Lately, I’ve been seeing blog posts where writers are announcing that their book has just come out.  They then go on to give an excerpt as to what the book is about.  Whiel, this is okay, let’s not forget that some authors wait until after the book is done to announce it.  For some, this is too little, too late. 
Let’s review why:
When you wait until the very last minute to announce that you’ve written a book, you’ll find more chances than not that most people won’t care.  Plenty of people write books and plenty more are published each year.  The key is to market the book while you’re writing it.
How do you do that?
Tease your audience with Chapter excerpts, although I prefer the term-Chapter Previews. The last time I went to the movies, I spent 10 minutes watching previews, a few of those being movies that aren’t coming out until next year.  The preview was so good that I can’t wait until they come out.  The only problem? I need to keep coming to the movies to see the preview in order to remember those great movies. There’s no difference in book marketing.
In order for your book sales to do well, people have to remember you and be enticed by what you have to offer. You have to get your potential buyers to care, to follow, to remember, to need. If you wait until the last minute to do that, then you’ve waited too late. The truth is that when you tease people with your book, before the book comes out, they feel a bit special and honored and are more likely to buy your book because they’ve been made to feel like a part of the process. Waiting until after the book is published feels like a sales pitch, and nobody cares for a sales pitch.
Take a que from the movies industry and other famous authors. They don’t wait until the last minute to announce a new book. With online resources such as Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, Ning, Linkedin, Gather, etc., there is no reason to wait until the last minute to discuss your book. I mean you can, but just remember: Sometimes, it’s too little, too late!
Until tomorrow!
ZLS Publishing
www.zlspublishing.com