Sandra Nomoto On How to Make Money by Writing a Book
Be prepared to market your book and get visibility.
Writing the book is the easy part. Marketing is where all the work is. For my book launch, I hired a marketing strategist to help me with my content strategy. I posted on social media daily, published blogs weekly, and sent emails weekly for the four months surrounding my book launch date. I had two physical book launches in/near my city where I did signings, and I sold and signed books at events where I was invited to speak. I did my own media outreach; my book was featured in relevant media and I appeared as a guest on podcast interviews before and after my book launched. To date, it’s been in almost 80 media outlets.
Writing a book can be a rewarding creative endeavor, and it can also be a profitable one if approached correctly. What are the strategies and steps needed to turn a book into a significant source of income? How do authors effectively market and sell their books, and what should they consider when navigating publishing options? As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Sandra Nomoto.
Sandra Nomoto is an award-winning ethical marketer for cruelty-free businesses and book whisperer for authors with impact. Over the 10 years she ran Conscious Public Relations Inc., Women In Film & Television Vancouver awarded her the 2009 Volunteer of the Year award, the company was the fourth public relations agency in Canada to earn B Corporation® certification, and she contributed to eWomenNetwork Vancouver earning the Best Social Media and Community Engagement Award. Nomoto authored two books, including the world’s first vegan marketing book, Vegan Marketing Success Stories, in 2022. She’s spoken at TELUS, Main Street Vegan Academy, Planted Expo, and the Nanaimo VegFest, sharing the stage with Genesis Butler, Chuck Carroll, and Dr. Michael Greger. On the side of her desk, she co-hosts VEG Networking Canada, Canada’s only vegan networking group, blogs at SandraNomoto.com, and writes for several outlets.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share a story about what motivated you to become an expert in the particular area that you are writing about?
When I introduce myself, people automatically call me a “vegan marketing expert,” but that’s what happens when you publish a book. I started my business in 2020 as a copywriter for vegan companies. Because of the pandemic, I had more time and took courses in book editing and formatting, because I thought to myself that books are the longest pieces of content I could work on! In 2022, I published the world’s first vegan marketing book, Vegan Marketing Success Stories, and my work has since expanded into publicity (which I did in my first business), consulting, and several services for authors.
Can you share a pivotal story that shaped the course of your career?
Publishing Vegan Marketing Success Stories has shaped my career in a way I never foresaw. I was hoping a lot of vegans would buy the book, and I, of course, hoped that people would hire me as a marketer. Because of the book or myself being featured in close to 80 media outlets and podcasts, I’ve made a name for myself in the vegan world. I also got over $1000 in paid speaking opportunities — and public speaking wasn’t even a goal when I published the book.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Are you working on any new writing projects?
Right now I’m working with a vegan doctor in California to publish a book on how to create a lifestyle medicine practice. I’m not working on any new writing projects, but I want to work with more authors on helping them publish their books. There are so many vegans who have amazing stories that could help other people go vegan.
Thank you for that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. In your opinion, what are the key strategies that authors should focus on if they want to generate significant income from their books?
The first thing to know is that books themselves don’t make a lot of money unless you’re a celebrity or have a huge following already. Remember, your book sells for anywhere between US$5 to 30 and you get a percentage of each book sale.
Where you can earn potential income is if you run a business or if you want to be a speaker. That’s what a book will do for you — get you in media so people know to hire you or book you to speak at events. Think of it as a content-rich business card that leads you to other opportunities.
Marketing is crucial for book sales. What are the most effective marketing techniques you’ve used or seen others use to successfully promote their books?
James Clear did a great podcast interview with Tim Ferriss that I blogged about here: https://www.sandranomoto.com/2023/11/11/the-marketing-strategy-of-a-bestselling-author/ Techniques are going to look different depending on your subject matter and ideal reader, but I’d say your basics are daily social media posts and weekly blogs and emails for the 90–120 days surrounding your book launch date, some sort of book launch event (whether physical or virtual), and a publicity campaign for at least a year. My book is two years old and I’m still getting requests to appear on podcasts and speak at events where I can also sell my book.
Some authors will focus on pre-sales, in which readers show proof of pre-orders and then opt-in to receive bonuses from the author, which can be a good strategy. You can get as creative or out of the box as you want, depending on your marketing resources.
What role does social media play in book marketing, and how can authors leverage these platforms to boost their book sales?
Social media is huge; it’s the primary way your current audience finds out about your book. If you use ads with that, you can reach new audiences. TikTok has a selling platform and I’ve heard authors earning thousands of dollars a month there through their book, but it’s not a strategy I’m currently doing.
If you publish a book with contributors like I did, be sure to leverage their networks too.
How can you leverage the book to position you as an expert in your field?
If you want to be seen as an expert, show you are one through the content of the book. Share your knowledge or the knowledge you’ve gained from others. As I said earlier, I never called myself an expert in “vegan marketing,” but that’s how people saw me after I published Vegan Marketing Success Stories.
How important is building a personal brand for an author, and what steps can authors take to establish themselves as credible and influential figures in their niche?
As an author, you’re naturally building a personal brand. So if you don’t want to do interviews or post on social media, I’m sorry, but you’re not going to sell many book copies. You have to be comfortable being out there, even if you’re an introvert. If you don’t have a big social or email following already, the book will build that and establish your personal brand as credible and influential. Before I published my book, I wasn’t known in the vegan world, and now I am.
