Go to bookstores and talk to booksellers, they can be the best source of information for you. Ask them if they have a book on your topic and then have them point you in the direction of where those books are shelved so you can see for yourself what the competitive space looks like. If there isn’t a book on your topic, see if you can find out why. Ask a professional you trust. This could be your bookseller, or it could be a marketing professional. You’ll save yourself thousands of dollars by doing this. Regarding my talented author with a book written for the wrong market, once we repositioned him it was fine. It took little effort but saved him countless hours, dollars, and frustration.
2) What will you call it? When we worked with author Marci Shimoff, she told us that she spent two long weeks agonizing over the title of her book: Happy for No Reason. Marci was featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Secret, and had done extensive speaking events worldwide. Why would she agonize over the title of a book? Because the title (and the cover) are the most important elements of your book. People will judge a book by its cover and title, you can be certain of that. If you’re debating on a title, or even if you’ve settled on one, do not take chances. Find a professional who can give you important feedback. If a title is unappealing, too confusing, or too tied to branding that isn’t clear or benefit-driven, you could lose sales. Remember: the title of your book isn’t for you; it’s for your reader. Make it matter to them.
3) Don’t fall in love with your own ideas. This is a big one. It’s great to love your work; in fact, you should love it. You should be passionate about it. But don’t love it so much that you aren’t open to feedback. Feedback is critical to any successful book launch campaign. Further, if you aren’t open to feedback, you might miss some advice that could save your book and you from spending thousands of dollars pushing something that isn’t quite ready for the mainstream – or worse, a book that’s missed its mark only slightly. Be open to feedback and then seek that feedback from professionals you trust and respect.
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Reprinted from “The Book Marketing Expert newsletter,” a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com