Ever wonder how popular authors seem to be everywhere at once and still have time to write another bestseller? Super authors do not have magic powers. What they do have, though, are a few secret weapons in their arsenal that keep them on the front lines while giving them time to type away on their laptops in the back.

Here are nine book marketing survival tips and tricks they use that make a difference:

1. Basic strategic planning is number one on their list. Getting to the top by luck might happen to a few authors once in a decade. Most of them, though, carefully calculated what it would take, mapped out a strategy, and kept to it. Many of these authors had a coach or special mentor that advised them. Others simply read and studied what worked for other authors and implemented those actions into their own battle plan.

2. Budgeted their time. Once a plan is in place, they mapped out how long each activity would take and put it in their calendar. Time management is not a mental juggling game. To be the most effective, each activity is scheduled into their daily routine. They know that a little bit every day pays off in better results than a weekly or monthly social medial cram session.

3. Prioritize activities. For every popular author, the number one priority will usually be writing on his or her next project. But building reader relationships (the essence of all marketing activity) for their book can never be forgotten or placed lower than number two. Who knows how many wonderful books never made it simply because they were never discovered?

4. They concentrate on what activities will most support their writing and simply delegate the rest. This could mean hiring a cook, a housekeeper, and a babysitter to free up more time. It could mean hiring a virtual assistant to handle book orders, email, and other correspondence. It also means getting professional help with book marketing, publicity, cover and layout design, website maintenance, and other promotional activities.

5. They constantly recycle content. Every speaking event—whether live or virtual—is recorded and offered for sale or as a free download. Their books are selectively cut and rewritten to create blogging content, tip sheets or articles for guest posts, magazines and newspapers.

6. Social media is front line work for today’s busy author, even the most reticent. A lot of this is hired out very unobtrusively. Their virtual assistant will type out quotes, tips, and other material from their work and schedule it to be tweeted, blogged, or socially shared in different venues. Surprisingly, many blogs today are ghostwritten (yes, even authors use them!) or accept guest posting to keep them active and current.

7. Bestselling authors will attend one to three book-marketing events every year. This is a prime way they connect with their audience, make important publishing and publicity contacts, and, of course, promote their books. They will also do book signing at bookstores, agree to interviews, and appear at social events when invited, as time permits.

8. Joint ventures. This is a powerful way that a number of popular authors actually became popular! Connecting with a prominent author can open doors you could never push open by yourself.

9. Radio and TV. This is still an important media outreach for these authors. Granted, not all authors felt comfortable going “live” in the beginning, but getting out of their comfort zone put them into a new zone of visibility. Many authors who invested in media training found that it more than paid for itself in gaining confidence and snagging interviews on bigger stations and networks.

If you are not a popular author yet but hope to be, Wheatmark can help you create a book marketing strategy that will help you maximize your impact while minimizing your time. Ask us how!