Do consider your book is your small business? If you do, you are probably marketing and promoting it almost daily. If not, you may want to change your thinking and invest in marketing and promoting, the actions that keep your book alive and make you well known and trusted. That's how authors make money.

Or, maybe your present marketing isn't working? You want to make enough money from your short book to be able to keep your business going, to take that trip to the Caribbean, or buy a new car.

Most of us work for other goals, not just the money. So picture yourself living your perfect life and know that when you do just a few simple things, your book can support you.

Your book marketing depends on a plan. Write that first, with details on what kinds of promotion you'll do. You will either write or speak to win book sales. You have a target audience to reach, so think were they are--on the internet?

Writing Strategies That Promote Your Book

1. Write emails to your lists.

You probably have subscribers to your free ezine. Or, you have collected email mail addresses from your audiences at talks.

Put even a short list to work. Periodically, maybe each month,

send them a no cost special report or offer to answer a question on your topic by email or phone. It often takes money to make money so you pay with your time, and reap not only book sales, but possibly gain a client.

2. Write short ads to include in ezines or promotion strategy.

First, include a headline with benefits to hook your readers' attention. Then follow with more benefits, your free offer and your name, followed by your website URL. Don't try to sell your book here, but use the law of attraction first.

3. Power up your signature file for each email you send out.

This soft sales approach should be at the end of every email you send. These lines shouldn't just include your name and a bunch of initials after it that no one understands or cares about. Instead, put your name, your book title, a no cost offer to get the potential buyer to your website, and a phone, email and URL.

My offers change periodically, but most of my subscribers go for the free eBook I offer to get my visitors to think about what they really need, a low cost guide to short cut their book writing and marketing success.

Be sure to automate your resource box so it's on every email you send out. This is free advertising at its best.

4. Write articles to share at your website and other high-traffic web sites.

Consider the web 2.0 application of writing articles. Placing them on your blog on on another blog like hubpages invites comments and questions from you audience. This kind of interactive promotion leaves behind the former static kind of virtual brochure many people's web sites have.

Writing articles help your audience see you as the expert If they like what they read, they are more likely to buy from you. If you are concerned about the time it takes, how does an hour a day sound? This is far less than promotion by speaking where you have to spend time booking talks, a lot of talks for any good; you have to show up, dress appropriately, find parking, beat traffic and often travel. Maybe you are like me, you love to travel, but want to do it for fun, not profit anymore.

5. Make sure your book-selling web site is working.

Compare your unique visitors to the number of sales you are making. For every 10 people, you should sell one book.

You may have to add some new writing strategies to update and optimize your website.

Decide what you want your book sales figures to be. Then take a step to build your writing skills and get feedback and writing criticism from a professional coach or seminar so your writing promotions will work.

Using Your Book's Introduction - Your Promotional Message

Book authors write good introductions to their books, but even best selling authors forget to include the book's purpose in the introduction. In the very first sentence your audience wants you to be compassionate about their problem or challenge.

That means you need to start the introduction with information and questions aimed at their needs--where they are now. Then, you write on about why you wrote the book and how it will benefit your targeted audience. They look for why they should read your book, and if you talk on and on for pages about your story, they will drop this number 4 hot selling point like a hot potato.

Remember, the first hot-selling point of your book is the title; the second is the back cover; the third the table of contents; the fourth is the introduction and it's definitely a marketing device.

Keep Your Book Introduction Less Than One Page

You will keep your audience's interest in reading it all when you write your book introduction aimed at the YOU voice rather than the I voice. They are more interested in how the book benefits them, than your expertise or story. When people read your clear, concise personal note to them with benefits they will receive, they will take out their credit cards and buy immediately!

When you apply the following essentials you'll create a much shorter introduction, which is much more likely to be finished and mor likelihood of a sale. Use this copy to transfer to your web site for your book sales letter.

This Promotional Messaging Needs These 5 Essential Paragraphs

Paragraph One - Show empathy toward your reader's challenge. Answer their questions about their problem. Engage them with the question, rather than tell them all abour your experience.

Pargraph Two - Explain in just a sentence or two about why you authored this book. Then state the book's thesis, a general one of what challege your book will solve.

Paragraph Three - Your targeted audience will ask So what?

