Seth Godin has a great post on The NY Times Bestseller List. In a time where every advantage is looked for in marketing a book, it only makes sense to want what the Times has. The fuel (press, conversation, scale, etc.) is pretty powerful. However, I wouldn’t go looking for it…unless you’re Malcom Gladwell or Colin Powell.
My book, Waking Up In Corporate America is scheduled to be released in mid-December. The strategy I will pursue is to not think about bestseller lists (the odds say this is wise). But to do all I can to make the ideas contained in the book contagious. The following are some processes I’ve embraced in marketing the book:
- Expression deepens impression. As I speak, my soul soaks in more of what I’ve written in the book. This is important as I articulate to the right outlets/portals what "Waking Up" is all about.
- Leverage relationships first-person and deeper that want to help me. I’ve never been successful without the help of others.
- Think big, but remember I can’t fly.
- Be different in how I position the book. I’m not going to Oprah or the local paper the way that everybody else has. I’ve got nothing to lose, so why not be different.
- I will ask ask my "fans" to buy, read and tell 4 other people about the book.
- Don’t seek fame, fortune, power and the like. The world doesn’t need another set of elbows at the table.
- Get going on book #2. I’ll spend a lot of time on the first one, but I need to remember that its a crowded avenue out there and I only have a limited window to work with. This is a great move for increasing urgency.
The list above is limited and I hope I’ll learn some new tactics along the way. For example, I found Twitter today.