So, you have finally finished your nonfiction book, what now? Although you can give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back for achieving such a great goal, your work is far from over. Now comes the task of marketing your book. Hopefully, by the time you have finished reading this article, you will be in a far stronger position to get your book into the hands of eager readers. 

Nonfiction is a huge category as it can include anything from cookery books to autobiographies. So for this article, we are going to concentrate on books that solve a problem. 

For example:

How to succeed in marketing (business book)
How to care for a toddler (childcare book)
How to motivate yourself (self-help book)

This article will presume your book is well-written with a professional cover and author biography. In other words, your book is ready for readers' eyes. 

If you are confident with your finished book, then you are ready to launch your marketing campaign. 

Before you spend money on sending out newsletters or paid advertising, you need to be clear on what your message is going to be. By this, I mean your pitch. To do this you need to be clear on the following:

1. Who is your target market?
2. What problem will your book solve?
3. A brief description of why you have the knowledge or skills to solve that problem.

The first step is to decide who your book is written for. If you are writing a book about caring for a toddler, your target audience will naturally be parents of toddlers. But, you can take this further by asking probing questions. Where do your readers live, the countryside, city or suburbs? Are there two parents or just one? Do they work full-time or stay at home? If you can show that your book is written specifically with them in mind, then half of your problems are solved. I have written an article on finding your target audience which goes into more depth on the subject. 

Second, you have to describe 'the problem' your book is going to solve. Every nonfiction book title needs to solve the problem. In the book description, the 'problem' is normally in the form of a question. The title should intrigue a reader to find out more.
Can't find the time in your day to entertain your toddler?
Are you struggling to potty train your toddler with ease?
Are your toddler's tantrums getting you down?

Marketing companies have been using this method for years. They produce a problem that only their product is going to solve. You need to mirror this method with your book. Once you have found your ideal reader, research social media groups or other forums to see what topics they are discussing. What problems or issues do they seem to have? Once you know that, you can write the synopsis of your book accordingly. Explain how your book is uniquely different to solve their problem and what makes you an authority on the subject. Are you a new mother who is sharing their personal experiences, for example? 

.Once you know who your readers are, what their problem is, and why you are the one to solve it, you can put all that together into your book’s description. Unfortunately, success today is no longer about skill or talent but having the knowledge to think outside the box to market yourself like a professional. So, to really succeed, research similar authors to yourself. How do they engage with their readers, what platforms do they use? What topics are discussed? Once you have this information you can plan your own marketing plan but with your unique voice. This is the blueprint that is going to make you stand out from everyone else.