Book Marketecture

Book Marketecture
A Step-by-Step Workbook for Creating Your

Book Marketing Plan
The Independent Author’s Most Powerful Ally

Please feel free to post this on your blog or email it to whomever you
believe would benefit from reading it.
Book Marketecture: A Step-by-Step Workbook for Creating Your Book Marketing Plan
Copyright © 2008 Wheatmark, Inc. All rights reserved. V.1.
Published by Wheatmark®
610 East Delano Street, Suite 104
Tucson, Arizona 85705 U.S.A.
www.wheatmark.com
Getting your book into print may be easier than ever…
but the business of book publishing has never been
more complicated.
With Wheatmark, there is no reason to face the challenges of publishing alone.
Our talented team of publishing experts gives you all the help you need to not
only get your book into print, but also to give it the best chance of success in
the marketplace. Wheatmark guarantees the highest level of professionalism;
unrivaled quality in products and services; and above all an atmosphere of
support, encouragement, and open communication with each member of our
publishing team.
At Wheatmark, the author always comes first.

We understand you that you have invested an incredible amount of time and
energy into writing your book, and we want that to pay off for you. That’s
why we take a big-picture approach to publishing—we learn about you, your
book, and your publishing goals, and we then provide you with the services and
options that will best suit your particular project.
Our strong track record of satisfied and returning authors says it all ...
is the independent author’s most powerful ally.
Getting started is easy!
For more information or to

get started today, please visit
www.wheatmark.com
or call us toll-free at:
1-888-934-0888.
Contents
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Book Marketing Mistakes & How to Avoid Them. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Mistake No. 1: Not Investing in the Design and Editing of Your Book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Mistake No. 2: Limiting Your Potential Market. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Mistake No. 3: Not Laying the Groundwork for Your Marketing Outreach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Mistake No. 4: Not Creating a Customized, Strategic Book Marketing Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Part One: Creating a Solid Foundation
Chapter One: Creating Goals and Defining Your Personal Vision of Publishing Success . . . . 12
Possible Book Goals/Achievements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Possible Benchmarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Getting Real . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

1. Category. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2. Ranking Categories by Relevance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3. Proof of Quality/Value. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4. Differentiation from the Competition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Chapter Three: Identifying Your Book’s Core Market. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Information & Entertainment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Creating Your Book’s Value Proposition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Chapter Four: Creating Your Marketing Budget & Timetable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
4 Contents
Part Two: Reaching Your Core Market
Chapter Five: Publicity, Sales & Marketing Outlets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Evaluating Potential Publicity, Sales & Marketing Outlets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Prospective Publicity, Sales & Marketing Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Pitching to Your Chosen Publicity, Sales & Marketing Outlets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
THE HOOK: Tailoring Your Publicity, Sales & Marketing Pitches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Chapter Six: Publicity, Sales & Marketing Collateral. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Collateral Building Blocks: Creating Content for Your Publicity, Sales & Marketing Collateral . . . . 66
Some Examples of Publicity, Sales & Marketing Collateral. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Examples of How You Can Use Your Collateral Building Blocks to Create Your Collateral. . . . . . . . 68
Evaluating Potential Publicity, Sales & Marketing Collateral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
The Collateral Compatibility Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Chapter Seven: Evaluating Potential Publicity, Sales & Marketing Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

The “Activity Proclivity” Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Chapter Eight: The Book Marketecture Activity Tracking Sheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

The Book Marketecture Activity Tracking Sheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Chapter Nine: Ongoing Marketing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Plan on Making Your Publicity, Sales & Marketing Dollars Work for You. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Resources
BISAC Major Subject Headings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Sample Suggested Publicity, Sales & Marketing Outlets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Sample Suggested Publicity, Sales & Marketing Collateral. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Sample Suggested Publicity, Sales & Marketing Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Sample Press Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Sample Sales Letter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Sample Sales Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Sample Author Bio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Additional Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
5 Contents
Preface
Welcome to Book Marketecture: A Step-by-Step Workbook for Creating Your Book Marketing
Plan.
Think of Book Marketecture as the equivalent of a blueprint for marketing your book,
and think of yourself as a “book marketect.”
When marketing your book, a well-thought-out plan can mean the difference between
success and failure. As you complete the exercises in the Book Marketecture workbook, take
your time and give the most thorough responses you can. You may find it necessary to do
some research to come up with the answers you need; the resources section at the end of
this workbook can be extremely helpful in that regard.
We hope you find the Book Marketecture workbook a valuable tool for effectively
marketing your book.
Here’s wishing you the best of success with your book!
—Your friends at Wheatmark, Inc.

The Independent Author’s Most Powerful Ally
6 Preface
Introduction
Book Marketing Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
There are a few major mistakes that many authors make when marketing their books, and
as the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed. Because the biggest mistakes are made early in
the publishing process, they can be hard to undo. By avoiding these major mistakes, you’ll
find your marketing efforts will go much more smoothly.
“Now we understand that the most important thing we do is market the product.
We’ve come around to saying that Nike is a marketing-oriented company,
and the product is our most important marketing tool.”
—Phil Knight, CEO Nike
Mistake No. 1: Not Investing in the Design and Editing of Your Book
Your book itself is your most important marketing tool. If your book is not attractive,
no one is going to want to pick it up and no one is going to buy it. The cover, the paper,
the editing, the typesetting, the proofreading—all of these components play into the
marketability of your book.
How to Avoid Mistake No. 1:

• Carefully develop your book (consider content, appearance, pricing).
• Refine your manuscript and get help (developmental editors, unbiased feedback).
• Create a quality physical product—proofreaders, copy editors, layout artists, cover
designers, high-quality printing.
By working with Wheatmark, you will have the advantage of high quality, professional
design and production, as well as access to premier editorial services.
7 Introduction
Mistake No. 2: Limiting Your Potential Market
“To have great poets, there must be great audiences too.”

—Walt Whitman
Another big mistake many authors make is due to a lack of understanding of traditional
publishing industry standards and practices. While targeting your niche core market is your
best bet for book sales, you should make your book easily available to all markets, including
bookstores and libraries if possible.

• Make sure your can offer your book to bookstores at full industry-standard discounts
and with returnability. Bookstores and other volume book buyers need to know that
they will make money on your book before they will carry it. This can only happen if
they get enough of a discount off the retail price, and can return any unsold copies for
refund.
• Make sure your book has the necessary title
registrations (ISBN, LCCN, EAN barcode) so
that retail outlets and libraries can process them
easily
• Make sure your book is available through Ingram
Book Company, Baker & Taylor, or one of the
other major book wholesalers so that retailers and
libraries can easily order your book.
Rest assured, if you plan to publish with Wheatmark,

your book will receive all necessary title registrations,
and it will be available to booksellers and other
retailers with standard industry terms and discounts.
8 Introduction
Mistake No. 3: Not Laying the Groundwork for Your Marketing Outreach
“The mistake so many marketers make is that they conjoin the urgency of making another
sale with the timing to earn the right to make that sale. In other words, you must build trust
before you need it. Building trust right when you want to make a sale is just too late.”
—Seth Godin
The third crucial mistake that many authors make is delaying the development of their
author platform and marketing outreach until after their book has been published. It takes a
great deal of time and effort to establish yourself as a trusted presence with the audience to
whom you are trying to market your book.

Begin your publicity, sales, and marketing research and networking as early as possible.
Use your existing contacts; start commenting on relevant blogs; join pertinent groups and
attend meetings; volunteer for a related cause; partner with another person who shares a
common interest or expertise in your book’s subject. Make the effort and give yourself time
to establish relationships and make valuable connections that will help when you’re ready to
begin your marketing in earnest.
Mistake No. 4: Not Creating a Customized, Strategic Book Marketing Plan
“Strategy and timing are the Himalayas of marketing. Everything else is the Catskills.”
—Al Ries
The last major marketing mistake that many authors make is not creating a well-thought-
out, targeted marketing plan that takes into consideration their specific core audience,
budget, and time line. This is where the Book Marketecture workbook comes in handy.

Complete the exercises and incorporate the ideas in the Book Marketecture workbook to:
1. Identify and hone your personal vision of marketing success.
2. Identify and hone your key marketing message and core target audience.
9 Introduction
3. Create a marketing budget and time line.
4. Identify and implement strategic marketing techniques that will get your core marketing
message to your target audience within your budget and time line, to achieve your
personal vision of marketing success.
If you do nothing else to market your book, at the very least take the time to clearly
and precisely identify your book’s message and market. These two elements will create
the foundation that informs all of your marketing, sales, and publicity decisions.
Marketing your book may seem like a daunting process, and it certainly can involve
a lot of time, money, and hard work. But by identifying your book’s core market and key
message early, you will be able to focus your efforts on those marketing opportunities with
the best chances of success.
Hopefully, you began the process of identifying your book’s market and message
before you even began writing, but if you haven’t yet pinpointed who your ideal reader
is, and exactly what it is about your book that they will find uniquely informative and/or
entertaining, this workbook will guide you through the process.
Keep in mind: the more thorough you are now, the easier and more successful your
book marketing plan will be.
Let’s Get Started!
10 Introduction
Part One
Creating a Solid Foundation
Setting Goals & Expectations
Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message
Identifying Your Book’s Core Market
Creating Your Marketing Budget & Timetable

