Your book is published, either by a traditional publisher, or a POD publisher, now what? How do we build a reader base? How do we get our name out there? Even if you don’t have a book published yet, what can you do to get your name out there before hand?
While we would all like to get National recognition from the get-go, the reality is each of us is first going to have to concentrate on local. If we’re lucky enough to have a publisher with funds and a promotion department, they will have ideas and some ‘ins’ to National Markets via newspapers and industry publications
Building a reader base, and getting name recognition is a must. Blogging, industry website presence, personal author websites, and to a certain extent, social networks are a good start. Do you have a book trailer? Where can a reader see it? On your personal website? YouTube?
Networking also includes, local libraries—get your books in the general area Public libraries. This can be done by donation. High School libraries are the same although some are extensions of the public library. Look at your local newspapers can you ask for a review of your book. Gina Robinson, author of Spy Candy, mentioned Book Reading Groups. Getting the lists for those would be advantageous. Judi Fennell, author of In Over Her Head, uses RWA conferences and functions to get her face and name known—in addition to her website and blog.
Don’t discount friends and family in your networking. Many of them are proud of your accomplishments and would be willing to pass out your bookmarks—which should have the cover picture, a blurb, author website address, and your publisher website. An important piece of information to include is where readers’ can purchase your book. Are you on Amazon, Borders, and Barnes and Noble? They should be colorful to catch the eye. If you get promotion books from your publisher, which most authors do, whether they are published traditionally or POD, send them out to your personal network to promote for you—especially, if they live in another part of the country.
There are even small community papers that allow a person to write an article. Authors should use their writing abilities here too. Then there are the local radio stations that give free spots for community people and talk shows that will give locals some time for interviews and plugging of our books. Authors need to be aware of these venues.
Local bookstores can be approached with books in hand and your bookmarks. Are there other local authors in your area? Could you approach a bookstore with the idea of a local author’s book signing? Once we get our foot in the door, it will snowball.
So what are you doing to get your name recognized? What successes are you seeing?
© Sia McKye 2008 all rights reserved
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Comments: 297
I also learned the difference between marketing and publicity. Publicity is free, like appearanced on radio and TV, blogs, articles etc. Marketing costs - like ads and paid promoitions. Dont expect too much marketing investment for a first book, but try to puch for as much as you can. Sia is right, both publicicity and marketing will ask you to work almost full time on this for at least the month before and two to three months after release. The more contacts you have the better.
If you look at my earliest posts on Gather (please dont actually) you will a fine example of obnoxious marketing at its worst. I mentioned the book on every comment, on every article. I guess it worked to some extent.
That's an excellent distinction between publicity and promotion. I've heard back from friends of mine who are published and have been for some time, that they used some of their advance to promote themselves.
I'm a firm believer in networking with friends and family. you're right, they believe in your work and they do promote it.
I think people here probably pretty much know what I'm up to. I'm doing my first book signing this weekend. If anyone will be in Spokane, WA this Sunday, pop by and see me at Auntie's at 12:30. (How's that for blatant self promotion?)
I signed up on Booktour.com to promote that and other signings I'll be doing.
I've been contacting local papers, trying to get listed in their events columns or get the book mentioned or reviewed in the local authors section.
I've handed/sent out hundreds of postcards about the signings and the book's release to family, friends, neighbors, teachers, pretty much anyone I can think of. I carry bookmarks with me and pass those out to basically everyone I meet.
I'm a shy person. This promotion stuff doesn't come naturally to me, as I'm sure it doesn't to most of us.
Thought~Byte No. 19
and
Thought~Byte No. 125
I need to go get feed for my horses and dogs, do a pharmacy run--several errands. I'm going to be leaving in a little bit--just as soon as I can get my child and his book into my car, lolol!
I have a bag of Hallowe'en candy I bought 48 hours ago, and I haven't opened it yet--that's a personal record! :-)
Selene, I've worked with battered women also with sexually abused women and children. I've had a chance to chair a few groups on it. Not as much the last 3 years but my name is down as a resource. While one of my MS do incorporate a heroine who comes from an abusive relationship, it's a romance that allows her to figure out how to put her life back together and to find love. I do it through fiction, although, God knows, I've written enough about abuse in other forums.
Welcome Selene.
