Author's Marketing Timetable

Schedule Your Marketing

I was with a client today discussing the timetable of his upcoming book, and I was reminded again how quickly the marketing jumps up and grabs you. Here you are, writing your little heart and soul out, when suddenly the marketing is right behind you, taking a-hold of your shirt-tail.

Here is some help:

1. Six months before your book is out in print and eBook formats, you need to begin marketing your book. You may or may not have a cover for your book yet, but a cover is preferred. (This one always strikes me in the behind because I'm forever getting my cover done at the last minute. That doesn't mean I haven't been working on it through the previous six month period, only that it hasn't been finalized yet).

Without a cover you can still do some blog posts, some interviews, some sneak peaks about your book (such as the first chapter reveal and so forth), what you'll not be able to do is much of the visual marketing that you need so people can see early what they'll be investing their money on. So get your cover ready as soon as you can.

Schedule all of your marketing, as much as possible, before you even see your book in print. Make sure you give time to what you'll want to be doing the week before and the day of your book's release.

2. Once your manuscript is finished with the last edit, and before you actually publish your book, get some feedback on it. You'll need at least 5 readers, writers and/or editors, to look over, make changes, and give you suggestions on your book. Give your readers a month to get the manuscript back to you.

3. After you see the return of your manuscript from various readers, take some time going over the comments and changes. Don't make ANY CHANGES until after you've seen all of the manuscripts and can make a judgement call as to what should be taken out and what should be added. Some of the comments will be valid, others will be merely opinion. Lay the manuscripts out. Page one matching page one, etc. Go through them, spending some time and making sure the changes you make are the changes you feel good about. This may take you a month or so.

4. With your finished copy, go over the manuscript one more time. It's amazing what you'll find.

5. Get Reviews, as many reviews as you can, before and after the publishing of your book.

6. Publish. After you've published, focus on your book heavily for at least six months following its release. Make sure you continue with your marketing agenda.

If this sounds like a lot of work, it is. But be assured, the more you do to get the word out about your new book before it's released, the more success you will have after it's taken flight.

Any questions I haven't tackled here? Feel free to ask me.

Kathryn

Trust

Trust is stone two in the book, "Conquering Your Goliaths: A Parable of the Five Stones." And there's a reason why it's stone two.

After listening to feedback, whether from yourself, from others, or from God, you need to weigh the source, and decide whether or not you should trust in it--even on a case by case basis.

If someone tells you your character doesn't appear real, or your dialogue is stilted, or you bring in too much description and not enough setting, listen and then weigh the comment. You may want to get opinions from other readers before settling for the first one, you may even want to set your manuscript aside for a few days before going back to it and re-reading it with your reader's eyes.

Whatever you decide to do, remember there will be times in your life when you give yourself feedback that is not true, or receive feedback from others that is more harmful than helpful. But the feedback you receive from God is neither untrue or harmful. And if we trust in it, we find that our writing improves and opportunities to share our work increases.

Photo by: Jurvetson, courtesy of Flickr

I am continually amazed at the feedback I receive. And sometimes (dare I say it) I have wanted to quit. But then I remember what I know as truth and I can't help but trust in that.

Today, take a look at the feedback you've received. Weigh it, decide if some upgrades to your writing can be made or if you should slough the comment off like water from a duck.

Trust.