The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't by Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Aug 29, 2011 Magdalena rated it 5 of 5 stars

It doesn't matter how many books you've published. Self-published or traditionally published, gaining publicity is always tricky, always critical, and always a moving target. If your budget is limited, it's even harder, and perhaps, even more imperative. Enter Carolyn Howard-Johnson, the queen of frugal promotion. Her frugal books are pitched at the modern writer: time poor, financially parsimonious, and publicity hungry. The Frugal Book Promoter is the jewel in the crown. As with the first vers...more It doesn't matter how many books you've published. Self-published or traditionally published, gaining publicity is always tricky, always critical, and always a moving target. If your budget is limited, it's even harder, and perhaps, even more imperative. Enter Carolyn Howard-Johnson, the queen of frugal promotion. Her frugal books are pitched at the modern writer: time poor, financially parsimonious, and publicity hungry. The Frugal Book Promoter is the jewel in the crown. As with the first version, The Frugal Book Promoter is full of ideas, strategies, and tips for promoting your book cheaply, in innovative and effective ways, but it has been updated with a much greater focus on new technologies, the all-important social networks, and a range of strategies designed to help authors with less commercial offerings such as poetry and fiction.

Of course the book is rich with classic techniques too, such as media releases, query letters, and a whole fantastic chapter pulling together a media kit. There's information on using bylines, writing a biography, obtaining endorsements and blurbs, distribution of releases, obtaining reviews, tradeshows, book fairs, setting up a website, and many more 'must-do' items that have really become part and parcel of any author's promotional toolkit. Ignore this kind of stuff and unless you win some kind of book lotto, your book will almost certainly fall into the obscurity that is an ever-present risk of modern authordom. What I like best about Howard-Johnson's book is the simple, informal prose which is both warmly reassuring ('of coures you can do this'), and deceptively intelligent. The reader is encouraged and reminded of his or her own innate capabilities even as they're goaded onto to raising the bar:

You’ve been practicing PR most of your life. Getting along with family. Impressing a new boss. You’ve been a customer and know why you like some products and businesses better than others. All it takes is some examination of the processes that influence you to get a grip on public relations—even on marketing as a whole.

The new version also contains a chapter on some of the most current topics, including information on blogging, working Amazon, using social networks, and even some common pitfalls to avoid in blogging and networking. Howard-Johnson totally practices what she preaches, so her advice comes directly from her many years of experience, and is rich with innovative ideas to minimise the time involved and maximise the input through such things as integration and cross-linking, clever use of soundbites and re-tweetable tweets, setting up a "Quotable Quotes” page on your Web site (I love that one), using RSS, and many other novel ideas. Throughout the book there are links, anecdotes, worked examples, and excellent templates including queries, a sample media release, blog entries, invitations, and even a tip sheet.

No, you don't really need a copy of The Frugal Book Promoter. You could hire a publicist for $100 an hour, or organise a retainer for anywhere from $1,500 to $20,000. But if you're looking to do your own publicity, or to augment your publishers and don't have the kind of budget that can support a publicist, or you simply want to do the legwork, connect with your reading public, and do your best to ensure that your wonderful work of art reaches a maximum audience, then this book is really the self-promoter's bible. You don't have to read it cover to cover, although it's certainly accessible and enjoyable enough to do so. The book is well-referenced and perfectly designed to enable the frugal author to dip in once a week and pull out a new publicity idea to try, or to use as a reference when it's time to pull together a marketing plan for your book, or at that moment when you need to write a press-release and want a template and guide, when you're looking for ideas to maximise your book signing. Whatever kind of promotions you want to do for your book, you're sure to find it in The Frugal Book Promoter. Howard-Johnson makes it all sound simple, and provides such easy instructions, that you'll want to go out straightaway and get to it. Put simply, The Frugal Book Promoter is the best guide around for create interesting, fresh, inexpensive, and relatively easy promotion for your book, whatever the genre.
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Aug 02, 2010 Robert rated it 5 of 5 stars

In today’s publishing environment, the author is often responsible for promoting their book. There are ways to do this, this book lists many of them, and you may come up with some of your own after reading The Frugal Book Promoter.

It would be nice if your publisher did the promoting for you, but most authors do not have names like King, Bradbury, or Rice to name a few that might have their publishers doing more for them than the average writer. The Frugal Promoter to the rescue, in this book you...more In today’s publishing environment, the author is often responsible for promoting their book. There are ways to do this, this book lists many of them, and you may come up with some of your own after reading The Frugal Book Promoter.

It would be nice if your publisher did the promoting for you, but most authors do not have names like King, Bradbury, or Rice to name a few that might have their publishers doing more for them than the average writer. The Frugal Promoter to the rescue, in this book you will find out about press kits, and more. There is also information about how to do media releases, and ways to get publicity for you, and your book.

This reviewer believes that this book can be good for promoting anything, just replace the word “book”, with a service, product, or anything you are trying to let the public know about.