Sia - sticking fingers in ears - lalalalalalalalalalala - more marketing? alalalalalalalalalalalalal
Marketing has been my main focus for the last month. I honestly have no idea how much impact I/it has had.. time will tell. Webpage, blog, first chapter up, amazon author blog, book marks, setting up signings, librarian is reading it. (Very nerve wrecking that).... This most certainly isn't in my, happy to be anonymous, personality. Good problem to have.. just never figured it would be this much work. And of course my wips want attention now too. Yeah, right.
Today I popped, cracked and crackled at the chiropractor and it felt soo good. Still best not to push things just yet. I will be good. I will, I will.
No promoting for me yet. I like reading your ideas here, though. So please keep sharing. If something works, we wanna know about it.
Sy, good detail about the difference between promotion and marketing.
Nanoers, we sound ready! Wow. What an incredible output this group of writers will have put out in a month. And in a few years? Awesome, gang. Simply awesome. I love being part of this group.
John, did you finish with the reworking of the screenplay so that you're ready to impress us with your daily numbers in November? A little competition is good for us. And Julie's in? Too much fun, guys.
Selene great tips and fantastic to hear you are enjoying it all. Definitely inspirational, thanks.
There are three great recent posts on marketing & publicity at Nathan Bransford's blog - Here's a link to the first. The next two posts are right after it...er, on subsequent days, I mean...does that make sense?
Interesting insights, everyone, on the marketing & promotion. Great distinction, Sy.
Since my protagonist is a Tarot reader, I was thinking I might offer free one-card readings to customers at book signings. What do you all think? Would that help? Or make me look like a desperate hack?
Of course, I AM a desperate hack, but how far should I go in broadcasting this factoid?
And Gina, how exciting! I didn't think your book was officially "out" yet - I checked Amazon and I think it said 11/2.
However, the toughest part is done and the rest thought through.
Looks like I will be double-teaming, at least the first few weeks of Nano. I'll write the Nano to put be in a good mood and then switch to the screenplay.
Lisa--It's not officially out. But a book like mine doesn't have a hard drop date. Amazon still has it listed for pre-order. The official date is either Nov. 4th. But, yay!, some stores put it out early.
Sherrie--I like Lisa's idea for a promo giveaway.
In other news, I just posted this article, but wanted to share it with you guys. Book #2's title hasn't flown well with marketing so I need to come up with a new one. And, I'm runnign a contest to do it.
Come up with the winning title and have your name used for a character in the book, plus a big THANK YOU in the acknowledgements. Here's the article:
be named in my second book
Please send the suggestions to my email link on my website:
www.JudiFennell.com and use the CONTACT link
by November 5. I'm at a loss b/c the original title is stuck in my head. Books 1 and 3 are In Over Her Head and Catch of a Lifetime.
Thanks!
Gina - the Borders I was at had 3 on the shelves.
Lisa, I like the idea of handout card thingies too!
Wombats are smart.
Next question was would my friend (you) want to put up any books? Also went on to tell me about the Bobbie Smith--which I missed--book signing they had just about 3 weeks ago, I'll have to look. I also told her about my friend Judi Fennell that writes about Mer folk, and very hunky ones, great story, good humor, romance. Do I have any bookmarks for her? Not yet, I say. Told her about Sherilynn Winrose, Claire Collins that have books out and what they were about. Very productive chat with this bookstore. What the heck, I figure if I can promote my writing group why not. I was told I really must speak to the other managers...I told Sue I have several friends that are authors.
This is a bit of rambling but I'm trying to cram all the info before I toddle off to my conference call.
Sia, how cool about your book store friend!
Let's say I go into the Barnes & Noble this weekend, and they DON'T have "Spy Candy"...
What's best for the Gina: (1) Asking them to order it. Or (2) Ordering it on Amazon.
I have my guess on what's better, but I'd love to hear what others think. What's the best way to encourage future sales: by shopping on Amazon to boost the sales rank or pinging the Barnes & Noble system that this book was requested. Hmmmmm???
Great ideas on the marketing and promotion. I wonder if I'll have to market my biochem lab book when it comes out? Doubtful.
A title Judi SHOULDN'T consider:
Under His Arm
Hubs is coming up with a WHOLE bunch I shouldn't consider. Ones I can't post in a public forum but are giving me snorks all over the place!
Some good suggestions coming in, but keep 'em coming folks! You never know what marketing is going to like.
Sherrie, I think that giving readings sounds terrific, although I don't know how much time you might have to dedicate to each person. Hopefully you will be swamped by book buyers! ;o) I love the idea of your bookmark looking like a Tarot card!
