Book Review: Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers
I'm a big fan of Shel Horowitz's "Grassroots Marketing" so I had to check out his new book and I wasn't disappointed.
Authors are responsible for marketing their own books, whether they self publish, use a subsidy publisher, or a traditional publisher -- that's simply a fact. I recommend this book for all authors and wannabe authors.
It concentrates on low and no cost strategies that work, and goes well beyond regurgitating the conventional wisdom. Shel's first book was written in '79, and his extensive first-hand experience with all kinds of publishing is apparent. If you order the book direct from him you get some bonuses including a five-chapter ebook on How To Write And Publish a Marketable Book.
The book is divided into four sections, Creating a Marketable Book, Publicity, Get Into - And Out of - Book Stores and Libraries, and Advanced Marketing. Except for the section on Book Stores and Libraries, most of this info is useful regardless of how you package your knowledge: traditional book, ebook, audio product, etc.
The Book Store and Library section itself is fascinating to me as I really didn't understand how they work. I also learned a lot from the chapter on Trade Shows and Book Fairs. The press releases examples, both good and bad, are great, although I would have liked a little more verbiage on the individual good press releases. I loved the Build Your Website section even though I know this extremely well.
I've been studying books -- how they get written, promoted, sold, AND provide value to their readers for a couple of years -- since before I ever started writing. I've read more than a couple of good books on the subject, and Shel's speaks to me more than any of the others.
My publisher is not sending me on a national book tour, it's highly unlikely I'll be on Oprah or even reruns of Hogan's Heroes, and I'm not spending tens of thousands of dollars on publicity and my publisher isn't either. Shel concentrates on practical no and low-cost ideas that have worked for him and others, and provides concrete examples. I wish I had this book before I became an author!
Did I get any takeaways I'm using yet? Absolutely! Despite finishing the book a mere 12 hours ago, I'm already implementing some of Shel's advice.
Authors are responsible for marketing their own books, whether they self publish, use a subsidy publisher, or a traditional publisher -- that's simply a fact. I recommend this book for all authors and wannabe authors.
It concentrates on low and no cost strategies that work, and goes well beyond regurgitating the conventional wisdom. Shel's first book was written in '79, and his extensive first-hand experience with all kinds of publishing is apparent. If you order the book direct from him you get some bonuses including a five-chapter ebook on How To Write And Publish a Marketable Book.
The book is divided into four sections, Creating a Marketable Book, Publicity, Get Into - And Out of - Book Stores and Libraries, and Advanced Marketing. Except for the section on Book Stores and Libraries, most of this info is useful regardless of how you package your knowledge: traditional book, ebook, audio product, etc.
The Book Store and Library section itself is fascinating to me as I really didn't understand how they work. I also learned a lot from the chapter on Trade Shows and Book Fairs. The press releases examples, both good and bad, are great, although I would have liked a little more verbiage on the individual good press releases. I loved the Build Your Website section even though I know this extremely well.
I've been studying books -- how they get written, promoted, sold, AND provide value to their readers for a couple of years -- since before I ever started writing. I've read more than a couple of good books on the subject, and Shel's speaks to me more than any of the others.
My publisher is not sending me on a national book tour, it's highly unlikely I'll be on Oprah or even reruns of Hogan's Heroes, and I'm not spending tens of thousands of dollars on publicity and my publisher isn't either. Shel concentrates on practical no and low-cost ideas that have worked for him and others, and provides concrete examples. I wish I had this book before I became an author!
Did I get any takeaways I'm using yet? Absolutely! Despite finishing the book a mere 12 hours ago, I'm already implementing some of Shel's advice.
posted by Ted Demopoulos at 11:01 AM
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