Do you know who your most valuable avatars are?
Yes: vegan founders/marketers, or non-vegans who are doing marketing for a vegan company.
Beyond just selling books, what other revenue streams can authors explore to maximize their earnings, such as speaking engagements, online courses, or merchandise?
The opportunities are pretty endless; it just depends on what you want to do. For me, the book helped to sell my services and book paid speaking opportunities, but you can absolutely lead readers to your other offerings. Just make sure your book isn’t an infomercial; it’s meant to take the reader on a journey to learn something. You can share your offerings in the introduction, maybe somewhere in the middle, and definitely at the end, but don’t do it everywhere.
Have you created scaleable derivatives of your work? Can you explain?
I considered creating a course or workbook after publishing my book, but when I did polls on social media, they weren’t offerings my audience was interested in.
One thing I will mention is the potential for audio books. Don’t forget that format; more and more people are listening to books than reading. You can also earn a pretty good percentage selling an audio book compared to print.
The world of book publishing is constantly evolving. What trends do you see shaping the future of book marketing and sales, and how can authors stay ahead of the curve?
As just mentioned, audio books are the way of the future. And remember, your book is a stepping stone to get your reader into your circle. Be sure to put calls to action like your website, social media account(s), and signing up for your email list to get a lead magnet in your book somewhere so you can stay engaged with readers.
Don’t just think of bookstores as the only place where you can sell books. One client of mine includes a book copy in a package to all high-ticket Patreon members. Another contributor to my book paid to put hers in every tote bag at the biggest vegan expo in London, UK. Be creative!
Wonderful. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your own experience and success, what are the “Five Things You Need to Know to be a Successful Writer?” If you can, please share a story or example for each.
1. You don’t need to be a writer to publish a book.
If you’re an expert or have vast knowledge in an area, you’re already good to go. Writing is just the act of putting it in a document. You can voice record yourself and use AI to convert that audio to text, or hire a ghostwriter or co-author to pull out that story out through a series of interviews. This is the process I’ve done with several authors.
Maybe your content is already out there in talks or interviews you’ve done. If you have 30,000 words of content, you have a book.
2. Use AI for ideas, not to write the book.
Not only is using AI word-for-word super unethical, sometimes it needs to be disclosed depending on which publishing platform you use. There’s no problem with using AI as a tool to help you generate chapter or section ideas or re-word a sentence or paragraph to make it sound better, but please don’t use AI to create an entire book and then pass it off as your own work. Especially if you’ve got existing social media, blog, or email content, the reader will know whether the book sounds like your voice. If it doesn’t, you’re doing yourself a disservice using AI.
3. Know your target reader.
This is the key to marketing. Your book will not be for everyone. My book is for owners/marketers of vegan companies, not teens who read fantasy romance. Whether you’re writing or narrating your book, your target reader will help you stay on track. Envision them as a student learning from whatever you have to teach or the story you’re sharing with them.
4. Know the difference between traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing.
Knowing which publishing path you’re taking will help with your budget and also manage expectations. It’s a big deal to be signed by a traditional publisher, but they don’t help you write the book. You don’t have control over what your cover looks like or your rights to change your book until some point in the future. Their marketing support is also limited, even though your book might be in many of the major bookstores across the country or beyond.
In hybrid and self-publishing, you have to pay for the necessary services (editing, formatting, cover, marketing), but you have complete creative control and you maintain your rights as the author. If you want to change your cover or publish a new edition a year or two later, you can do that anytime vs. if you’re signed by a publisher.
5. Be prepared to market your book and get visibility.
Writing the book is the easy part. Marketing is where all the work is. For my book launch, I hired a marketing strategist to help me with my content strategy. I posted on social media daily, published blogs weekly, and sent emails weekly for the four months surrounding my book launch date. I had two physical book launches in/near my city where I did signings, and I sold and signed books at events where I was invited to speak. I did my own media outreach; my book was featured in relevant media and I appeared as a guest on podcast interviews before and after my book launched. To date, it’s been in almost 80 media outlets.
If you don’t market your book, your target reader won’t know to buy it. Here’s a blog on what you can invest in to market your book: https://www.sandranomoto.com/2024/04/15/what-you-can-pay-for-to-promote-your-book/
For authors just starting out, what common mistakes should they avoid when trying to turn their books into a significant source of income?
Remember, the book itself does not make you rich; it’s a tool to sell other products or services. If you don’t have other products or services to sell or don’t plan on making money as a speaker, then you’re going to have to publish multiple books and build a brand for yourself over time. It’s not going to happen with your first book, but if you market each book as much as possible, then by book five, maybe you’ll have a loyal following.
Can you share any success stories or case studies of authors who have effectively turned their books into profitable businesses? What lessons can other writers learn from their experiences?
Mitali Deypurkaystha, who runs The Vegan Publisher, shared her story in my book. Publishing The Freedom Master Plan revealed success stories of other business owners and authors she worked with, and how she could help other authors publish their books.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)
I’m obsessed with vegans Tabitha Brown and Pinky Cole (of Slutty Vegan), both of whom have published cookbooks. They’re such good marketers and have built their personal brands and companies so well.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Thank you for these excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent. We wish you continued success with your book promotion and growing your brand.
