With just about any project, my motivation to continue gets a boost when I get what marketers call a “quick win.”
That’s an early victory that helps build confidence and momentum. It’s a small success that encourages me to keep moving forward with the plan.
One of the best ways for authors to enjoy a quick win is to start locally with book marketing.
But that’s not the only reason I typically advise the authors I coach to start locally. There are other equally good reasons, as well.
Why You Want to Start Locally
Here’s why I encourage local book marketing:
- Local media outlets — daily and weekly newspapers plus TV and radio talk shows — are often receptive to talking with local authors about their books.
- Starting locally lets you discover which of your publicity angles and interview messages resonate with local media outlets and which fall flat. With some local experience to your credit, you can use what worked when expanding outward to larger, less “hometown-writer-makes-good” markets and toss out those that didn’t work.
- You can leverage local connections and relationships to uncover and secure marketing opportunities.
- You get valuable practice and experience before hitting the big stage — the national scene.
5 Ways You Can Start Locally
How can you start locally to market your book? Here are several suggestions:
- Host a presentation and book signing at a venue with a connection to your book’s topic.
Marketing is so much easier when you go to your audience instead of trying to bring them to you. Bookstores are one place to do that, but another equally good (if not better!) option is a venue with a direct connection to your book’s content.
Where might that be? Here are a couple of examples to get you thinking:
- Written a book on how to be more organized? Lead a short instructional workshop at stores that sell products that help people do that. How about Home Depot, The Container Store, or Staples?
- A parenting book author can host a discussion at a new parents Meetup.
- The produce section of the supermarket makes a great backdrop for a cooking demonstration by the author of a book on how to select and prepare healthier meal options.
- Contact local media outlets to talk about the story behind your book.
Your hometown press often appreciates a good “local resident writes new book” story, especially the TV network affiliates with local talk shows.
On the other hand, if you live in a major market like Chicago or Los Angeles, you aren’t likely to get daily newspaper or TV talk show coverage.
There’s hope, though! Contact the neighborhood/community weekly newspapers and regional bloggers covering a subset of the city. Make sure you contact the right individual at each outlet, too.
As with other book marketing activities, writing a book that is clearly high-quality will give you an advantage over another local author who took the “I didn’t spend anything to write/edit/publish my book” route.
- Collaborate with a nonprofit.
Consumers respond well to promotions that benefit a cause they care about. Get increased visibility while doing good by donating all or a percentage of profits to your favorite local charity for a limited time.
For maximum impact (and manageability), use an event approach so you benefit from the organization’s event-marketing muscle. One example: The author of a book on a pet-related topic can collaborate with the local animal shelter to host a book discussion and signing with on-site sale profits donated to the organization.
- Lead a workshop on how to write and publish a book.
Many communities have adult learning centers or community classrooms that offer one-session classes taught by locals to locals. (Here’s the one where I live.)
You can’t teach authors-to-be everything they need to know in 90 minutes, but you can answer some of the beginner questions you had when you decided there was a book in you.
- Plan a “meet the authors” night with other local authors at a bookstore or library.
There’s power in numbers. When all participants promote the event, you all benefit from a larger turnout than any of you can generate on your own.
Create an interactive event that allows each author to showcase their book with a brief presentation and take audience questions.
I Learned So Much When I Started Locally
I was an inexperienced speaker when I started getting local invitations to speak about the topic of my first book, the lighter side of gender differences. Most came without a specific topic request — “You decide!” they’d say.
One of the first came from an acquaintance who asked me to speak to the women’s group at her country club. I accepted the invitation on the condition that she provide honest feedback on my presentation.
That was a brave move on my part because I knew she wasn’t going to tell me everything was “great!”
And it wasn’t.
Our follow-up conversation was as humbling as it was productive. She helped me improve both my content and presentation style. I took her feedback seriously, kept working to improve, and was soon flying to paid speaking engagements in other parts of the country.
Those lucrative speaking opportunities wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t figured out what worked and what didn’t locally first.
Practice, Practice, Practice
It’s true: Practice makes perfect. Get that practice locally with the media and in-person audiences.
Be sure to include local book marketing in your book marketing plan. If you haven’t created your marketing plan yet, download my free Book Marketing Plan Template. You’ll get how-to instructions plus a template that walks you through the process.
Expect to learn from your local experiences. When you do, update your book marketing plan so you’ll be better prepared to expand beyond your region with messages that resonate with your readers.
Author bio:
Sandra Beckwith is an author, book marketing coach, freelance writer, and national award-winning former publicist who teaches authors how to save thousands of dollars by doing their own book marketing and promotion. Her Build Book Buzz book marketing blog is ranked 5th among thousands of book marketing blogs globally and has been honored as a top website for authors and writers seven times. Get her “Top 5 Free Book Promotion Resources” when you subscribe to her free weekly newsletter at https://buildbookbuzz.com/gift.
If you like this blog post, you’ll love our Author Toolkit for book marketing. It includes checklists, templates, worksheets and more. Check it out!
