tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post6106706820858881069..comments2023-06-10T22:42:19.087+10:00Comments on Australasian Christian Writers: Top Marketing Books to ReadUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-37366451924232940242014-03-27T13:18:05.391+11:002014-03-27T13:18:05.391+11:00Iola, thanks for this post. I particularly enjoyed...Iola, thanks for this post. I particularly enjoyed Jo Penn's book. All based on her own practical experience and covers off a bunch of areas besides the obvious ones that many don't. I'll get to David Gaughran's soon.<br /><br />I also like your comment in your reply to Narelle - best thing a newish author can do is keep writing new novels.Ian Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00192687613923596829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-45199369797455719102014-03-27T06:20:27.445+11:002014-03-27T06:20:27.445+11:00Absolutely, Dorothy. I mentioned this in my post l...Absolutely, Dorothy. I mentioned this in my post last week. If your book is lacking, the reviews will reflect that, and then no amount of marketing will sell the book. <br /><br />But this list will provide you a starting point of what to read when you get to the stage of getting a contract on that first book (or in that period between completing the first draft of a novel and starting the revision stage). Iolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17199141868703826943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-64450386948121354892014-03-24T17:40:47.807+11:002014-03-24T17:40:47.807+11:00Thanks Iola. Great recommendations and discussion ...Thanks Iola. Great recommendations and discussion in this thread. The best advice I've heard so far in regards to marketing, (and it's in no way all inclusive of the best wisdom out there) is write the best book you can. Then write a better one. For someone in my position, it's enough to keep me learning and writing. But I'll be looking out for your recommendations. Dorothyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-18932699494601670882014-03-24T15:45:18.606+11:002014-03-24T15:45:18.606+11:00Rita, thanks for commenting. I think the author...Rita, thanks for commenting. I think the author's word, in person, does carry weight, because when you talk about your book, you bring a passion the written word lacks. I remember being told that around 80% of communication was non-verbal, with only 4% of it being our words, yet too often we are forced to try and sell based on the 4%.Iolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17199141868703826943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-67621376608920350092014-03-24T15:42:09.971+11:002014-03-24T15:42:09.971+11:00I think one of the reasons marketing is harder is ...I think one of the reasons marketing is harder is there are no hard-and-fast rules. What worked for someone else might not work for you. Iolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17199141868703826943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-58151775344309927002014-03-24T14:50:00.820+11:002014-03-24T14:50:00.820+11:00Marketing is definitely the hardest part of the wr...Marketing is definitely the hardest part of the writing journey as far as I'm concerned, so thank you for your excellent list of resources. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04449342827457837314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-58762617974631347022014-03-24T13:51:43.922+11:002014-03-24T13:51:43.922+11:00Iola, great answers! Book sales provide a dollar a...Iola, great answers! Book sales provide a dollar amount for your overall return on investment. The problem is how do you break it down and work out the cost-effectiveness of each marketing activity. Cost involves both money and time that could be spent doing something else.<br /><br />Connecting and interacting with readers in our target market is definitely an important aspect of our marketing plan. Narellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07665380446283721576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-4140881849946236482014-03-24T12:57:51.580+11:002014-03-24T12:57:51.580+11:00I really like the idea of connecting with people t...I really like the idea of connecting with people to encourage the sale of your book. It seems so much more personal. I have always found that being able to explain what the story is about helps. This is rather funny as the blurb does this, but I guess hearing from the author's mouth carries more weight! <br />Then again, you can only be in so many places peronally, so you do need other ways to make folk aware.Rita Galiehhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14586506137798711397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-29046273397448147812014-03-24T12:03:37.904+11:002014-03-24T12:03:37.904+11:00Return on investment ... that's a good questio...Return on investment ... that's a good question. No, it's not something I've seen addressed in any of these books. I suspect there are a couple of reasons for that:<br /><br />1. We might not like the answer, so we don't ask the question. There's a "technical" term for this reaction: burying your head in the sand<br /><br />2. Good marketing is a combination of push and pull activities. Push is easier to quantify (e.g. I sent an email to 1000 people and got 10 sales as a result, or I spent $300 on a Bookbub promotion and got 300 sales as a result). <br /><br />But research (e.g. from Goodreads) suggests readers don't buy books based on advertising or direct email (unless they are already a fan of that author). Readers buy books based on recommendations from friends—real life friends, online friends, book reviewers they trust. And that's hard to quantify, because it means it's not your marketing efforts selling your books: it's your fans. <br /><br />The other thing missing from a lot of this information is that it's based on non-fiction (the Karen Baney book is the main exception). I believe the key is connecting with readers—and most authors seem to be connecting with other authors, which is only useful if other authors are your target reader. <br /><br />Would authors be better off investing more time in writing their next book? Certainly. All the statistics on author earnings show the more books you have on sale, the better you do (as a whole, and per book). <br /><br />If you've only got one book for sale, write the next book. If you've got ten books and they aren't selling, perhaps you need to look at why. That could be promotion ... but it could also be bad product (e.g. not edited), priced to high, or not available in the places where your readers shop.Iolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17199141868703826943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-51638203251902947682014-03-24T11:54:03.826+11:002014-03-24T11:54:03.826+11:00Thanks, Jeanette. I hope you find them useful.Thanks, Jeanette. I hope you find them useful.Iolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17199141868703826943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-340835652802952612014-03-24T11:53:45.535+11:002014-03-24T11:53:45.535+11:00Iola, thanks for providing a comprehensive overvie...Iola, thanks for providing a comprehensive overview of a number of popular marketing books. It's interesting how the changes in publishing have dated the information in a couple of books. You also bring up an interesting point about how there is a difference between marketing and promotion.<br /><br />Do any of the books cover how to quantify marketing outcomes? It's all very well to undertake a whole lot of marketing and promotion activity, but how does an author really know if their marketing efforts are worth it? Sometimes I wonder if authors, in general, spend too much time on marketing and promo. Would they be better off investing more time in writing their next book? The balance between promo and writing time will be different for everyone, depending on their circumstances.Narellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07665380446283721576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-60509389988018289362014-03-24T11:15:41.978+11:002014-03-24T11:15:41.978+11:00Thanks Iola for a great list of resources. Thanks Iola for a great list of resources. Jeanette O'Haganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11057798704247611224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-62252499430065494762014-03-24T11:11:36.125+11:002014-03-24T11:11:36.125+11:00Good to hear! Although I suspect reading the title...Good to hear! Although I suspect reading the titles is only the first step ... now you have to do something to put in action what you've read.Iolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17199141868703826943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-73088136909244287852014-03-24T11:03:34.913+11:002014-03-24T11:03:34.913+11:00It's a network of Christian authors working to...It's a network of Christian authors working together to promote each other's books. It's a great concept, but—if the book is anything to judge by—falls apart in some aspects of the implementation.Iolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17199141868703826943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-14032395693853944052014-03-24T11:01:21.074+11:002014-03-24T11:01:21.074+11:00Hi Iola,
I'm pleased to see I have a few of yo...Hi Iola,<br />I'm pleased to see I have a few of your recommendations already, and enjoyed them too. Now I may pick up the others.Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-77475267559270098112014-03-24T06:55:30.970+11:002014-03-24T06:55:30.970+11:00Im not a writer but enjoyed your post can you tell...Im not a writer but enjoyed your post can you tell me what is John 3:16 Marketing Network I have heard about it and heard it has some interesting ideas but no idea what it is.Ausjennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07644698706787568679noreply@blogger.com