Judi Fennell's Blog - Posts Tagged "contests"
Debut Authors - Where do you focus?
As a debut author, you've written a book. Maybe more. Your editor loves you, you're thrilled and you're finally holding the galleys/ARC/copyedits/author copy of your book in your hand. You can't stop smiling.
And then you have to market it. Market it? Isn't there a marketing department for that? Well, yes, but these days, especially in this economy, authors have to sell their books. I don't mean out of the trunk of your car, but by generating interest. Social networks are good for that - case in point, 5900 + authors have author pages here on GoodReads alone. Blogs, other social networking sites, bookstore pages, book signings, etc. It can be overwhelming - especially when you've got other books due to your editor.
Then there's trying to go outside the normal marketing box. So many people are doing blogs that there's not enough time in a day to read all of them, let alone write some (notice I'm writing a blog here on GoodReads... ah, the irony!) So you have to try to maximize your time and generate interest.
I had some luck with a promotional contest I'm running - win a chance to win one of three romantic getaways to coincide with the release of my books. It hit a few sweepstakes sites and I got bombarded with entrants. Since I wasn't aware of sweepstakes sites (see paragraph above about lack of time to read everything on the internet!), this was a surprise and a welcome one. I've engaged in dialogue with several of the entrants, found out where they found my info, and several have expressed interest in the book. So, it's working.
What other marketing ideas have you found work for you?
And then you have to market it. Market it? Isn't there a marketing department for that? Well, yes, but these days, especially in this economy, authors have to sell their books. I don't mean out of the trunk of your car, but by generating interest. Social networks are good for that - case in point, 5900 + authors have author pages here on GoodReads alone. Blogs, other social networking sites, bookstore pages, book signings, etc. It can be overwhelming - especially when you've got other books due to your editor.
Then there's trying to go outside the normal marketing box. So many people are doing blogs that there's not enough time in a day to read all of them, let alone write some (notice I'm writing a blog here on GoodReads... ah, the irony!) So you have to try to maximize your time and generate interest.
I had some luck with a promotional contest I'm running - win a chance to win one of three romantic getaways to coincide with the release of my books. It hit a few sweepstakes sites and I got bombarded with entrants. Since I wasn't aware of sweepstakes sites (see paragraph above about lack of time to read everything on the internet!), this was a surprise and a welcome one. I've engaged in dialogue with several of the entrants, found out where they found my info, and several have expressed interest in the book. So, it's working.
What other marketing ideas have you found work for you?
