Book Marketing: Use Your Existing Skills to Sell More Books

Many authors believe that they have to master a range of new skills to effectively market their books. But often there are opportunities to build on their existing skills and strengths.

In this webinar, USA Today Bestselling author and marketing consultant Nicholas Erik will show you how to identify these strengths and leverage them to accelerate your marketing progress.

[WordsPictures]

This was sooo good!!!!
Thank you Nicholas!
Thank you Martin!
Thank you Reedsy!

[kit]

00:01 Waiting to start
04:20 Nicholas Erik intro
07:15 Presentation starts
07:45 Overview
08:15 Self intro

09:20 Two minute exercise
Ask someone, what am I good at?
The most effective marketing strategy is:
- The one that you can execute
- And the one that leverages as many existing + natural strengths as possible

16:40 80/20
Pareto Principle: 20% of the inputs generate 80% of the outputs.
Can be higher (e.g., 1% of what you do)
Numbers are real, but not most important takeaway
A small number of actions produce your results
You want to make sure you're doing these things

17:20 80/20 AND STRENGTHS
Strengths are competitive advantages you have over other authors
- Skills: things you've learned that aren't common knowledge or that you pick up faster than other people (WordPress, Excel, Photoshop, direct marketing, accounting)
- Personality traits: outgoing, kind, funny, reliable, etc.
You will have to learn new things and hone certain weaknesses. But often you're better focusing your time + attention on building your strengths further.
For example, you might be 10x better at social media than another author because your personality tends toward open + inviting, Or you may have been a social media manager ac your old job.
Or you might not like social media at all, but be good with spreadsheers or analysis

21:30 External strengths
Finances: money from a day job or other source
Time: ability to work longer or uninterrupted blocks of time
Resources: friends, family, colleagues
These are important, but your personal strengths are far more critical

23:15 Full-time author skillset
Tracking your net profit (weekly / monthly, can do daily)
I recommend having three sources of marketing visibility (traffic) you can use effectively. Each of these is one (e.g. Facebook Ads = 1, Instagram = 1)
- Paid ads: Amazon, Facebook, BookBub
- Promo sites (see video for URL, YouTube deletes comments with URLs)
- Social media: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Clubhouse [non-fiction], Twitter [non-fiction]
- Networking social media
- Merchandising: retailer promotions found on Apple Books / Kobo / Nook
- Content [non-fiction]: SEO, blogging, podcasting, guest posting
- In person events
Biggest error is trying to do everything. Trial and error a bit at the beginning according to your strengths, then narrow quickly.
You can have a minor presence beyond the core three (e.g.. you might have a Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Tik Tok) but the biggest boost comes from building a few channels.
Very hard to be great at even three things.
Why Twitter isn't good for fiction authors - get into political fights. Facebook and Instagram sell more books.

33:45 Skillset: Example
Strengths: read non-fiction a lot, analysis, curation + synhesis, contrarian
Fiction
- Amazon Ads
- BookBub Ads
- Promo Sites
- Minor: Facebook social media, cross promos
Non-Fiction
- Newsletter
- Content marketing: blog
- Content marketing: guest appearances like this one
- Minor: occasionally post in author groups

41:20 Contact information
43:00 Q&A

[margaretcurtis]

Margaret from North Carolina. Hi everyone!

[christophermaddish]

I'm on SEPTA'S R5, what about you?