group discussion
topic:
General >
Promoting Your Book
What kinds of things do you personally do to promote your book? By this I mean above and beyond what your publisher does for you. ie: social media? booking author events? contact schools? What works and what doesn't?
Good question, Claudia. I'll be interested to hear what others have to say. I'm still 6 months out from pub date.
Great time for you to be thinking about this, Johanna! My launch event is on the 17th of this month and I really want to know where to invest most of my energy in the next few months.
Hi Joanna and Claudia
My book has been out three weeks now. And I've been promoting my book here on Goodreads, participating in blogs(forums)related to my book genre. Also, I have my website up and running since way before my book was out. Facebook has put me in contact with an author who put me in contact with Jody at Romancing the Pubs.
I have one review done for my book and 2 more on the way.
My publisher just gave me some tips like Google alerts and set up a basic website for me with a link to buy my book and a brief summary.
Before I invest too much money, I'm trying out free but effective methods first.
I have a contest here on Goodreads and a lot of people participated but there's no way of knowing if they will buy my book once the contest is over.
Crossing my fingers and doing what I can.
Cheers
MJ
http://mjsmithbooks.weebly.com/index.htm...
Congratulations Claudia! Love the title. You have some great promotion ideas on your site. Is your publisher doing anything for you in terms of marketing? Mine will start their push in December. My novel THE WIVES OF HENRY OADES is coming out Feb 4th in the UK (HarperCollins) and Feb 23rd in the US (Random House).
All best wishes. I'll be watching your journey.
Hi Joanna
I'm actually looking into doing business with a new publisher for my upcoming book, how is your publisher?
Is there a fee to pay to publish your book? Do you need an agent?
Good luck to you, MJ. Romance is a hot selling genre. You should do well.
~ Johanna
http://johannamoran.com
My publishers are Random House in the US and HarperCollins in the UK.
No fee. But yes, you need an agent, and getting a good one is a challenge all by itself.
Have you queried in the past? There's a great site that zooms in on agent's likes and dislikes - agentquery.com
~ Johanna
Thanks Johanna and M.J.!
I've already done a bit: a giveaway via Twitter (5 signed books) and am doing a giveaway here on Goodreads as well. I've got a blog, a website, a facebook fan page, and am planning on sending info brochures to schools in my area. I'm also in the middle of organizing 3 author events at bookstores between now and November. My publisher has also given me a publicist for both my Canadian and US launch events. But, like you said, it's impossible to know how any of that is really going to translate into sales. And for some reason, I feel like I should be doing more, personally (???) I guess I want to know where to focus my own efforts ie: what has been most effective for other authors. It sure is a big, wide world out there!
I have the same feelings, Claudia. What more can I do personally...but the effort takes so much time away from what we're supposed to be doing...Writing!
You have to have a certain amount of friends to create a fan page on facebook, don't you?
http://johannamoran.com
Hi Claudia
One-on-one basis should work. I know that's what I'll be doing in the next weeks. I'm also going to visit the local bookstores and see if they have my book.
Word-of-mouth is also something I like.
I dont have a publicist and most tools my publisher is offering cost a lot of money.
For now, I'm doing what I can.
Who's your publisher?
Johanna - I don't think you need s certain amount of friends... I believe you can just set up a page. Try it and see if it works. I think it should.
M.J. - I have read somewhere that 90% of promo comes thru word-of-mouth! But you've gotta get the book into the hands of those mouths first! :) I'm published with Simply Read Books in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. It's a small independent publisher but he's done a lot for me ie: the publicist. Who are you with?
My publisher is Eloquent Books(part of AEG publishing) in NY. I'm looking for a publisher here in Canada.
I paid a lot of money to get this one published with the promise of big royalties. Blah!
So I'm not going that way again.
I ordered 20 books so I'll have them in hand.
Did you pay any fees to get published?
For now, historical romance. My first book is set in WWII Europe. The second one I'm finishing up is set in WWI Europe. I think its becoming a war series :)
I'm new at this so everything is fun, exciting yet a bit scary.
It sure is exciting and scary! The WHOLE journey is! Good luck with your research for a new publisher!
Johanna, you can sign into facebook and search Smudge's Mark. It should come up in the search results.
Claudia, and everyone else for that matter,What you do to promote your book should definitely NOT be what everyone else is doing. Without seeing the book, I can't give you specific ideas, but going down the same path as everyone else will never work. If those things did work, everyone using them would have great sales. What you do that's different will depend on many factors, from what talents you have to financial wherewithal. There's many ways to guerrilla market, but some times you need to do what I call 500 pound Gorilla marketing, which means you're in their face, stomping down everything in your path. Sometimes, that's the best thing you can do, get in the face of those that make decisions on who's books get sold in book stores and other places, and don't take no for an answer. One of my clients is very good at that, she can stay after people until they give in, but do it in a way that doesn't send them crying to mama. What talents do you possess that other authors might not? Use them. To use an analogy of mine, you can either sneak in a place, undetected, do what you need to do then leave, or you can toss a grenade in the door, then enter with your machine gun blasting.
