Not Famous? Try Piggyback Marketing

When advising authors I try to find ways to use whatever media or organizational platform they have to extend their sales potential. More often than not, the author lacks relationships with large media or organizations. In order to develop a platform for promoting their book I often suggest piggybacking with others who are more well known.

In the May 23, 2010 issue of USA Weekend, the second largest circulation Sunday newspaper insert publication with over 22 million circulation (Parade magazine is the largest with 32 million circulation), there is a wonderful example of piggyback marketing. On the cover is a photo of actor Ashton Kutcher holding barbeque tongs with the headline, "Me. Like. Grilling." and the subhead "Ashton Kutcher reveals the secret to making all your cookouts taste brilliant."

I was intrigued by the idea of a young actor posing on the cover of a national magazine talking about outdoor grilling.

Upon further investigation the actor spends much of the interview, written by Brian Truitt, speaking about his upcoming film releasing next week titled "Killers." He only briefly talks about his interest in grilling, which mostly takes place during his growing up years in Iowa and how his family enjoyed their outdoor grill. Next to the article are recipes and tips written by cookbook author Pam Anderson. Below the photo of Mr. Kutcher are plugs for two photographers, the stylist in charge of his grooming, the prop artist, the company providing his blue jeans and the maker of his t-shirt.

Perfect piggyback marketing. Everybody wins:

• USA Weekend is provided with a great cover article for the beginning of summer
• The actor gets a cover shot on a national magazine while plugging his new movie
• The writer of the article receives great exposure
• Each of the two photographers get a nice project to place in their portfolios
• Both clothing companies receive national advertising
• The stylist also gets good national exposure
• And the author, Ms. Anderson, receives a great plug for her cookbooks

This is a great lesson for new or lessor known authors looking to promote their book. By piggybacking with others looking for publicity it is much easier to gain the attention of well known publications. The same kind of piggybacking can also work in other venues. For example, how about approaching a large retailer with an idea for promoting one of their services. Or think about helping a manufacturer looking for a way to get their product in front of new customers. Piggybacking can also work with organizations wanting to extend their own audience. All it takes is someone with an original idea willing to do the legwork to pull the promotion together.

For example, you are the author of a self-help book on improving relationships between spouses. Why not approach a large circulation magazine with an idea based on the six ways to build a loving relationship with your partner. You convince the editor to use their influence to attract a well-known personality who is in a long successful relationship and is about to star in a new television series. The magazine could also use its connections to find the right combination of writer, photographers and stylists to provide the main cover article while you write a sidebar article affirming how great relationships are maintained. Bingo! You receive national exposure in a large publication which would have otherwise been unachievable.

Take away points:

• If you are not well known you need to piggyback with others to gain exposure
• Magazines and other media are constantly looking for celebrities to feature
• Product makers are interested in placing their products where they will be seen

Achieving quality in all aspects of the book publishing experience

Okay, why am I writing about customer service on a blog that is mostly dedicated to book publishing?

I'll answer that in a minute.

First, today's encounter. I am an avid bike rider. My bike shop, Rock n' Road Cycle, is located here in Grand Haven, Michigan. This past weekend my bike began making grinding sounds. Fearing the worst I took it to my mechanic, Phil, at Rock n' Road. He took one look and determined my two year old bike needed a total rehab from a complete tune-up and the replacement of several key parts. To make matters worse, it would cost nearly two hundred dollars and would take the entire week to repair. This is something I expected since I ride my mountain bike around a hundred miles a week, mostly on dirt roads, and takes a quite a beating. Still, I wished I could have it back sooner.

Today, on the day I expected the bike back, Phil called to say the bottom bracket connected to the pedal mechanism unexpectedly needed to be replaced. And, he would have to order the part and it wouldn't arrive for nearly a week. He assured me, however, that I could ride the bike this coming weekend though I'd have to put up with a terrible grinding sound.

Late this afternoon I headed to the bike shop expecting to pick up a bike that was not quite right. To top things off, when I arrived at the bike shop, Phil was busy with another customer. He asked if I could wait. I replied rather caustically that I was getting used to waiting.

When Phil finally got to me he had a smile on his face. He told me he knew from my voice earlier in the day, that I was disappointed and decided to take one more look at my bike before I arrived. As a result he had found what had caused the noise and fixed it. My bike was now one hundred percent. He also noted on my receipt if the part in the bottom bracket gave me a problem he would repair it for free.

I left the bike shop giddy with excitement looking forward to tomorrow's ride.

Had I purchased my bike from a catalog or large chain store I probably would not have received the same kind of service.

Now, let me attempt to connect the dots between my bike story and book publishing.

Great books done right will provide readers with a satisfying experience. In the world of book publishing, where more and more books are self published, it becomes the job of the author to see to it that the reader (customer) is provided with an exceptional product (book). This means the book has to be well written, expertly edited, properly proofed, designed professionally, superbly printed, priced right and delivered on time.