That's your cue to overcome their resistance. State benefits that will help them rather than features such as tips and number of pages. They only describe, but don't sell.

Paragraph Four - Explain how to use your book in just a few sentences. Since each chapter format is important, include that here. . Each book chapter format will also include an introduction with a hook and thesis, the middle part with information--the examples, the headings, how to's, tips, or a story, and the action needed to make it real. .

Paragraph Five - In just one sentence or two, encourage your audience to read on with your marketing message of benefits.

Branding Yourself to Increase Book Sales

Profile branding sets your name apart from all the others and makes selling books much easier. Notice famous authors such as Trump, Oprah, Madonna, who uses their names across all their titles and works. You can brand parts of your book such as your chapter titles, headings within the chapter, tips, facts or quotes. You don't have to use your name to brand however, you can use a reader connectable theme as well to be just as effective!

How to Market a Book with Branding

For a book called, Passion at Any Age the author rewrote each chapter title to mention a form of the word, "passion." In the annotated table of contents her Chapter 1 "Attracting Passion," included such benefits as "Expand fulfillment, overcome resistance, communicate clearly and come from the heart." Within each chapter she branded her tips as "Passion Hot Line Tips" and her PASSION FACTS as well as "Passion Quotes." All to support the book's title and message.

You can brand your business with your book like one business client of mine. He changed his book title many times, but finally he used The Smiling Owner-How to Build a Great Small Business. He added a visual every businessperson can connect to by working the "Smiling Owner" metaphor into his how to's and tips throughout his chapters.

Think about your book title. What key words and thesis does it contain? Take that word or phrase and then think about each chapter title. Incorporate the key word into each chapter title.

Next, in each chapter, develop format parts that are in each chapter. That may be tips, headings, client problems, quotes, charts, or a side bar of facts. Your readers love these kinds of things in the middle part of your chapter. They look for relief from reading long copy. Preplanning your book chapters by expanding the thesis makes your book memorable and easy to read too.

Your book brands your business, and its branded parts make you look like the expert that brings you multiplied sales.

Know Your Book's Best Selling Message

Many published authors don't take interest in marketing their book until it's finished and offered on a Web site. This is hindsight thinking, when authors could take advantage opportunities that arise daily. Remember the "elevator speech?"

Whether you write a business book or are a children's book author, you need to know your hot-selling point known as the 60 Second Tell and Sell that can help you presell books from your email or your book-selling web site. It's best to know this and write it down, so you have it ready to go when you meet someone out networking or attend a business meeting where you are given a minute for your blurb.

Most top entrepreneurs don't wait until their website is designed to think about their marketing message. It's the first step to marketing success.

When someone asks you about your book, don't launch into a long story, but hook your potential reader with your memorable sound bite. Give them a reason to buy right away, with a single quick marketing message.

Maybe you've said, "My book is about...." You mention the features such as tips in a book or your story. Your story may be too long and bore your prospective readers. What they want is a quick billboard visual of your book."

Without your One-Minute Blurb that strongly states the main benefit, audience, and what makes your book unique, you will bore your visitor and lose that attention you need to entice him or her to take out their credit cards and buy.

Give Your Potential Book Reader a Reason to Buy

Your One-Minute Message gives them a reason to buy. It's the shortest marketing message you will write.

How to Write your Marketing Message-the Tell and Sell

1. List your title.

2. Add your major audience and benefits after you say the title.

Example: "This title offers small businesses short cuts to manifesting their book dream." so they can make a difference in their readers' lives, increase client base, and profit in business."

3. Add a sound bite that will ensure your book is memorable.. Compare your book to best selling nonfiction. Name it the companion piece to a famous author's top title. Your potential buyer will want your book because it is already accepted by your audience..

4. Put these together; they spell your own "tell and sell" that you memorize with enthusiasm and tell everyone next time someone asks you, "What's your book about?" or "Why should I buy your book?"

When you know your One Minute Blurb before you write your book, your book chapters are more focused on what your reader needs; you'll need less edits. Better chapters presell your readers and you'll gain a 24/7 sales team for you book.

Book and eBook Teleseminar

Learn how to write your ebook and print book at the same time to boost business and profits with Judy Cullins' Oct 28 teleseminar!

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