Chapter One
Creating Goals and Defining Your

Personal Vision of Publishing Success
When it comes to book marketing success, the first step is to define your goals for your
book. Until you define what publishing success means to you, you can’t possibly figure out
how to achieve it—or gauge how close you are to achieving it.
Every author has a personal vision of what constitutes publishing success. For one
author, publishing success might be signaled by receiving a review in their college alumni
newsletter. For another author, publishing success will never be achieved until they have
made the New York Times bestseller list.
You will want to ask yourself by what benchmarks you will gauge your book’s
success—or, conversely, its failure. Now is the time to be very honest and very detailed
about just what you hope to achieve through the publication of your book. By doing so
you can best determine what publicity, marketing, and sales
efforts it will take to achieve your vision.
As you consider your personal vision of publishing
success, many factors may come into play—ego, reputation,
finances, professional standing, altruism, personal legacy,
etc. You might want to consider your goals as falling into
one of three categories: personal, financial, or professional.
Possible Book Goals/Achievements
• Personal
* Share my knowledge with the world
* Entertain readers
* Be considered an accomplished author
12 Chapter One: Creating Goals and Defining Your Personal Vision of Publishing Success
• Financial
* Recover my publishing costs
* Make a profit from my book sales
* Be able to retire from the profits of my book sales
• Professional
* Earn a reputation as an expert in my field
* Increase my visibility among potential clientele
* Stand out from my competition
Benchmarks are your way of gauging if you have achieved your goals. In other words, what
does achieving your goals actually look like?
Possible Benchmarks
• Receive a specific number of positive reader reviews on Amazon.com.

• Reach a certain number of copies sold.
• Appear on a specific television program.
• Book speaking engagements related to your book’s topic.
Consider what your goals for your book are. Then, list them in the chart below, along with
the specific benchmarks you will use to gauge whether or not you have achieved your goals:
PERSONAL GOALS BENCHMARKS
FINANCIAL GOALS BENCHMARKS
PROFESSIONAL GOALS BENCHMARKS
Getting Real
Reflect on the benchmarks you have listed. Do your goals seem realistic? Do they seem
attainable? Can you envision a clear path to achieving any or all of your goals?
It’s important to follow your dream, but it’s also important to be realistic. Achieving
bestseller status and appearing on Oprah are worthy goals, but are not likely to happen
overnight for most authors. However, by concentrating on more attainable, short-term
goals, you will be working your way toward your dream goals.
If all of your benchmarks seem unrealistic, add some that would be more easily
attainable.
Next, create a statement summarizing your personal vision of publishing success,
incorporating both your short-term and long-term goals:
I will have achieved my personal vision of publishing success when:
With this statement of your personal vision for book marketing success clearly in focus,
you can now begin creating your marketing plan. As you go forward, remember: if
any marketing activity does not ultimately help you achieve your personal vision of
publishing success, then you shouldn’t include it in your plan.
Tip
Use available resources to estimate realis-
tic sales expectations. The exercises in this
workbook will help you identify potential
competing titles and core market outlets,
which will help give you a reasonable idea
of the potential demand for your book.
Some ways to approximate how many prospective readers might be interested in your
book are:
• Once you have identified clubs, groups, organizations, and associations, check relevant
websites and newsletters for information on membership enrollment numbers,
newsletter circulation figures, and number of visitors to their websites.
• Once you have identified core print/radio/TV outlets, you can check their websites for
circulation numbers and viewership numbers.
• Once you have identified competing books, research their sales figures. For an idea of
a book’s sales you might check its Amazon.com ranking, or call Ingram’s sales tracking
phone number, (615) 213-6803, to get its sales for the previous week and year.
These numbers, while vague, can be a good indication of how many books you could expect
to sell if your publicity, sales, and marketing efforts are successful.
Chapter Two
Identifying Your Book’s

Key Marketing Message
When someone asks you what your book is about, what they really want to know is, “Why
should I read your book?” In other words, they want to hear a compelling argument. They
want to know what your book’s key marketing message is.
What goes into a key marketing message?

A number of qualities factor into a book’s key marketing message, including:
• Subject matter
• Value and benefit to the reader
• The author’s qualifications
• Superiority or uniqueness compared to other titles
17 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

To identify your book’s key marketing message, begin by completing the following exercises:
1. Category
In what section or sections would you expect to find your book in a bookstore or library?
In other words, what category or categories does your book fall into? As you consider this
question, you might wish to refer to the categories used by Amazon.com or the BISAC
subject headings sheet in the Resources section at the end of this workbook. Include all of
the subject headings or categories that seem relevant to your book.

2. Ranking Categories by Relevance
Most books fall into more than one category. For example, a book written about successful
female entrepreneurs could be found under subject categories such as “business,”
“entrepreneurship,” “careers,” “women’s studies,” or even “self-help.” A factual account
chronicling the murder of an important historical figure could be categorized as “true
crime,” “history,” or “biography.”
If your book fits into more than one category, determine which category you feel is
the most relevant to your book, then list the rest of the categories in descending order of
importance:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Keywords and Phrases
If you were to search for your book online (using a search engine such as Google or Yahoo!),
what keywords or phrases (other than the author’s name and the title of the book) would
you use in your search? Again, list these in order of relevance, starting with the most
relevant keywords and phrases, and ending with the least relevant:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Features/Benefits
Your book serves a purpose—it offers some sort of benefit to the potential reader. Perhaps
it solves a problem, meets a desire, informs or entertains—but there was a purpose behind
your decision to write and publish your book.
In order to effectively market your book to your intended audience, you will have to
identify and articulate to potential readers what benefits they will be able to gain by buying
and reading your book.
Begin by imagining the potential reader of your book and why they might seek out your
book in the first place. For example:
• The potential reader of my book is desperate to lose weight, but is frustrated by
complicated diet plans that take forever to show results.
Next, isolate the features in your book that will help the reader. For example:
• My book provides easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions guaranteed to help the reader
lose 30 pounds in three weeks.
Finally, describe the benefit that your reader will likely experience as a result of reading your
book:
• Reader will lose weight in an easy and efficient manner.
In the chart on the next page, state the problems/issues/desires that your book was created
to help readers with, along with the features in your book that meet or resolve these
problems/issues/desires. Then provide the benefits that readers of your book will likely
experience. Be specific, as in the example below.
Reader’s Problem/Issue/
Book’s Feature Benefit to Reader
Desire
Reader’s personal finances Book contains financial The reader will learn to get their finances
are in disarray management tips back on track
Book includes facial

The reader will learn effective methods to
Reader suffers from snoring exercises that help alleviate
control snoring
snoring

Reader’s Problem/Issue/
Book’s Feature Benefit to Reader
Desire
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Tip
Built-In Benefits
When designing your book, consider the potential reader, and

design your book accordingly. Is your book aimed at baby
boomers? Consider designing your book with large type. Is
your book targeted at eco-conscious consumers? Consider
having your book printed on recycled paper. While the qual-
ity and relevance of your content is always going to be the
most important element to your readers, remember that you
should always design the physical book with as many built-in
features and benefits for your target audience as possible.

3. Proof of Quality/Value
Potential readers want assurances that your book can deliver on its promised value. What
proof do you have? Examples demonstrating value include testimonials and references
from peers, reviews from experts or otherwise qualified individuals who have read the book
prior to publication, credentials that are applicable to the book’s subject matter, and even a
summary of experiences or research that went into your writing of the book.
Gathering together your credentials, endorsements from experts, and other evidence
of your book’s worth will help you to create a statement justifying your qualifications for
writing this book, and provide proof to potential readers that your book will deliver value to
them.
TIP
Compiling as much proof of value before your book goes to pro-
duction will enable you to include these important marketing com-
ponents on the book cover or inside of your book—in the form of
your abbreviated author bio, endorsements, and/or a foreword.
You might also consider soliciting reader reviews in the book it-
self—just include a request at the end suggesting that readers who
enjoy your book post a review to Amazon.com.
a. List Areas of Expertise

On the lines below, list all of your qualifications for writing your book, starting with your
inspiration for writing it.
I was inspired to write this book because:

Relevant credentials (degrees, certifications, programs of study, etc.):
Relevant achievements:

Relevant awards:
Relevant life experience:
TIP
It’s never too late to add benefits for your readers.
Even if your book has already been published, con-
sider creating post-publication extras such as:
• A website or blog that readers can visit for updates
and further info
• A workbook or reader’s guide to accompany the
book

b. List Testimonials/Endorsements
On the following lines, write down any peer/expert reviews and testimonials relating to
your professional expertise, or to this or any previous writing. If you do not currently have
any such reviews or testimonials, use this space to write down names of experts, peers,
friends, or other individuals familiar with your professional expertise or writing who would
be willing to provide them.
Testimonials or Praise from Peers/Experts/Clients
Name Testimonial/Review

Reader Reviews
Name Review

c. Author Profile/Bio
With your accomplishments, credentials, and writing inspirations fresh in your mind, now
is a great time to draft an author profile. Offer readers a bit of insight into your background,
including some personal information such as where you reside, and note your relevant
professional accomplishments.
TIP
It’s helpful to draft both a short version of your bio and a
more detailed one. The abbreviated version can be as short
as four sentences but should be no more than three para-
graphs; it is especially useful for broadcast media profes-
sionals or event emcees when introducing you. The more
detailed bio can be longer—anywhere from 500 to 1,000
words. This version can reside on your website and in your
press kit for reference.
On the lines below, draft your short and long author bios.
Short:

Long:

