Why You Should Use the Internet to Market Your Book

Judy Cullins wants to convince you to use the Internet to market your book because it is effective and can save you some big bucks. With 20 years of book coaching and 5 years of ether marketing in her cache’, Cullins makes some very convincing arguments. An uber busy person, Cullins gives 90 book writing/promotion seminars and teleclasses yearly. Artists and writers aren’t necessarily naturals at organization and pitching their words and that’s where Cullins steps in to whip the potential author into shape.

Having written 11 ebooks herself she advocates this easily accessible technology as a way for a writer to help build a platform. Her focus is on business people who make no bones about wanting to make some cash selling books. Cullins answered questions via email, including some about the struggle some writers have about turning their writing into a commercial enterprise. Even in her answers you’ll see her deft ability to promote, promote... promote.

Write and Publish Your Book: Lay your marketing philosophy on us.

Judy Cullins: After five years on the Internet, I've discovered marketing is far easier, cheaper, and takes far less time than traditional ways. I only wish more authors out there would get past their fear about this. Five years ago, I started writing articles because it was easy. These I submitted to ezines and top web sites to sell a lot of my 11 books in book writing, publishing and online and web marketing. After 6 months, my sales went from $200 to over 2500 a month. And now, much more.

WAPYB: Since some readers will be new to the marketing/public relations side of the book business—how best to combine these efforts? Work with the same person on both?

JC: Well, my BookCoaching clients learn from my book and the coaching how to put a saleable chapter together to answer the readers' questions and get benefits they want. Most people without guidance lecture and tell their readers what to do in non-fiction. Fiction chapters need a format to hook readers too. I teach how to make your book sell better with The Essential Nine Hot-Selling Points in my first book, Write your eBook or Other Short Book Fast. It's the author that chooses the style of marketing he/she prefers. For the traditional go to Dan Poynter and for the Internet check out a coach like me who is already successful with Internet marketing.

WAPYB: In your opinion, what is the most important part of marketing?

JC: On every teleclass, in every book I've written, I always repeat, "Be consistent." Put in three high level activities a day. For instance today, One. I wrote a short article. Two. I wrote a teleclass sales letter and sent to my groups. Three. I coached two clients. Four. I sunned myself in my patio and watched the birds. I love fun and easy.

WAPYB: Any advice to writers who are thinking about going the self-publishing route?

JC: In one half hour session you can get the pros and cons of the POD people (most don't make money for you), whether to write two books at the same time-one print and one eBook, and how to spend your book budget so you save $10,000 and more on mistakes.

WAPYB: What impact do you think Print on Demand publishing will have on the publishing industry in the next ten years?JC: While I like the author to use this printing method, I don't approve of most of the POD companies because of the way they’re set up, the author loses. I'm not alone on this thinking, but I know the authors don't realize they have options where they can make good money.WAPYB: What advice would you give a new author who's ready to publish his or her first book?

JC: Well, I hope they got coaching on the format, hooking the reader throughout, but most don't. So when you think you're ready to publish, you may not be. Check on my site to get free articles and lots of help on every aspect of book publishing.

WAPYB: What specific genres of books are selling best right now? Does this fluctuate or does it stay fairly consistent?

JC: Always self-help non-fiction. People want answers to their problems. I love fiction too, but it's a bit hard to locate its audience.

WAPYB: Your advice about writing a book is very marketing oriented... we are selling as we are writing... it seems like there might be backlash from some writers--i.e. would you tell a painter to only paint in red because it sells better? --where does the "art of writing" fit into your coaching, or does it?

JC: I love reading fiction too. And I love metaphors and allegories as much as the next person. I'm an avid reader of at least three books a week-mostly fiction. Yesterday, I read "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho. My niche or slant is toward businesses that want to brand themselves as the expert in their field. These people write non-fiction and want to make money as well as serve the world. Some clients write "artfully" naturally, and I really enjoy them. What my service offers is help for those who will market themselves, who really want to be successful. I'd feel I failed if my client didn't make money on the book.

Chapter Two in Write your eBook or Other Short Book shows fiction and non-fiction writers how to make their chapters more compelling-to make them easy to read and engage their readers. They come in all shapes and sizes. Writers willing to promote and market are my best clients, but they don't all do this. What I advise is to make your book a business if you want large audiences to read it.

WAPYB: How does a writer marry their passion for writing (the process) with worrying about its marketability (the result)? Most are taught to focus on the process--is this faulty thinking in your opinion?

JC: Passion is not enough. If you go to the trouble, spend even years on your masterpiece, and then don't get it into a format that people will read, then it's still a good expression exercise just for the writer, and he/she can just enjoy it for its own sake. But if you want your important, unique, original work to reach its audience, you have to market and promote it yourself. Sorry, but publishers, especially print-on-demand, just don't help the new author much. What I was taught in high school and even in five years as an English major with a Masters Degree would not sell today. People want a lot today. Long, flowery sentences in long books don't have a lot of appeal. In my 23 years as a book coach, writing over 35 books and coaching over 65 to self publish with my coaching, the only new authors who win are ones willing to learn marketing-especially Internet marketing.

WAPYB: Anything else?

JC: I want to encourage writers to go a step further and get a lot of information from good sources. Before they print too many books or make other expensive mistakes. Along with many other greats your readers may want to start with my two free monthly ezines going strong for five years.

About Judy Cullins

judycullins Judy Cullins, 20-year Book and Internet Marketing Coach works with small business people who want to make a difference in people's lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent life-long income. Judy is author of 11 eBooks including Write your eBook or Other Short Books Fast, Ten Non-Techie Ways to Market Your Book Online, The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Your Targeted Web Traffic, and Power Writing for Web Sites That Sell. She offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, "The BookCoach Says...," "Business Tip of the Month," at www.bookcoaching.com and over 216 free articles.