I’d like to introduce you to Lacy Lieffers the owner of One Leaf Editing | Marketing. Lacy has generously given of her time to answer questions about book marketing.
Learn here how to take a step back and refocus on what you have to do. You’re going to learn that the best asset you have for marketing is YOU.
Lacy was so generous with her information that I ran out of room when I put this post together. Part two will be published on Friday and have Lacy’s TOP 12 Tips about Marketing. You’re not going to want to miss it. The information is not only practical but it’s so doable.
Don’t forget to join us for Part Two on Friday.
So, here you go. Here’s Lacy. Please make sure you follow her on social media and if you make contact because of the posts on My Twisted Writer Brain then please let her know.
The sidebars are my notes or clarifications.
Lacy Lieffers
Professional Editor and Marketer
One Leaf Editing
info@oneleafediting.ca
- Who is Lacy Lieffers and One Leaf Editing?
The fancy way I like to introduce myself is “a wordsmith for linguists, and a strategist for dreamers.”
In other words, I’m an editor, strategic marketer, brand developer, and avid reader!
I have a degree in marketing and over twelve years of strategic marketing, branding, and business development experience, with editing having played a part in each role.
I started my business, One Leaf Editing, in 2016 because I wanted to use my professional editing and marketing experience to help those in my other world: authors. Through this business, I help authors shape and share their stories with their readers.
- What does a book marketer do? Will you fix and sell my book?
A “book marketer” will help you
- Define your BRAND
- Identify your TARGET AUDIENCE (they are your ideal readers)
- Help you BUILD A STRATEGY
- PROMOTE your work to the right audience and in the right FORUM (be it digital, social, podcasts, website, video, media)
The point of a marketer is to take the book you’ve created and promote it in a way that targets your ideal reader and aligns with your brand. They won’t “fix” your book, but they will focus your efforts on the strategic end of promoting your book.
SIDEBAR: Writer's remember that it's up to you to complete and perfect your product. An Editor or Marketer are professionals who will guide and advise you on decisions and changes but it is always up to you to not only to decide to embrace those suggestions, but to ultimately act on them. A Marketer or Editor is not going to write or fix your work--that is strictly up to you.
...a wordsmith for linguists, and a strategists for dreamers.
Lacy Lieffers on what it means to be a Marketing Specialist.
- What’s missing in the average person’s marketing strategy?
Focus.
Too often authors publish a book and try to market it with the objective of selling it to “as many as possible.” That’s a lofty goal for your book and puts quite a bit of pressure on the success of it; not to mention wastes the few precious hours you have.
Before you get too far in writing your book, you should be thinking about your “why” and “who”.
What’s the point of the book; what’s unique about the world you created; what points do you want to get across in your writing; who are you writing it for; what social/digital platforms are they using; what’s your personal brand; what’s feasible for you to manage (not everyone can or wants to deal with social and digital media)?
The point of a marketing strategy is to promote your book to as many of the right people in the most efficient way. Don’t waste your energy—be focused in your approach.
- When should a person start marketing their book?
It’s never too early to start promoting your book.
I’ll say that again, it’s never too early to start promoting your book.
As soon as you have an idea (especially if you’re an established author), start promoting it to your target audience. If your book is 95% complete and you haven’t started marketing it yet, then do so now.
“Day one” is always better than “one day.”
Here are some simple ways to start marketing your book:
- Introduce the book (or book to be) to your followers.
- Send out teasers on the book’s progress
- Do social polls (people love being part of something)
- Post quotes from the book that relate to your audience
- Allow your readers to get to know your characters or get to know your brand (let them see your value if the book is promoting your experience or knowledge);
- Build an influencer or launch team that can help you build hype for your book (and can even provide early reviews for your book);
- Look for opportunities where you can cross promote your book (if you are writing a self-help book, are there groups, associations, forums, podcasts that you can ask to join, speak at, or write something for)
- Build a following of readers (start a social media group/community)
- Amp up the talk of it in your newsletter
- Start a newsletter
- Encourage pre-orders
- Have pre-order sale discounts to encourage purchases.
Not only will all of this help build excitement, but it will actually help with your launch day sales and (digital) rankings.
SIDEBAR: Take this list and hang it somewhere in your office and refer to it often. Get going on these things sooner rather than later. You know those sudden Best Selling first time Authors that seem to appear overnight? Well, they've been working on their strategy, brand, and marketing for years--I guarantee it. Check here for information on starting a newsletter, Click here to build a mailing list. and Click here to learn about platforms.
- How does a brand help with marketing? When should you start branding?
If you’ve heard me speak, then you’ll have heard me use the words “Don’t just write a book—build a brand.”
Your brand is the storytelling portion of your journey.
Your responsibility as an author is to create an experience for your readers; and having a well-defined brand will highlight who you are as an author, establish your voice, introduce the worlds you’ve created, identify your ideal reader, and serve as a guide for your written work.
