Promoting my book is my publisher's job

When discussing the promotion of their book I've had several authors tell me that marketing is the responsibility of the publisher, not theirs. My response is that nothing could be further from the truth. Just look at what bestselling authors do to promote their books.

Mitch Albom author of the bestselling Tuesdays with Morrie, The 5 People You Meet in Heaven, For One More Day and the current New York Times Bestseller Have a Little Faith is a marketer's dream. Not only has he been a columnist for the past 24 years with The Detroit Free Press he also has his own syndicated radio program, is a regular contributor on ESPN and has founded three charities. Albom also has found time to launch his own website http://mitchalbom.com

Bestselling business advisor, Jim Collins author of Built to Last, Good to Great and the newly released How the Mighty Fall, started as a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He went on to found a management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado in order to conduct research and to train business executives. He uses his experience and connections from his management firm, articles he contributes to periodicals along with speaking engagements to promote his books. Collins maintains an active Web exposure at http://www.jimcollins.com

Novelist Nicholas Sparks was a pharmaceuticals rep writing in his spare time after being rejected from law school and a job working for a publisher. He was discovered by a literary agent who rescued his first novel from the slush pile. To promote his first book he traveled tirelessly around the country appearing at 56 events in 45 cities. The resulting word of mouth were instrumental in his novel moving up the bestseller list. Today he keeps his readers informed through his website and newsletter at http://www.nicholassparks.com

The truth is that behind the success of pretty much every successful author is an inspiring story of hard work, a bit of luck and tremendous talent.

Are there books that have achieved success without promotion on the part of the author? Yes, there are always exceptions to the rule. For example Walden by Henry David Thoreau which chronicles his two year experiment in living alone is an exception. So too, obviously, is The Diary of Anne Frank. But in most cases to be an exception to the rule requires an exceptional work coupled with exceptional circumstances.

Bottom line, if you are an author be prepared to tirelessly publicize your book. In fact, be prepared to take the lead role in the overall marketing of your book.

In future posts I'll discuss specific ways authors can market their books.

Takeaway points:

• Pretty much all bestselling authors take an active role in marketing their books

• It is essential to have your own book marketing plan

• Your marketing plan will determine whether you will maximize your income through traditional publishing, self-publishing or custom publishing