I just read Benjamin Busch’s article in the Authors Guild Bulletin. The author of Dust to Dust (which I have on my reading list) talked about how he hit the road to promote his book. He’s right, authors are an integral part of the sales force and he’s right that connecting with readers in person is important.
…here is a follow up thought on the Marketing and Goodreads blog posting. As a refresher, Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/) is a book Web site where readers list books they have read and post ratings and/or reviews on those books. Goodreads does not sell books, but does help bring attention to works. The Web site has a giveaways function where authors can generate some buzz for their writing efforts.
Devils Lake, North Dakota, native and award-winning author Dwight Jon Zimmerman has co-authored with bestselling author and television anchor Bill O’Reilly LINCOLN’S LAST DAYS The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever which debuted at number two on the Wall Street Journal’s bestseller list in Nonfiction and also number two in the New York Times bestseller list for Children’s Chapter Books.
Fellow author RJ Keller and I created, several years ago, a writers' comic relief YouTube series called "Inside the Writers' Studio."
We usually focus our episodes on the humorous aspects of some of the frustrations of writers (while also, at times, making fun of writers, as in our episode titled "Writer Stereotypes"), but after reading an interview with Sue Grafton in which she refers to self-publishing as "lazy," I guess you could say we set aside the "funny" and responded seriously to this misperception.
Title: The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Genre: How-to/Business
Reviewer: Nancy Rail
ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1463743297
The second edition of The Frugal Book Promoter is an updated version of the multi award-winning first edition. It has been expanded to include simple ways to promote books using newer technology, always considering promotion and marketing techniques that are easy on the pocketbook and frugal of time. It also includes a multitude of ways for authors and publishers to promote the so-called hard-to-promote genres.
The award-winning author of poetry and fiction draws on a lifetime of experience in journalism, public relations, retailing, marketing, and the marketing of her own books to give authors the basics they need for do-it-yourself promotion and fun, effective approaches that haven't been stirred and warmed over, techniques that will rocket their books to bestselling lists.
You'll also learn to write media releases, query letters and a knock 'em dead media kit--all tools that help an author find a publisher and sell their book once it's in print.
We all know that book promotion (and life!) has changed since The Frugal Book Promoter was first published in 2004--particularly in ways that have to do with the Web, but in other ways, too. As an example, the publishing world in general is more open to indie publishing now than it was then. So, this update but includes lots of information on ways to promote that were not around or were in their infancy a few short years ago. So here is what is new:
There is new information in this expanded and updated edition that answers questions like these:
·What is Carolyn's simplified method for making social networks actually work--without spending too much time away from my writing?
·How can I avoid falling into some of the scam-traps for authors?
·How can I get into one of those big tradeshows like BEA?
·What are the best "old-fashioned" ways to promote--the ones I shouldn't give up on entirely?
·There is even an updated section on how you go about writing (and publishing) an award-worthy book. And, of course, you'll find it loaded with resources you can use--but they're all updated.
·How can I use the new QR codes to promote my book to mobile users? And to others?
·What are the pitfalls of using the Web and how can I avoid them?
·What are the backdoor methods of getting reviews--even long after my book has been published?