How To Market A Book

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3 responses to “How To Market A Book”

1. 

   James Minter

   January 31, 2014

   17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

   
   Joanna not only talks the talk but walks the walk…, June 28, 2013

   By 

   James Minter (Cheltenham, UK) –
   
     

   This review is from: How To Market A Book (Kindle Edition)

   Being a self-published author is a daunting undertaking assuming you want more than your family and close friends to read the outpourings of your mind. Creating an engaging story without typos, missing punctuation or split infinitives is a significant part but only one aspect of writing in the digital age. The power of the internet has/is still unleashing a wave of creativity unprecedented in the history of mankind. To be heard above the rest seems impossible, yet Joanna tells us from a standing start 5 years ago to the present day she has sold over 50,000 books and still counting.
   Education and training are the keys to achievement in all disciplines, sharing experiences – successes and failures – of a person with a proven track record is an excellent start for any intending, new or recent author wanting to realise the same without the mistakes. We all learn all the time, though with writing this is a very public process, Joanna has shared with us her extensive pool of knowledge to enable us to expedite and excel in the marketing aspect of being a successful author.
   Any book needs to be viewed in all three of its dimensions – structure, content and presentation. Looking at the Table of Contents of How to Market a Book, the inclusivity and ordering of the topics is very apparent. When it comes to book marketing Joanna not only talks the talk but walks the walk. She has based her book on hard won experience presented in digestible chunks allowing the reader to dip in and out as needed. Book marketing is shifting sands, take Facebook as an example; you think you’ve understood their platform and optimize your pages. You turn your attention to another area only to discover FB has added/changed/amended/removed some feature. With eBooks at least this aspect of change is covered – the files can be updated and re-uploaded so keeping the content current.
   Joanna is very much a person of the digital age, embracing technology as it becomes available. Her involvement with this book doesn’t cease with the last full stop: she has put in place a raft of added value feedback mechanisms, including video blogs to keep her work contemporary and relevant.
   In terms of content, as a fiction author, she’s demonstrated convincingly she can write, as a non-fiction author, her skills carry over. Time is tight for all of us. Joanna hasn’t padded out the 226 pages to make you feel you’re getting value for money – never mind the quality, feel the width syndrome, but she’s included sufficient to get over the nub of each topic with links for further reading where necessary. So navigating this book becomes a very personal experience, which is great given the diversity of her audience. “How to’s” can be daunting or leave you wanting, she has worked hard, and succeeded, in producing a book worthy of its title.
   This is a great resource, written in a very open and honest manner – qualities much to be admired. She, I think, has discovered the secret of expanding available time, (which she doesn’t share) either that or she hardly ever sleeps! The upshot is we, her readers, have benefited hugely from her efforts. Although assessing and reworking my own approach to marketing my books will take some time/effort as a result, at least I know I’m not wasting my energy, money and resources. Thank you Joanna.

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2. 

   Gilly

   January 31, 2014

   13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

   
   Interesting, informative, invaluable, June 29, 2013

   By 

   Gilly –

   This review is from: How To Market A Book (Kindle Edition)

   I received a free ebook of this book for an unbiased, honest review but I would have been more than happy to buy it.

   Having just self-published my third crime novel, exploring new marketing opportunities is high on my current list of priorities. I must admit marketing has always been a minefield for me as an author, but Ms Penn’s book has cleared up a lot of questions and made the process feel much less intimidating.

   How to Market A Book takes the reader on a long journey, for ease split into five sub-headings, starting with Marketing Principals right through to Launching Your Book, with everything else in between to appeal to both short term and long term writing plans and ambitions. It’s ideal for both an In-depth examination of every option available to authors or for dipping in at relevant sections as and when needed. The author goes into detailed advice which could prove invaluable for novices trying something new – eg podcasts or book trailers. There really is something for everyone here.

   Ms Penn spends time explaining how many writers will first need to alter their mindset from seeing marketing as something tacky and embarrassing into the positive idea of ‘sharing what you love with people who will appreciate hearing about it’ and uses her own story and experiences of how to achieve your goals. In this section, I was particularly impressed with her time management advice.

   By the end of the book many of my perceived marketing myths had been wiped out and I felt so much more confident about a range of topics which previously would have meant nothing to me at all! Metadata, keywords, author platforms, paid advertising, email lists. Fair to say, I already have a long list of my own of things I need to be doing! And luckily I now have the perfect guide to refer to along the way.

   So, if you want to know more about ‘social karma and relationship serendipity’ or find the answer to questions like ‘So, what exactly is an author platform?’ I’d advise this book should be top of your reading list. I’ve no doubt I shall be referring to it time and again, and believe it will be an invaluable asset on any author’s virtual bookshelf.

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3. 

   GRIGORY RYZHAKOV

   January 31, 2014

   4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

   
   excellent guide on book marketing and brand building for authors, July 22, 2013

   By 

   GRIGORY RYZHAKOV (London, UK) –

   Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: How To Market A Book (Kindle Edition)

   Now, it’s good to see that Joanna has at last distilled her enormous experience as an indie writer into a book-marketing guide. I have attended a couple of Joanna’s talks in the past, she lights up the room with her enthusiasm and she’s genuinely friendly and likes helping other writers. She knows what she talks about, because unlike many how-to-4-writers book authors she can actually back it up with impressive figures of her own fiction books’ sales.

   What can you find in this book:
   It’s a well-structured guide on how to reach your audience the best way and also how to market your books by developing your brand. So, the book is not just about getting the book into the right hands, getting reviews, getting the best look of your book, but also about some brand-building activites such as guest interviews, public speaking, podcadt, vlogs, etc. The book is full of useful links to other resources. Also, check out Joanna’s blog for writer’s – thecreativepenn.com

   This book in addition to M. Hyatt’s Platform are probably my favourite in the author brand building category.

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