Thats a good analogy Dave.
I'm trying all kinds of things right now because I'm a new author.
And I'm learning. When my next book comes out, I'll already know what worked and not.
MJ
http://mjsmithbooks.weebly.com/index.htm...
Think out of the box. See what others are doing, then don't do it, unless it has a proven record of working. What works for one, might not work for you anyway, as every book is different. Another hurdle is where you actually are. Unless you're lucky enough to be in or near LA or NYC, it's much more difficult to get noticed. One piece of advice that I can give, is carry a copy of your book everywhere you go, whether it's to the grocery, the post office, wherever. People will ask about it. Usually they'll ask if it's a good book. That's your opening, tell them how wonderful it is. Will this help? Maybe, maybe not. You never know what or who will turn the tide for you, but it costs nothing to do, so why not.
True. And having a copy of my book does help. At least, this way I know who is really interested in my book. Plus, I have some control over my sales.
I have a contest going on here on Goodreads and a lot of people participated. But I wonder how many are truly interested in buying it once the contest is over.
Excellent advice, Dave. My husband had bookmarks made with my US cover art. It's a striking gauzy photo of a beautiful woman. He runs around town with her face poking out of his pocket. Gets a lot of attention. Will it result in sales? We'll see...
Dave wrote: "Claudia, and everyone else for that matter,
What you do to promote your book should definitely NOT be what everyone else is doing. Without seeing the book, I can't give you specific ideas, but goi..."
You know, you're absolutely right. Thanks for the great advice! That's exactly what I needed to hear. Time to get the artillery out!
I'd love to be the hand grenade type, but alas I'm not. My (gentle) overtures to the local bookshop worked first time around, but now they don't want to take extras due to the recesssion, and I didn't push, because I didn't want to upset the applecart.My novel, Tainted Tree is about an American girl searching for her roots in the West Counttry (UK.) I have just succeeded in getting a press release in a West Country magazine (Somerset Times) which I hope may prompt a few sales. Also I've put a small ad in a genealogical magazine, Family Tree magazine Nov//Dec). These are things specific to my book. It'll be interesting to see if they work.
Jackie wrote: "I'd love to be the hand grenade type, but alas I'm not. My (gentle) overtures to the local bookshop worked first time around, but now they don't want to take extras due to the recesssion, and I di..."
You know, I'm not exactly a hand grenade kind of girl, either, but I think the key (our artillery) is our ability to think outside of the box - what can I do that others aren't doing? And the answers will probably come from talking to friends who are eager to help you succeed. I know, for me, I feel like I'm being pushy simply by asking if a bookstore would have me in for an event! We aren't all outspoken salespeople (or else we would be doing that, wouldn't we?) but we all have something unique to offer. And the first proof of that is the book you hold in your hand that has YOUR name on it. MY name on it. I guess we need to shift gears a bit and now be creative in a whole new way so we can find out what it is that we can do to make our book stand out, first of all, in our own community. The trick is to not let it completely dominate your time so you aren't writing anymore! (I've done that!) It's a tricky business, this author gig!
Soft sell can work, at times. Take stock of any other talents you have. Can you do art, sing well, do comedy, anything at all that might get you an audience?
I have 6 books out and a very helpful publisher - but I consider promotion to be a total team effort.I am on several social sites AS A WRITER (which means be careful of your public image) - I twitter, I blog, I comment on other blogs. Every time your name gets out there and it connects to your books, you help to stir up interest. So use every opportunity to publicize your name - it's timely but often free.
Get a website which advertises your books - even if your publisher has a page promoting books. I have a separate author blog and author web-site. The website can be a freebie, or there are inexpensive ones out there.
Associate with other writers, be supportive (it is more professional).
Offer a FREE First Chapter download (my publisher does this for me and it really helps). You can do it yourself and either host it on your website or post on social sites that it can be emailed upon request.
Look for sites you can guest blog or post book promos - one such site is my Xanga blog, http://cce613.xanga.com/ Mondays are book promos, Wednesdays are Woman-in-Charge, Fridays are reviews and (some) Sat/Sun are guest posts (message me with your email and I will send you full details)
Dave wrote: "Soft sell can work, at times. Take stock of any other talents you have. Can you do art, sing well, do comedy, anything at all that might get you an audience? "I don't do singing and dancing. But I've given talks, this year particularly, at libraries, bookshops, etc., including being invited to Germany to give readings.
