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Promoting/Adverting your book
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Revonah Hill-Holloway
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Mar 07, 2013 10:48AM
For all that self-publish... How to you promote and advertise your book(s)? I'm looking for more ways to get the word out and would love to hear how you all do it too. Thanks.
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1. I tried GoodReads self-service ads - spent $150. Sales - $0.00.2. I did Giveaway. Those who did not win also did not buy. Sales - $zippity$.
3. I tried a blog tour - 'blog' is GOLB spelled backwards (sounds a lot like *Gold* if you're not listening). sales - bupkiss
4. I did Megan Broutian's review site, got a very nice review. No sales.
5. I Wrote many humorous and insightful posts in various discussion groups. Had all my works instantly shelved as "douchebag-behavior". On closer examination, I discovered this shows up on a Google search. No sales.
I did book signings, spent two hours feeling pretentious and stoopid. Sold two books. Was told by sponsor, "Remember, it's not how many books you sell blah, blah, blah...". Yeah, get outa my way! I got beer to drink.
Dressed in black from head to toe, I lurked in a dark ally with five copies of my book. A couple came out of the restaurant, holding hands. I grabbed the girl and put a knife to her throat
Her boyfriend froze. "What...what do you want?"
I stared him down. "Buy my book. Buy it or I cut the girl." Then I licked her face for shock effect.
"Sure! Sure. How much do you want?"
"6.99 and tax," I told him.
"OK, I'll pay. Just don't hurt the girl."
"How many books ya want?"
"All of 'em...five...I'll take 'em all!"
I cocked my knife and pointed it at her head. "Wrong answer, Francis! One of these books is on LAYAWAY!"
I sold four. Mr. Layaway never came back.
Your experience may be different from mine.
hahahaha, Jon, I admire & enjoyed your humor. Revonah, hosting a blog about other authors has helped me out, not to mention I've met some really great people who are going through the same things I am.
Check it out http://www.prideseries.com/blog.html
Oh, and Jon, you too. Just leave the knife at home :)
Jon wrote: "1. I tried GoodReads self-service ads - spent $150. Sales - $0.00.
2. I did Giveaway. Those who did not win also did not buy. Sales - $zippity$.
3. I tried a blog tour - 'blog' is GOLB spel..."
Jill,Why did your "Pride" get devalued? I just looked at my stuff - Kindle is OK but I can't explain why my print versions are selling for 5.99 new and 48.99 used. I hope to get an answer soon, or I'm going to become rich selling used books to pawn shops.
Jon wrote: "1. I tried GoodReads self-service ads - spent $150. Sales - $0.00.2. I did Giveaway. Those who did not win also did not buy. Sales - $zippity$.
3. I tried a blog tour - 'blog' is GOLB spel..."
Same experience - except the girl and the knife routine. I'll up the stakes - I belong to a WWI association and they publish reviews on books about the war. They even have a special section for book reviews written by members. As directed I sent a copy of my book to the reviewer. After several weeks of not receiving confirmation, I sent him an email. He replied that he received it and will be reading it soon; that was over six months ago. I've sent him several emails questioning if he was a slow reader or didn't like the book. Never received a reply.
I belong to "Book Blogs" where bloggers review books and post their reviews on the website and their own site. Out of six or seven promises to review my book, only one followed through.
Can I barrow your knife?
Hi Jon,I think it has something to do with the price on lulu.. I changed it there, and will wait & see.
Jon wrote: "Jill,
Why did your "Pride" get devalued? I just looked at my stuff - Kindle is OK but I can't explain why my print versions are selling for 5.99 new and 48.99 used. I hope to get an answer soon,..."
Yeah whats with that- amazon selling a book used or new for $44 when the book is only about $10? i'd like to know how that works myself. This links very interesting thanks guys.
I wrote Amazon about that very subject, my book offered used at some exorbitant price. They wrote back how sorry they were and immediately deleted the used nonsense price. I think a similar one came back on though. Too silly.
