When it comes to some writers, publishers, and readers, there are two categories of fiction: General Fiction and Christian Fiction. If you’re an author you may sometimes wonder where your work fits, so let’s define the two.

-General Market

Most often these books are written with what is most termed as a secular world view. The target market is much wider and from my observations includes anyone who reads books. Content can be graphic but that is not always the case.

-Christian Market

What earns these books their section of a bookstore is their Christian world view. The target market here is readers who want some faith in their fiction. Content can be honest and at times gripping but is not usually graphic although that is changing.

As a writer (and a believer) I spend time and money in both sections because reading is my continuing education.

While I try to stay true to the story I’m given to write, I’m also a writer who wants readers, so I study the market on both sides of the aisle. I can spend hours learning from book covers. I will take time to write the title, author, and publisher in my notebook so I can check back and see what intrigued me enough to pull the book off the shelf when it’s time to design my next cover. I read the back cover copy - the blurbs that sometimes are just enough to make a reader buy the book. I check out the opening lines to see if I’m drawn in. Then I may take in the first chapter. If I enjoy the pace, language, and over all writing, I will either buy the book or add the title to my wish list. (I have a very long list!)

The first time I read a book is as a reader. No highlighter or pen although I might dog ear a page I know I want to come back to when I begin the reading as writer phase. The second reading is faster as I search for key spots the author delighted, scared, or disappointed me.

I’ve developed my own “code” for these places I’m drawn to and therefore learn from. A smiley face for places I found funny or that made me smile. A heart for a phrase I loved. A cross for a faith moment and a black dot for a spot that scared me spit-less. A sad face for a where the author disappointed me. An arrow means this is something I want to ponder, argue, or agree with. Question marks means there’s something there I didn’t understand and may want to learn more about. An exclamation mark means “right on!” in my short hand. Highlighted passages are those I want to remember either because they taught me something about writing or myself. I use a cross when the author is exceptional at writing about faith. These symbols become a word-less journal within the book.

As a reader and a student of writing, I’m picky about the books I purchase. If the books I buy can be both entertainment and text book, I get to double my pleasure.

As a writer and seller of my own books, reading books from both sides of the fiction market shows me what works for readers. This is not my main driving force when I sit down at the keyboard. The love of writing, the passion for my story, and staying true to the characters is far more important than writing for the markets. If a story is well-written, readers will cross-over.

I’ve also come to believe from reading that writers can put their faith all over their fiction. Bold authors are respected and read. Readers are savvy and unafraid of being converted. When an author writes a compelling book, people will buy it and read it if only to disagree. This kind of writing stays in the hearts of the readers and on the sales reports of bookstores for years.

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Book awards bring exposure to books. Exposure generates sales. Sales mean more money in your pocket. Pursuing those book awards that allow publishers or authors to nominate their own titles can be a worthwhile activity for your book marketing efforts.

The literary community hosts a myriad of book awards. These awards differ as to who can nominate a book for an award. For some awards, publishers or authors can nominate their books and a committee or select group of people vote on the nominated titles. Other awards choose to have a nominating committee decide which titles should be considered for an award. Some awards have a select group of people (such as retailers, teachers, or students) nominate titles. There are a few book awards that are based on the number of copies a title has sold or lifetime achievements of an author.

Small and self-publishers can pursue those awards that allow publishers and authors to nominate books. Generally, these awards come with an entry fee. These entry fees can range from $40 to $200.

While entering a book award contest is not a guaranteed win for your entry fee, it certainly more than pays off if your book is picked for an award. Some book award programs publish the runners-up as well as the award winners. If your book falls into either of these categories, you receive a marketing gem.

Book awards, like book reviews, can be harnessed to promote your title in endless ways. One benefit of a book award over a book review is that an award warrants press coverage. Newspapers, magazines, and newsletters like to highlight authors and books that have won awards. Another benefit of a book award is that consumers tend to want to read books that have won an award. An award tells a consumer that a book is worth the money to purchase and time spent to read it. An award signals booksellers to purchase the book for their stores as book awards almost always guarantee sales.

When a book award is bestowed, the award should be used repeatedly in your marketing campaign. In addition to alerting the press about a book award, any book award received should be posted on your website, printed on all your marketing materials, used in advertisements, and added to your book’s cover on subsequent print runs. Also, make sure that you let your distributors know about the award and send an announcement to those publishers associations and discussion groups where you are a member.

Following is a list of a few book awards that are geared toward small and self-publishers.

In Aesop’s fable of The Hare and the Tortoise, these two animals agree to a race. Everyone knows that a hare is fast while a tortoise is slow. However, during the race, the hare decides to take a rest part way through and falls asleep. As a result the tortoise wins the race. Aesop’s moral in this story is “slow and steady wins the race.” Aesop could have written this fable for small publishers. Small publishers should model their business plan after the tortoise in this tale; slow and steady.

Large publishing houses publish multiple books each year. Then at the end of the year, they retire the books that did not meet their sales expectations and continue to keep the books that sold very well in circulation. The next year they repeat this process again. The books that sell well for the large publishing houses become their “backlist” titles. These are the books that continue to sell year after year. Many publishing houses make almost half of their profit off of their backlist titles. Their remaining profits come from their new “bestsellers.”