4. Differentiation from the Competition
Chances are there is already at least one book that covers the same topic as yours, or has
a similar theme. In order to successfully market your book, you will have to be able to let
potential readers know why they should buy it instead of (or in addition to) other books in
the same category.
Consider what about your book is special. What makes it stand out from the
competition? What makes it unique?
To answer this question, it helps to first identify and then evaluate the competition’s
marketing strengths and weaknesses.
TIP
A great place to start when gauging the competition is in
bookstores, where you can ask employees to point you
in the right direction, or on Amazon.com. On Amazon.
com, simply search for titles by subject category and
consider where your book falls among the top results.
Possible marketing strengths:

• the authors’ visibility and standing in the public eye
• a well-financed marketing campaign
• the book is expertly researched, well-edited
• an affordable price point
• eye-catching cover design
• wide distribution
• recently updated facts and figures
• nice photos, illustrations, graphics, charts,
etc.
• cover features prominently placed, stellar
endorsements by leading experts in the
field

Possible marketing weaknesses:
• author is unknown by the target reader niche
• book is poorly edited
• book is not widely available
• book is highly priced
• book is outdated
• book lacks research and data to support its claims
• book lacks any endorsements
List your book’s major competing titles (especially those that are bestsellers and/or recently
published):
Competing No. Retail Marketing Marketing

Author ISBN
Title Pages Price Strengths Weaknesses

Other factors you might want to consider are:
• Does the title compete with yours across the board, or just for certain readers, or in
certain outlets?
• Must this title compete with your book, or could it be seen as a complementary title
that buyers might want in addition to your book?
Now take a look at your book. What are its marketing strengths and weaknesses? If you
need help evaluating these, consider asking someone who can be more objective to give you
their feedback.
My book’s marketing strengths My book’s marketing weaknesses

Take a closer look at your book’s marketing strengths. Do you see any opportunities to
increase the effectiveness of these features? For example, if you have included reviews by
experts on your cover, are they prominently placed? Or, if you possess relevant credentials,
have you noted this on the cover?
Now take a closer look at your book’s marketing weaknesses. Do you see any
opportunities to eliminate or mitigate these potential pitfalls? For example, if you haven’t
had your manuscript professionally edited, is it possible to postpone production and have
this done? Or, if your cover is not as striking as those of your competition, would it be
possible to create a new cover that would better serve your marketing purposes?
Now, briefly state an argument for why readers should choose your book over those
competing titles you have identified (keep this to one or two paragraphs):
My book is unique because:
Readers should read my book because:

Summarizing Your Book’s Key Marketing Message
With the information you have collected in these exercises,

you can now write a summary of your book’s key marketing
message.
For example: My book offers readers a cutting-edge, thoroughly

researched, and user-friendly nutrition and fitness plan. The
content of my book is backed by my expertise as a PhD in the
field, and my book stands out from the competition due to the
quality of the editing, design, and production.
Now you try!
My book …

Chapter Three
Identifying Your Book’s Core Market
In marketing I’ve seen only one strategy that can’t miss—and that is to market to your best
customers first, your best prospects second, and the rest of the world last.
—John Romero
Knowing who is going to be most interested in your book, and why, will go a long way to
keeping your marketing plan on track. Who is your ideal or core target audience, and why?
In order to identify what characteristics are shared by your ideal readers, aka core target
market, answer the following questions. Be thorough, and do some research if you have
to. As you answer the questions, consider whether they seem relevant to your book’s key
marketing message. If the question is not relevant to your book, just skip over it:
GENDER
Is your ideal audience composed of women, men, or a mix? Is gender a relevant factor in
whether or not someone would be interested in your book? Why or why not?
37 Chapter Three: Identifying Your Book’s Core Market

AGE
What age group do your ideal readers fall into? Is age a relevant characteristic that is shared
by your ideal audience? If so, why would a certain age group in particular find your book
interesting/informative?
ETHNICITY / CULTURAL TIES

Do your ideal readers share a particular ethnic background or have any cultural ties in
common? Do these relate to their potential interest in your book? Explain:
MARITAL / PRIMARY RELATIONSHIP STATUS

Is your target reader married? Single? In a long-term relationship? Newly dating? Does their
marital or relationship status play into whether or not they would be interested in or helped
by your book? Explain:

CHILDREN / GRANDCHILDREN / OTHER RELATIONSHIPS
Does your target reader have children, grandchildren? Do your ideal readers have any other
specific relationships in common (mothers, fathers, siblings, friends) that significantly
influence whether or not they might be interested in your book? If so, how?
LOCATION
Does your ideal reader live in a particular region or location? Do they live in an urban area,
a rural area, or the suburbs? Do they live in a particular type of community (a high-end
gated community, a trailer park, army barracks, etc.)? Is there anything about where they
reside that would make them particularly interested in reading your book?
WORK / CAREER
Does your ideal reader work in a particular profession? Does their profession make them
more likely to be interested in, or benefit from, your book? If so, why?

INCOME / FINANCIAL SITUATION
Do your ideal readers share a common income bracket? Is there anything about your ideal
readers’ income or financial situation that would make them more likely to benefit from
your book? If so, what exactly?
HOLIDAYS / SPECIAL EVENTS

Are there any holidays, or special or seasonal events, that your ideal reader observes? Are
these events tied to their potential interest in/benefit from your book? List the events along
with how your book relates to them below:
MAJOR LIFE EVENTS

Are your ideal readers sharing common life events—either big or small (e.g., marriage,
impending birth of a child, death in the family, retirement, illness, acquiring a pet, starting
a diet, etc.)? Are these events tied to their potential interest in and benefit from your book?
List the events along with their ties to your book below:

SOCIAL, RELIGIOUS, OR POLITICAL INTERESTS
Do your ideal readers share common interests in particular social, religious, and/or political
causes or organizations? Are these tied to their potential interest in and benefit from your
book? List these political, religious, and/or social interests along with their ties to your book
below:
VALUES / BELIEF SYSTEMS

Do your ideal readers share strong values, or deeply held beliefs or ideas? Are these values
tied to their potential interest in and benefit from your book? List these values, along with
their ties to your book below:
HOBBIES / INTERESTS / ACTIVITIES / TRAVEL

What hobbies, interests, and/or activities do your ideal readers participate in? Are they
interested in travel? Do they have any particular hobbies, interests, or activities that make
them more likely to take an interest in your book, or benefit from it? Explain:

CLUBS / GROUPS / ORGANIZATIONS / ASSOCIATIONS
Are your ideal readers likely to belong to a specific club, organization, association, or group?
If so, list the clubs, groups, organizations, and/or associations:
OTHER PRODUCTS AND ACTIVITIES

Other products and activities related to your book’s key message that your target readers are
interested in (e.g., if your book is about improving your soccer skills, you can assume that
your target reader might also be interested in soccer equipment, attending soccer training
camps, going to soccer games, etc.).
INFLUENTIAL INDIVIDUALS
In relation to your book’s core message, what individuals are influential to your target
reader? Are there any public figures, business or organizational leaders, well-connected
professionals, community members, popular bloggers, etc. who influence the behavior of
your target market? List them below:

Information & Entertainment
TIP
Locating Media Contact Info:
• Read, watch, listen: Find out firsthand what journalists, editors, producers,
and talk show hosts are likely to be interested in your book’s subject matter.
Make note of editorial bylines and show segment producers listed in credits.
• Search the Internet: The internet is an excellent resource for tracking down
media contact information AND detailed information about media outlets.
• Check out the library: There are a number of reference materials available at
most libraries that can be of help in locating media contact information. Ask
your librarian for help.
• Go to the experts: There are a number of media directories and research ser-
vices that can help you locate media contact information. These directories
and services can vary greatly in price and level of service, and are often the
most efficient and accurate means of compiling a media list.
Where do your ideal readers get their information and entertainment? Do they share an
interest in any particular TV/radio shows, newspapers, newspaper sections, newspaper
columnists, magazines, books, movies, websites, or blogs? List specific titles, programs, and
channels, and where possible, describe what exactly makes them so popular for your ideal
readers.
Drill down as much as you can to the
actual journalists, show hosts, and producers
that your ideal reader follows.

MAGAZINES / SPECIFIC MAGAZINE SECTIONS & COLUMNISTS
Why they like these:
TV SHOWS and/or CHANNELS

RADIO SHOWS / CHANNELS / SHOW HOSTS
NEWSPAPERS / NEWSPAPER SECTIONS / COLUMNISTS

WEBSITES / BLOGS
MOVIES

BOOKS
FAVORITE PLACES TO SHOP

Include ALL shopping outlets, including brick and mortar retail outlets and e-commerce websites:

Is there any form of media (TV, the Internet, magazines, newspapers, or radio) that your
ideal readers collectively ignore, avoid, or dislike? If so, please list and explain in detail the
reasons your readers do not use that medium:
With the information you have collected about your ideal reader, write a short sentence
or two describing who they are as it relates to your book. You will most likely not include
information from all of the identifying categories above, but instead focus on those that are
most relevant to your core target reader’s potential interest in your book.
For example: My ideal reader is a fan of bass fishing who lives or is vacationing in the northern
California area and would like to have information on the area’s best bass fishing.
Now you try!
My ideal reader is

Creating Your Book’s Value Proposition
You should now have a good idea of what your book’s key marketing message is and
exactly who your core target reader is. Your next step is to take this information and create
a strong value proposition that explains what your book is about, who it is for, and why
they will want it, all in a few concise (and compelling) sentences. You’ll be using this value
proposition for a number of marketing purposes, so it’s important to play with the wording
until you get it just right.
Begin by answering the following questions (refer back to the information you gathered
in the previous exercises):
1. Who have you written this book for?