Jon wrote: "1. I tried GoodReads self-service ads - spent $150. Sales - $0.00.2. I did Giveaway. Those who did not win also did not buy. Sales - $zippity$.
3. I tried a blog tour - 'blog' is GOLB spel..."
Other than I have yet to try using sharp instruments in my sales pitch, my experience has been very similar. I travel with a supply of books, my Square card reader and a bank in my car. That way when my book comes up in casual conversation and someone says, "Where can I get a copy?" I can answer, "I've got one in my car. $14.95 plus tax and yes, I can make change or take a credit card." I've sold a few that way.
Hi all,If you're looking for honest reviews that will be posted on GR, Amazon, Amazon UK, and B&N, try the group on Goodreads called REVIEW GROUP.
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...
They're an amazing bunch of people: all authors reviewing other authors. They have two tenets: 1. Honest reviews. 2. No reciprocal reviews.
Check out how it works and you'll see the "pay it forward" attitude they all have.
Best of luck!
Jon and others,Thanks for the lift. You've made me feel good because I've actually sold a few hundred books. Of course, I had to give away over 7,000 to do it.
Annette,
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to join. I find reviews very helpful in selecting books, and I'd like to have more for my books.
I am intersted in doing a review for your book. Contact me on facebook page- soyouliketoreadBest of luck to you all
Jon, how many books do you carry in your trunk? My trunk carries two hundred. I'll let you in on a good source for selling books out of your trunk - fishing peers and tackle shops. When you go fishing there is nothing to do until some dumb fish takes your bait. Offer them a good book to kill the time. Another benefit is they can never sell it or give it away as a used book.
I consigned thirty books to an Indie outlet. I'll never repeat that mistake. Some ended up in flea markets. Most of the others were bent and thumbed through by people who had just finished changing the oil in their Harleys. I got no money and lost half the books. When I insisted on payment, the proprietor's mother had just died and business was bad and she was being evicted and blah, blah, blah. I think it was Bush's fault. On a happy note, the owner told me her customers liked the books.
Frederick wrote: "Jon, how many books do you carry in your trunk? My trunk carries two hundred. I'll let you in on a good source for selling books out of your trunk - fishing peers and tackle shops. When you go fish..."What a great idea. I live in an angler's paradise but I never thought of fishermen as a good potential target market for books. I'm going to look into that espec. as The Lost King would be a fairly good fit, being a "quest" story itself.
Jon, thanks for the heads up on Goodreads ads and the other marketing exercises I'm told unknown authors should try. I should start a blog, too, they tell me. I started one but then started thinking about it. If I did all the things to promote my book I've been advised to do, I'd never get to the next one. The only real luck I've had, and my book has only been out since January, is speaking to small groups about it. I've done literary clubs, history clubs, book clubs and one lunch club. Every time I have sold books. My best "score" was 15 (It was the lunch club. I had a knife in front of me but didn't have to use it.) I did a "reading" but only one retired professor showed up. He was quite nice, though. It seems that face to face - even on a fishing pier - works better than in the big pond of cyberspace. At least in my case. But it will sure take a long time to gain any noticeable results, if ever, if any. Good luck and thanks for the good tips I've read here.
I agree, May. 40% of my time is spent in the numbers hemisphere, plying away in my small consulting company, developing financials for other businesses. Forty percent of my time is expended writing fiction and publishing in my other equally tiny company. The remaining amount of time is used to navigate between hemispheres (no eay task) and dealing with the many other details of my life.The bottom line (to use a cliche from the numbers hemisphere): aside from attending sales venues and developing marketing channels, there is no time to blog.
A note to others in the group: I've hand-sold over 4,000 copies of my first novel by pursuing targeted niche markets. Since my novels appeal to those who (1) love Christmas and, (2) love model trains, I sell many more copies of my novels at venues suh as the Greenberg Train & Toy Shows - far more copies than I would at a B&N or Waldens (in fact, I don't do signings at bookstores any more).
Another area which has been very productive for me (in terms of sales) are state fairs.
You may want to think about out-of-the-norm sales venues - particularly those where your book may generate some interest among the attendees.