I would have to really put on a different hat to become a PR person for myself. Marketing I could do as I have done that in the past for organizations and for employers. Publicity, as Sy defines it, would be a little harder for me. I am used to public speaking and actually enjoy it but I have never appeared publicly to promote myself or my own work. That would take some real courage on my part. Just another challenge in my life I hope. I would gladly have that as a problem. LOL
Great topic Sia.
Im not sure I agree about Amazon. The Amazon rankings are taken very seriously. Unfairly so, but they are the only such real time tracking system online or anywhere else. B and N has a ranking system, but it is terrible, and isnt worth looking at.
At some point, I began telling people to buy my book from amazon (it is also cheaper!)
Actually I like Whale of a Tail. Did they think it was suggestive or something? LOL
On a totally unrelated subject, I have been going back and reading all the Wombats discussion thread from the first one I can find about the First Chapters contest. It is great reading and letting me get to know all you lovely 'bats in a much more complete way. Been having a ton of fun too.
A Tall Tail
Under the Waves
Yes, Sy, I saw them - and thank you for not putting "that" one on the list. It's actually tame compared to what Hubs is coming up with!
re: Amazon vs B&N - I can only speak to Romance, of course, but romance readers do a lot of talking to booksellers. Romance fans are as fanatical as Sci/Fi fans when it comes to their books; that's why word of mouth works well for us.
Go Phillies! Go Phillies! Go Phillies!
oh yeah!
Okay then. lol
Oh, did you see the steroid commercial right after the game with basketballs being deflated - b/c that's something steroids can do to a man's body. Gotta love it.
Sia, good topic. I'm still in the editing phase of my 1st book and writing my second. I'll gear up the marketing machine when there's a book in the process of making its way to the shelves. I'd agree with Sy's distinction between marketing and PR. Publicity, often called public relations, is the process of getting other people to talk about your product.
As an example, I wrote (actually co-wrote) a white paper for work. Then it got pitched to an industry magazine, so I revamped it for byline publication, which happened a couple of months ago. Then I just found out today that a magazine in Denmark picked it up and published it in Danish under my byline and with a title of ProduktChef. Any how, pretty cool, but its an example of how one piece of PR material can spread virally in various ways.
When I had my own company, I would seize on any opportunity to get my name and company name out there (speaking, newsletters, articles, interviews, whatever). In my current industry, my name is also out there, but its been complicated by having 3 different company names during the past 3 years. If I start promoting a book, I'll have to be careful about how to extend my personal brand equity over to that of being a writer of fiction, which is really different than what I do in industry. Some writers solve that by writing under a pen name, but I'm not enamored of going out under a different name. However, I see that's the approach that our own Sherilyn Winrose took.
Harry, Agent X basically said that he didn't like my original title, which was pretty much a place-holder as far as I was concerned, so I didn't care. I came up with (well, with the help of my writers' group - yay Lurking Novelists!) ROCK PAPER TIGER, Agent X loved that, and that's where it stands right now. We'll see if an editor wants to change it, but I should have that problem. I'm still out on submission, fingers crossed, and all that.
Judi--Thanks for placing the book face out! Hooray! It seems to be at Borders all over the place.
Sherrie--Thanks for ordering the book! Sy makes a good point about Amazon, but I agree with Judi about ordering the book from the bookstore. Building recognition among booksellers is what we all want. Plus the more places it's available, the better.
Without a Net
Love's Dark Depths
Love in the Deep
Deep Love
Wet and Wild
Love Overboard
An Ocean Apart
Okay, I'm off to enter Judi's contest.
Off the Hook
In Hot Water
A Little Tail
If any of you would like bookmarks, Please, just say the word and I'll get some out to you with a copy or two of the book for good measure.
James, having two of me is confusing and I'm not so sure I like it. I do like being able to be goofy and garish if I want to here without it bleeding onto the novels. A google of my name brings up all sorts of interesting things. LOL Sherilyn, being a lady, would be more, er, em politically correct and tactful.
WOOT! Gina's book is in stores! Fingers crossed for our Queen.
I'm bored, restless and, if there is such a thing, too well rested. Tomorrow, armed with my braces, I'm going to do some editing. It's that or go nutz. Okay so I'm already nutz.. we're talking the not nice type of nutz.
My only alternative would be to shop for book signing clothes, which I need, but can't afford at the moment. Yes, I'll edit.