Example: The Budget-Minded Bride’s Guide is for busy, budget-minded prospective brides and
grooms…
2. What problem does your book solve for this target audience? Or what need or desire
does it fulfill for them?
Example: “…who want to throw the wedding of their dreams without breaking the bank or
running themselves ragged.”
3. Elaborate on the problem or problems your book helps the reader with, the need it
meets, or the desire it fulfills for the reader. Offer an example.
Example: “For young, active couples just starting out, planning and paying for a fabulous
wedding might seem to be a daunting endeavor. But it isn’t necessary to spend the nationwide
average of 11 months of planning and $30,000 for a beautiful wedding.”
4. Tell what your book does to address the problem, need, or desire, and how it does so in
a unique way.
Example: “The Budget-Minded Bride’s Guide includes reviews and ratings of more than 50
new bridal gown designers, tips on surfing the Web and saving on honeymoon costs, and a guide
to the best online wedding bargains in the aftermath of the dot-com shake-up. The authors
explode the “three costly myths” about wedding catering, show how to negotiate a great deal
on a ceremony and reception site, and point prospective brides and grooms toward savings on
invitations, flowers, wedding videos, entertainment, and more. Illustrations are also included in
this latest edition of the bestselling book on weddings.”

5. Finally, put it all together, editing and playing with the wording until you get a book
value proposition you are happy with:
Example: With The Budget-Minded Bride’s Guide, busy, budget-minded prospective brides
and grooms can learn how to throw their dream wedding without breaking the bank or their
backs. For young, active couples just starting out, planning and paying for a fabulous wedding
might seem to be a daunting endeavor. But it isn’t necessary to spend the nationwide average of
11 months of planning and $30,000 for a beautiful wedding. The Budget-Minded Bride’s
Guide includes reviews and ratings of more than 50 new bridal gown designers, tips on surfing
the Web and saving on honeymoon costs, and a guide to the best online wedding bargains in
the aftermath of the dot-com shake-up. The authors explode the “three costly myths” about
wedding catering, show how to negotiate a great deal on a ceremony and reception site, and
point prospective brides and grooms toward savings on invitations, flowers, wedding videos,
entertainment, and more. Illustrations are also included in this latest edition of the best-selling
book on weddings.
Now you try!

1. Who have you written this book for?
2. What problem does your book solve for this core target audience? What need does it
meet or desire does it fulfill?

3. Provide more detail about the problem, need, or desire your book addresses, and discuss
an example.
4. Tell what your book does to address the problem, need, or desire, and how it does so in a
unique way.
5. Finally, put it all together, editing and playing with the wording until you feel satisfied
that your book’s value proposition is complete:

Chapter Four
Creating Your Marketing Budget & Timetable
When it comes to book marketing budgets and time lines, keep in mind that one size does
not fit all. Before committing to any marketing activities, the savvy book marketect takes
into account his or her:
• Personal publishing goals
• Key marketing message
• Core target market
• Time, money and energy available to perform or manage marketing activities
Since you have already spent some time identifying your publishing goals, your key
marketing message, and your core target market, you will have those fresh in your mind as
you consider your budget and timetable.
Start by taking a realistic look at your available book marketing budget. Have you
already set aside money for marketing? Do you plan on spending a percentage of your total
publishing budget? Do you plan on spending a percentage of your total anticipated earnings
from the book? Consider what you can afford, and what makes sense given your personal
publishing goals and your core target market.
Next, consider your marketing
timetable, and the span of time over which
you plan to carry out your marketing
efforts.
How much time can you afford to
devote to marketing your book?
• Daily?
• Weekly?
• Monthly?
• Yearly?
52 Chapter Four: Creating Your Marketing Budget & Timetable

How long do you plan to actively market your book:
• Three months?
• Six months?
• A year?
• Five years?
• More?
Other considerations to take into account include whether or not you will be outsourcing
your marketing. In many cases, it can be more cost-efficient to hire marketing experts to
perform certain tasks.
Will you be hiring anyone to help you with your marketing?
How much will that cost?
How much time will it take to manage their efforts?
Be prepared!
It is important to have realistic expectations in regards to marketing your book. Marketing
can be time-consuming and expensive—usually much more expensive and time-consuming
than many authors anticipate.
Be creative!
Don’t spend more than you can afford, but don’t sell yourself and your book short by
skimping on your marketing budget and time line. If a particular marketing activity seems
ideal for your market and goals, but you lack the money, explore options. Are there other
activities that don’t cost as much but could yield similar results? For example: you may
think a cost-prohibitive advertisement in a particular magazine is the best way to reach your
core market. However, maybe you can write and place an article in that magazine instead.
You’ll be reaching the same audience, but without paying for the ad.
If you lack marketing and public relations experience, but are skilled in another area,
consider bartering your services or goods for marketing expertise.
Once you have a general idea of the amount of money and time you are comfortable
investing in the marketing of your book, you can choose those activities which are most
likely to help you meet your personal marketing goals. In part two of this workbook, you
will learn how to decide which marketing activities will work best for your market, budget,
time line, and goals.

My overall budget for marketing my book is: $
For the next (days/weeks/months), I intend

to devote hours per day/week/month to
marketing my book.

Congratulations!
With the completion of the exercises in this section of the Book Marketecture workbook, you
should now have:
 Defined your personal vision of marketing success.
 Determined your book’s key marketing message.
 Identified your book’s core target market.
 Established a general marketing budget and time line.
Ready for the next steps?
Let’s go!
55 Chapter Four: Creating Your Marketing Budget & Time Table

Part Two
Reaching Your Core Market
Publicity, Sales & Marketing Outlets
Publicity, Sales & Marketing Collateral
Evaluating Potential Publicity, Sales & Marketing Activities
The Book Marketecture Activity Tracking Sheet
Ongoing Marketing
“People don’t want to be ‘marketed TO’; they want to be ‘communicated WITH.’”
—Flint McGlaughlin
So, now you have clearly defined your market, and you know what you want to tell them
about you and your book. But how exactly do you reach them? There are millions of
possible marketing activities, any of which you could use in creating and carrying out your
book marketing plan, but as a savvy Book Marketect, you will want to put your time,
money, and effort into the publicity, marketing, and sales activities that are most likely to
produce results for you and your book.
57 Part Two: Reaching Your Core Market

Chapter Five
Publicity, Sales & Marketing Outlets
Evaluating Potential Publicity, Sales & Marketing Outlets
Trying to track down and market to each individual potential buyer or reader of your book
is one way to go about your marketing efforts, but we don’t recommend it. A much more
efficient and effective way to let potential readers know about your book is to reach them
through the publicity, marketing, and sales outlets where you are most likely to get their
attention.
Revisit the part of this workbook entitled “Identifying Your Book’s Core Market.”
• What are the key sales outlets you identified? E.g., specific outlets such as bookstores,
association and organization memberships, retail and specialty catalogs, wholesalers,
retail websites, etc.
• What are your core target market’s preferred outlets for news/information/
entertainment/media? You can also think of these as publicity outlets (e.g., specific
blogs, websites, social networking sites, television programs, magazines, radio stations,
etc.).
• Who are your market’s main influences (e.g., political or social leaders, celebrities,
journalists, TV/radio hosts, popular bloggers, etc.—these may overlap with some of
your chosen publicity outlets)?
On the chart below, list your prospective publicity, sales, and marketing outlets, then
evaluate their potential for effectively helping you get your key message to your target
market and achieving your publishing goals.
58 Chapter Five: Publicity, Sales & Marketing Outlets

Prospective Publicity, Sales & Marketing Outlets
Does my key message

Does this outlet’s
relate to the needs and Is it worth pursuing this
Proposed outlet demographic fit that of
desires of this outlet’s outlet?
my core target market?
audience or customers?

Pitching to Your Chosen Publicity, Sales & Marketing Outlets
“Customers buy for their reasons, not yours.”

—Orvel Ray Wilson
Based on the evaluation above, you should now have a good idea of which publicity, sales,
and marketing outlets you will want to focus on in your marketing campaign. But exactly
how will you get these outlets to take an interest in you and your book? Easy: don’t tell
them about you and your book.
That’s right—in promoting, selling, and marketing your book, the most important
thing to keep in mind is that it’s not about you or your book. Rather, it’s about the
benefits you or your book offer to the potential market outlet.
Therefore, when you are promoting, selling, and marketing, your message should not
be about you and what you want. It should be about the category buyer at Barnes & Noble;
or the acquisitions librarian at the regional public library; or the readers of your local daily
newspaper; or the visitors to your blog; or Oprah; or to whomever your target publicity,
sales, or marketing outlet happens to be. You need to make sure that when you’re pitching
your book, it’s all about the audience and what benefits you and your book can provide to
them.
So, enough talk about you. Let’s talk about what you can do for your targeted publicity,
sales, and marketing outlets. Start with the big picture. Keeping in mind your book’s core
market, key message, and value proposition, craft a basic statement describing why your
book’s key message will appeal to and benefit the audiences and customers of your targeted
publicity, sales, and marketing outlets.
For example: “My book’s key message about how to reduce the effects
of aging through my patented nutritional program would benefit:
• Readers of women’s health magazines (list those magazines)
• Viewers of daily TV talk shows (list those talk shows)
• Audiences of health-related radio programs (list those radio
programs)
• Visitors to health-focused websites and blogs (list those
websites and blogs)
• Shoppers at health-food stores (list those stores)
• Recipients of health/nutrition catalogs (list those catalogs)
• People who shop for exercise equipment (list vendors of
exercise equipment)

• Clients of health spas (list the health spas)
• Patients of doctors who specialize in optimal aging (list the doctors)
Now you try!

