Three Things to Do Before You Publish a Book

with special guest Sarah Bolme, Director of Christian Small Publishers Association (CSPA).

Selling books is hard work. The competition for readers’ time and attention is stiff.
The reading rate in America has held steady since 2012, with 73% of Americans reading at least one book each year, according to the Pew Research Center. At the same time, the number of books published in the United States has grown exponentially since 2010. The number of titles from self-published authors and small presses has grown from 133,036 books produced in 2010 to 727,125 in 2015. That’s over five times as many!

Writing and publishing a stellar book does not guarantee sales will follow. Authors must put time and effort into promoting and marketing their books—and this can’t be an afterthought once the book is published. Marketing should begin long before your book is birthed. It should start at conception.

As the Director of Christian Small Publishers Association (CSPA), I am passionate about helping authors and publishers produce and sell books that glorify God and advance his Kingdom. Providing authors and small publishers information and tools for success in publishing and marketing is the whole purpose of Christian Small Publishers Association.
I meet a lot of authors. Many have published books independently and seek advice on how to market their books. I frequently run into authors who did not even think about marketing before publishing their book. Don’t be left behind, rushing to catch up when it comes to promoting your book. 

Following are three marketing activities you can and should do before you publish.

1. Identify Your Target Audience.

Who is your target audience? I am continually surprised at how many authors have trouble answering this question. So many authors have a burning to write a book, yet they fail to identify whom they are writing their book for. 

“Everyone” is not a target audience. Neither is “all Christians.” Your target audience is the group of people who will benefit the most from what you have to say. Maybe it’s those Christians who want to start seeing answers to their prayers. Maybe it’s single moms who are weary of fighting the parenting battle alone.

Knowing your target audience makes your writing stronger and clearer. When writing your book, keep your ideal reader in mind. It helps you write so that your target audience hears and connects with what you are communicating. 

If you are unsure who the target audience for your book is, ask yourself: Who am I writing to? What is this person’s:

• gender?
• age?
• economic status?
• relationship status?
• employment?
• spiritual level or interest?
• special interests?

2. Establish a Unique Message.

According to King Solomon, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” This includes your storyline or the subject matter of your book.

If there is nothing new under the sun, then the information or story you cover in your book is already available to readers. So why would anyone read your book?

Readers want to read your book for the spin you put on the subject or storyline. In other words, they want to read your book for the unique way you solve a problem or tell a story.

To garner attention in today’s information-rich society, you must tell a unique story. Your book is in competition for people’s time and attention. Readers have numerous reading options. You must handle your topic in a manner different from everyone else. 

To discover your unique message, ponder these five questions:

• What makes my book different from other books on the same subject matter or in the same genre?
• What do I offer that other books on my topic don’t?
• What will readers get from my book that they won’t get from other books on this subject?
• What deep-seated human need or desire does my book fulfill?
• What differentiates me from other authors writing on this subject?

3. Develop an Audience.

Most new and aspiring writers put all their effort into writing and publishing their books, but publishing does not mean people will read.

Research shows that the number one reason someone reads a book is because they know or are familiar with the author. Of course, this does not mean that the person knows the author personally, the reader may know the author because:

• They have heard the author speak.
•  They have read other books by the author.
• They have heard the author interviewed on a radio show or podcast.
• They have seen the author interviewed on television.
• They have read an interview or article by the author on a blog or other publication.
• The author is an influencer they listen to, watch, or follow.

Basically, readers read books by authors they trust. They may trust the author because they are already familiar with the author’s message, or they may trust the author because someone the reader trusts recommends the author and imparts trust through the recommendation.

You can develop an audience for your book even before it is published. Start by putting your unique message in front of people through a blog, podcast, or video series online as well as sharing it on social media. As people begin to know and trust your message, they become eager to read whatever you produce. As a fiction author, you can share about:

• characters in the story.
• additional information about the setting of the story.
• information related to themes in the story.
• surprising discoveries you made or cool things you tried while researching your book.

If you are reading this article and realize that you have already published your book but failed to do these three things in advance, take heart. It is never too late to start promoting your book. 

Conclusion

Few people are born with an innate ability to know how to market a book. Marketing is a learned skill. Fortunately, there are many resources available for you to learn how to effectively promote your books. Christian Small Publishers Association (CSPA) is one such resource. 

Membership in CSPA provides independently published authors access to an unbelievable amount of information on marketing through the organization’s newsletter and on-demand seminars. Additionally, the association provides cooperative marketing opportunities that create affordable venues for you to promote a Christian book. You can learn more about CSPA at http://www.christianpublishers.net.

CSPA sponsors the Christian Indie Awards (https://www.christianaward.com), which honors Christian books by independently published authors and small presses. CSPA also hosts the BookCrash books-for-bloggers program (http://www.bookcrash.com), where bloggers can receive free Christian books in exchange for a review of the book on their blog and one retail site. 

Let’s learn from each other. Share what are you doing or have you done to develop an audience for your book—or—what your biggest challenge is when it comes to spreading the word about your book?

Seekerville is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card in honor of Sarah's visit today so you can buy...MORE BOOKS! Leave a comment to be entered. Winner announced in the next Weekend Edition.

Sarah Bolme is the Director of Christian Small Publishers Association (www.christianpublishers.net). The organization provides small publishers and independently published the authors information and  tools they need for success in publishing and marketing Christian books. Sarah is also the author of the award-winning Your Guide to Marketing Books in the Christian Marketplace (www.marketingchristianbooks.com), now in its third edition. You can read her blog at https://marketingchristianbooks.wordpress.com.