Book Marketing Q&A: Marketing Without an Author Platform

Author Marketing Tip: Find someone who loves you (a teenager, a neighbor, a friend, an acquaintance) and hire them to help you book some interviews if you cannot book those interviews yourself. Then have fun doing those interviews or those speaking engagements.

Author Marketing Tip: Find someone who loves you (a teenager, a neighbor, a friend, an acquaintance) and hire them to help you book some interviews if you cannot book those interviews yourself. Then have fun doing those interviews or those speaking engagements.

Book Marketing Question

I know 80% of books are sold by word of mouth. I have absolutely no platform nor a lot of professional titles. The book is part of my memoirs.

So what are the best marketing services I can purchase from you after Kirkus Reviews has indicated to me whether the book has an even chance of reaching a large audience. Their reviews will only give me limited knowledge I know.

The other factors are that I am Canadian, I am retired, my spouse passed several years ago, and I am not rich.

I have made a reasonable deposit with iUniverse for their traditional marketing program and it is on hold to see if I get better service than I have had with the publishing of the book. I am an artist and wish to create an oil painting for the cover image. At the moment there is an attempt by iUniverse to monitor the service going forward.

So, looking at your initial website, there were many financial options. Since no one knows your services better than you, I am asking you.

John Kremer’s Book Marketing Answer

First, don’t buy the iUniverse marketing program. It will sell few books. This answer is based on the experience of many other book authors with similar cookie-cutter marketing programs.

Second, while in many cases I can help book authors with selling more books, I’m not sure I can help you. In your previous emails to me, I’ve recommended what you need to do.

80% of all books are sold by word of mouth. A book author without a platform needs to build a platform, plain and simple. Do that. Speak at libraries. Speak at bookstores. Speak at garden clubs. Speak at senior citizen centers. Speak online. Get interviewed. Solicit those interviews.

Plain and simple.

Don’t spend money on any marketing services. Find someone who loves you (a teenager, a neighbor, a friend, an acquaintance) and hire them to help you book some interviews if you cannot book those interviews yourself. Then have fun doing those interviews or those speaking engagements.

Keep it simple.

That’s my best book marketing answer for your situation. Please listen.

John Kremer

About John Kremer

John Kremer is author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, the Relationships Matter Marketing program, and many other books and reports on book marketing, Internet marketing, social media, and book publicity. -- .

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