Infographic: How to do book promotion with PQRST
Print this out and share with your book promotion team:
What to expect from your publisher’s marketing and publicity teams
If you signed a deal with a publisher — traditional or hybrid — they probably made you promises about all the great work their marketing teams can do for you. But the rosy picture you have in your mind about their book publicity probably doesn’t match what they actually can do. Less than half of…
Comparing the Twitter “X” rebrand to other rebranding efforts
Twitter rebranded itself as “X.” That isn’t going to accomplish its goals. Why do companies rebrand? Usually, to escape the box they’ve put themselves into. It doesn’t always work, but it’s always expensive. The Twitter rebrand Here’s what Twitter’s home page looks like now. No more cute blue bird. Why? While Elon Musk did his…
Surprising benefits of launching a book — for the whole marketing funnel
When I wrote a book, I expected it to generate leads for my business. This is also a goal for 30% of the business authors I surveyed, so it’s not unusual. Even though the book has only been out for a few weeks, it’s delivered benefits for my consulting business that go far beyond book-generated…
Fundamentals of nonfiction book promotion: using PQRST to plan a book launch
The most common mistake authors make is to fail to promote their books. No, people will not discover your book just because it is great. And no, your publisher will not do all the work and tell you what to do. You have to do it yourself. This is hard for authors because the work…
Halls cough drops speak to me
I need to admit, this is a challenging moment for me. I’m coming out of the tail end of a bout of COVID-19. While I was sick, I followed everyone’s advice and did, basically, almost nothing but rest. But that further squeezed my book launch into the weeks that followed. This week and next, I’m…
The selfless work of book promotion
Promoting your nonfiction book seems like ego-stoking work of the most extreme sort. Me, me, me! Pay attention to me! My book is great! In truth, though, successful book promotion is a work of service and selflessness. Why selfless beats selfish in book promotion Start with the book itself. Your book will succeed to the…
Translation guide for comments from copywriters
Copywriters can be hard to read. What you’re explaining your idea and they make a remark, what do they actually mean? Here’s a handy translation guide. “Tell me more.” That made absolutely no sense. “Whoa, that confused me a little bit.” Using that many jargon words in a sentence should be illegal. [Blank stare.] I’m…
Questions to ask as you start a freelance business
My friend Merlina McGovern — the smartest copy editor I’ve ever worked with — got laid off from my old company last month. After 16 years working for Forrester, she’s starting a business as a freelancer. She had questions, so we talked. Since any freelancer starting a business might have similar questions, let’s walk through…