What I’ve Learned About Book Promotion So Far…

I posted this on my old site about two years ago.  It’s still good info to have:

This is still a new process for me.  I’ll update as I learn more and feel free to email me with what’s worked for you.  Here goes.

If you don’t have a blog regarding your book, start one. Have your blog posts update to your Facebook and whatever other social media you’re on. Also, make your website searchable on Google, Yahoo, etc. This is easy. Just go to their sites and type something like ‘list website on Google’. It should give you a link where you can type in your website. You’ll be listed near the bottom at first simply because that’s how they roll until you get enough searches through them. Oh yeah, did I say this is free?

 Look up every paper in your area. Find out who their entertainment reporter is and ask if they’d like to interview you. You can get rates on advertising but you’ll probably find that it can get pretty expensive, but an interview is free.

Find websites that do link exchanges. You list their website and they list yours.

 Give a copy or two to the library. Because that would be cool.

 Find out if there are any stores (especially in the local mall) that sell products made exclusively by residents. It might be easier to get your book on their shelf than a Borders.

Write stuff. Anthologies, digests; whomever will allow you to mention your main project: the book.

 Talk about it, but don’t be a pusher. Bring it up in casual conversation, but don’t come off like you’re hocking it to everybody. They’ll buy it if they want it.

 This is all my wisdom.  So far.

UPDATE

There was a website I was on a while back and lost it.  I just found it again and I wish I could pass this off like I’d discovered it on my own, but it states that USA Today gets a lot of notice from other media and has 4.3 million readers a day.  You can tryit and send them your book for a review to Carol Memmott, Book Editor, USA TODAY, 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean VA 22107-0020; 703-854-3400; 800-USA-0001; Fax: 703-854-2053. Email: cmemmott@usatoday.com.  They only review 5 or 6 books a week in the Life section every Thursday and if you really want to get noticed by a specific editor or reporter you should direct your book to that person.

Now to get on USA Today’s Best Selling Books List you have to have your book sell in reporting stores.  Your book will be featured in the top 50 books all in one list regardless of format, save for electronic, I’m supposing.  But the list is compiled from a computer-generated report of actual retail sales at major bookstores like Borders and Barnes and Noble as well as select independent bookstores.  The top 150 bestsellers are featured on http://www.top50usatoday.com/.  If you make the top 150 you will be notified.  Here’s a list of the reporting stores:

Independent Bookstores

Books & Company, Dayton, Ohio
Davis Kidd Booksellers, three stores in Tennessee
Hawley-Cooke Booksellers, Louisville, Kentucky
Ruminator Bookstore, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Lexington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio
Powell’s Books, Portland, Oregon
Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver, Colorado
Ingram Book Company (reporting the retail sales of independent bookstore subscribers)

Chain Stores

Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
B. Dalton Bookseller
Bookstop and Bookstar
Books-A-Million and Bookland
Borders Books and Music
Crown Books
Little Professor Bookstores (a selection)
Wal-Mart