Author Thought Leadership

In Part 1 of this series, I described some of the ways you can use published books as the starting points for new online and offline marketing efforts.

In Part 2, I’d like to provide a few more marketing suggestions, plus, add some additional marketing and profit-generating ideas

8. Articles. One of the easiest ways to create content for marketing your book is to condense each chapter into a short article, and submit them as a series of articles at online article distribution sites like www.ezinearticles.com or www.suite101.com. Not only will these articles attract favorable search engine traffic, but they may be picked-up and reprinted as blog posts or newsletter articles by others writing about your topic.

9.  Case studies. After your book appears, encourage readers to share their experiences applying your ides. You can invite readers to submit their experiences as blog posts, comments on your blog, or a form added to your website. You can also use social media like www.haro.com (Help a Reporter Out) or Twitter to solicit case studies for learning more about how your market solves overcomes problems–or fails to adequately address them.

10. Discussion guides. Prepare downloadable questions and topics for discussion leaders based on your book. Make them available for teachers, seminar leaders, and reader groups. The availability of a discussion guide can mean the difference experts in your field promoting your book, or choosing someone else’s book for their next meeting.

11.  E-courses and online training. Convert your book into a self-study course delivered by autoresponder at weekly intervals. Your book would be the core “text” for the program, although, Participating students, of course, would bea “recommended” or  “required” reading. You could, however, bundle the cost of the book in with the tuition. There are numerous we sites, like www.basecamp.com, which you can use to distribute each lesson and process assignments and attendee e-mail.

12. Certification programs. Create a “train the trainer” certification program based on the ides, or “system,” based on your book. Certification programs establish standards and build recurring profits by allowing others to resell and apply your ideas throughout the world in their local areas. Certification programs frequently involve testing, on-going training, worksheets, and yearly re-certification.

Bonus

Expand the most popular or commented-upon chapter into your next project. Your next project can be a self-published special reports or next year’s published book.

Jay Conrad Levinson’s Guerrilla Marketing books provide an excellent example of leveraging a first book into a profitable book series. Jay’s original title has been accompanied by over 100 other Guerrilla Marketing titles, including Guerrrilla Marketing in 30 Days; titles for specific occupations, i.e., Guerrilla Marketing for Financial Consultants, and Guerrilla Marketing for specific marketing tools, Guerrilla Marketing for Market Media.

Conclusion

The publication of your first book marks the starting point, not the conclusion, of your journey to publication success.

With a published book providing a tangible expression of your expertise, you should immediately begin building on your title, harvesting it for content for expanded marketing as well as exploring ways to convert it to greater profits. using it as the first step to greater profits.

About the author

Roger C. Parker invites you to sign-up for his Writer’s Daily Tip Blog. His latest book is #Book Title Tweet: 140 Bite-Sized Ideas for Compelling Article, Book, and Event Titles.