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Go-to-Market Strategy
"Wait a minute! You skipped a step!" Yes, I did. Actually I skipped a few of them. Like negotiating with your agent and publisher and, of course, actually writing your book. There are ample books written on this subject, and that would be much to broad a scope to cover here. My intention is to look at the often-overlooked entrepreneurial business aspects of publishing a book.
Regarding go-to-market strategy, many authors fail to achieve the success they desire because they overlook two basic entrepreneurial concepts:
Go-to-Market Strategy
"Wait a minute! You skipped a step!" Yes, I did. Actually I skipped a few of them. Like negotiating with your agent and publisher and, of course, actually writing your book. There are ample books written on this subject, and that would be much to broad a scope to cover here. My intention is to look at the often-overlooked entrepreneurial business aspects of publishing a book.
Regarding go-to-market strategy, many authors fail to achieve the success they desire because they overlook two basic entrepreneurial concepts:
- Incubation ? Many entrepreneurs and authors forget that there is a substantial time delay between a marketing effort and the desired results. Now, a book doesn't have a long sales cycle, so it's not as much of an issue as it is with, say, enterprise computer software, but there is still typically a delay. Books that become overnight best-sellers don't really do so overnight... the groundwork has been being laid for months. If you start marketing your book the day it's released, it will take several weeks or months to start seeing the results.
Plan ahead. Start building up your mailing list, generating publicity, and doing public speaking many months prior to publication. Line up your book signings, speaking engagements, radio and TV appearances, and book reviews several weeks or even a few months before publication. - Cash flow planning ? Spent all your advance money already? How are you going to advertise your book, then? How are you going to travel to do all those book signings? And, of course, if you went the traditional publishing route, it's going to be another 18 months, probably, before you see any money over and above your advance. Make sure you have other income streams ? speaking engagements, consulting, workbooks, audio/video tape, etc. ? so that you'll have the cash flow necessary to promote your book.