...to self promotion, I'm one of those dabblers painting Happy Trees.
But I'm learning. And I'm sharing what info I've picked up through my ramblings below.
Back in that proverbial day when I started writing, publishers did all the work on promotions. Those times are long gone...though publishers still help, if you're lucky.
- Blogs
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Groups
Yeah...there's more social media than that, but I only got time for the above.
Here's the thing: more than one million novels are released annually in the
United States, and more than two-thirds of those are self-published.
In this very crowded marketplace, it is not enough to write
your book, sell it to a publisher, and start on the next.
You have to promote your novel to boost sales figures…to
not get lost in the numbers. There are great promotional opportunities that
won’t cost you anything beyond your time. However, spending a little money here and
there can improve your exposure. Set a budget, and decide where to allocate
your funds.
Bookmarks, pens, tote bags, coffee mugs…they’re all nice,
but they don’t return any significant “bang for your buck.” In fact, they
usually cost you more than you’ll make from selling a few books to someone who
picked up your swag. However, if you really want them…to slip into a book when
you have a signing or appear at a convention, here are a couple of links to
reasonably-priced services. Look for promo codes to boost the savings.
Some studies have shown that the greatest
response to book promotions is through author newsletters. Build your email
list, then send out a once a month or twice a month
newsletter highlighting what you are working on, and what’s coming out and
when. Newsletters should be short; people don’t like to read long missives. Ten
good newsletter services, some of which are free, are detailed here: http://www.awwwards.com/best-top-10-email-marketing-services.html
I HAVE A NEWSLETTER! It comes out twice a month, filled with a bit of promotion on my current project, as well as recommending books by other authors, some useful writing tidbits, and the occasional silly contest. I keep it short so not to take up much of your time.
If you'd like to get my newsletter...which also sometimes has dog pictures in it...here's the link: http://eepurl.com/cdUI_v
Hold a book launch in the first or second
week of release. An online event, which could include a blog hop, a virtual
book tour, or an “ask me anything,” session. If you are unfamiliar with these
activities, publicists will handle them for you (for a fee, of course). Here
are four good links about book launches:
http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2013/06/12-tips-for-book-launch-parties/
http://www.writersdigest.com/wp-content/uploads/9-Steps-to-Hosting-a-Book-Launch-Party.pdf
http://blog.bookbaby.com/2012/03/how-to-throw-a-book-launch-party-that-isnt-a-waste-of-time/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2morrowknight/tips-for-a-successful-boo_b_6488644.html
Buy a stock of your paperbacks as soon as
it is published so you can plan a local book launch at a library or other
venue. Publicize this in the local newspaper. Newspapers usually love to do
features on local authors. Though the books will cost you, they usually are
available at a 40% author discount, and so you can recoup this—and more—through
your sales.
Define your target audience and discover
where they hang out online. You can promote there. FREE.
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2013/06/13/identify-your-target-audience/
http://www.yourwriterplatform.com/how-to-target-an-audience/
https://www.standoutbooks.com/how-to-find-your-book-target-audience/
Browse the major blogs your target audience
reads. Ask if you can do a guest blog or if they will like to your blog. FREE.
Join an author network, where the members
cross-promote books. FREE.
http://www.mysterynet.com/organizations/
https://www.facebook.com/TheIndependentAuthorNetwork/
https://gottawritenetwork.wordpress.com/...sent requests
http://writersrelief.com/writers-associations-organizations/
http://www.writersandeditors.com/local_and_regional_organizations_57451.htm
http://www.ncwriters.org/
http://www.writersleague.org/89/Organizations-for-Writers
Gather reviews and quotes, use these in promotions.
Good quotes from respected authors will help sell your book. In some cases you
will have to provide the books to be reviewed or pay the service a fee for
finding reviewers.
Consider
a book trailer. While most of these cost varying amounts of money, there are a
few services where you can do short trailers for free. Here’s one
of the free sites: https://animoto.com/
Send a
“shout out” to friends with well-visited webpages and well-read blogs.
Ask for promotion help.
Attend
writing conventions, mystery conventions, or set up a night at the local bookstore or
library where you can hold a discussion, a reading, and sell your new book.
I'm
picking and chosing from all of the above right now in my effort to promote my
mysery novel, IN THE DEAD OF WINTER (which is available at
Amazon right now for a 99-cent pre-order sale price).
Link: https://amzn.com/B01LY5X4BB
