Launching/marketing a book can require a significant investment of time and money.
As much as possible, seek to leverage free resources and opportunities so that you spend your money on services that aren’t free. This tip will be especially helpful for you if you have more time than money.
You may be able to learn from free webinars, free e-books, blog posts, articles, groups on LinkedIn, and groups/communities on Google+. And here’s one you might not have thought of: you can learn from Facebook friends. Find and friend book marketing experts or authors marketing their books well and you will soon find that even your Facebook newsfeed can be a valuable source of (free) book marketing tips and information.
I recently sent a friend request to John Kremer, book marketing expert and author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books. I also joined his community on Google+. Almost every day, I get a new idea from his postings. (All free!)
Here’s what you don’t want to do: get overwhelmed and distracted by a deluge of free content that you will never read/listen to/ learn from.
If you want to build your book marketing expertise by learning from free resources, follow this plan:
Download one or two great resources a week and then read them before you download more free stuff. I have two free resources to suggest. You can learn to use Twitter more effectively by downloading my e-book, 31 Days of Twitter Tips, free now through September 1st. You might also enjoy my e-book Your Book Deserves a Celebration (always free!)
Join one LinkedIn Group about book marketing or one G+ community. Interact for a while and see if the group is a good match. If not, leave and try another one.
Learn from free general information and apply what you learn to book marketing. Chris Brogan’s newsletter, in my inbox on Sunday morning, is one of the most valuable free learning tools I read weekly. It’s not specific to book marketing, but it is always thought-provoking and idea-inspiring. You can subscribe for free, too!
Only sign up for webinars you intend to attend. Nothing will distract you from learning faster than a bunch of email reminders and marketing in your inbox from a webinar you signed up for but never attended. Limit yourself to signing up for free events that you intend to attend (or watch later.)
Choose to learn and APPLY one new tip or tactic daily. Rather than trying to read everything you can about book marketing, read one article daily and seek to apply what you learned. Learning is important but what you DO matters more.
Tell me something! What free resources can you recommend? What tips do you have about leveraging free resources?
I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.