• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • FaceBook
  • RSS Feed
  • Get Published
  • Book Proposals
  • Book Business
  • Writing Craft
    • Conferences
    • Copyright
    • Craft
    • Creativity
    • Grammar
  • Fun Fridays
Home » Marketing » Page 4

Marketing

We Need More Reader Segments

By Dan Balowon August 22, 2017
Share
Tweet
18

In the bookselling world, books are categorized with a coding system developed by a collaborative industry organization called the Book Industry Study Group (BISG). They own and manage the BISAC codes, an acronym for “Book Industry Standards and Communications.”

No matter how you are published, you will be required to categorize your book in one of the fifty-two primary categories, then by second and often third tier groupings.

There are a surprising number of combinations.  Thousands.

And to make it more complicated, you need to choose three different codes for each book so an online search can more easily find you. For instance, your novel might be:

FICTION/Christian/Romance

FICTION/Christian/Historical

FICTION/Historical/20th Century

There are over 160 different codes for classifying fiction, three-dozen classifications for poetry and nine different types of “Needlework” books under Crafts & Hobbies. (I would have guessed only one!) BISG makes changes regularly, with five hundred changes between 2016 and 2017 alone.

But while there are thousands of book classifications, there are relatively few methods of categorizing readers.

Whenever I see a book described for “teens,” I cringe.

Really? Thirteen year olds and nineteen year olds might enjoy it?

And don’t get me started on the “Adults age 55+” classification. A person, now seventy years old who rocked along with Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock in 1969 should not be in the same audience classification as their 95-year-old parents who were disgusted by the entire unsavory event. It’s just wrong.

Granted, age and gender distinctions between book audiences are the simplest and fastest way to aim a book, but simple and fast are often not very effective.

You want to know why Amazon does so well selling books?

Among other things, they recommend books to people in a customized manner, not simply because you are a woman, man, teen or senior citizen. To them, you are as complicated as the BISAC coding system used to identify books accurately. Amazon looks at your searches and purchases to recommend titles.

When Amazon bought GoodReads in March 2013, publishing insiders nodded their heads and smiled. It was about as logical a business move as anyone could imagine. At GoodReads, you are like no one else.

In 2014 Apple purchased a company called Booklamp, which was described as “Pandora for books.”  We have yet to see where it leads for iBooks. They might just take the software engine and weave it into their iBooks store.

Books are personal, not one size fitting all.

I will cover this more next week, but books are not mass media, they are “niche” media and no one should be afraid to embrace the niche.

For example, if you are aiming a book at adult men, you are aiming at a caricature of a man, not a real person. You are aiming at what you think all or most men are like and craft a message, which will miss most of them, because readers are diverse and complicated, just like the book you hope they read.

Some men love football, Bible studies, gardening and don’t mind changing diapers. How does this fit the target caricature?

Similarly, if you aim a book at women or teens or Eskimos, you are aiming at a caricature, not a real person.

Married, single, divorced, widowed, parent, grandparent, no children, physically challenged, caretaker, PhD, GED, white collar, blue collar, hobbyist, no hobbies, Democrat, Republican, Baptist, Methodist, atheist, athlete and thousands more combinations comprise what might be termed “Human BISAC codes.” Age and gender are not nearly as important as the combinations of personal characteristics.

With all this complexity, the only recourse for an author is to pay no attention to it.

When you write, think of one person and only one person. Books are personal letters many people read. Don’t worry about aiming too small.

 Sure, a publisher will aim the book at a group containing millions and millions of caricatures, but in reality, the book will have a life of it’s own and will go where it goes. Rarely will a book remain within its predetermined borders.

And you wondered why book publishing is more art than science?

Leave a Comment
Category: Book Business, Branding, MarketingTag: Book Business, Branding, Marketing, readers

Create Videos Based on Your Blog Posts

By Steve Laubeon August 14, 2017
Share
Tweet
16

Check out Lumen 5, (www.lumen5.com) a wonderful resource that can help you create videos out of your blog posts. As a test I took my post from July 31st, “Should You Hire a Freelance Editor?” and within 45 minutes the following video was complete. (Read more below the embedded video) Lumen 5 has a powerful AI engine that took keywords from my selected sentences and assigned most of the …

Read moreCreate Videos Based on Your Blog Posts
Category: Editing, Marketing, TechnologyTag: Marketing, Video

Overselling Yourself

By Dan Balowon August 8, 2017
Share
Tweet
29

When I was a kid, if you really wanted to let people know you in the area, you took a couple garden-variety clothespins (the spring-loaded kind) and two of your lowest-value baseball cards, and attached them to the frame of your bike in contact with the spokes of your wheels. When you set out to ride, they created an unearthly sound. Until the cards completely fell apart from the abuse, your …

Read moreOverselling Yourself
Category: MarketingTag: Marketing, Overselling

Overselling Your Book

By Dan Balowon August 1, 2017
Share
Tweet1
17

I recall a television advertisement a few years ago touting a company as “#1 in Chicago.” After seeing the ad a few times, I focused on the fine print at the bottom of the screen and noted the claim was based on a “company conducted internet survey.” I started to feel some skepticism at the validity of the “#1” ranking. Overselling a product, service, store, company, movie, church, theme park or …

