Do you wish you had a three-step plan for marketing your book? Can it really be that easy? The answer is: Yes! The truth is, most of us make marketing our books much too difficult. We complicate the process when it is really as simple as one, two, three. Here are the three essential steps to marketing your book – your three-step marketing plan.

Step 1: Create your logo or brand. A logo or brand is an emblem or symbol, something that represents your book. It is how consumers or clients will recognize you. For example, Nike is recognized by the swoosh, Coca-Cola by the red can with white writing, Target by the big red symbol. We as consumers recognize these well-known brands because they have established themselves with a particular emblem or symbol. As a self-published author, you should put this brand on everything from your book cover(s) to your website.

Step 2: Create your website and your online presence. A website is a must for every author. It is your home on the web and where most everyone will find you. It advertises your book and other services you provide. It also should include a Media Room for members of the media to easily download articles, press releases, press kits and information about you and your book(s). You also need an online presence. You want to show up all over the Internet. This leads us to step three.

Step 3: Network, network, network! Join social networking sites, create a blog and post articles to it, article market – get information about your book out there. But don’t just limit the networking to the internet. The great thing about our world today is we have the power to connect our online and offline worlds. So, connect online then take your connections offline. Go to networking events, attend conferences, network both online and off and watch your sphere of influence grow and your book’s sales explode.

Marketing truly can be done in three easy steps. Wherever you are in your book’s marketing plan, take the necessary steps to market it effectively. Start where you are and work your way forward.

The published world is ever-changing. The fact of the matter is self-published authors are always marketing on a shoestring, so this “economy” should have little to no impact on their daily activities. From the explosion of social media on the internet to new entrepreneurial centers emerging to assist in business training, now there are many resources to help you maintain and thrive in changing economies.

If your book’s sales are not thriving, you are probably not doing everything you can to help them. First off, if you have no way to set yourself apart from competitive titles, such as a professional looking title or brand, you will have no way to compete. Secondly, if you do not invest ample time for additional training and some finances into your marketing plan, book sales will die. Third, and most important, if you do not have faith in your dream, you will never see it come true.

Here is a three-fold plan to give your book’s sales that jump-start it needs to thrive:

1. Brand yourself. Not just you, personally, but your book. Get a unique look(not a generic template from VistaPrint) that speaks to who you are, what you offer, and how you are different from others around you. Use that look everywhere – a website, business cards, brochures, etc. Even if you have to print brochures and cards at home, and start out with a “free” template website, if you have no identifiable brand all your other marketing strategies will be worthless, so begin by investing your finances in your brand. Then as money comes in through book sales, designate a minimum of 5% of the income for advertising (cards, brochures, a professional website, etc).

2. Find a local small business training center that offers free workshops and classes. These can be offered through your local community colleges, or if you are in Greensboro, NC, check out the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship. You may also contact your local Small Business Administration office for information on these types of centers. Even if some classes have a small fee, consider going to them. Find classes and workshops that will help you improve your speaking and selling skills, teach you how to use the internet to sell more books, general marketing classes, and more.

3. Have some faith in your dream. I am always taken aback by people who will complain about their dream not coming to pass. People who refuse to invest their time and finances into seeing that dream happen, and then those same people I see eating at expensive restaurants or shopping at high-end markets. It is a proven fact that no matter how much money you have, if you really want something you will find a way to get it. How badly do you want your dream? Is it worth giving up Starbucks for a month? Or selling something of value that you own? Even when all looks bleak, have faith that your dream will happen. The day you stop seeing it come true is the day it dies.

These three steps are the start to a great foundation. Once you obtain them, you will be given more ideas to make the message through your book bigger, better, and more influential than you could ever have imagined!

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that there were three secrets to being an influential communicator. There is much for an author to learn from these principles and how we can apply them to become more influential. The more influential we can be, the better able we are to persuade people to buy our books and other products and services.  For as another famous Greek philosopher (Plato this time!) said:

“Persuasion is the key to power!”

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If you want to become a best selling author then, as “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” author Robert Kiyosaki has said that clue is in the world “selling”!

As an author you have to take responsibility for selling and promoting your book at every available opportunity.  You need to become good at persuading and influencing people.

One of the books I strongly recommend to people who want to become masters of persuasion is Robert Cialdini’s “Influence”.

Cialdini is a Professor at Arizona State University who has conducted extensive research into the factors that trigger people into automatically complying with another person’s request.

Here is the fourth of these six factors, that will show you how, as an author, you can apply them to sell more of your books.

Key 4: LIKING

Research shows that people prefer to say ‘yes’ to individuals they know and like.

An important factor that influences how much people like another individual is similarity.

We like people who are like us, and are far more willing to comply with their requests.

There are several ways that as an author we can help people to know and like us:

• Have details about us (including some personal information such as family, hobbies etc) on our website and books.  Have photos featured so that people know what you look like.  Let your readers get to know you as a real and genuine person.
• Have a brief biography available so that people can see where you have come from and what you have done.  Let them see you are just an ordinary person like them.
• Be accessible to your readers. Answer their emails, respond to their requests.
• Keep in regular contact with your readers and people you wish to influence. I strongly recommend a strategy of contacting or “touching” your readers ten times a year. A useful information rich email newsletter is a good way of doing this.
• Share some personal stories in your newsletter, letting people see some of your day to day life, particularly sharing any mistakes you have made and poking some fun at yourself, which will make you seem very normal and approachable!

Now that you are aware of this principle I am sure you will be able to think of lots of ways to use it to enhance your book sales.