writing achievement and will help them take the next steps, take a look at Book Rookie: Tips for First-Time Author. And wish them all the luck in the world for me!