Read moreOverselling Your Book
Category: MarketingTag: Marketing, Overselling, reviews

Actually, It Is About Money

By Dan Balowon July 25, 2017
Share
Tweet
17

It is well-documented, Jesus spoke about money more than any other subject, as recorded in Scripture. He knew it was part of everyone’s life and used it often to teach a myriad of lessons. Still, money can be a polarizing topic. One of my favorite sports books is Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis. It is the story of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s …

Read moreActually, It Is About Money
Category: Book Business, Marketing, MoneyTag: Marketing, Money, The Writing Life

Test Marketing Books

By Dan Balowon May 23, 2017
Share
Tweet
22

In the traditional book-publishing world, insiders often refer to the initial release of a book from a new author as a marketing test…more R&D than launching and promoting a known product. The self-publishing process can function in a similar role of market testing for a first time author. You won’t know for certain how it will be received, but it is worth the effort to try. Most authors …

Read moreTest Marketing Books
Category: Book Business, Indie, Marketing, Self-Publishing, The Publishing LifeTag: Indie, Marketing, Self-Publishing, The Publishing Life

Pushing and Pulling Your Book

By Dan Balowon April 18, 2017
Share
Tweet
15

The marketing and promotion of books differs somewhat from other forms of product marketing, but not as much as you might think. Basic marketing principles, which work for toothpaste and automobiles, also work for books. The greatest changes in publishing over the last 10-20 years have been brought on by the Internet, which unlocked a previously difficult and expensive connection directly to …

Read morePushing and Pulling Your Book
Category: Book Business, MarketingTag: Book Business, Marketing, Platform

How Do I Grow My Market?

By Steve Laubeon April 17, 2017
Share
Tweet
8

I work with a ministry that self-publishes its own books. These are posted on our website, displayed at ministry-related conferences, and mentioned to donors via print and email. How can we expand our market? It depends. (For those of you following this blog regularly, I hope that made you smile.) It depends on a number of factors. In this case the question is more specific to non-fiction authors, …

Read moreHow Do I Grow My Market?
Category: Branding, MarketingTag: Branding, Marketing

Life Hands You A Platform

By Dan Balowon March 28, 2017
Share
Tweet
20

Every writer’s conference or gathering includes at least one presentation about developing or maintaining an author-marketing platform. Social Media, public speaking, blogging, newsletters…everything working together to establish and support your personalized and unique author “brand.” This agency and other publishing blogs address various elements of the issue on a regular basis. If you are …

Read moreLife Hands You A Platform
Category: Branding, Career, Marketing, PlatformTag: Branding, Marketing, Platform

Author Platforms Can Destroy Your Life (aka Making Money from Friends)

By Dan Balowon March 7, 2017
Share
Tweet
11

American society contains a very interesting subculture built around using your friends and relatives to make money, either as a primary or secondary source of income. I must admit it bothers me when an individual will view those around them mainly as a revenue source instead of relationships to experience and serve. It is also interesting that a number of the most successful multi-level marketing …

Read moreAuthor Platforms Can Destroy Your Life (aka Making Money from Friends)
Category: Book Business, Branding, Marketing, Platform, Self-Publishing, Social Media, The Writing LifeTag: Book Business, Marketing, Platform
  • Previous
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 10
  • Next

Sidebar

Get Blog Updates

Enter your email address to get new blog updates delivered via email. You can unsubscribe at any time.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Grow as a Writer


Find Out More →

Popular Posts

Top Posts on Book Proposals
  • Hints for a Great Cover Letter
  • The Keys to a Great Book Proposal
  • What Steve Laube is Looking For
  • Book Proposals I’d Love to See – Tamela Hancock Murray
  • What I’m Looking for – Bob Hostetler
  • What I’m Looking for – Dan Balow
  • What I’m Looking for – Lynette Eason
  • What’s the Best Way to Submit My Self-Published Book?
  • What Is the Agent Doing While I Wait?
  • God Gave Me This Blog Post
Top Posts on The Business Side
  • When Your Book Becomes Personal
  • The Myth of the Unearned Advance
  • How Long Does it Take to Get Published?
  • What Are Average Book Sales?
  • Can You Plagiarize Yourself?
  • Never Burn a Bridge
  • Who Decides to Publish Your Book?
  • That Conference Appointment
  • Goodbye to Traditional Publishing?
  • Who Owns Whom in Publishing?
  • Ten Commandments for Working with Your Agent
  • Writers Beware! Protect Yourself
Top Series
  • Book Proposal Basics
  • Publishing A-Z
  • A Defense of Traditional Publishing
Top Posts on Rejection
  • The Slush Pile: Enter at Your Own Risk
  • Even the Best Get Rejected
  • Five Reasons Why You May Never Get Published
  • The Unhelpful Rejection Letter
  • Writers Learn to Wait

Blog Post Archives by Month

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 · The Steve Laube Agency · All Rights Reserved · Website by Stormhill Media