Yesterday we started a new series of posts on the subject of pre-publishing activities for authors, especially first-time authors. Over the years I’ve learned the hard way that you don’t want to rush your self-publishing efforts, and the truth is that the more deliberate and thoughtful your approach to self-publishing, the more successful the outcome. That experience has prompted the creation of these documents and questionnaires for my authors, which I’m now sharing with you.

Yesterday’s topics were mostly about your publishing goals and experience. Today’s questions will help you establish a baseline for your marketing activities.

1. On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being extremely knowledgeable, how would you rate your current expertise level in online marketing? Are you familiar with and do you use online social marketing tools such as Facebook, Twitter, or blogs? Are you involved in guest blogging or expert (Q&A) forums? Have you ever been involved in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or online advertising activities?
2. Based on Question 1, how would you rate your current online visibility in your primary market segment, on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being extremely visible? In what areas are you most visible—blogs, other books, articles, business/professional success, online search engines, blogs, social networks, or other specific sites?
3. How would you rate your current expertise level in being able to market and promote your new book “offline”? Do you have an established network of media or agency contacts? Are you a member of any groups, organizations, or conferences that are relevant to your book and your market? Do you feel qualified to create your own printed marketing materials? Have you ever been involved in direct mail campaigns?
4. Based on Question 3, how would you rate your current “offline” visibility in your primary market segment, on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being extremely visible? In what areas are you most visible—association or group leadership, public speaking, TV/radio exposure, etc?
5. If your expertise and visibility in the above areas needs to improve, have you thought about any specific ideas or plans that pertain to marketing your book, either online or offline? Do you currently have any specific ideas about utilizing existing contacts (or email addresses), business clients, family members, social networking sites, group associations, or endorsements to help you market your book? Have you made any decisions in regards to developing your own website, conducting a blog tour, planning a book launch/book signing, or obtaining a celebrity endorsement? Please list all ideas that you have plans that you’ve already made.

Now that we’ve established your initial goals and established a marketing foundation, let’s briefly cover any publishing deadlines and future publishing plans.

1. What are your initial thoughts regarding the timing of your book’s publication? Is it coinciding with any specific event—conferences, political elections, sports seasons/games, academic schedules, etc? Please be specific, and include any specific publishing deadlines that exist.
2. If there are no specific events or deadline requirements related to the timing of your book’s publication, what are your time-to-market expectations– 6 months, 3 months, 1 month, yesterday(!)?
3. As things stand now, what are your thoughts concerning additional versions of this book, or a future book? Please be specific about updated editions or volumes, other binding types or trim sizes, digital ebook versions, or complementary books (workbooks, user guides) that you’ve considered. Are your ideas based on any specific marketing data (coil binding suitable for workbooks, ebook-centric audiences, etc)? Alternatively, please describe any plans for publishing a new book in a different genre.

There you go. Some might consider this to be a good deal of busy-work, but I’ve found that it can work wonders in getting your self-publishing efforts off to a good start. You might want to try it.

My next post will focus on manuscript preparation for self-publishing. Some of those questions might actually surprise you!

As you know, feedback is always appreciated. Until next time–keep publishing!

Henry Hutton (PublishingGuy)
PublishandSell.com
PublishingNewsUpdate.com
hhutton@publishandsell.com
Find me on Facebook
Connect on LinkedIn