My book’s key message about … would benefit (list the core publicity, sales, and marketing
outlets):

THE HOOK: Tailoring Your Publicity, Sales & Marketing Pitches
“If you’re trying to persuade people to do something or buy something, it seems to me you
should use their language, the language in which they think.”
—David Ogilvy
While your basic pitch or benefit statement can serve in a pinch, you’ll want to further
personalize your publicity, sales, and marketing pitches as much as possible to meet the
needs and desires of each individual outlet you decide to approach. In other words, identify
a hook for each publicity, sales, and marketing outlet you are pitching.
Try to think of unique benefits that you or your book could offer to each specific
targeted publicity, sales, and marketing outlet.
For example: If your book’s key message is how to prepare for retirement, you might try
pitching yourself as a financial expert who can offer retirement advice to listeners of financial and
retirement-related radio talk show programs.
Use your imagination and do some research. If there are any holidays, events,
anniversaries, or other possible tie-ins to you book’s key message, perhaps you or your book
would be of particular benefit to your core market during these events.
For example: If your book’s key message is on the benefits of holistic health care for your pet,
try pitching pet stores with a special promotion offering your book as a premium or at a discount
on August 26, National Dog Day!
Consider the added benefit that you can offer to regionally located members of your
core target market. Are there local stores you might offer to do a book signing at? Might
your book’s topic or the fact that you have written a book be of interest to your local
newspaper? Pitching your book using the “hometown resident publishes book” approach
is almost always guaranteed to get some attention with local newspapers, and your local
bookstore will almost always agree to host a book signing if you can guarantee some
publicity.

Also consider hooks and pitches based on personal stories or anecdotes that are related to
your life story as well as to the message of your book.
Do you have any personal life stories or anecdotes that would appeal to the audiences of
your list of publicity, sales, and marketing outlets?
Which outlets?
Which personal stories or anecdotes?
In the table on the next page, list your chosen core publicity, sales, and marketing
outlets and the hooks you will pitch them.
TIP
When communicating with your contacts at potential publicity, sales,
and marketing outlets, always follow some basic guidelines:
• Know WHO to Contact. If you did your core market research
diligently, you should already have an accurate list of the best
contacts. But always check to make sure you have the right person
listed, that they are still working for the outlet, and that you have
the correct title and spelling of their name. If you are unsure, call
the outlet and ask.
• Ask Not What Oprah Can Do for You, Ask What You Can Do
for Oprah. In other words, put the outlet’s/contact’s needs first. In
crafting your marketing collateral, make sure that the subject mat-
ter and the angle offer value, education, and/or entertainment
that will appeal to the audience.
• Don’t Play Hard to Get. This rule is very simple—make sure you
provide accurate contact information for you, including a phone
number where you can be reached.
• Be Professional and Polite. In all of your marketing outreach, be
as polite and helpful as you can. If a sales or media outlet decides
to pass on your book or idea or right now, show your appreciation
for their consideration with a short thank you note or email, and
let them know when you have other relevant news to share with
them. The better the first impression you make, the more likely
they will consider you and your book in the future.

Pitch/Hook/Benefit to Their
Publicity, Sales, or Marketing Outlet
Audience or Customers

Chapter Six
Publicity, Sales & Marketing Collateral
Collateral is any publicity, sales, and marketing tool used to communicate the key features
and benefits of your book. Ideally, publicity, sales, and marketing collateral supports the
sales process and projects a professional image of you and your book.
Some examples of collateral are business cards, sales sheets, websites, postcards, press
releases, press kits, etc.
When creating your collateral, always make sure that whatever it is (business card, sales
sheet, website, etc.) it can accomplish the three following things:
1. Offer your publicity, sales, and marketing outlets compelling content and background
information that demonstrates how you and your book will benefit them.
2. Make it super easy and convenient for your publicity, sales, and marketing outlets to
work with you by providing valuable information about you and your book.
3. Convey a professional image of yourself.
65 Chapter Six: Publicity, Sales & Marketing Collateral

Collateral Building Blocks:
Creating Content for Your Publicity, Sales & Marketing Collateral
Collateral Building Blocks:
To create your publicity, sales, and marketing collateral, you will want
to prepare as many of the following items as you can, and add others
that make sense for your personal marketing goals. These elements will
be the basic building blocks for each type of collateral you choose to
create.
• CONTACT INFO!!! How to reach the author, publisher, and/or
publicist. Include name, address, phone, URL, and email address
for publicity contacts.
• PRESS RELEASES
* Create different press releases for different audiences, different
topics, etc.; use the pitches you generated earlier in the
workbook to create additional press release ideas and content.
* Include relevant keywords in your online press releases to increase traffic and
search engine rank
• AUTHOR BIO/PROFILE/CREDENTIALS (short and long version). You should
have already created your author bio in part one of this workbook.
• BOOK COVER. High resolution (for print reproduction) and low resolution for web
reproduction; color and black and white. Ask your book designer to furnish you with
electronic files of your cover in various sizes and formats.
• AUTHOR PHOTO. High resolution (for print reproduction) and low resolution for
Web reproduction; color and black and white. Provide a professional-looking headshot
as well as an editorial-interest shot (such as the author speaking to an audience or
working), if possible.
• Additional images for editorial/feature interest and/or
Interior art. High resolution (for print reproduction) and low resolution for Web
reproduction; color and black and white. Again, ask your book designer to furnish these
for you in the various sizes and formats required.
• About the Book. Summary of book and/or overview and recap of chapters. Use
your book’s value proposition (see part one of this workbook) to help create the “about
the book” summary.
• Excerpt from book. Sample chapter (e.g., recipes, several pages, an essay) and
possibly table of contents—simple or detailed.
• Endorsements/Testimonials. Hopefully you have already acquired
some endorsements and testimonials in the “testimonials” section of part one of this
workbook. If not, solicit testimonials from readers. It is best to highlight the highest-

visibility endorsers, and then include just a few VERY WELL-WRITTEN testimonials
from general readers.
• QUIZZES, FAST FACTS, BACKGROUNDERS, and/or “Did You Know?”
sheet.
• Radio interview(s) and TV video clip(s)
• Suggested story ideas And/or Article or speech topics.
Interesting or controversial topics around which media could base a story or you could
base a speech or article for submission. Include data, statistics, or facts that pertain to
the subject matter of your book.
• List of media coverage. Include both past and forthcoming events.
• List of available articles you have written and/or the
articles themselves.
• Suggested interview questions/FAQ. Consider key points about the
book, author’s background, and origin of the concept for the book that might make for
an intriguing interview. Remember to include questions and answers that will appeal to
your target audience. Include 10 to 20 questions along with answers.
• Additional Resources. Other experts/organizations/resources relevant to your
book’s subject matter.
* Provide names and contact information for organizations and clearinghouses
where additional information on the subject matter of your book may be found.
• BOOK Availability and purchase information. Information including
pricing, distribution, terms, and contact data for retail, wholesale, and individual orders.
• REVIEW COPY REQUEST FORM.
• LIST OF Events. Provide a detailed list of events where authors will be featured or in
attendance. This can include book signings, conferences, book fairs, television and radio
interviews, and any other events that pertain to the author and book.
Once you have evaluated what specific types of collateral will best serve your marketing
needs, you can use these building blocks as the basis of content for each piece/type of
collateral.
Some Examples of Publicity, Sales & Marketing Collateral
• Your book
• Author website
• Author blog

• Press releases
• Email newsletter
• Topical articles
• Speeches/presentations
• Bookmarks Your
• Flyers
book
• Business cards ’s
• Postcards info
• Posters
here
• Print/Web advertisements
• Sales letter
• Sales sheet
• Press kit
• Online press kit
• Author podcasts
Later in the workbook you will be evaluating which forms of collateral will be most useful
for your publicity, sales, and marketing outreach, but having your collateral building
blocks gathered together and ready to use will be a huge time-saver and make creating your
collateral pieces much easier.
Examples of How You Can Use Your

Collateral Building Blocks to Create Your Collateral
• Giving a speech, presentation, or booksigning? Copies of book excerpts, author bios,

sample interview questions, additional resources, or quizzes and fact sheets would make
excellent and engaging handouts for audience members.
• Submitting a copy of the book for consideration by a book buyer or for an award?
Sending along a printout of the “About the Book” synopsis, a press release, the author
bio, and purchasing information is a great way to show the book buyer or awards
committee that you are a professional and deserve a serious look.
• Need to create a flyer or advertisement for your book? Simply copy the book cover
image, a few endorsements from the reviews section, and the book summary. Add the
purchasing information and your ad is complete!