Beyond the quality of the book it is also important to identify exactly who the target audience is and then efficiently engage that audience through effective marketing.

Sadly, today many authors are publishing through large self publishing houses that will pretty much release any book regardless of quality. Their junk in, junk out mentality with little emphasis on quality can result in a bad experience for both the author and reader.

Like Phil at Rock n' Road Cycle, it is important to go that extra mile to assure maximum satisfaction.

Take away thoughts:

• Are you providing great customer service?
• Do you give proper attention to quality in all aspects of the publication process?
• Have you identified your target audience and developed a realistic marketing plan?

Lessons from To Kill a Mockingbird

My favorite novel of all time is Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. I’m not alone in my adoration of her book. In fact a survey in 2008 in Britain ranked it above the Bible by respondents.

In the years since its publication in 1960 To Kill a Mockingbird has sold over 30 million copies, been translated into 40 languages and never has been out of print. Perennially it is on the New York Times top 100 books in terms of sales.

To put it mildly, To Kill a Mockingbird has been a phenomenal success.

From a marketing perspective what lessons can we learn from Harper Lee’s classic?

First, to provide a little context I’ve copied the following from its Wikipedia posting.

“Born in 1926, Harper Lee grew up in the Southern town of Monroeville, Alabama, where she became close friends with the soon-to-be famous writer Truman Capote. She attended Huntingdon College in Montgomery (1944–45), and then studied law at the University of Alabama (1945–49). While attending college, she wrote for campus literary magazines: Huntress at Huntingdon and the humor magazine Rammer Jammer at the University of Alabama. At both colleges, she wrote short stories and other works about racial injustice, a rarely mentioned topic on such campuses at the time.[3] In 1950, Lee moved to New York City, where she worked as a reservation clerk for British Overseas Airways Corporation; there, she began writing a collection of essays and short stories about people in Monroeville. Hoping to be published, Lee presented her writing in 1957 to a literary agent recommended by Capote. An editor at J. B. Lippincott advised her to quit the airline and concentrate on writing. Donations from friends allowed her to write uninterrupted for a year.[4]

Lee spent two and a half years writing To Kill a Mockingbird. A description of the book's creation by the National Endowment for the Arts relates an episode when Lee became so frustrated that she tossed the manuscript out the window into the snow. Her agent made her retrieve it.[5] The book was published on July 11, 1960. It was initially titled Atticus, but Lee renamed it to reflect a story that went beyond a character portrait.[6] The editorial team at Lippincott warned Lee that she would probably sell only several thousand copies.[7] In 1964, Lee recalled her hopes for the book when she said, "I never expected any sort of success with 'Mockingbird.' ... I was hoping for a quick and merciful death at the hands of the reviewers but, at the same time, I sort of hoped someone would like it enough to give me encouragement. Public encouragement. I hoped for a little, as I said, but I got rather a whole lot, and in some ways this was just about as frightening as the quick, merciful death I'd expected."[8] Instead of a "quick and merciful death", Reader's Digest Condensed Books chose the book for reprinting in part, which gave it a wide readership immediately.[9] Since the original publication, the book has never been out of print.”

Discussion points:

• Note that Harper Lee took two and a half years to write her book proving the importance of dedication both in time and writing excellence manuscript. Marketing rule number one: there is no substitution for talent.

• Ms. Lee used her friendship with a well known friend, in this case Truman Copote, to gain access to a top literary agent. In return, her agent sold her work to a large New York publishing house. It is important to use whatever connections we have to reach our intended audience. Marketing rule number two: use your connections well.

• Her publisher was able to get her book into the hands of Reader’s Digest which, at that time, was the most influential publication in the book publishing world. From there the book went viral. Times have changed, today the blogosphere is the place to get the word out about a promising book. Marketing rule number three: going viral is key to sales success.

It would be presumptuous to think that the works written by most authors measure up to Harper Lee’s classic. But the takeaway points are instructive to everyone whether they are publishing a book or about to have a job interview.

In summary:

• Talent and determination are important
• Connections matter
• Getting the word out is vitally important

Jerry Springer on the importance of personal branding and how his comments apply to book publishing

Today I read an interview with talk show host Jerry Springer in brand guru Dan Schawbel's blog, PersonalBrandingBlog.com. Love him or not, few would fault Jerry Springer on his ability to self promote. In this blog I will excerpt parts of that interview and comment on its importance as it relates to authors and publishers. To read the entire interview, which I recommend, follow this link http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/personal-branding-interview-jerry-springer/

Q Dan Schawbel: In a world where there are unlimited choices for media, such as TV, radio, blogs, newspapers, etc, how can you get your name out there? What’s the best way to do so?

A Jerry Springer: Well, it depends on what you’re trying to get your name out there for. The important thing is to recognize what your niche is and then that will in a sense define where you should go for your audience...

...Figuring out who your audience is the first thing you have to do and then you have to figure out how much you can afford. If you can’t afford much, then how can you make news with what you’re doing. Again, target the audience. That’s the most important thing and where most people waste most of their money.

