Marketing from square one

So yesterday, I announced that plans are in motions for the release of book two in the Acceptance series, Rite of Revelation. Street Team applications are open and I'm firing up the marketing machine to make this a reality. I also mentioned that my marketing strategy for this book is going to be a bit different.

And that may have some of you asking why. After all, I've talked a lot about my marketing efforts for Rite of Rejection and those efforts certainly helped the book exceed all of my expectation and then some. That right there would be enough for most to pull a rinse and repeat on my marketing plan. If it worked once, shouldn't it work again.

Well, probably not.

Here's the deal. Every book is different, so every marketing plan should be different, too. Even though this is a sequel, it's not the same book.

There are two huge reasons why I'm planning to market from square one with this book.

First...
Even though it's only been a year, the market is different today that it was last year. Readers are different. New books released to the wild that weren't available last year. And each of those releases has had an impact on reader perceptions and expectations.

So if my readers are different people, doesn't it make sense that marketing to them can't be the same old.

For example, a year ago book trailers were still this untapped idea that a few people did really well, most did horribly and no one really paid attention to either of them. But people are really starting to figure these things out now, and readers are sitting up and taking notice. Where investing time and money into a book trailer last year would have been a complete waste, this year, it's something at least worth looking into.

Just like how the world of publishing can change on a dime, marketing strategies need to be adapted over time in order to meet and exceed reader expectations.

Second...
This is the second book in a series where the first book really does need to be read first. So my marketing efforts need to be two-pronged. I want to bring back readers of book one and bring in new readers that will need to go back and read the first book.

Ideally, I want to re-engage existing readers by tempting them with content that makes them want to jump back into this story. I don't live in a fantasy world where all my readers have been sitting in a corner clutching their empty Kindles, just waiting on book two to release. Heck no, my readers have been off devouring a million other amazing stories. And that's great. Part of my marketing actions will be targeted at reminding them why they enjoyed book one so they will come back for more.

But as I go about reeling existing readers back in, I want to find new readers who haven't taken a chance on Rite of Rejection yet. I want to give them a reason to go back to the beginning and join the rest of us on this reader journey. My marketing efforts will need to be book two focused while also giving a nod to book one so new readers are intrigued by the whole series.


The only part of my original marketing plan that will stay the same is the amount of dedication I'll need to invest to make both books successful. There will be no phoning it in or resting on laurels. I'll probably end up working even harder this time around, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Just like last time, I plan to keep the blog updated with my marketing efforts and outcomes. I hope to be as transparent about the whole process as I can be, because when we share what we know with each other, the entire community benefits. So please feel free to ask me any questions, then buckle up and let's go.