Why You Should Tackle Marketing First

“So . . . where should I start?"

When an entrepreneur or expert or just a creative has a book idea, their instinct typically is to sit down and start writing.

But that's not what you should do.

If you're surprised I say that, you're not alone. Most people assume that writing and editorial is the hardest and most important part of any book.

Most people aren't in publishing, though, or successful authors (yet).

Creating editorial content, though important, isn't what you should do first when it comes to writing a book. Marketing is - at least for nonfiction books.

You might be surprised to hear this from someone like me, who bills herself as a ghostWRITER and collaborator, not a marketing guru.

But the truth is that most nonfiction authors will only get a book published (traditionally) if agents and editors think people will buy it.

That’s why I start by examining the business side of the book deal with my clients.

And you should too.

Examining how your business exists today — and what kind of platform that creates for you as an author — is crucial.

You could have the most well-written book proposal in the world with fresh ideas and a killer concept.

But if your website is janky and you don’t have an audience, agents will tell you no.

In fact, most agents would tell you to go fix your website, build an audience and maybe circle back to see if they’re still interested when you’ve got a fancy site and thousands of email followers. And even that would only happen if you had a truly awesome idea.

That’s why sometimes, with authors that need help building their platform or updating their digital presence, I start with making sure their marketing is on point or at least on its way.

Because we need to leverage those assets in order to create the best proposal we can.

And, like investing, the best time to start marketing was yesterday.

It’s to your advantage to prioritize marketing so time is on your side.

So, in this week of resolutions and a new freaking decade, it's the perfect time to develop a plan for how you're going to market yourself, your message, and ultimately your book.

Think about it this way.

When do you typically hear about a new book?

After watching a TED Talk?

Or when a friend gushes about it?

Or by popping into a local bookstore and seeing a cool cover that intrigues us or reading a complimentary quote from another author?

In all those situations, we’re experiencing the marketing well before the editorial.

Agents and publishers have a similar experience. They know that marketing is what sells customers and therefore, it’s often what sells them too.

The read, unfortunately, often matters less.

Don’t get me wrong — the read still matters, and likely always will.

But marketing is the first thing a customer notices, whether that customer is a literary agent, an editor at a publishing house or a reader.

That’s why your marketing — including your overall brand and online presence - needs to be on point first, before digging into the editorial. And just like an investment, it’ll grow while you do other things. But you gotta put the money in today to cash dividends tomorrow.