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Writer's Voice! - August 4, 2015

8/4/2015

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To Market ~ To Market!

Opal Mae Dailey
Editor-in-Chief

"The noble man (woman) makes noble plans and by noble deeds he (she) stands." Isaiah. 32:8 NIV          

Your marketing should start even before you start writing your book. The number one mistake authors make is not deciding who their audience is. Only an amateur says, "Everyone." Right from the start you need to determine the age bracket, sex, educational level, and culture of your target audience. Knowing these things will help you focus your writing to meet the needs of your reader.

"As soon as your book comes off the press, it makes no difference who published it. If you want to make money from it, you will have to market it." John Fuhrman

  • Stir up the gifts within you - II Timothy 1:6
  • Parable of the Talents - Matthew 25: 14-30
  • Some sow, some water but it is the Lord that gives the increase. I Corinthians 3:6
The Holy Bible is the greatest business manual ever written. Open your Bible to check out the principles in the above scriptures. What excitement you will experience as you weave the Word of God into your plans.

Developing Your Plan

" A professional must develop a plan and work the plan."
Opal Mae Dailey

Now that you have zeroed in on your target audience it's time to start putting some of these great ideas into practice. You will need the following:
  • Mission Statement - both personal and business
  • Logo
  • Brand
  • Platform
Mission Statement
A business' Mission Statement is the single most important tool to direct you into position to do business. It is your guiding light. You also need a personal Mission Statement that will cover your life no matter where you go.

Your Mission Statement will give you insight on how to develop your Logo and your Brand. Those two will direct you to know what you need to put your Brand out in Marketplace in order to market your product (books).

Logo vs Brand
The difference between a Logo and a Brand is like the two sides of a coin: related but different. Your Logo is a graphic to help the public recognize something that belongs to you--your business. On the other hand, your Brand is everything people understand about you and your business: your reputation, your quality, your reliability, etc. People will see your Logo and the many aspects of your products and instantly know what it represents. Your Brand will keep people coming back for more.

It's all about knowing you and becoming familiar with what you and your business represent. This familiarity will develop trust and longevity for your business, which are precious commodities in today's business world.
 
Platform
A Platform is where and how you will continually present yourself to the world. Especially for writers, an effective platform is essential to successfully market your book. Through book signings, speaking engagements, and other public appearances and events, your Platform will present you and your book to your reading audience. Developing your message through an effective Platform will put you on the road to successful marketing.

In future articles we hope to develop these ideas further to help you to market your next best seller!

Until next month, "Enter into the joy of the Lord and that peace that surpasses all understanding."  Philippians 4:7

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    Writer's Voice!

    This is the blog of the  Christian Writers Guild of Santa Barbara. We hope you enjoy these timely articles about Christian writing and writers. Please let us know how these articles have helped you in your life as a writer for Christ.

    If you would like to contribute material or help in the production of Writer's Voice! please contact our editor-in-chief, Rev. Dr. Opal Mae Dailey. You can also leave us a note by making a comment to this blog.

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