Evaluating Potential Publicity, Sales & Marketing Collateral
Now that you have determined the best publicity, sales, and marketing outlets for your
marketing goals, you need to decide what types of collateral best serve your marketing goals.
Should you design and print business cards and postcards? Should you set up a website or
blog? What about a press kit?
For each type of collateral you are considering, you’ll want to first consider:
• Can you design and produce it on your own, or will you have to outsource it?
• Will the design and production of this piece of collateral fit within your budget and
time line?
• Does it pass the collateral test below?
The Collateral Compatibility Test
Ask yourself the following questions about each of your proposed types of publicity, sales,
and marketing collateral. If you can’t answer yes to all three questions, this type of collateral
is probably not compatible with your personal marketing goals.
1. Will this piece of collateral clearly and convincingly demonstrate the benefit(s) you are
offering to your target publicity, sales, and marketing outlets?
2. Will this piece of collateral make it easy and convenient for your target publicity, sales,
and marketing outlets to work with you by providing information about you and your
book?
3. Will this piece of collateral appeal to your core target market?
Enter each proposed type of publicity,

sales, and marketing collateral into the
following chart, and evaluate whether
or not you should pursue it for your
marketing campaign.

Do you have
time to
How much Does it pass
perform—or
Proposed DIY or will it cost? the collateral Do It?
manage
collateral outsource Can you compatibility Y/N
if you are
afford it? test?
outsourcing—
this activity?
Author ; DIY
website ; Outsource
; DIY
Author blog
; Outsource
; DIY
Press release
; Outsource
Topical ; DIY
articles ; Outsource
Speeches/ ; DIY
presentations ; Outsource
; DIY
Bookmarks
; Outsource
; DIY
Flyers
; Outsource
Business ; DIY
cards ; Outsource
; DIY
Postcards
; Outsource
; DIY
Posters
; Outsource
; DIY
Sales sheets
; Outsource

Do you have
time to
How much Does it pass
perform—or
Proposed DIY or will it cost? the collateral Do It?
manage
collateral outsource Can you compatibility Y/N
if you are
afford it? test?
outsourcing—
this activity?
; DIY
Sales letter
; Outsource
; DIY
Press kit
; Outsource
Online press ; DIY

kit ; Outsource
Author ; DIY
podcast ; Outsource
Video trailer ; DIY

for book ; Outsource
Review
; DIY
copies of
; Outsource
your book
; DIY
; Outsource
; DIY
; Outsource
; DIY
; Outsource
; DIY
; Outsource
; DIY
; Outsource

Chapter Seven
Evaluating Potential Publicity, Sales &

Marketing Activities
Now you should have a good idea of what outlets you will approach, and what collateral
you will create. But, you still need to determine what publicity, sales, and marketing
activities you will pursue.
To evaluate each potential publicity, sales, or marketing activity, first consider your
comfort and skill level with the activity. Then consider your marketing budget and time
line. This will help you to evaluate whether or not the activity:
1. Should be outsourced.
2. Is affordable.
3. Fits within your schedule.
Tip
An activity worth your consideration: asking for reader referrals. One
of the most cost-effective methods of reaching new readers is by word-
of-mouth referrals from readers who have read and liked your book. A
satisfied reader telling others about your book is more effective than
any fancy ad or expensive media campaign.
Spend time to get reader referrals on a weekly basis. Point readers to rel-
evant blogs and Amazon! Offer incentives to those who post reviews.
72 Chapter Seven: Evaluating Potential Publicity, Sales & Marketing Activities

The “Activity Proclivity” Test
Next, you will want to administer the “Publicity, Sales, and Marketing Activity Proclivity
Test” to each proposed activity. Like the Collateral Compatibility Test, if you can’t answer
yes to each proposed activity, then it’s probably not a good fit for your marketing campaign.
If successful, will the proposed activity:

1. Get your key message to your core market?
2. Further your personal publishing goals?
3. Likely boost sales and visibility for your book?
4. Be more than 50% likely to yield the results you are hoping for? If you answered “no,”
will the time, effort, and money required for this activity be worth the risk?
Evaluate your proposed publicity, sales, and marketing activities in this table.
Does it pass
DIY or the Activity Do It?
Activity Cost Time
outsource? Proclivity Y/N
Test?

Does it pass
DIY or the Activity Do It?
Activity Cost Time
outsource? Proclivity Y/N
Test?

Chapter Eight
The Book Marketecture Activity Tracking Sheet
“If you make a product good enough, even though you live in the depths of the forest
the public will make a path to your door, says the philosopher. But if you want the public in
sufficient numbers, you would better construct a highway.”
—William Randolph Hearst
Based on the outlets, collateral, and activities that you have evaluated to be the best fits for
your marketing campaign, you will now create your Book Marketecture Activity Tracking
Sheets. These documents will help you not only stay on top of your marketing activities and
meet deadlines, but they will also allow you to evaluate the effectiveness of your efforts.
Use the activity tracking sheet template provided as your master document and make a
copy of it for each proposed marketing activity. On each sheet provide the outlet’s contact
information; what your pitch to that outlet will be; what sales, marketing, and/or publicity
collateral you will be providing to them; and what you would like to see happen as a result
of this activity.
Once you have made your initial outreach to an outlet, fill in the date when you first
contacted them; the method by which you reached out to them (e.g., phone call, email,
snail mail, etc.); a description of what was involved in the outreach (e.g., sent press kit via
snail mail, called and left voicemail pitching show segment, emailed a link to my electronic
press kit, etc.); and the results of that particular outreach.
If you do not get immediate results from your initial outreach (which is highly likely),
you will follow-up with each outlet and record the results of each follow-up. It can
sometimes take two, three, or even more follow-up attempts to get a firm response to your
pitch. Remember to be assertive, but always be polite and gracious in all of your marketing
outreach attempts.
Lastly, record the final results of your efforts for each activity attempted, along with any
notes that might be of use in future marketing endeavors. You will want to keep notes on
such matters as contact information that has changed, as well as any feedback you may get
from media and sales outlets regarding your pitch or book.
75 Chapter Eight: The Book Marketecture Activity Tracking Sheet

Book Marketecture Activity Tracking Sheet
Copy and use to track each of your marketing, sales, and publicity efforts.
Outlet Info Final Result
Outreach Log
Organization:
Initial Outreach 1st Follow-up 2nd Follow-up
Contact name:
Contact title: Date: Date: Date:
Address: Method: Method: Method:
Chapter Eight: The Book Marketecture Activity Tracking Sheet

Summary: Summary: Summary:
Phone:
Email:
Web URL:
Opportunity
Pitch: Notes
Outcome: Outcome: Outcome:
Collateral:
Desired Result:
76
Chapter Nine
Ongoing Marketing
Marketing is not an event, but a process … It has a beginning, a middle, but never an end,
for it is a process. You improve it, perfect it, change it, even pause it. But you never stop it
completely.
—Jay Conrad Levinson
After your initial book marketing launch, you will want to evaluate the effectiveness of your
publicity, sales, and marketing campaign. Step back and take an at-a-glance-look at your
marketing activities and their outcomes. What’s working and what isn’t?
Plan on Making Your Publicity, Sales & Marketing Dollars Work for You
• A costly ad or expensive promotional event will not necessarily pay off with increased
sales. Every marketing dollar spent should promise the potential of a good return in
sales.
• Experts say that your target book buyers will need to hear your key marketing message
at least seven times to influence a purchasing decision. Using publicity, marketing, and
sales strategies outside your budget does not allow you to repeat your message often
enough to make an impact.
• The effectiveness of your marketing campaign can be greatly improved by using
multiple marketing channels. Prospects will likely become buyers if they read about your
book in the newspaper, attend a book event where you have a presence, receive a flyer,
and visit your author website. The further you can stretch your marketing dollars to
reach your target market in multiple channels, the higher the impact of your marketing
message.
77 Chapter Nine: Ongoing Marketing

There will continue to be new opportunities for selling and marketing your book, so you’ll
want to be aware of them.
Some activities to keep in mind:
• When people tell you they like your book, ask them to post a review on Amazon.com
and BN.com.
• Monitor the media. If a news event occurs that relates to your book’s key message, find
an angle to position yourself as newsworthy and pitch your story to relevant journalists.
• Pursue foreign and subsidiary rights sales.
• Participate in local and regional book fairs and author events throughout the year.
• Join and participate in regional chapters of publishing and writing associations.
• Ask for feedback from readers, peers, and booksellers. You may wish to revise your book
and bring out a new edition incorporating the suggestions you get.
• And, most of all—follow up on all of your marketing and sales efforts.
Now get out there and make it happen!
78 Chapter Nine: Ongoing Marketing

Resources
BISAC Major Subject Headings
For additional subject headings, visit the Book Industry Study Group website at:
http://www.bisg.org/standards/bisac_subject/
Antiques & collectibles Law