Like Claudia, I have a blog and also my own website, http//:freespace.virgin.net/jackie.luben.
As the name implies, it's a freebie, and I created it myself. It doesn't have too many bells and whistles, but a fair amount of information, for those interested.
I don't do singing and ..."</i>
Sorry, that should be http://freespace.virgin.net/jackie.luben... Do visit and say what you think.
Chelle wrote: "I have 6 books out and a very helpful publisher - but I consider promotion to be a total team effort.
I am on several social sites AS A WRITER (which means be careful of your public image) - I twi..."
Good advice, Chelle. Thanks!
Johanna wrote: "Nope, that doesn't work either, Jackie. I tried to visit and got a funny error screen. "
Try this one?? http://freespace.virgin.net/jackie.luben...
Or copy and paste into your browser.
How strange. I can't see what the difference was, but I agree the first one didn't work. Perhaps there was a space there that I didn't notice. At any rate, thanks for pointing it out, Johanna, and thanks for looking in.And I see I'm getting confused. Thanks Claudia for putting the right address.
Jackie, Claudia's address works. I peeked in. That's quite a story. It must have been difficult to write. I'm reminded of Joan Didion's A YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING, a primer on the subject of grief.
I've just stumbled onto another group, as well:
Tips for Self Promotion, Sales, and Advertising
Check it out.
Johanna wrote: "Jackie, Claudia's address works. I peeked in. That's quite a story. It must have been difficult to write. I'm reminded of Joan Didion's A YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING, a primer on the subject of grief. "Johanna, at the time of writing, I felt I had no choice. The feelings were so overpowering, I had to get them down on paper. I'm sure that many people who have a tragic experience find it cathartic to write about it. Years later, when I was commissioned to write a self help book on cot death, I was much more detached - and initially didn't even want to write the book, but was persuaded by my family.
Of course, my writing now is fiction and generally escapist, in the same way that reading is.
Jackie wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Jackie, Claudia's address works. I peeked in. That's quite a story. It must have been difficult to write. I'm reminded of Joan Didion's A YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING, a primer on the ..."
Thanks for sharing your link, and thus your story, with us, Jackie!
Hi there,I've been following all your comments with interest. So far I've tried most of what you are all suggesting. My book came out last January and its doing ok on the UK market, not so well on the US. I approach book shops for signings and so far I've only been turned down once (busy at christmastime excuse)all other shops have been really keen to get an author in (good free publicity for them) they then stock my books. I've given a couple of talks and they've gone done really well.Sold more books there than anywhere else. I do fairs and they're a good venue also. I donate half royalties at some charity events and give copies away as rafle prizes. I even get our local bar to stock them and the landlady gets a real kick when she sells a copy.Radio coverage is good but stations seem to be cutting back.I've had some reviews and they create a lot of interest and I push my website www.faithmortimerauthor.com whenever I can.Facebook, twitter the list goes on. But, it all take so much time, so much that it is sometimes difficult to actually get down and write that next book! OOOh. Next stop is to find a good agent for the next novel.
M.J. wrote: "Hi Joanna and Claudia
My book has been out three weeks now. And I've been promoting my book here on Goodreads, participating in blogs(forums)related to my book genre. Also, I have my website u..."
Claudia wrote: "What kinds of things do you personally do to promote your book? By this I mean above and beyond what your publisher does for you. ie: social media? booking author events? contact schools? What work..."
Promoting via social networks is a good avenue to add to your other efforts. Within the networks there are groups or the network itself sometimes sponsor free <the magic word>conferences for the members who are authors to promote their books. I will be doing one next month. On looking back, writing the novel seems like the easy part.
Faith, took a look at your website...very nice. Crossing the Atlantic without the benefit of Bingo and Lido bar...I'm impressed. My husband and I were boaters but never undertook a journey that huge. Seems like finding an agent is small potatoes in comparison.
Start with a kick @ss query letter. Janet Reid, the Query shark, is a site you should check out. I think it's queryshark.com. She ruthlessly critiques query letters. You're sure to learn a thing or two, mainly what NOT to do.
Happy Sunday ~ Johanna
I would love some feedback about my website. It has gotten me an agent, a publisher and some readers but I am always trying to improve it. And any writer who does not have a website might want to get on at authorsden.
www.authorsden.com/maryanneraphael
My personal taste,it ain't. The overall look of it is just too plain for my peculiar taste. The volume of things you've written probably tells agents and the like you're experienced, but I don't see it being a particularly user friendly, attention getting site. This is just my view, maybe it works great. I don't know how many people go browsing such sites looking for things to read, that wouldn't be my first choice of how to do that.
Would anyone like to comment on my website please? www.faithmortimerauthor.com I have some reservations of my own and plan to change each page (when I have time !). Anything constructive that would help, please.
