Book Review – Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book by Tim Grahl
Author Tim Grahl knows what he’s talking about when it comes to book marketing. For more than a decade, he’s helped hundreds of authors market their books, many of which have become bestsellers. What Tim does that countless other authors of the dozens of book marketing books I’ve read don’t do is simplify the process. He shows new and seasoned authors a clear marketing path to success.
In this recently revised second edition, Tim uses the example of two authors, a compilation of those he’s worked with. One is a first-timer, the other more seasoned and we follow along on their marketing journeys.
The connection system
Having a system and using the right tools is Tim’s approach to book marketing, beginning with building a platform to build a fan base. His three-part system includes permission to stay in touch with people, content that lets people know you’re a good fit for them, and outreach which is how you let people know you exist.
Permission
The best permission tool is email, which Tim proves by statistics that show how it outperforms social media. What’s really helpful is he gives templates for the first three emails to send after you sign up a subscriber. He also gives clear directions on how to get people to sign up for your mailing list, which is often a challenge for most new authors.
Content
Tim discusses many ways we can create content, and his examples gave me so many new ideas. Repurposing content into a variety of formats is so smart since people learn in different ways: written, audio, or video. I love that he addresses the issue many authors fear: that giving away too much free content will diminish book sales. Tim says it’s the opposite: the free content attracts followers who are engaged with the content and want more, whatever the author has. That’s how authors build a fan base.
Outreach
This is the scary part for most new authors: asking for help and being willing to get a “no” or no response at all. Tim makes it easy to reach out to an author’s ideal reader (persona) as well as others who may be able to help authors promote their book. His comprehensive list of how to find your personas and influencers and templates of emails to send for contact make these tasks less frightening. I appreciate his tip about asking for referrals whether or not your request results in a positive or negative response.
Tim also provides a huge list on his website through a link in the book with many valuable resources. After reading Your First 1000 Copies, I felt I had a blueprint to build a fan base of avid readers who would buy my book, write great reviews, and tell others about it. All I had to do was follow Tim’s suggestions and I had a roadmap to success. I’ve already started the process by building my website and setting up my opt-in and email sequence. I can’t wait for my fabulous results.
If you get value from books like this, you will get value from my book.
Your Fabulous First Book and My Fabulous First Book have a similar audience: authors. However, I show new authors how to write a book to achieve their goals, and I have little about platform building and book marketing. My books are great complements to this book as they set new authors up to write a successful book; then they can read Tim’s book to learn how to get people to buy their book.