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Health & Fitness

Book marketing tip: Keep track of your successes!

Writing AND publishing a book is something most people only dream of doing, so celebrate your successes as they come..

In a previous post, I emphasized the importance of writing down your ideas quickly so you won’t forget them. Today, I strongly suggest you also write down something else: your successes. Marketing a book isn’t easy, especially if you are independently published, but if you work hard at it, eventually you’re going to experience some cool things. You may speak at a local library or bookstore, or maybe you’ll be interviewed by a radio station. Perhaps your local newspaper will even do a feature story on you!

It’s important to keep track of these achievements, not just for your own self-esteem, but so you can put them in your bio. That way, over time, marketing your book will become easier because people will see where else you’ve spoken and who else has interviewed you. You’ll have credibility, and that opens doors to additional opportunities to get the word out about your book.

You might not think that speaking at your neighborhood library or being interviewed by your college’s alumni magazine is a big deal, especially if your dream is to be sitting in a chair next to Ellen DeGeneres or Matt Lauer. But believe me, it is a big deal. Most people spend their entire lives without being interviewed by anyone in the media, much less speaking in public about their own book. Don’t forget that!

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Writing AND publishing a book is something the vast majority of people out there only dream of doing. So celebrate your successes as they come, and proudly add them to your author bio. Soon you might be surprised at how impressive you sound.

-Maria

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Palo Alto native Maria Murnane is the best-selling author of the romantic comedies Perfect on Paper, It's a Waverly Life, and Honey on Your Mind. She also provides consulting services on book publishing and marketing. Learn more at www.mariamurnane.com.

This blog post originally appeared on CreateSpace.com. Reprinted with permission. © 2012 CreateSpace, a DBA of On-Demand Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.

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