John Kremer consults in the areas of book marketing, book sales, book promotion, publicity, direct marketing, pricing, book titles, book covers, book marketing plans, book proposals, rights sales, and general planning for book publishers of all sizes as well as for individual authors. While most of John’s consulting is done over the phone, he also provides on-site consulting services.

Among other services, he provided the strategy that took Deepak Chopra from a vanity press author to being on the New York Times bestseller list eight times. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, authors of Chicken Soup for the Soul, credit John’s book, 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, as the guiding light for their rise to bestseller status.

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More than 6 out of every 10 books published fails to make the publisher enough to cover the author’s advance, and around 10% of books ever break even in the publishing process. Part of the reason for this problem is that publishing houses are usually reluctant to put too much money into promotion and marketing for first-time authors. In many ways, first-time authors are faced with a catch-22. Their book won’t sell because the publisher won’t market it, and the publisher won’t market it because it’s not selling.

Here are some specific things you can do to create your book marketing plan, no matter whether your book is being published by a publishing house or whether you’re self-publishing:

Know Your Target Audience

You need to be able to identify readily the type of person who would want to buy your book. You should be able to get a feel for your audience based on a number of factors, including things like age, socio-economic status, gender and geographical location. Being able to identify your audience lets you hone your marketing plan right in on them.

Make Your Book Available In Bookstores

If you’re self-publishing, no one is going to send your books to bookstores for you. Contact several booksellers in your area, and see if they’d be willing to put your book on the shelves. Many bookstores have a “local authors” section where you can have your book placed. Some stores will even be willing to put up a display (if you provide the display materials, of course).

Consider Non-Traditional Book Buyers

Retailers, catalogs, volume dealers and corporations may all be good markets for your book. For example, if you write a book on effective management techniques, you might be able to sell a large number of copies to certain larger corporations for use in their company.

Consider Non-Traditional Marketing Methods

The Internet, social media and other types of nontraditional marketing methods work. From setting up your own website to utilizing the power of sites like Facebook or Twitter, the Internet offers a great deal of marketing opportunities, many of which don’t cost much more than just your time.

Trust Word-of-Mouth

If your book is good, getting a few people to buy it can be all you need to do. They’ll tell their friends, who will tell theirs, and before you know it your book could be a best-seller. While word-of-mouth alone won’t put you at the top of the book charts, it is one way to increase your sales. Interact with your customers if you can, via your website or via book signings. They’re more likely to advocate for you if they feel a personal connection.