As with marketing, start this as soon as possible.
Your personal brand is a combination of how you see yourself and how others perceive you.
It’s the “who you are” that becomes the strategic framework and roadmap for your brand and brand actions.
If you think you don’t have a personal brand, then I’ll let you in on a secret: Whether you realize it or not, your actions, the way you speak, how you hold yourself, where you go, what you do, what you write, and your work itself all come together to present a perceived version of your brand.
Lacy Lieffers
It’s critical for you to make sure that your perceived brand matches the one you want to have.
Get clear about who you are as an author, who you’re writing for, and what marketing tactics are true to your brand and your personality.
- What can a writer do to make their product marketable?
A lot of the times people first pick up a book based on the cover, then confirm their desire to purchase it based on the book description (admit it, we’ve all been guilty of choosing a book that way before).
This is why it’s so important to be clear on who you are writing the book for so you can choose colours, fonts, and images that will attract the eye of that reader to the cover and to write your description in a way that matches their language (and of course, your book).
In terms of the physical book, think about its shelf appeal.
Readers love continuity with books (this is especially true when it comes to series).
- Consider the shape and finish of your book.
- What does the spine look like (if you’re doing a series, think about using a consistent spine design, or even an image that goes across the spines)?
- Are the colours complementary? Do they help emote a certain emotion for someone (use darker colours for mystery and suspense novels)?
- If you’re writing self-help books, maybe don’t have the title in a large font and choose more neutral colours so someone isn’t as concerned about the physical storing of it on their shelf.
- What’s the price point of your book? Is it comparable based on size and material in similar books? Don’t price yourself out of a sale—being too cheap gives the perception that the content isn’t as good and being too expensive might not fit someone’s budget.
If you can’t be there to promote why your book is a great option for them to purchase, then make sure your book is able to do it for itself.
7. I see on your site you have ‘niche/industry’ listed. What does this mean? Does it help if you can identify the niche?
A “niche” refers to a specific segment of the market that your book relates to—health and wellness, education, business. It’s more important for you to first know your genre, and then the industry (if applicable).
Knowing this helps you market the book to the right audience.
8. What do the services of a marketer cost? Do you provide a free consultation?
Costs vary depending upon the types of services you need, the extent of work volume required, and their experience. Many will charge a flat fee per project (building a marketing plan, developing a content strategy) and will then have an hourly rate for additional consulting and support work.
Most will wait to provide prices until after a consultation, as it really depends on the extent of the support you’d need.
For example, based on the amount of execution needed you could find costs anywhere from $100-$500+ per project and $30-50+ for hourly rates on additional work.
I always provide a free initial consult as it’s a benefit to both parties involved.
Not only does it allow us the chance to see if we’d be a good fit for working with each other, but it gives me the opportunity to explain my process, allows the author time to ask me questions, and for both of us to discuss the stage they’re at and where they could best use my support.
I can then provide a quote based on specific services they’d need, rather than trying to promote a full suite of marketing services that might not be needed.
Here is Lacy’s contact information for One Leaf Editing|Marketing. Tell her My Twisted Writer Brain sent you.
One Leaf Editing c. 306.291.4904 e. lacyl@oneleafediting.ca w. www.oneleafediting.ca
9. Final Thoughts for Today…
Marketing is meant to be fun.
You’ve just finished writing a great book, and marketing is your format to share your excitement (and of course the book) with your readers.
If book marketing feels stressful and overwhelming, then take a step back and reassess.
The process is really about staying true to yourself, so take a breather, realign yourself to your brand, get clear on who your target audience is, and make (marketing) choices that fit that brand and your personality.
Simplify and focus your efforts.
- Don’t create a profile on a social site you have no intention of ever using
- Look to your current network to help you promote your book rather than trying to find a whole new set of connections
- Write blogs rather than go on podcasts if you dislike public speaking
- Engage with your existing audience
- Use every opportunity you can to provide value to your readers.
If it’s something you’d still rather not deal with (hey, I get it—an author will always find writing more fun), then there are people that can help!
One Leaf Editing
c. 306.291.4904
e. lacyl@oneleafediting.ca
w. www.oneleafediting.ca
Follow me on: LinkedIn. www.linkedin.com/in/lacylieffers Twitter. www.twitter.com/OneLeafEditing Facebook. www.facebook.com/OneLeafEditing
Wow! Such fantastic information. Thank you Lacy Lieffers for sharing so much of your expertise.
Join me on Friday for more from Lacy Lieffers: Marketing your Book: 12 unique and powerful Tips to Help You Succeed… See you then. Make sure you leave a like and comment for all the information that Lacy has shared today. So appreciated.
3 thoughts on “Marketing Your Book: Steps to Take Toward Success. Q & A with Professional Marketer Lacy Lieffers.”