It's okay, for that kind of site. I'm not in love with your color choices, but then I have a color vision problem, so I may not see them correctly. Take a look at www.randykazandy.com while many of the ideas there are mine, we had a pro set it up. Of course, it's for something entirely different, so it should be different.
HOW I PROMOTED MOTHER TERESA, CALLED TO LOVE
When a publisher with limited funds wanted to publish Mother Teresa, Called to Love. I did a prepublication book tour. With flyers describing the book I went to churches and bookstores in Ohio, Hawaii, New York and California, places I have lived and still have many friends. I. talked about working with Mother Teresa and we sold 700 copies of the book before it was printed.
The week the book came out I went to Waverly, Ohio, the little town where I was born. I was on all the local TV stations and spoke to many church groups.
When I spoke to the Friendship Club at St. Mary’s Catholic Church every member bought a copy of the book and the club used its dues to purchase a copy for every library in town. We had a Presentation Book Party in each library with the President of the Club and me presenting the copy. The local newspaper covered the story.
Before I left town, the main local newscaster announced “Mother Teresa, Called to Love, by local author Maryanne Patterson Raphael is now the number one best selling book in Waverly Ohio” (population 5000, named for Sir Walter Scott’s Waverly Novels.)
My sister had a friend in Peru, Indiana who was opening a huge bookstore and coffee house. She invited me to speak at the Two Day opening. Peru was a town a little larger than Waverly. The editor of the only newspaper interviewed me as soon as I arrived and my photo with a large story was on the front page the day the Bookstore opened and people lined up for blocks to buy my autographed books and speak with me.
I planned book tours to the places where I had good friends. On the Big Island of Hawaii I sold books at the Catholic Churches after Mass. Two churches sold my books as a fund raiser sharing the profits with me.
Back home in California, I was invited to my friend Sandy Ceren’s book signing at Barnes & Nobles. She introduced me to the woman in charge of Customer Relations who arranged Book Signings. Sandy told her I was a good writer and my book Mother Teresa, Called to Love was popular the woman made me promise to come into the store and set up a date next week.
I was a Co-Worker of Mother Teresa and the other Co-Workers helped me publicize the event. We went from church to church with flyers, messages for the bulletin about how a local Catholic author had worked with Mother Teresa and with her permission written a book. The night of the Book Event we had one of the largest crowds they had ever had, even though they often have famous authors.
My friend Jeni Wolf arranged for me to do a book tour in her hometown New York City (where I had lived for ten years and still had wonderful friends.) She spoke with Barnes & Noble at Astor Place and with The Pauline bookstore, the largest catholic bookstore in NYC right next to St. Patrick’s. I gave Jeni my New York City telephone book and she called all my friends and made sure we had a large turnout and almost everyone of them bought more than one book. it was November and people were buying Christmas gifts.
My friends in Seattle had a wonderful idea, instead of going to Barnes & Noble or some one the small bookstores they would have some “Tupperware Book Parties. Each one of my friends had a party at her home. I met a new friend there, Lucretia who was the head of a large school for adults. When I spoke to her students I sold all the books I had with me and had to send for more.
Every time I go to Seattle she invites me to speak at her school and I always earn enough to pay the expenses of the trip.
Next door to my California home was a Tourists shop that sold artistic souvenirs and was very busy. They did not sell books but when I took mine over, they wanted to have a book signing and to keep the books there. When they had a bus load of people interested in my books, the owner would phone me and if I could I would step next door and meet the people and personalize the autographs.
Good Books a neighborhood bookstore had book signings for several of my books and when the store stopped having book signings, Boutique de Village, an artistic Clothing shop began carrying my books, the only books they sold and they had openings for every book I published after that.
My friend Patricia Walden and I had a book signing at a Senior Housing complex with 95 apartments and did very well.
When I went to a new foot doctor, his receptionist heard me talking about my book and asked if I would like to have a book signing at her daughter’s hair styling salon. We had a very successful book event and she began carrying my books.
One morning I got a phone call from the Optimist Club asking if I could replace their speaker that night. I brought my books and sold quite a few. It also gave me a chance to pass out flyers for Solano Beach Library where I was speaking with my friend Helen Kolodny on Creative Women and signing my Anaís Nin book.
When it was announced that Mother Teresa was to be canonized I went to Rome My friend Marcella Roth took copies of my book to Rome, gave one to the Holy Father and one to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger who became Pope Benedict 16.
Back in California I telephoned Barnes & Nobel asking if they would like me to have another Book Event discussing Mother Teresa’s Beatification. We had another grand night and the woman in charge of Customer Relations has asked me to notify her of my future book events.
My promotion suggestion is to be flexible and take advantage of the many opportunities Life offers and Network and let your friends and acquaintances help you.