When small publishers follow this type of publishing plan, they inevitably fail. Many small publishers attempt to compete with large publishing houses and end up giving up too soon on new books when the do not sell as well they hoped the first year. Large publishing houses have the financial ability to place substantial marketing dollars behind every title they produce and to continue to publish multiple titles each year. Most small publishers do not have the financial wherewithal to compete with the large publishers.

For most small publishers, time, not money, is on your side. Most of the titles small publishers produce can be sold year after year as long as the subject matter is still relevant. Research shows that it generally takes a minimum of seven to twelve exposures to a new product before consumers will purchase. As a small publisher, you can take advantage of the time you have to continually market your titles to build up this required exposure over time. You do not have to have it accomplished in a year as the big publishers strive for. Your titles may never reach bestseller status, but steady sales add up over time.

Aim for continual steady sales. Don’t give up if your new books don’t sell as well as you expect the first year. Continue to market, market, market. Believe that you published the book for a purpose and that purpose is still being fulfilled. Hang in there like the tortoise. Slow and steady will win you the race.

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I recently spoke with a gentleman who had written and published a book on terrorism’s threat to our water supply. As we discussed avenues for marketing his book, this gentleman remarked that mostly academicians had purchased the book, which he found scary. Here was an individual who had the knowledge and the foresight to write a book on an important subject of concern to our country, and yet he did not recognize the position this placed him in. The first thing this gentleman needs to do in marketing his book is to accept the fact that, since he wrote the book, he is now the expert on the subject of how terrorism could affect our water supply.

The same is true for you. When you author a book on a particular subject, you become an expert on that subject. In marketing your books, you must accept this and proceed as an expert.

1. Think like an expert.

Experts don’t wonder who might want to read their books. Rather, they think, “Who needs this information?” “Who would benefit most from this information?” and “Who can help me access my book’s intended audience?” Thinking like an expert opens doors of opportunities for you. Experts seek out other experts in their field. They find others who are writing or speaking on the same subjects and network with them. Experts also think, “The world would be a better place if more people knew about this,” thus they take and make the most of every opportunity to educate and inform others about their subject of expertise.

2. Act like an expert.

Our actions flow from our thoughts. What you think influences what you do. If you are thinking like an expert, then you will begin to act like an expert. Experts approach others with confidence. Confidence engenders respect and trust. Experts make the most of every opportunity to alert others to new information without being overbearing. There is no need for arrogance or dominance when you know you possess knowledge, only a determination to help others learn the information also.

3. Talk like an expert.

Experts speak with authority. They don’t lead conversations with “I believe,” or “I feel that.” Instead, experts speak with conviction. They invite people to see and believe what they are presenting through clear reasoning. Experts say things like “Five reasons you need to know this information,” “Studies show or research indicates,” or “History reveals.” Speaking with conviction to an audience invites and encourages people to learn more on your subject.

You are an expert on your subject. Whether you are approaching a radio station to book a guest interview, speaking at a local bookstore on your book, or writing an article for a magazine, when you think, act, and talk like an expert, people will sit up and take notice. When you conduct yourself as an expert, doors of opportunity open for you to promote your book’s subject and increase your book’s sales.

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In this part of “Act Like a Best-Selling Author,” we will attempt to answer the question: “When should I start marketing my book?” The answer, you should start marketing your book months before the manuscript is finish. This is why it is important to have “RELEASE DATE” for your book and stick to it. Just because you maybe a Self-published writer or author, doesn’t mean you don’t have deadlines too. So, marketing should always start at least 60 days before the book is released.

Without the backing of a big name publisher, you need to immediately implement powerful, no-holds barred, book marketing strategies which are designed to sell your books quickly. The best advice is to market your book everyday. Any original book marketing idea you have that does not take away from the integrity of your work, use it.

The truth is, you can have a really fabulous book, but if know one knows your book is about to be released, then you won’t have a buzz. If you don’t create a buzz, then there isn’t any anticipation. No anticipation means it makes it just that much harder to sell your book when it is released.

Thank goodness for the internet. The internet is one of the best ways to create a buzz about your new book. The most surefire way to create that buzz is by implementing the following pre-promotion plan:

A. Get a website for your book or an author’s website about you the author.

B. Start a Blog and add it to your website: Start blogging about your book. If your book is on a particular subject matter, then Blog about that subject matter. Tell your blogging subscribers or readers about your experiences in writing your book. A Blog is simply a weblogged journal. Journaling about your experiences writing the book is a way to create a buzz.

C. Write Articles. Write articles and submit them to article directories about your book. You can write articles about the subject matter or you can write articles about book marketing, writing a book, or being a self-published author. In your author’s resource box or bio box, you can include a link to your website.

D. Write a small ebook with the first two chapters of your book included. Give the ebook away to people who agree to join your email or mailing list. Now, you have a list of interested people to purchase your book once it has been released.

With these book marketing strategies, you are sure to create a buzz about your book and tap into your target market for more sales once your book is released.

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