Writing Articles to Market Your Books

Edie here. I'm super excited about Linda's new book, I wanted to make sure you had a chance to pick up a copy. Articles, Articles, Articles has just released and it's absolutely full of the information writers need. 

Writing Articles to Market Your Books    
by Linda Gilden @LindaGilden

I meet a lot of people who are either writers or want to learn how to write. And the majority of them will quickly start telling me about book they are working on. I don’t recall anyone ever saying, “Let me tell you about this great article I am working on. I am so excited about it!”

But I, for one, love to write articles. 

Here are a few reasons to write articles, especially while you are working on your next bestseller.

1. Writing articles is a good way to establish yourself as an expert in a field. People read your articles and begin to associate your name with your subject. If you book is nonfiction, you will begin to build a tribe who will be anxious to buy your book when it comes out. If your book is fiction, you can write articles that have a tie-in to one of the subjects or issues in your novel.

For instance, if the heroine in your novel suffers from depression, you might write articles like “How to Recognize Depression in a Loved One,” “The Warning Signs of Depression,” or “Ways to Reach Out to Someone Suffering from Depression.” Not only will you have an article credit, you will build credibility with your readers. You didn’t just pick a subject out of the blue for your heroine, you know about the subject.

2. As you build your following as an article writer, you will build a base of potential book buyers. When your book comes out, buyers will be waiting.

3. The number of people you can reach with an article is many times the number you can reach with your website, your blog, or even a large speaking engagement. Many magazines have a circulation of over a million people. Most people pass their magazines to someone else 5-7 times. So if your bio states “Mary Stewart is the author of the soon-to-be-released book, Depression Doesn’t Have to Keep You Down, how many people has Mary just told about her new book? Could be millions.

4. New York Times best-selling author Seth Godin says, “Three years before the book is published—if you can—start building a network of supporters and reviewers.” Three years may seem like a long time but building a following takes time and if you start early it won’t seem like such a frenzy to gather potential book buyers.

5. Search for e-zines, blogs, and websites related to the subject of your book. Read them and determine which ones have audiences similar to the readership of your book. Contact the owner and offer to do a guest post.

6. Timing is important. Writing articles early in your book process is a good plan. Just remember to schedule a few key posts and articles immediately after your book is released. This will increase awareness and remind your readers it is time to go shopping. For example, with my book releasing soon called Articles, Articles, Articles. This blog is a good place to mention that because many of you are my target audience.  

Whatever you are currently working on, don’t miss the opportunity to make articles part of your marketing plan.

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Don't miss out on a valuable part of the marketing plan for your next book - @LindaGiden on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Linda Gilden is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She loves to take one subject and create multiple articles from that information. Linda finds great joy (and lots of writing material) in time spend with her family. Her favorite activity is floating in a pool with a good book surrounded by splashing children.

To find out more about Linda, her writing, and her ministry, visit www.LindaGilden.com. You can also connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.