As promised in our most recent Xulon Press Successful Author Spotlight, featuring world renowned minister and public speaker Kat Kerr, we present the “Top Ten Tips For New Authors To Market Your Book” that have been proven to be successful by Kat herself. She shares how she started from nothing but just a promise from Heaven and a dream of what could be, and she now speaks around the world and has published three books with Xulon Press.
The three things that Kat said were mandatory for success:
- YOU are your BEST Marketing Agent!
- No one will want your book if you don’t sell your book to them!
- You are the BEST advertising your book will ever have!
The following Top Ten List is taken from Kat’s personal experiences as she was directed by the Lord.
Kat Kerr’s Top Ten Marketing Tips for New Authors
1. Print business cards before you finish your book to pass out to anyone you tell about your book. It should have the name of the book, your name, an email address you create just for receiving inquiries about your book and a cell number they can call to ask about your book. You can purchase these cards inexpensively, Xulon Press even offers business cards as a marketing option. You need to give them out to everyone you meet and everyone who asks about your book. Have them send you an email to the email listed on the card—this will create your first mailing list.
2. Open your home for regular meetings about your book. Once a month, once a week, depending on the generated interest. Keep talking about your book, reading excerpts and using talking points from the actual book. You have to generate interest by what you tell others.
3. Contact local book stores, not national chains, and offer to give them 50% of your book sales if they will sponsor a book signing. They will generate the audience by their advertising via website, newspaper, any media outlet they choose to use—all free for you, and all you have to do is show up and sign books, pass out your cards, and generate interest in your book.
4. Contact pastors to speak at their women’s group, youth group, prayer meetings – Pastors are hesitant when you ask to step into their pulpit, but if you ask to speak to one of their small groups it will generate interest back to the pastor who may then invite you to his pulpit.
5. Set up a unique email address specifically for your book and all communication concerning the book. You want to treat this like a business and do the best job with all the resources you have at your disposal—an email address is free and provides a means of contact between your prospective audience and you. Your business card must have this email address on it!
6. After you have had your first book signings, where you offered 50% split for all book sales, the bookstore owner will want to have you back for another book signing. This time, offer to come back but do NOT offer the 50% split—you offer the foot traffic your book will generate in their store!
7. You have to Talk It Up to everyone you meet—IF God gave you the gift to write this book of yours, then you cannot be timid or shy—you have to share what God has done through you! IF you don’t generate the excitement about the book and the things that you are experiencing while promoting your book—no one will catch the fire! It MUST start with you! Advertise your book through YOU!
8. Take advantage of ALL Free Media: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, email, YouTube, MySpace. Every free outlet is an opportunity to get your message out. If you do not utilize the opportunities afforded you—you have missed out on the best advertising—FREE!
9. Set up a YouTube CHANNEL! You can post videos talking about your book, reading excerpts, sharing breaking news, interviewing some of your most ardent fans, TV appearances, book signing videos—anything that you are doing, make a video and post it to your YouTube Channel.
10. Give copies of your book to your Pastor, Youth Pastor, Church Leadership—you will never know where that book can take you until you put it in the right hands! You must express how determined and committed you are to promoting your book and offer to meet with anyone who would like to discuss any opportunities for you to speak in any meeting format about your book!
Kat ended our discussion by providing the scriptural reference to her Top Ten Tips. She spoke of the Parable of the Ten Talents. Kat explained that God is looking to see what we will do with what HE has given us and how will we increase the talent as a way of God earning interest on HIS investment. This is all for His Glory—
He has given us the tools right before us—
He is watching to see—
Will we use them?
Feel free to check out Kat Kerr’s website: www.revealingheaven.com and you can be directed to her Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channel.
Find Kat Kerr’s books “Revealing Heaven I: An Eyewitness Account” and “Revealing Heaven II: An Eyewitness Account” in the Xulon Press Bookstore.
Things I would have never thought of.