Clint Greenleaf, CEO of Greenleaf Book Group, provides insider tips on five book marketing strategies that prove effective in today\’s changing publishing landscape.

1. book signings be damned Five Strategies for Effective Book Marketing in the New Publishing Climate NCPA (Northern California Publishers & Authors) Conference 2010 Clint Greenleaf - Chairman & CEO - Greenleaf Book Group

2. Humble Beginnings And Dominique thought her first book was horrible…

4. Tree Neutral Learn More at www.treeneutral.com

5. Reality Our Industry is tough, and so is every other industry out there There is an over supply of books and not enough demand for them Content and Platform rule This is a Pity Party Free Zone Let’s Sell some Books!

6. OVERVIEW Marketing in the “New Publishing Climate” means many things. Greater access to specific communities of readers results in more strategic and effective marketing. A few words of caution : Don’t abandon other means of marketing for an all-online strategy.

8. FOCUS ON YOUR COMMUNITY Physical and Online Communities Identify relevant communities and get active Where are your competitors? Know your target audiences. Start by be strategic so you can adjust your approach as needed based on feedback.

10. FOCUS ON YOUR COMMUNITY Book Clubs Book clubs target groups of avid readers. (strong word-of-mouth potential) Create a reader’s guide with discussion questions. Package the guide within the book itself. Or promote it separately to reading groups. A good resource: www.bookmovement.com

11. FOCUS ON YOUR COMMUNITY Targeted Blog Outreach Sites like www.Technorati.com provide metrics on blog readership (approach your outreach strategically!) Bloggers want a conversation, not a pitch, (so do your homework on their content and personalize your approach!)

12. FOCUS ON YOUR COMMUNITY Awards Awards build credibility within your community. In addition to awards for the book, also consider awards for you THE EXPERT to build your author platform and credibility. Good resource for finding award opportunities: www.awardsync.com

13. APPEARANCES WITH VALUE When Book Signings ARE Okay Sitting at a table, autographing books, does not work. Think of ways to share value with your audience. Sign & sell your books after. (THIS DOESN’T HAVE TO BE IN A BOOKSTORE!)

14. APPEARANCES WITH VALUE Don’t Forget Libraries! Libraries are often very receptive to author signings. Libraries are also more likely to promote the event at no cost to you and leave your display materials up for a longer time before and after the event.

17. APPEARANCES WITH VALUE Speaking Research speaking opportunities through your community, association, and organization relationships. Also consider tools like Event Search on LinkedIn. Start with Toastmasters or the National Speakers Association (NSA).

18. REVIEWS Critical for Some Sales For certain sales channels (libraries in particular), reviews are critical for sales. Book buyers face an increasing oversupply of published books, and they are looking for ways to differentiate and choose the best titles for their audience.

20. REVIEWS Mind Your Timelines Most review publications require long lead-times, often 4-6 months . Do your homework on major reviewer requirements, regarding both timeline and required materials .

21. REVIEWS Testimonials or “Blurbs” Third-party endorsements, also called “testimonials” or “blurbs,” can also be effective to influence retailers and consumers. Consider your target audience(s) and aim for a group of endorsements that speak to each. These are often written by the author and sent for “ approval” by the expert

22. REVIEWS Convert Fan E-Mails to Amazon Reviews When readers e-mail you with words of praise: Respond with thanks. Ask them to help support you by sharing their feedback as a reader review on Amazon.com. Reader reviews and ratings factor into the Amazon visibility algorithm. Template your responses and provide a direct link to your Amazon page .

24. BUILD EXPERT PLATFORM First, Refine Your Elevator Pitch Be able to confidently deliver your elevator pitch in 10 seconds. It should include: Who you are. What you do. Why you’re different. How you can provide value, and to whom.

27. BUILD EXPERT PLATFORM Repurpose Your Content Post your work in article databases ( www.ezinearticles.com , etc.). Turn articles into press releases (tie to calendar events via www.chases.com ). Use segments of writing to answer questions on professional networks. (like LinkedIn) Use it to answer PR queries ( www.HARO.com , www.Prleads.com ).

28. MAXIMIZE DIGITAL OPPORTUNITIES Digital Portfolio You want your content to be easy to find online. Create a destination of information on your website for all of your content to live. At a minimum, build and maintain a press room.

30. MAXIMIZE DIGITAL OPPORTUNITIES Newsletters & RSS Feeds Capture and stay in front of your direct audience by offering newsletter and RSS feed opt-in signups on your site.

31. MAXIMIZE DIGITAL OPPORTUNITIES Blog Update your blog at least twice a week. In a perfect world, “chunk” content on the front end to make digital media more manageable. For example, we perform content chunking during the editorial process to identify and pull out 50 standalone tweets and 15-20 blog posts/articles directly from the manuscript.

32. MAXIMIZE DIGITAL OPPORTUNITIES Post Outside Your Own Blog Commenting on the blogs of other prominent experts in your space is a great way to get in front of your target audience. Don’t sell. Give value. Don’t be afraid to debate and defend .

33. book signings be damned Five Strategies for Effective Book Marketing in the New Publishing Climate NCPA (Northern California Publishers & Authors) Conference 2010 Clint Greenleaf - Chairman & CEO - Greenleaf Book Group