Architecture Literary collections
Art Literary criticism
Bibles Mathematics
Biography & autobiography Medical
Body, mind & spirit Music
Business & economics Nature
Comics & graphic novels Performing arts
Computers Pets
Cooking Philosophy
Crafts & hobbies Photography
Drama Poetry
Education Political science
Family & relationships Psychology
Fiction Reference
Foreign language study Religion
Games Science
Gardening Self-help
Health & fitness Social science
History Sports & recreation
House & home Study aids
Humor Technology & engineering
Juvenile fiction Transportation
Juvenile nonfiction Travel
Language arts & disciplines True crime
80 Resources
Sample Suggested Publicity, Sales & Marketing Outlets
• “Influentials” (e.g. celebrities, business and community leaders, relevant experts, popular
bloggers, etc.)
• Specialty retailers
• Brick and mortar bookstores
• Online bookstores (Wheatmark, Amazon.com, Powells.com, BN.com)
• Catalogs
• Corporate, “special” sales
• Relevant blogs, websites, online social networking sites
• Relevant clubs, associations, organizations, businesses
• Bookstore/book fair events
• Online article banks
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• News wires
• Relevant newsletters
• Freelancers/columnists
• TV
• Radio
• Trade shows
• Libraries
• Wholesalers
• Book clubs
81 Resources
Sample Suggested Publicity, Sales & Marketing Collateral
• Your book
• Author website
• Author blog
• Email newsletter
• Topical articles
• Speeches/presentations
• Bookmarks
• Flyers
• Brochures
• Business cards
• Postcards
• Posters
• Sales letters
• Sales sheets
• Press releases
• Interview Q & A
• Book summary
• Excerpt
• Sidebar
• Author bio/profile
• Author photo
• Book cover
• Quiz
• Audio/video clips
• Book trailer
• Social networking presence (page on myspace.com, facebook.com, etc.)
82 Resources
Sample Suggested Publicity, Sales & Marketing Activities
• Submit book for review

• Submit book for retail/wholesale/catalog distribution
• Query magazines/journals about writing articles
• Pitch TV/radio/websites for interviews and feature articles
• Give presentations
• Set up and/or participate in book and author events
• Create and regularly post to your own blog
• Post comments to other relevant blogs
• Attend trade shows and book exhibits
• Send out press releases
• Solicit endorsements
• List book with online book retailers
• Carry out email marketing campaigns
• Apply for book awards
• Set up “Search Inside the Book” with Amazon.com and other online book retailers
83 Resources
Sample Press Release
What Makes Them Heroes?

U.S. Army Rangers Succeed Despite Daunting Odds
8/16/2007
Rangers in Combat focuses much-deserved attention on combat’s premier military force.
Marlboro, NJ August 16, 2007—While the Navy Seals and Green Berets have long been
the media darlings of America’s Special Ops Forces, a new book demonstrates how the
less celebrated, but arguably more elite Army Rangers have long been “leading the way”
in U.S. military campaigns—and shows how we can all learn a lesson or two from their
contributions in combat.
Written by former Army noncommissioned officer and former assistant professor of the
US Military Academy at West Point John D. Lock, Rangers in Combat: A Legacy of Valor
is a survey of the lethal battles, acts of heroism, and faithful dedication of the U.S. Army
Rangers, who have placed their lives on the line against overwhelming odds for more than
200 years of American history.
According to author J.D. Lock, anyone and everyone can learn something from the
Army Rangers. “Although the focus of Rangers in Combat is specifically on Ranger combat,
the lessons learned as a result of objective and historical analysis are pertinent and important
lessons to be learned by all levels of today’s combat leaders,” states Lock. Indeed, as former
U.S. senator Bob Kerrey states in his foreword to the book, “Tucked inside these stories are
worthwhile lessons, even if your day-to-day life does not include military service.”
Rangers in Combat vividly recounts the horrific battles and heroic exploits of embattled
U.S. Army Rangers for whom “valor, honor, and country” mean more than life itself.
Through engrossing frontline accounts, the book follows the Rangers through history as
they:
• Battle boldly alongside Robert Rogers during the French and Indian War.
• Ride with John S. Mosby on the Soughton Raid in the Civil War.
• Spearhead Patton’s WWII invasion of Sicily beside the legendary William O. Darby.
• Climb the cliffs of Pointe-du-Hoc with James Earl Rudder.
• Storm “bloody Omaha” with Max Schneider.
• Stand outnumbered deep in North Korea while defending Hill 205 from crushing
hordes of Communist Chinese.
84 Resources
• Fight their way out of a savage al Qaeda terrorist ambush atop a mountain in
Afghanistan.
• and much more...
Despite the fact that book reviewers and military journals are lauding Rangers in Combat
as a promising military history classic, LTC Lock—whose decorations and awards include
the Ranger Tab, Master Parachutists Wings, and the Legion of Merit—has set a much
higher mark by which to judge the success of his book:
“The Profession of Arms is the noblest profession of all, but as a society, we have lost a
great deal of perspective regarding the personal sacrifices this relatively small group of men
and women in uniform make on our behalf,” offers Lock. “With the publication of Rangers
in Combat, it’s my desire to bridge the gap between those who serve to protect and those
who are being protected.”
Rangers in Combat: A Legacy of Valor is available online at Wheatmark.com, Amazon.
com, and BN.com, or by request at your local bookseller.
About JD Lock:
LTC (Ret.) John D. Lock is a 1982 graduate and former assistant professor of the
United States Military Academy at West Point who retired from active duty as a Lieutenant
Colonel in May 2002. He enlisted in the Army as a private in 1974 and served as a
noncommissioned officer until 1978. His decorations include the Ranger Tab, Master
Parachutists Wings, and the Legion of Merit.
In addition to Rangers in Combat: A Legacy of Valor, Lock is the author of The Coveted
Black and Gold: A Daily Journey Through the U.S. Army Ranger School Experience, and To
Fight with Intrepidity: The Complete History of the U.S. Army Rangers, 1622 to Present.
Media Requests:
Media requests for interviews and/or review copies may be addressed to:
Jane Publicist
Phone: (111) 111.1111
Email: publicist@publisher.com; www.RangersinCombat.com
85 Resources
Sample Sales Letter
Big Time Booksellers

Attn: Ann Rodgers, Games Buyer
111 1st Avenue, 1st Floor
New York, NY 11111
Dear Ann:
Enclosed please find a copy of Ray Cheng’s Practical Chess Exercises: 600 Lessons from
Tactics to Strategy. A bestseller on Amazon.com for the past several months (http://tinyurl.
com/2koqns), Practical Chess Exercises is a collection of training exercises aimed at the
serious amateur chess player. In Practical Chess Exercises, author Ray Cheng takes a unique
approach to instruction—mixing tactical exercises with strategic ones, randomizing the
themes and level of difficulty, and furnishing only the information that is available at the
board.
Much like an actual game, the book requires the reader to use his or her complete
move selection process, and calls upon all of the skills associated with the game in a holistic
manner. However, each exercise has been painstakingly hand-selected and checked for the
book, making it much more intensive and offering many more critical positions than a real
game. Another benefit for readers is the commuter/travel-friendly layout—problems are
displayed on one page with resolutions displayed on the facing page.
With endorsements from leading players including International Master John Watson
and U.S. Master Dan Heisman (author of the Novice Nook column at Chess Café), Practical
Chess Exercises is garnering a huge following among amateur chess players. Pushing the
momentum along are rave reviews from the chess world’s top bloggers.
We are very confident in continued growing sales of this title, having sold over 4,000
copies (this number takes returns into account) since publication in June of 2007—and this
by word-of-mouth alone.
Thank you for your consideration, and should you wish to further discuss this
opportunity, please contact me via email at publicist@publisher.com, or via phone at: (111)
111.1111.
Sincerely,
Jane Publicist
Book Sales & Marketing Manager
86 Resources
Sample Sales Sheet
Win More Games and Increase Your Enjoyment of Chess!
Amazon.com’s Bestselling Practical Chess Exercises:

Chess Book! 600 Lessons from Tactics to Strategy
by Ray Cheng
Raise your chess game to the next level with this

unique program of 600 instructive and challenging
exercises covering all aspects of the game.
• The spirit of real game playing captured in a book
• “Unmarked” problems of all types to test all skill levels
• Positions taken from actual games
• Insightful analysis blending explanation and variation
crunching
Praise for Practical Chess Exercises:
“A fun and helpful simulation of the chess

battlefield—I unreservedly recommend it!”
Paperback 5.5 x 8.5 in.
216 pages Illustrated — Blue Devil Knight, ChessAddict Blog
ISBN: 978-1-58736-801-1
Suggested Retail Price: $17.95 U.S.
“If you study this book, you will acquire the most
important chess skill of all: the ability to think for
Information for Booksellers:
Available from Ingram Book Company and yourself.”
Wheatmark, Inc. — John Watson, International Master
Fax: 520.798.0888
Phone: 520.798.0888 x100
Email: orders@wheatmark.com “The beauty of Cheng’s book is that the problems
aren’t just tactical; they are positional, strategic,
Terms: Net 30 days prophylactic, etc. Generally it’s very hard to find
Discount: 40% for 1-99 copies examples of positional pawn sacs, prophylactic play,
50% for 100-499 copies
55% for 500 or more positional ideas, etc. that are solvable by 1200s, but
Customer pays shipping this book has them.”
Fully returnable for one year — Elizabeth Vicary, USCF’s Chess Life Online
87 Resources
Sample Author Bio
Rangers in Combat: A Legacy of Valor
Author Overview for J.D. Lock
John Lock is a 1982 graduate and former assistant professor