Judi i have a couple off the top of my head:
Hook, Line, and Sinker
Netting a Princess
The Perfect Cast
Darn it Gina, I had that on my list too, Wet and Wild, lolol! I started a list, I'll pass on what I think of tomorrow after I've had a good nights sleep. I have about 20 on the list but I'm still playing with terms in keeping with the other two and what I know of your writing style.
Gina you're very welcome my dear. I don't mind helping any of our writers out.
Sleep well, and good dreams everyone...
g'night
Gina, I like taking really long walks with some sort of goal (a vague excuse is enough). I'm about three miles (a little more) from a mall with a Borders and a Barnes and Noble. I think I'll go hunt out your book on 11/4!
The best, run-on sentences, ever written. Love that book.
Keep 'em coming - I have to submit a list.
Off to Borders today where I may actually BUY Gina's book (but then that would leave them with 2 and tempt me into NOT finishing Book 2, whatever its name is...) I may just have to wait until I finish this, which, hopefully will be today since I now know the ending. Oh, and making preparations for the parade tomorrow - can you believe they actually expect the kids to go to school???
The kid has today and tomorrow off school. No fair! I'm going to need a mental health day soon. Burn out has me in a strangle hold.
As for publicity, I still have different people asking when I'm going to be published almost every day. Stirring up votes for FCR started a chain of publicity I never anticipated. My website looks like a barren wasteland. I want to redesign it. In my free time. Yeah right.
VIV! When do we vote for the horror contest? Halloween is tomorrow.
Titles to Avoid: Scuba Do Me. (Or Scuba Does It.) Sea Men on Her Mind.
Judi, not surprised about Hook line and Sinker. I've only seen what's here. But for sure, you're getting a lot to choose from.
Still feeling Like I was run over by a Mack and Jake is home for the second day.
I'm noticing that there are a lot of writers using contests to promote themselves. Very cool.
How about them apples, I’m flabbergasted nothing like this ever happened to me …
I need to sit down !!
I'm just popping by to check in. Now I'm off to run errands. More of that PR stuff. I have to mail out more postcards and books. I need to buy a little thank you gift for the event coordinator who arranged my signing this weekend...
O'la DEN of writers . .
the irony is that i don't really enjoy writing poetry as much as i do enjoy prose . i guess what do i know ??
Paul, swallow? Breathless? lolol!
never had anything published .
LAST day for entries to Terrifying Tales is tomorrow, Halloween.
Voting is on Saturday as Jamie noted, I'll put up a ballot a soon as I close the submissions' door. Thus far we have 17 entries.
Time to catch up on reading the entries if you haven't and yes, there's FRESH MEAT!
Terrifying Tales Entries Index
Deep Sea Diva will be my autobiography
Atlantis - CONGRATS!!!
Paul - Breathless is a good title, but I'm going to pass on anything that has "swallow" in the title...wrong genre!
Off to Borders...
Atlantic - great news. Seems like those folks from CT know what they're looking for.
Jamie, when an editor does bite for one of your books, you'll have a head start on building an audience.
Wendy, the 2 name thing does give you a chance to build that new, refined identity as an author. Food for thought.
Free time. Nope. I'm giving up my 30 minutes for lunch to check in on Wombats.
I had an idea for another scientific thriller. RNAi (Sy prolly knows what that is) Seriously, biochem makes my brain hurt, but it does get the scientific thriller writing muscles in shape. And I'm writing a comedy for NaNo. What gives? Next year, will be the year of the scientific thriller - finish editing DeathDomain and write Prion and RNAi. That's assuming I survive this semester with my sanity intact.
That's true, James. Now if they'd only bite. Stooopid publishers.
Off to eat my lunchable in 17 minutes. Gourmet meals, let me tell you.
(KIDDING)))) posted alerts will for ever more be made available . .
Atlantis - Hip, hip, hoorah! That is so cool. Send me the specifics and I'll add you to the Wombats on the Move article. Dang it's almost time to start a new one. Am I the only one glad we're not in the heat of a FC contest?
Typing with the braces is going to take some getting used to. At the heel of my hand the splint keeps hitting the space key. Lots of deleting extra spaces going on.
I went for milk this morning and on the highway in front of the grocery was a jug of milk. So far as I could tell someone left it on the roof of their car. When I was checking out, someone called wondering if they'd left their milk at the store. Poor dear. Milk is closing in on four dollars a gallon. I might not cry, but some cussin would be in order.
More editing.. off with me.