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Welcome to Season 5 of The Book Marketing Action Podcast with Becky Robinson, where we give you information you can immediately implement to increase your influence and market your books more successfully.
In the final part of this two-part series, Becky is again interviewed by Franchesca Conner—a PR specialist at Weaving Influence. They take a deep dive into the nuances of marketing print-on-demand (POD) books, highlighting benefits, challenges, and strategies surrounding pre-order campaigns.
With the rise of self-publishing and hybrid-publishing models, many authors face unique hurdles in timing and planning their book launches. Becky emphasizes the importance of pre-orders in establishing a book’s credibility, building anticipation for launch, securing retailer links, and facilitating planned marketing efforts. Becky also reveals some of the key reasons why an author of a POD book might choose not to make it available for pre-order, focusing primarily on first-week book sales and post-launch marketing efforts.
Key Points From This Episode:
[01:06] Becky reveals what is different about marketing POD books.
[04:25] Becky talks about IngramSpark—a book distribution platform where authors can set up their POD books for pre-order.
[06:25] Becky explains some of the main reasons for setting up a POD book for pre-order.
[08:05] Discover how setting up a POD book for pre-order can benefit book awareness, sales, and marketing initiatives.
[10:37] For POD titles, why would an author want to focus more on the first week of sales after the book launches? Becky explains.
[12:34] (AD) Learn about our Book Marketing Strategy Live Course.
[14:11] Becky shares whether or not it’s a good idea for an author with no pre-order period for their book to switch up their categories on Amazon.
[16:24] Becky talks about how hybrid publishers typically approach pre-order campaigns for POD books and the limitations authors might face in that scenario.
[20:00] Becky shares some final advice for self-published and hybrid-published authors who are preparing to market their POD books and/or launch a pre-order campaign.
Action Steps:
- Make a list of questions for your hybrid publisher. Write down as many questions as you can think of—for example, will the book be set up for pre-order?—and educate yourself about the process so that you can request the support you need from the service provider you’ve selected.
- Take a deep breath and think about your long-term book marketing. If you chose a POD model to publish your book and didn’t do a lot of marketing prep before it launched, now is the time to plan your long-term marketing efforts. Check out this blog featuring long-term book marketing strategies!
Resources:
Key Quotes:
In recent years there has been a big increase in people self-publishing books, and most self-publishing is a print-on-demand model. —Becky Robinson
One benefit of setting your book up for pre-order is the ability to know the day your book will be live and available for people who want to buy it. —Becky Robinson
It’s not really that useful to be looking at your Amazon rank constantly. It’s better to just try to execute your marketing plan in a consistent way to keep your book out there in the conversation. —Becky Robinson
You want to allow enough time between when your book is made available on Amazon and when you do any kind of launch week outreach to ensure that your book is registering and ranking. —Becky Robinson
Ask as many questions as you can of your hybrid publisher so you know what to expect. —Becky Robinson
If you feel like you missed the boat because you didn’t have a pre-order period to prepare your marketing efforts, you also have the lifetime of your book to be able to share it with others. —Becky Robinson
Keep showing up over time with the core messages of your book. —Becky Robinson
Sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter to connect with Becky Robinson and gain access to ongoing learning and conversation.
Read this blog post for more information on pre-order campaigns for self-published and hybrid-published authors.
Explore our archives! Listen to Becky’s five favorite episodes:
- Episode 125 with Michael Bungay Stanier
- Episode 121 with Juliet Starrett
- Episode 112 with Clint Pulver
- Episode 108 with AJ Harper
- Episode 106 with Jane Friedman
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.