of the United States Military Academy at West Point
who retired from active duty as a Lieutenant Colonel in
May 2002. He enlisted in the Army as a private in 1974
and served as a noncommissioned officer until 1978. His
decorations include the Ranger Tab, Master Parachutists
Wings, and the Legion of Merit. In addition to Rangers
in Combat: A Legacy of Valor, Lock is the author of The
Coveted Black and Gold: A Daily Journey Through the U.S.
Army Ranger School Experience, To Fight with Intrepidity: The
Complete History of the U.S. Army Rangers, 1622 to Present,
and Chain of Destiny. Lock currently works in support of
architectural development, modeling, and simulation for the
U.S. Army’s Current Force and the Army’s transformation
to the Future Force, in addition to serving as a consultant in
support of the Army Science Board and the Army’s National
Guard and Reserve senior mentor program. He can be
reached through his website at johndlock.com.
Detailed Author Bio for J.D. Lock:
John Lock is a graduate and former assistant professor of the United States Military
Academy at West Point who retired from active duty as a Lieutenant Colonel in May 2002.
He enlisted in the Army as a private in 1974 and served as a noncommissioned officer until
1978. His commissioned assignments included the 1st Armored Division, West Germany,
the 82d Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C., course director of Stochastic Modeling &
Simulation in the Department of Systems Engineering at West Point, Deputy Commander
New York District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chief Joint Engineer Stabilization Forces
(SFOR), Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Kosovo Campaign, and senior active
duty officer of a 78th Division (TS) Simulations Exercise Group.
88 Resources
His military education includes the engineer officer basic course, the infantry officer
advanced course, the combined armed services staff school, the command and general
staff college, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers district commander’s course. His
decorations and awards include the Ranger Tab, Master Parachutists Wings, and the Legion
of Merit. His civilian education includes a master of science in operations research and
statistics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, NY, and a bachelor of science
from the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY.
Upon retirement, Lock worked for Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) on contract
to the U.S. Army’s Communications & Engineering Research Command’s (CERDEC)
Architectural Systems Engineering Office. In support of ASEO, he designed and developed
an architectural modeling methodology that seamlessly replicates the Army’s Current and
Future Force C4SIR operational, system, and technical architectures. The model, The
Complete C4ISR Architectural Tool (TC2AT), was nominated for final consideration for
the 2005 CSC Award for Technical Excellence. In 2005, Lock became an independent
consultant. Forming Bayonet Forward, LLC, he continues to or has past supported
S&TCD ASEO’s ongoing architectural development and network analysis efforts, Software
Blocking (SWB), Cross-Command Collaborative Effort (3CE), and CERDEC’s current
flagship program, the On-The-Move C4ISR Testbed Experiment. In March 2006, The
Infantry School (TIS), Fort Benning, GA, published its first set of seven Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle/Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UAV/SUGV) mission planning and Tactics,
Techniques and Procedures (TTP) doctrinal documents that were written by Lock based on
the results of the 2005 Air Assault Expeditionary Force (AAEF) field experiment.
As a major partner in February 2007, Lock formed ALVA Labs, LLC, a research group
whose goal is “Inventing What the World Needs” through theoretical and applied scientific
research.
He is the author of four published books endorsed by the likes of General (Ret.) Colin
Powell, former U.S. Senator Bob Dole, historian Stephen Ambrose, former U.S. Senator
and Medal of Honor recipient Bob Kerrey, and bestselling author W.E.B. Griffin, as well as
a number of published articles and editorials within various journals, to include the Defense
Acquisition Review Journal. Lock also has served as a consultant for U.S. Army “Warfighter”
exercises, as the U.S. First Army’s National Guard/Reserve General Officer “Senior Mentor”
Program, and as a subject matter expert in support of the Army Science Board (ASB).
His website is http://www.johndlock.com.
89 Resources
Additional Resources
Publicists/Marketing Companies
Paul Krupin (509) 545-2707 www.directcontactpr.com
KSB Promotions (616) 676-0758 www.ksbpromotions.com
Stacey J. Miller (781) 986-0732 www.bookpr.com
Spotlight Publicity (800) 914-1375 ext. 702 www.spotlightpublicity.com
Author Marketing Experts, Inc. www.amarketingexpert.com
Media Directories and Services

Cision www.cision.com
Bulldog Reporter’s National PR Pitch Book www.bulldogreporter.com
Gale Database of Publications and Broadcast Media www.gale.com
All-in-One Media Directory www.gebbiepress.com
Gordon’s Radio List www.radiopublicity.com
PR Newswire www.prnewswire.com
Create Your Website and Press Kit
www.BookFlash.com
Assess your site with tools for website assessment:

Link popularity comparison www.marketleap.com/publinkpop
Keyword density tools www.live-keyword-analysis.com
Social search tag checker www.socialmeter.com
Optimize your site with:

Keyword Discovery—fee-based keyword research tool www.keyworddiscovery.com
Yahoo! Search Marketing’s keyword selector tool http://inventory.overture.com/d/
searchinventory/suggestion/
Google AdWords’s keyword tool https://adwords.google.com/select/
KeywordToolExternal
90 Resources
SEOMoz page strength tool www.seomoz.org/tools/page-strength.php
MSN’s set of SEO tools includes finding similar keywords, clustering keywords, and
several others http://adlab.msn.com/demo.aspx
Blogging Software and Resources

Create your blog with:
www.Blogger.com
www.Typepad.com
www.Wordpress.com
www.businessbloggingpros.com
Submit your blog to:

Google Blog Search www.google.com/blogsearch
Technorati www.technorati.com
Blog Pulse www.blogpulse.com
Robin Good’s RSS submittal pages www.masternewmedia.org/rss/top55/
Find relevant blogs to post comments on at:

Toprank’s list of blog and RSS sites www.toprankresults.com/blog-submit-list.htm
Email Marketing Services

Constant Contact www.constantcontact.com
PodCasting
Create your podcast with:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net
Submit your podcast to:

Podcast www.podcast.com
Apple iTunes www.apple.com/itunes/store/products.html
Odeo www.odeo.com
91 Resources
Holidays and Events for Publicity, Sales & Marketing Tie-In Ideas
http://www.calendarzone.com/Daily/
http://www.mhprofessional.com/?page=/mhp/categories/chases/events.html
Book Publishing/Marketing Associations

Independent Book Publishers Association www.pma-online.com
Northern California Book Publicity and Marketing Association http://ncbpma.org
Awards
Benjamin Franklin Awards http://www.pma-online.org/pubresources/benfrank.aspx
Foreword Magazine Awards www.forewordmagazine.com/awards
Helpful Books
Plug Your Book! Online Book Marketing for Authors, Book Publicity through Social
Networking by Steve Weber
Sell Your Book on Amazon: The Book Marketing COACH Reveals Top-Secret “How-to” Tips
Guaranteed to Increase Sales for Print-on-Demand and Self-Publishing Writers (Paperback) by
Brent Sampson
1,001 Ways to Market Your Book, Sixth Edition by John Kremer
92 Resources
Wheatmark Web Marketing Analysis for Books
Do you have a great idea for a nonfiction book?

Use the Internet to find a market for it—
even if you haven’t started writing it yet!
Today, independent nonfiction authors can compete on

a level playing field with major publishing houses and
major advertising budgets.
How? It’s simple—by using the twin powers of print-on-

demand technology and Internet marketing to affordably
reach readers where they shop for books: the Web.
The key to bookselling success is to research your

nonfiction book’s market before you publish it. If you
make sure your audience finds your book when they look
for information on your topic, you’ll greatly increase your
odds of success.
When you order Wheatmark’s Web Marketing Analysis

(WMA) we’ll do custom research on your book’s market
on the Internet, provide you with a detailed report, and
give you the information you need to conduct further
Web-based research on your own.
Don’t leave your book’s success to chance—find its

market on the Internet with the Wheatmark WMA!
www.wheatmark.com/web-marketing-analysis.cfm
or call (888) 934-0888 x106

Book Marketecture

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Book Marketecture

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Book Marketecture

A Step-by-Step Workbook for Creating Your

The Independent Author’s Most Powerful Ally

Copyright © 2008 Wheatmark, Inc. All rights reserved. V.1.

At Wheatmark, the author always comes first.

is the independent author’s most powerful ally.

Getting started is easy!

For more information or to

Part One: Creating a Solid Foundation

Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Chapter Three: Identifying Your Book’s Core Market. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Chapter Four: Creating Your Marketing Budget & Timetable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Chapter Five: Publicity, Sales & Marketing Outlets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Chapter Six: Publicity, Sales & Marketing Collateral. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Chapter Seven: Evaluating Potential Publicity, Sales & Marketing Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Chapter Eight: The Book Marketecture Activity Tracking Sheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Chapter Nine: Ongoing Marketing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

BISAC Major Subject Headings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

—Your friends at Wheatmark, Inc.

Book Marketing Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

How to Avoid Mistake No. 1:

“To have great poets, there must be great audiences too.”

How to Avoid Mistake No. 2:

Rest assured, if you plan to publish with Wheatmark,

How to Avoid Mistake No. 3:

Mistake No. 4: Not Creating a Customized, Strategic Book Marketing Plan

How to Avoid Mistake No. 4:

Let’s Get Started!

Creating a Solid Foundation

Setting Goals & Expectations

Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

Identifying Your Book’s Core Market

Creating Your Marketing Budget & Timetable

Creating Goals and Defining Your

Possible Book Goals/Achievements

• Receive a specific number of positive reader reviews on Amazon.com.

PERSONAL GOALS BENCHMARKS

PROFESSIONAL GOALS BENCHMARKS

I will have achieved my personal vision of publishing success when:

Identifying Your Book’s

What goes into a key marketing message?

17 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

18 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

19 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

20 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

Book includes facial

21 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

22 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

When designing your book, consider the potential reader, and

23 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

a. List Areas of Expertise

24 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

25 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

Relevant life experience:

26 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

Testimonials or Praise from Peers/Experts/Clients

27 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

28 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

29 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

30 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

Possible marketing strengths:

32 Chapter Two: Identifying Your Book’s Key Marketing Message

Competing No. Retail Marketing Marketing