Writers are often taken by surprise when they’re asked for a “detailed marketing plan” before a publisher has even taken them on.

It’s a skill worth developing – as many successful authors write their marketing plans before they even set pen to paper.

In Part 1 of my article, you learned how to get started with a marketing plan for your book. Today, you’ll be finding out how to complete it.

Add this extra information to the plan you’ve already created:

Target Readers

List the people most likely to buy your book. (eg. women aged 18-25).
List the types of organizations, associations and clubs that might be interested in your book.
List schools, colleges, universities, charities and specialist libraries, etc.

Potential buyers:

List the types of organizations, clubs and associations that might bulk-buy your book.
List business websites; membership sites; clubs.
List retail outlets (such as Waterstones or Barnes & Noble) and book clubs.
List schools, colleges, universities, charities and specialist libraries.

Reaching target readers:

Suggest ideas for bookshop promotion. (eg. End-of-shelf posters).
Suggest a targeted PR campaign. (eg. a press release for local and national media.)
Suggest a public event you could hold to tie in with your book. (eg. a quiz, a seminar, an awareness day.)
Suggest promotion via social media. (eg. YouTube; Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc.)

PR/Awareness Raising:

Offer a free incentive to promote your book. (eg. An MP3; an online interview with the author, etc).
List seasonal events or anniversaries that could tie in with your book. (eg. Halloween; Mother’s Day; Remembrance Day, etc.)

Offer audio extracts or free books for the many sites that offer services and content to your target readers – in return for a link to publisher’s shopping cart.

List some of the organizations, clubs or magazines that may be interested in your book.

Brainstorm ideas for publicizing and promoting your book with a couple of friends. Write down anything and everything you can think of. Try not to censor the ideas or rule anything out. When you’ve finished, set your list to one side for a couple of days before going back to it. You’ll be surprised at the number of great ideas you can come up with when you combine creative energy.