Congratulations, you’ve poured your expertise, experience, creativity, and dedication into writing a book! Whether you’ve chosen to pursue traditional publishing, self-publishing, or a hybrid approach, your book is ready to meet the world. But writing, editing, designing, and publishing your book are the first steps in a long journey to ensure its marketplace success.
Six Mistakes To Avoid After Publishing a Book
Publishing a book is a complex process that requires many moving parts to bring it to life. It’s easy for authors to have blind spots about what to do next, especially when their valuable expertise is based in other industries or experiences. To make the biggest impact with your book, avoid these six mistakes:
Mistake #1: Lack of a Marketing Plan
Any marketing effort, including a book, requires a written and comprehensive marketing plan that combines both digital and physical strategies and tactics. A book is a powerful asset that can be promoted through numerous channels. It’s important to focus on sharing value through those channels by showcasing the book’s content and the solutions it offers. Promote your work across podcasts, social media, webinars, email marketing, and video. Press releases are also a powerful channel for announcing your book, generating interviews, encouraging reviews, and developing relationships with journalists.
Mistake #2: Inconsistent Branding
A successful book connects with your personal or corporate brand, but also has its own identity. This requires a consistent brand kit, including an author photo and bio, social media profiles, excerpts, and a succinct, powerful book description that reinforces your expertise and unique selling proposition.
Mistake #3: Neglecting Your Book’s Online Presence
Creating an online presence for your book includes a landing page or specific website so readers can readily find your book while offering valuable traffic metrics. That said, your book also needs to have an online presence across sellers’ platforms, review sites, social media, and media outlets. It’s vital to leverage social listening tools to understand the conversation around your work and actively participate in it.
Mistake #4: Underpricing or Overpricing
Many factors influence the pricing of a book, including its format, selling platform, intended audience, publishing method, and number of authors. First, understand your competition and their prices. It’s also vital to consider pre- and post- publishing expenses, royalty share, publisher fees, and any shared proceeds among authors or other contributors.
Mistake #5: Expecting Reviews to Find You
Reader and critic reviews play a big part in spreading the word to other readers and stakeholders in the publishing industry. As such, it’s essential to share your work with your networks, critical sources, and media to help generate reviews. Before your book is released, send advance reader copies to people in your network. Once your book is released, ask early readers to post reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or other online retailers.
Mistake #6: Underestimating the Power of Email Marketing
Since email has been a longstanding communication channel, it can be easy to underestimate the value of the medium. Email is a unique channel for connecting directly with users in highly segmented or customized ways. This helps personalize solutions and communications while also arming you with first-party data about recipients. “Email newsletters have been a big part of the first-party data trend because you can have a direct relationship with that audience and therefore their data, as opposed to getting your audience from a search or social,” states Davide Savenije, editor-in-chief at Industry Dive, which connects B2B decision-makers with news in their industries through deep dives. “It’s a direct line to that individual and contributes to that valuable first-party data,” supports Cory Sekine-Pettite, Atlanta-based editor and ASBPE president. “It’s also a way to convert. Social shares and followers don’t always mean a direct line to your audience.”
Sharing Your Insights with the World
A book is one of many ways to bring your insights to audiences in a tangible, lasting, and meaningful way. It’s important not to let all that hard work go unseen by the readers who can benefit most from your expertise. Don’t let common missteps hinder the impact of your book and what you have to share. Knowing what to avoid is half the battle. If you’re looking for more advice on how to bring your book to life, check out our recent white paper on book publishing for key tips to keep in mind from start to finish.
