Deciding where to put my most precious resource—TIME

In my June 14th post, "Ready Made Marketing Plan," I explained how I constructed my plan for Words To Live By. I wrote:

"In the Promotion section of How to Write a Nonfiction Book are many suggestions for letting potential readers know about your book ... I copied and pasted the whole section into a new document, cut out all the superfluous words, and created a long list of brief, bulleted statements. Then I put each bulleted statement under one of my strategies."

The result was a very ambitious document—more a wish list than an actual "plan"—and, even when I wrote it, I never thought I could do every single thing on the list. I have a friend whose book came out at exactly the same time as mine. We had a book launch together, which was a delightful experience. We both sold several books. Then, I went back to work, and she went back to marketing her book. Comparing the amount of time each of us put into promoting our books forced me to sit down and reassess my priorities.

It's all about resources, especially the most finite of resources—time. How much do I have, and where do I want to spend it? I know. I have the same number of hours and minutes everybody else has. It's an old, well-worn argument, so I will spare you the calculations of exactly how much that is.

Even if we subtract the time we sleep and do all things involved in simply living, we end up with roughly the same amount of disposable time to spend as we choose. In my case, I can spend it marketing my book or marketing my business. Or, I can divide the available time in half or some other fraction, and try to do both. My strategies for marketing my book are as follows:

1. Increase my visibility and credibility on line
2. Increase my visibility and credibility off line
3. Drive traffic to my original Web site, WriteANonfictionBook.com

When I first developed these strategies, they were in no particular order. Now, I'm wondering if they should be. Which one is most important? The answer is definitely number 3. Numbers 1 and 2 should contribute to 3, because 3 is the way I earn my living. WriteANonfictionBook.com is all about helping authors by writing their books for them, guiding them through the book-writing process, or editing what they have written.

So, when I ask myself what takes precedence, it has to be my business. I love my book; and I want to let people know it exists, why they should read it, and where they can buy it. But that effort is a means to an end, not an end in itself. I teach people how to write books, but I always remind them that money is not the best reason to do it. Very few authors make enough from a single book to support themselves. It's sad but true.

This has been a one-woman exercise in brainstorming, which is often what blogging is all about. If you are reading this, you may be asking yourself similar questions. There is only so much disposable time in our lives. Where do you want to spend yours?

Ready-made Marketing Plan

Assuming you have been following these blog posts since November 2009, you have now been through all six steps in How to Write a Nonfiction Book: From Concept to Completion in 6 Months. A recent post contained a detailed promotional plan with three strategies and a long list of tactics to achieve them. Before I leave this topic, I want to explain how I developed my plan.

I began with three statements.

1. My book is about reflections on the writing life from a 40-year veteran.
2. My ideal reader is anyone who works (or wants to work) with words in his or her life and career.
3. My book's purpose is to motivate my ideal reader to take his or her career to the next level despite inevitable obstacles and setbacks.

The three strategies to achieve my book's purpose and reach my ideal reader are ...

1. to increase visibility and credibility on-line
2. to increase visibility and credibility off-line
3. to drive traffic to WriteANonfictionBook.com

In the Promotion section of How to Write a Nonfiction Book are many suggestions for letting potential readers know about your book. The question I asked myself was this: Would those suggestions work with my strategies? The answer is YES.

Here's what I did: I copied and pasted the whole section into a new document, cut out all the superfluous words, and created a long list of brief, bulleted statements. Then I put each bulleted statement under one of my strategies. I admit the plan is long, and I may never get to everything. On the other hand, it is thorough and organized. While I can't guarantee that every tactic will work with your strategies, I think most of them will fit somewhere.

This approach will give you a good start on your promotional plan, and you can always cull the list if it is too long. If you haven't read the new expanded, redesigned edition of How to Write a Nonfiction Book, you might want to check it out.

Words To Live By Gathers Speed

It’s great to be able to say to my students, I know just what you’re going through because I’m going through it, too. The book is on fast forward, moving faster than I ever dreamed it would.

Here’s what I’ve done:

• Had my manuscript copy edited
• Purchased my ISBNs
• Had my book cover and interior designed (now in layout)
• Applied for a fictitious name for my publishing company
• Opened an account with CreateSpace to publish the book
• Begun to fill out their voluminous application forms
• Created a new Web site and ShopSite store
• Developed a detailed marketing plan
• Registered my copyright
• Designed bookmarks

What are my next steps?

• Read galleys and have them copy edited
• Create list and send out readers’ copies
• Write press release and set up press room on Web site
• Make a list of local TV and radio talk shows
• Write talking points for interviews
• Contacted a copy editor for the galley proofs
• Begun to request testimonials from fellow authors