It is up to the author to have the willingness to get out and do the work. Anyone can do it, if he or she is of the mindset to get out and promote your book. Many publishers are not going to do it for you, and may ask you for a promotion plan. Without one, you may not get far in the publishing game unless you decide to self-publish. If you choose a nontraditional way to publish your book, you will have to do the promotion for it to sell. Either way, it is up to the author to promote these days. If you are lucky, you may get some help from a publisher, but do not rely on getting it.

The authors best bet is to have this book handy for ways to promote your book. This reviewer found the information in this book to be valuable to anyone wishing to promote his or her book.

The Frugal Book Promoter receives a five star rating from this reviewer.

Endorsement Disclaimer: All reviews written by this reviewer are personal opinions of the book by this reviewer. The reviews are NOT paid endorsements of the book or the author. They are not advertisements. All reviews are honest, forthright and the opinion of this individual reviewer. This reviewer’s opinions are not for sale. (There is however, a small fee for some reviews, and sometimes this reviewer receives complementary copies from the author.) Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255 (http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005r...)

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Aug 02, 2010 Robert Medak rated it 5 of 5 stars

In today’s publishing environment, the author is often responsible for promoting their book. There are ways to do this, this book lists many of them, and you may come up with some of your own after reading The Frugal Book Promoter.

It would be nice if your publisher did the promoting for you, but most authors do not have names like King, Bradbury, or Rice to name a few that might have their publishers doing more for them than the average writer. The Frugal Promoter to the rescue, in this book you...more In today’s publishing environment, the author is often responsible for promoting their book. There are ways to do this, this book lists many of them, and you may come up with some of your own after reading The Frugal Book Promoter.

It would be nice if your publisher did the promoting for you, but most authors do not have names like King, Bradbury, or Rice to name a few that might have their publishers doing more for them than the average writer. The Frugal Promoter to the rescue, in this book you will find out about press kits, and more. There is also information about how to do media releases, and ways to get publicity for you, and your book.

This reviewer believes that this book can be good for promoting anything, just replace the word “book”, with a service, product, or anything you are trying to let the public know about.

It is up to the author to have the willingness to get out and do the work. Anyone can do it, if he or she is of the mindset to get out and promote your book. Many publishers are not going to do it for you, and may ask you for a promotion plan. Without one, you may not get far in the publishing game unless you decide to self-publish. If you choose a nontraditional way to publish your book, you will have to do the promotion for it to sell. Either way, it is up to the author to promote these days. If you are lucky, you may get some help from a publisher, but do not rely on getting it.

The authors best bet is to have this book handy for ways to promote your book. This reviewer found the information in this book to be valuable to anyone wishing to promote his or her book.

The Frugal Book Promoter receives a five star rating from this reviewer.

Endorsement Disclaimer: All reviews written by this reviewer are personal opinions of the book by this reviewer. The reviews are NOT paid endorsements of the book or the author. They are not advertisements. All reviews are honest, forthright and the opinion of this individual reviewer. This reviewer’s opinions are not for sale. (There is however, a small fee for some reviews, and sometimes this reviewer receives complementary copies from the author.) Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255 (http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005r...)

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Aug 02, 2010 Lillie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: any author who wants to sell more books

Recommended to Lillie by: the author, Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Shelves: how-to, writing-publishing

Lots of great advice to help authors to promote their own books, including some innovative ones. Two of the most important lessons from the book:

1) The author has to believe in her own work and be prepared to share it with the world. If the author doesn't sincerely believe that her book will be of value to readers, no one else will believe it either.

2) Helping others is not only a nice thing to do, but it also pays off for the person who helps. Often when we hear the word networking we have a...more

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Dec 31, 2011 Charlotte Liebel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-promo-pitch-mkt-sell-publi, author

Best book for all writers with ideas, links, examples, and how-to promote books you have written and hope to publish.

Look to this book often. I believe this book is one I will always refer to and never finish reading.

That good!

~Charlotte Liebel

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Mar 07, 2010 Weston Locher rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who is planning to or has recently published their first book

Shelves: book-marketing, 2010-reads

Carolyn Howard-Johnson knows a thing or two about book promotion. Having published many books, columns, and articles across many genres, she tends to know what she's talking about. Even though some of the information and website links are now dated, the number one thing I loved about this book was that it didn't talk down to you.

While in the process of publishing my humor book, I read as many self-marketing resources as I could get my hands on. I kept running across positive reviews of The Fruga...more Carolyn Howard-Johnson knows a thing or two about book promotion. Having published many books, columns, and articles across many genres, she tends to know what she's talking about. Even though some of the information and website links are now dated, the number one thing I loved about this book was that it didn't talk down to you.

While in the process of publishing my humor book, I read as many self-marketing resources as I could get my hands on. I kept running across positive reviews of The Frugal Book Promoter so I knew I had to pick it up.

It's not one of those books that tells you to go out and find an agent and promises you all the success in the world. It tells you the steps that you can take all by yourself in order to achieve the success you desire... you just have to be willing to do the hard work. Sure, it gives you the knowledge to find an agent who might help you reach your goals, but doesn't recognize it as the only option.

I tabbed sections of this book as I went along so that after finishing it I could easily go back and find techniques that I wanted to try. By the time I finished the book, I easily had over 50 tabs stuffed into the pages. I've been working my way back through and putting some of her ideas into practice. While I haven't made a million dollars and I'm not yet rubbing elbows with Oprah, I have seen some promotional campaigns turn into book sales.

