It’s one thing to write a a course in miracles, but an entirely different thing to write one that’s saleable, viable, and marketable. With careful planning you can market, promote, and get (free) publicity (publicity is always free) on a limited budget; you can take the cheap and easy way. Assuming you’re a self publisher or book publisher and you’ve already published your book, you need to immediately implement a strong, no-holds barred, book marketing and promotion strategy to sell your books fast.

Don’t underestimate the value of a good press release for making book sales. Press releases can generate thousands of dollars in sales when picked up by national trade or print media. Invest in press release submitting software and set aside time every week to send out a press release online to the press directories.

Make sure your press release spells out the ‘who, what, where, when, and why.’ Send out at least 10 press releases to the print and broadcast media in your area every month. Using press releases can be a very effective marketing tool if used properly.

Using press releases for marketing or promoting your book or book’s website has become increasingly popular as publishers discover the powerful benefits of using press releases. Send out the same press release to the editor of your local daily newspaper every week until you are called for an interview or are written up.

I’ve not found that book signings sell many books for publishers and are often a waste of time; better to spend it elsewhere. Find a non-exclusive distributor with a good reputation to carry your book for the book store trade, as well as for other retailers. Women buy more books then men; see how you can fit your book into the womens’ market.

I’ve seen publishers lose a lot of money paying for expensive display ads, so beware if you do this; I don’t advise it in the beginning — get your feet wet first so you know what you’re doing. Print and online publications provide longevity to your marketing campaign in terms of having something tangible for people to reference ongoing. Make sure not to overlook the Internet; get yourself interviewed or profiled for sites both about writing, publishing and about the topics covered in your book.

It’s important to publish a website that focuses on your title; you’ll be able to refer editors and customers and all interested parties to your book information with the click of a mouse. Create an online contest and list it in online contest directories to drive traffic to your website. Contact any companies, corporations or organizations that might use your book for promotions; offer significant discounts for volume orders or for thousands of copies offer a specified amount above book production costs.

Local radio shows and television appearances are good but are often forgotten within hours of the broadcast; make sure to make or get a copy of any television broadcast for future promotions. You can give away your book in a raffle at a local function to get more book recognition. Get as many testimonials about your book, as possible, from experts in the field relating to your title, not customers; use on your fliers and back of books.

If your book fits a specialty market, find a store that fits the genre and offer to leave books on consignment; many publishers have sold thousands of books this way. Your sales letter or flier should include an eye-grabbing headline, the benefits to the buyer, the book features, book sales information and testimonials.

Every day it’s important to focus on a variety of marketing approaches. When you get a nice write up or feature about you and/or your book, have it laminated and set it up on an easel at trade shows.

Make sure to test, test, and test some more before you lay out large sums of money. Use your book promotion and book marketing dollars wisely; go after the free and cheap resources daily. One of the biggest problems self publishers and book publishers tell me about is the hundreds of books they have in inventory they haven’t set up a marketing plan for; don’t let this happen to you — get prepared now.