3 Ways I Would Market My Friend's Book about Parenting

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I get calls from people asking me how to market things.  Here is info I shared during a somewhat recent call.

There are a lot of people who need help with parenting, and there are a lot of books giving parenting advice and guidance.  Why can't they seem to find each other?

This person wrote a book about bullying, which is a big problem in many phases of our lives.  However, this person was focusing on a series of books that addressed children being bullied by other children.

It's never fun, but it happens.  It's one of the not-so-fun parts of growing up.  Our children need our help through this, but many of us never really learned how to deal with it.  We just simply outgrew our need to spend time around these bullies.

There is a market for books that help parents figure ways to deal with bullying amongst children.

Here were my first suggestions to her.

1. Find Speaking Opportunities to Present Yourself as a Topic Expert

Yes, you can look for opportunities to talk about your book, but I think that could be a mistake.

There are a lot more people interested in selling than buying.  Most people are not all that interested in buying your book, especially if they do not know you.

However, people are always looking for answers to their problems.

Therefore, I suggested that she look for as many speaking opportunities, where she could position herself as the expert on how to deal with bullies.  She could give tips and answer questions.

People would see her as the expert, and she just happens to have a book that addresses your problems.  Your child is being bullied, and you have no idea how to handle it.  Now, we have this book by this expert on this topic (of bullying).

Your book just happens to provide that answer...from someone they saw as an expert.

Where could you find places to talk?

• Libraries
• School Groups (even the PTA/PTO)
• Churches/Synagogues/Mosques/etc.
• Radio Shows (Local if not national, maybe even just a web radio show)
• Local TV Shows (even the City's Cable Station)

Be the expert wherever you can as often as you can.  Don't focus on selling.  Focus on being the expert, who just happens to have the solution, bound within a convenient little book.

NOTE ABOUT RADIO SPOTS: You might be able to find radio spots that discuss parenting or teen issues.  These show hosts are just as eager to find knowledgeable people to fill their spots as you are to get on them.

2. Write Press Releases--Lots of Them!

I would try to find as many opportunities to talk about bullying to groups that would benefit from it.  Then I would write and submit press releases.

I would not stop there, though.

Here are other reasons I would write press releases:

• Upcoming Talks
• New Blog Posts
• New Website (or Website Revisions)
• Author/Writers Events
• Attending Workshops (even as a student)
• Sharing Tips (about my topic)

I would submit these to local newspapers, and I would submit these press releases online, also.

NOTE: Online press releases provide opportunities to recruit people to attend your events, but press releases on the Internet tend to last longer than the newspaper, which most people discard after a week, if not after a day.

Press releases establish credibility, and they also serve as indirect advertisements about what you do...and what you are doing.

In the case of writing a book about any issue that involves parenting, I might even offer to write an article for the PTA/PTO newsletter, if there is one.

3. Network with Other Authors (and Ask Questions)

Many authors feel like they are part of a special fraternity, and they help each other.

Yes, some authors are extremely competitive, but most authors want to share

Go to local author day events.

Truthfully, those events usually only generate sales of 1 or possibly 2 books--from other authors attending--however, those are good networking events.  Sometimes, you will meet an author that knows how to market books really well.

At the very least, I would write a press release about my going to that event.  (Local author events are not front page news, but they make nice features within newspapers, especially community newspapers.)

It's a good idea to try helping other authors, too.  It's a nice thing to do, and you might learn something valuable in the process.

These are the first things I would do if I had to market a book on parenting.

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