There were a couple of other marketing/promotion books that I read prior to this one and in retrospect, I wish this had been the first thing I read since some of those other books assume you are working in a particular genre, or assume that you have a couple thousand dollars to drop on making posters and bookmarks. This book is completely focused on how to save money and requires no previous knowledge or experience.

If you're serious about your book's future, then you won't regret picking up Carolyn's book. She wants to help you. She wants you to succeed. She doesn't see you as competition. She knows we're all in this together.(less)

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Mar 27, 2008 Tami rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Frugal Book Promoter: How to do What Your Publisher Won't is a comprehensive guide to marketing for writers. This book contains helpful lists such as One Dozen Publicity No-Nos and the 19 Commandments for Getting Free Publicity. The author has also included numerous chapters containing hints and tips for building a media kit, building up name recognition, and creating mailing lists. Furthermore, this book illustrates realistic ways to improve your marketing strategies at writing conferences,...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Carolyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Shelves: books-i-wrote

The Frugal Book Promoter
Copyright: By Carolyn Howard-Johnson 2004
Pages: 243(Includes Index)
ISBN: 1-932993-10-X
Price. $17.95
Published by Star Publish 2004

Reviewed
By
Judith Woolcock Colombo
for
The Weekly Gleaner , a Jamaican-American newspaper.

Humans are social animals. We like to associate with others to share our thoughts, blessings, and woes. But above all this, we love to express our opinions and demonstrate our knowledge about matters both mundane and extraordinary. Over the eons our penchant...more

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Oct 25, 2008 Tom Barnes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Carolyn’s “How To” PR and Book Promotion

After wading through half a dozen cut and paste marketing books, I found it refreshing to read Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s down to earth approach to book promotion. The Frugal Book Promoter is the real deal, easy to read and easy to apply.
In her PR Primer she says, “Don’t publicize your book; instead “brand” yourself.”
In other words don’t be a one pony show, after all you might write another book or invent something you’d like to promote.
Frugal is filled with...more

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Jul 03, 2009 Jacqui rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: about-writing, marketing, writing

Good for beginners. Not a log of useful tips if you've been at it a while. They are time-consuming ideas, which takes time away from writing, but are probably effective--if you have the time. On the other hand, I got several helpful ideas, which makes it a successful purchase.

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Jun 20, 2009 Yvonne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great Ideas for the Novice, May 24, 2007

I'm really enjoying reading THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER. I found Carolyn's book online when the host of CALLING ALL AUTHORS, Valerie Connelly, suggested I read it to help with publicity of my book, RIGHT TO RECOVER: Winning the Political and Religious Wars Over Stem Cell Research in America. I am only half way through my reading of the THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER and I've gathered enough information to map out my publicity plan.

Since the author is responsible fo...more

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Apr 23, 2009 Sandy Lender rated it 4 of 5 stars

Quite a lot of the information in this book was a review for me because my publisher gives a Professional Novelists Workshop (three times a year). But it is nice to see someone sharing lists of sites to make life easier for online promotion and examples of what can be included in a press kit, etc. There are a lot of newbie authors out there who really don't know where to begin and this book can show them "some new ropes". I wanted some new tricks, so I wasn't as excited once I got into it, but t...more

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Mar 16, 2011 Linda Yezak rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: writing-marketing-how-tos

Valuable tool to learn about marketing and promoting your book. I wish CJH had included more text examples and ideas for ads and such, but I love all the information she provides.

A must-have for all newly published authors.

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Sep 18, 2011 Aggie Villanueva rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent. Supurb. I'm also in book promotion and I learn so much for each of Carolyn's books. If I take the time to do exactly as she says, I always sell more books!

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Jan 07, 2009 Julian Perrera rated it 3 of 5 stars

weirdly layed out book. Lots of tiny ideas with not much elaboration, seems to switch gears back and forth too quick.

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Feb 15, 2012 Heidi Thomas rated it 5 of 5 stars

A must-have for any author. Many great tips for easy and frugal marketing. Very helpful!

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Jan 06, 2011 Darby Karchut rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very helpful for all authors, veterans or newbies!

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Jun 04, 2010 J.R. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: writing

Practical advice, no matter how you're published.

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May 04, 2013 Raquel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Many of the ideas seem dated now.

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Apr 28, 2011 Jen Angel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Disorganized and difficult to follow.

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Nov 26, 2008 Carl rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: All writers

Recommended to Carl by: Yvonne Perry / Writers In The Sky

This is an amazing book. I am still reading it and it is helping me to map out an extended marketing strategy for my latest book, BADER FIELD, which has just been released by Nightengale Press and is available now exclusively at www.nightengalepress.com It will in the weeks and months to come be available at barnesandnoble.com, borders.com, amazon.com and a host of others and will be in the stores early in 2009.

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Feb 22, 2013 Kristin Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Jan 12, 2013 Phyllis Haislip rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Nov 18, 2012 Kari Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: writing

Nov 12, 2012 Darla Hiskett marked it as to-read

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The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't (How To Do It Frugally )

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