Comment: In book publishing authors often think that putting their book on a bookstore shelf will automatically result in sales. Nothing could be further from the truth. You must first determine your niche then determine how to engage it. Many times the worst place to sell your book is in a bookstore. One of the most important things for an author or publisher to do is to have a book marketing plan. Your marketing plan will determine your market niche, establish goals and provide action steps for achieving the goals. If you lack the experience to write a marketing plan there are sample plans available on the Web or, if within budget, retain someone with book marketing expertise to help write the plan.

Q Dan Schawbel: Once you get people’s attention, how do you get them to come back for more?

A Jerry Springer: Well you gotta be good. It has to be something they want. It’s not like the early days of mass advertising. By now, people are inundated with hundreds of messages a day. We’ve all become experts. We are so sophisticated in knowing when we’re being played, when we’re being tricked and when there is something of substance worth paying attention to. Very rarely can the public be fooled...

...The most powerful advertising is word-of-mouth because when you hear it from a friend or someone you’re passing by on the street or doing business with, they don’t have a hidden agenda in telling you that. So therefore you give their statement credibility. If you see something in a commercial, you know they are trying to sell you something so you put up your defenses right away...

Comment: Springer hits on two important points. First, being good. If your book is not well written, well edited and well designed there is almost no chance it will sell. While self-publishing companies stress that anybody can publish a book they fail to disclose they are primarily in the book printing business. Therefore anything that keeps their presses running is okay by them and the ultimate quality of the books they publish is not their concern. Publishing a top quality book requires a talented support team of great editors, compositors, proofers and designers. These are one time only costs which ultimately will determine how good the end product is. Authors and publishers who skimp on these costs will end up paying in the end with fewer sales, especially in the long term.

Second, word of mouth advertising. Jerry Springer is exactly right, there is nothing better than receiving good word of mouth. In book publishing it means getting people to read your book and then talk about it with their friends and associates. Part of getting good word of mouth is having a marketing strategy that focuses on engaging readers through blogs, social networking, aggressive Web promotion and opt in newsletters. Each of which should provide a "buy" button that allows the book to be purchased easily through an online retailer such as Amazon.com.

Q Dan Schawbel: Is all press good? Why or why not?

A Jerry Springer: Obviously not all press is good press, but it depends on what the product is. All press gets you recognized, but again, just being recognized means therefore that people are going to like what they hear or see. Momentary bad news can be overcome if it’s a good product or service. All press gets peoples attention but it doesn’t necessary make the sale.

Comment: One thing that is changing quickly is the importance of generating reviews from the traditional media. There was once a time when a favorable review in a good size publication immediately could be translated into sales. That is no longer true. While favorable reviews generate some activity they no longer result in a large number of sales. Part of reason is because fewer people are tuned into traditional media as demonstrated by the falling number of subscriptions to newspapers and magazines. Even radio and TV numbers are down. More importantly, people are relying more on blogs and reviews by individuals rather than paid reviewers. Many people upon hearing about a particular book will look it up on Amazon.com or other sites to see what others are saying. Others will Google a book or author to see what is being said by bloggers.

Bottom line, the world has changed and what worked at one time no longer works today. At the same time the quality of a book's content and the niche the author engages provide exciting new avenues for authors and publishers.

Take away points:

• Develop a book marketing plan prior to going to market and follow it
• Assemble a top notch team of editors, compositors, proofers and designers to help produce a high quality book
• Promote good word of mouth advertising through blogs, online reviews, and search engine optimization

Sadly, authors are often the first to give up on their own book

Having signed many authors to their first book contract I am always sure to ask how committed they are to their own success. Without exception authors tell me they will work hard to establish themselves no matter how long it takes. Yet, a year or so later that same author has more often than not lost all enthusiasm for their own book. Why is that so? I feel it is due to several factors but mostly to impatience. We live in a world of immediate gratification and something that takes time to develop does not compute in today's society.

Eliminating bestsellers from New York publishers which are in a whole other category, if the truth be known many books take years to reach their sales potential. Why is that? One reason is because there are so many new books released each year (somewhere around 300,000). As a result, books that eventually get noticed have to find their own distinctive niche in the marketplace. How to find that niche is the trick. Some titles are adopted by groups or organizations, others are search engine friendly and still others spread by word of mouth.

The important take away point is that however a book eventually finds its audience will depend on the efforts of the author (perhaps with some assistance by the publisher, but don't count on it).

So how might an author go about finding a book's niche or audience?

• Start with a well thought out marketing plan written prior to the release of the book.

• Be prepared to change, rewrite or rethink your marketing plan if the initial plan isn't working.

• If you are not comfortable writing your own marketing plan consult with someone who can help.

• Give your plan the time and effort required to work its way into the consciousness of your intended audience.

You poured a lot of time and effort into the writing of your book. Getting the word out is a large part of the process. Be patient, it can take a year or more for a book to get noticed. If you believe in the content of your book don't give up, it generally takes time for a book to find its market.