I recently read an incredible NONFICTION FEST article by Susan Holt Kralovansky, “Creating a Marketing Plan.” She details how with her first book, in the absence of the know-how to organize marketing and promotion, she “did what any clueless person would do – (she) jumped right in, shifting from one promotional activity to another.” That resonated with me because I felt the same way with the marketing and promotion of my book, STANLEY AND THE WILD WORDS..

She wasn’t going to make that mistake again so she made a file of EVERYTHING related to her second book:

I collected everything from comp titles to ideas for query letters, book
trailers and activity sheets, lesson plan ideas, and even ideas for
illustrations. This clutter necessitated my second Big Idea – a Book
Marketing Worksheet – which has been a lifesaver.

I’m sharing my worksheet to help you come up with your plan. I’ve used
my worksheets to work through everything from writing the book
proposal to organizing my marketing ideas.
        -From Creating a Marketing Plan by Susan Holt Kralovansky

Susan sharing her worksheet and her thought process did help me come up with my own plan. I think of my Book Marketing Worksheet as a repository of ideas and brainstorming to use as I write query letters, connect with organizations related to my book, plan events, create social media videos and posters, etc.

Having Susan’s Book Marketing Worksheet as a guide helped me think about important statistics connected with my book. Thinking about the social media section inspired me to list book-related podcasts on my worksheet. I really appreciate the expansive thinking that working on the Book Marketing Worksheet sparks. It was especially important to add a “Personal Connection” section because my query letters are so much stronger when I am able to explain why I am the best person to write a particular book. In the future, I would also like to add a “Market Analysis” section to show why a particular book has a good chance of being profitable.

I am sharing my Book Marketing Worksheet in the hopes that it will inspire you as much as Susan’s inspired me. As I work on my second book, with my Book Marketing Worksheet at my side, it has given me a feeling of control over the gamut of activities connected to marketing, a delight in the process of pondering myriad possibilities in an organized manner and a feeling of joy at the many unexpected connections and discoveries.

What do you think of the idea of a Book Marketing Worksheet?