| Sun Tzu once said, "Strategy without tactics is the | | | | 2.4 million female elementary teachers in the US (3.1 |
| slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is | | | | total teachers x 79%, the percent of teachers who |
| the noise before defeat." | | | | are women. |
| Most authors and entrepreneurs are familiar with | | | | Strategy |
| tactics. | | | | Launch a three-phase rollout plan as outlined below: |
| - Start a Blog site | | | | Phase One |
| - Create a Book Trailer | | | | 1. Focus on author's local market first |
| - Run a Virtual Book Tour | | | | 2. Author's local market has 15,000 female teachers |
| And so on . . . | | | | 3. Sell 500 books |
| Tactics are action items we write down on lined | | | | Phase Two |
| yellow legal paper and check off as we complete. | | | | 1. Launch in the three largest markets in the US (San |
| Strategy, on the other hand, is less straight forward. | | | | Francisco, Chicago, New York) |
| The dictionary defines strategy as: | | | | 2. These markets have a combined female teacher |
| "a plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems | | | | population of 100,000 |
| for obtaining a specific goal or result: a strategy for | | | | 3. Sell 1,500 books |
| getting ahead in the world." | | | | Phase Three |
| Another way of understanding strategy is that | | | | 1. Launch nationwide |
| strategy bridges the gap between your goals and your | | | | 2. Sell 3,000 books |
| tactics. Here are some examples: | | | | 3. Sell rights of book to a mainstream publisher |
| - Strategy refers to basic directional decisions, that is, | | | | The definition quoted above says that a strategy is a |
| to purposes and missions. | | | | plan, method or series of maneuvers to achieve a |
| - Strategy consists of the important actions necessary | | | | specific goal. This author's "series of maneuvers" is to |
| to realize these directions. | | | | first get her feet wet in her local market. She will learn |
| - Strategy answers the question: What are the ends | | | | how to talk to teachers, she will create and hone her |
| we seek and how should we achieve them? | | | | tactics and she will begin creating buzz about her book. |
| Once your book is written and published or | | | | Next, the author will hit the three largest markets. Like |
| self-published, you will be faced with the question of | | | | any general waging a war, the author has limited |
| how to sell your book. If you are working with a | | | | resources, namely time and money. By focusing on the |
| publisher, the publisher shoulders the responsibility of | | | | largest markets, the author will get the biggest bang |
| inventing a strategy for your book. At least, that is how | | | | for her buck. |
| it should work, but you will soon find out that in many | | | | The author's Phase Three plan is to launch nationwide. |
| cases, you need to invent your own strategy. | | | | If the author has achieved both her Phase One and |
| If you are self-publishing, then the entire burden of | | | | Phase Two goals then her book is beginning to show |
| promoting and selling your book is up to you. While you | | | | a profit. With these profits, the author can invest in a |
| will find programs that claim they have a guaranteed | | | | large-scale plan to sell her books nation-wide. Even |
| "system" for selling books, most likely you will need to | | | | more important than the cash flow is that the author |
| come up with your own strategy. Every book is | | | | now knows how to sell her book and she knows that |
| different and what worked for The Secret, may not | | | | people want to buy her book. Her confidence is strong |
| work for your book. | | | | and she is willing to invest both her time and her |
| Since every strategy is unique, coming up with a | | | | money into selling her book on a larger scale. |
| strategy is one of the most difficult tasks author's | | | | The sample strategy presented here is a bridge |
| face. Below is a sample strategy for an author whose | | | | between the author's goals and the tactics she will use |
| primary target audience is female elementary | | | | to achieve those goals. Authors are fiercely |
| teachers: | | | | independent people and when an author is armed with |
| Goal | | | | a strategy he or she "invented," the author has a |
| Sell 5,000 books | | | | better chance to succeed than by simply "plugging" into |
| Target Audience: | | | | a system that worked for someone else. |