Mistakes Authors Make in Web Internet Marketing
How to Avoid Costly Mistakes in Online Marketing Promotion
Mar 1, 2009
While Internet marketing promotion can help authors showcase their expertise, books and services to a larger customer base, newcomers to online marketing promotion can also often make costly mistakes that drain their bank accounts.
For over 10 years, literary publicist Penny Sansevieri has provided Internet marketing help and designed online marketing campaigns for many self-published and small press writers through her book publicity firm Author Marketing Experts, Inc. In an interview given on January 28, 2009, she provided useful warnings to those seeking to use online marketing promotion. The following is an edited version of her responses.
Suite 101: Have any of your author clients attempted to use web internet marketing to promote their books on their own prior to working with you?
Sansevieri: We’ve actually had authors who have self-published their books without any assistance – and $30,000 later they’ve made a ton of very expensive mistakes. And you really want to have somebody – whether it’s us or somebody else – consult with you and tell you what you should do. You want to be very careful because there are so many options out there and you don’t know which one is right for you.
Suite 101: What are the biggest mistakes authors make when creating getting into online marketing promotion?
Sansevieri: I think one of the biggest mistakes an author makes is that they want to go too big too fast. I understand the dream to sell 100,000 copies of a book – I understand the lure of Oprah – but the reality is many authors will spend thousands of dollars going after these goals when there are opportunities for them in their own backyard.
Suite 101: What sort of offers should an author be wary of?
Sansevieri: Lots of people try to make authors lofty guarantees like, “We’re going to get you on television.” Nobody can guarantee that, especially in this market. “We guarantee that we’re going to sell hundreds of thousands of copies of your book.” Run for the hills. Nobody can guarantee book sales. Ever.
I think the biggest mistake authors can make is not asking the right questions. When you get a flyer or email making these outrageous guarantees and think, “This is the big ticket. This is the only thing I need” – you need to step away from that and ask people what the reality is. There’s no such thing as a stupid question in publishing. Because one question can save you thousands of dollars.
Read more useful tips from Penny Sansevieri at Authors Build Careers by Promoting Books Online, Internet Marketing Book Promotion, and How to Effectively Promote Your Website.
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