There are many book titles that you see on the shelves of bookstores and in libraries. They may have some of the best information, or tell the best stories that have ever been written. However, if the author was not published by a well known publisher it’s time learn the book publicity and book promotion skills that you will need to create success for your book.

Hopefully, you chose a topic that has mass appeal. If you did, then there are numerous methods to employ to get you the exposure you need to start selling books. You will need to use the same creativity that was used in composing your book, to market it and to get publicity, so people can find it. Your most effective method will be to do some guerrilla marketing and take it to the streets, yourself. This may sound a little scary, but if done correctly, you will be amazed at the results.

Listen to the radio in your local market. You will likely find at least one station that has some talk show host that discusses similar topics as what you have written about. In every case, these hosts are always interested in having entertaining guests on their shows. It helps them develop a larger audience and you will get some good exposure. They are easy to contact and if you are local and have a good story to tell, they will love having you on their program.

Depending on the topic, there will likely be a local radio station that covers a similar topic. They are always looking for interesting guests and topics that may make their listeners more interested. Listen to your local stations and find someone that is normally discussing a topic at least somewhat similar to what you written. Give them a call or send them an email with a biography of you and the book. You will likely hear back from them and you may be on your way. If the topic is more mainstream, use the same process to your local television stations. Again, with the plethora of local programming, you may be able to get a slot on a local morning show or again, a show discussing similar topics.

Head down to your local bookstore. Everyone likes to sponsor an event. A book signing falls into this category. In some cases they may let you have a short discussion group explaining the topic and then have the opportunity to sign and sell some copies. It is possible that they will let you put up some posters and advertise your upcoming visit, so be sure to plan ahead. The idea of having a local author is usually good press, so you should contact all of the local newspapers as well.

There are so many local radio shows that likely will have a potential slot for you, especially if their show covers any topics discussed in your book. They are easy to contact and are always interested in entertaining guests, as a way to gather more of the listening audience. Every television station and newspaper is looking for great local stories. Contact them, explain the who, what, when, where, why and how’s of your composition and you may find yourself sitting on the stage with a local television celebrity.

All of these ideas necessitate you having a personality! The more of you that you can show in your interviews, personal meetings and book signings, the more people will relate to you and your book. If you do not think that you are capable of handling these ideas, knowing that if they work in one city they will do the same in others, you can revert to a more passive marketing approach. The Internet is the largest marketing opportunity on the planet. However, by creating a blog or launching a website can be costly and time consuming. This is not to say that this is a bad thing to do, but even if you create a wonderful site, but you do not know how to market it, you and your book will likely spend eternity in cyberspace with very few sales.

Other than the Internet, this type of marketing requires you to be personable, professional and prepared. The quality of your book will be perceived by how you present it to the world. So take as much time as you need to get ready for your next and most important task, because if you do not market your book well, no one will likely buy it and your time and efforts will have been wasted. But, if you can convey the real meanings of the book and the potential impact it will have on people, personal contact will go a long way in getting the exposure that you want.

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