Sell More Books!
Book Marketing and Publishing for Low-Profile and Debut Authors Rethinking Book Publicity after the Digital Revolutions
Writers who aspire to have their books published can become demoralized by the state of the publishing industry. It may seem next to impossible to get a “traditional” publisher interested in a manuscript. Even if the work does get published, the author quickly realizes it is his or her personal efforts to market the book, not the publisher’s, that lead to sales.
That’s why “low-profile” authors will appreciate J. Steve and Cherie K. Miller’s Sell More Books! Steve Miller, who admits to being a low-profile yet successful book author, tells his own book marketing story in this well-written, engaging resource that’s loaded with specific tips on how to increase a book’s visibility and sales.
This is not a book about how to get published; in fact, the authors spend only one chapter on the three basic types of publishing: traditional publisher, self-published, and vanity publisher. Instead, the Millers make the point that, regardless of how the book is published, marketing will make or break it.
The authors begin in Part I by covering the “four digital revolutions” that have changed publishing, a useful overview for even the established author. In Part II, the Millers describe how to create a marketable book, discussing such important elements as “blurbs” (the endorsements typically found on the book’s back cover and in the front matter), contests, and optimizing a book’s page on Amazon.com.
Part III is a comprehensive guide to marketing a book. It includes an in-depth discussion of how to secure book reviews from publications and blogs, how to make the best use of social media, how to optimize digital sales, and how to take advantage of opportunities to sell in retailers other than bookstores. The authors also cover the basics of promotion–press releases, radio show appearances, public speaking, and more. The Millers even managed to get two other well-known book marketing experts, John Kremer and Brian Jud, to write chapters in this section.
Sell More Books! concludes with a chapter on the importance of execution that contains some essential tips for how to make things happen. Two helpful appendices are included: “200+ Ways that Low Profile Authors Can Market their Books,” and “Never Stop Learning,” a section that also has a link to the book’s web site, which the authors promise to update with resources.
As J. Steve Miller and Cherie K. Miller say, “If you put this book down and pick up the next without formulating a book-selling strategy and executing it, don’t be surprised if you fail to sell more books.” This, along with the rest of the book, is sound advice. Brimming with creative ideas, Sell More Books! should prove to be a low-profile author’s best friend.
Reviewed by
Barry Silverstein
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
