Market Your Manuscript

Until your last sentence is edited and you've put down your manuscript, you shouldn't concern yourself with marketing a book. Daydreaming about release parties and appearing on Oprah are nice, but they do little to keep your project on track. However, as we're going to discuss how to market your manuscript, we'll start from the presumption that it's ready to go.

Market Your Manuscript

For those authors who sign with a small publishing house as well as those who decide to publish on their own, the process to market a manuscript is the same. There are steps to be taken, though not necessarily in the same order, that encourage your book project to reach an intended audience. Small publishing houses rarely extend a comprehensive marketing plan when signing authors. There may well be some material that gets your manuscript mentioned, such as a publishing catalogue or web page. Even with the big houses, you will still need to do some marketing on your own.

In order to get things moving, your first step will be to discuss with your publisher your own marketing plan. They may have some things lined up, and working with them ensures you won't be doubling efforts. This might include press releases to local newspapers, publishing magazines and the like. Make yourself a list, with calendar references, of their plans and use them to support your own efforts to market your manuscript.


How To Market Your Manuscript

Working methodically and with the same energy you used to write your book is key to finding success in the sea of literary sales. To market your manuscript, use the following methods to achieve your goal. The order is irrelevant, but including each in critical.

• Elevator Pitch - You never know when you will cross paths with someone who wants to pick up your book, so develop a solid elevator pitch to assist. This is a well-written, memorized synopsis that you can comfortably relay to a listener in the span of an elevator ride. Include a hook that interests a listener as well as the critical details of your plot points. You're not telling them about the entire project, but just enough to spark their interest. Limit this to 30 seconds.
• Social Media- This should be obvious to anyone with any sort of marketing inclination. Build an audience with social media accounts dedicated to your writing. However, this should be stressed, this social media campaign is not about you. It is about your book. To market your manuscript, build dedicated social media pages that only focus on this project. If you have follow-up manuscripts, use your existing ones to garner the interest of your existing followers.
• Outside Your Comfort Zone- Here's where your creativity truly comes in to play. Consider calling bookstores, radio stations, newspaper and libraries to share your manuscript and look for reasons they would benefit from speaking with you. Here, marketing yourself is as important as how you market your manuscript. Look for low hanging apples, such as your local library. Let them know you would love to come in and speak with budding writers in a workshop environment, or perhaps your manuscript is significant for the area because it draws from local places and characters. If you spend a little time figuring out what makes you special, you will have an easier time booking appearances. It's even easier if you have someone representing you that knows how to pitch your project and give a third party perspective. If you state how wonderful your work is it doesn't carry as much weight as a hired professional. 
• Contract Help - There's quite a lot of work that goes in to promoting your work, and if done properly, it can be overwhelming. In this case, determine a budget where you can contract some assistance to market you manuscript. Boutique agencies such as Spotlight Publicity can design a marketing package that fits your needs without adding on a lot of minor contract points that you don't need.  

Market A Manuscript For Success

The amount of effort you put into publicizing your book equates to how successful your campaign will be. If the extent of your efforts to market your manuscript include a Facebook page where you post once a month and blindly sending out query letters to publishing houses, you won't get very far.  In fact, it is a wise option to treat this publicity campaign as a second job. Dedicate scheduled time to research bookstores, reading groups, radio programs and whatever else you come up with to share your project. Write carefully crafted query letters to agents. Be methodical and precise, but also show them how you are unique to your audience.

Your success is up to you. If your manuscript is well written and edited, you will find your audience. All it takes is the persistence to help it along. If you are looking for more help, contact Spotlight Publicity for your free consultation.