Promotion & Marketing

It was exciting to secure a contract for my first book but I realized very quickly that ‘getting published’ was only one small step in my journey to be an ‘author’.

I needed readers.

It was confronting to learn there is no magic way to become a bestselling author. Occasionally an author will shoot to fame and fortune, but for the majority of us promoting and marketing our books is going to be a slow organic process – a number of actions that build on the rest – some exciting and fun, others just plain hard work.

I quickly came to the conclusion I had to believe in myself as an author, be passionate about my books and sell myself as an author, not just my one book if I was to be successful.

A number of equally good sources recommend you develop an author platform and how to achieve this. I used Jonathan Gunson’s Bestseller Labs version as my base then developed my own expanded version titled: Promote Globally, Act Online - Promote Locally, Act Personally.

Part 1: Promote Globally, Act Online

Let’s face it – into it or not, you must have an online presence. Social media, of course is the WOM of today: Blog, Website, X, Facebook, TikTok, Goodreads, Google+ and Pinterest, etc. Share, Like, Link, Tweet  – drive your potential readers from one to the other.

Social Media

Blogging & Website

Most Author Platforms are centered around your Blog - Website

• Hook them with interesting, readable posts around you, the author, and your books

• Keep the promotion of your books subtle

• Getting traffic to the blog can be challenging

• Get someone in your genre to write a guest post

• There is lots to blog about – go for it.

x

• Need to be succinct

• Is anyone listening - respond to selected tweets – be funny, witty or controversial to get retweeted

• Build an audience – must source and filter

• Add images to your tweets

• Find meaningful quotes

• Retweet interesting tweets – build a connection.

• Twitter is a very noisy crowded place for the newbie – hang in there, tweet interesting

Facebook

• Lots of engaging posts – content not just sales

• Lots of pictures, promoting your book

• Boost posts

• Get others to promote, ask them to tag, like or share.

• Share (with permission) your book advertisement on their timeline

Reviews

• Ask everyone to review on Amazon, Goodreads, your publisher’s site.

• Newspaper Reviews – unlikely they tend to only review books by traditional large publishers, must go to press pre release, rarely review romance.

•  Newsletter – Romance Writers of Australia

• WOM for a local reviewer’s name.

Goodreads, Google+ Pinterest

• Write a fascinating profile, keep checking in, link to all your other social media sites

• Add images to your Boards related to you and your books

Content Media

You Tube, Guest Posts, Book Bloggers, Press Releases

• Guest posts – exposes you to a new audience

• Book Bloggers – yet to have any success here probably need to spend more time commenting on their blogs to get known.  

• You Tube – still to try for Book Trailers or offering a ‘How to….”. They say it is easy to do.

• Articles – try your local paper, write the article for them. Remember you must have a hook – like an event or a donation of your book to a library or school.

• Press releases – need to know how to write and difficult to get result unless you are famous. Tie your book to a recent article.

WOM is one of the best promotional methods.

Author Media

Direct Sales

I always carry 2 or 3 books in my handbag with a back up supply in my car, taking them with me whenever I am out running around doing errands.

Wherever I go I talk about my books

Always collect their name - put them in an Excel spreadsheet – ready to approach them with the next book.

Signings & Events

Signings are good. Try your local bookshop, the library or any shopping centre – just apply for permission.

Do a meet the author at the local school or library depending on the genre you write.

Develop relationships with writing group outside home area. They might have something happening that you can join in.

Stalls

Go to local trash and treasure, fetes or fairs.

My hometown has cruise ships visit. I work with a group of authors to run a stall. We also do one at the Christmas Fair. You might only sell a dozen or so books, but you can give out many more bookmarks.

Launches

If you can have a launch – invite friends, family and other interested parties – try for a media person such as your local gossip columnist or book reviewer.

Radio

See if you can get on radio – if not a commercial station try a not for profit one. They are often keen to have guest speakers. Make sure you have something to say – why you wrote you, choosing your title, your writing method. Set out the questions for the interviewee and write your answers this way you sound competent and interesting.

Libraries – again I use an Australian example. Libraries apparently buy 12% of all books sold in Australia.

I investigated and discovered that most libraries buy through a library vendor. You need to send your information to the vendor then promote to the libraries. Some libraries have independent budgets. It is time consuming collecting all the emails – unless you can find them all together, but then enter them in an excel file to do a mass email.

Writers’ Festivals

Get involved in local writers’ festivals. Even if you only attend and do networking, hand out those bookmarks and business cards. But try and get more involved if you can – on a panel, judging writing competitions or opening something or just as a volunteer – be there, be seen, be heard, make contact.

Attend conferences – Australian Romance Writers have one every year

Join groups or associations

Sometimes other members will be doing signings or promotional gigs. See if you can join in or at least find out who their contact is in the media. Ask them for an intro

Join professional associations like the RW Australia, RW of America, SA Romance Authors, The Australian Society of Authors, and Romance Readers of Australia. Quite often they have newsletters and will promote to subscribers or have contacts like book reviewers or an author profile section to get yourself out there and seen.

Get memberships of professional journals – for readers and contribute, networking.

Get involved with your local writing centre. SAWC – they run workshops – perhaps you can teach one or they run Writers in Residence program for emerging writers to be involved in the centre for a period of 3-6 months.

Tactile Media

Direct Promotion

There are times, places and people that are not right for a direct sale i.e. if people are busy, or there is a long queue. So here I hand out a bookmark.

Mobile Promotion

I have placed a sign on the back of my car. Wherever I go my marketing message goes with me.

Email

I have a special signature on the bottom of my email with my blog address.

Banner

Donations

I have donated a couple of books to charity raffles – in exchange for being in the newsletter as a donor or on the sponsor’s board. Gets you name out there as an author.

Brick and Mortar Bookstores

Approach them all, big stores, little stores and in between. Your publisher can help you with this.

Bookmarks, flyers or business cards

My local financial institution is community based. They have a small space for people to place business cards. I have put some there in a small inexpensive plastic holder. Several other businesses do something similar. Or you can ask if they will drop one in each bag they give to a customer. Some will, some won’t.

Quite a number of café’s and pubs have a bowl for business cards to put in and be drawn out for a competition. I always put a card in these.

Every time I send snail mail I send a card or a bookmark

I leave bookmarks mostly, but sometimes business cards where ever I go – in waiting rooms perhaps with the magazines or at café, perhaps in the sugar holders. Just a couple so not to be annoying or a litter bug

You can also put flyers under windscreen wipers of parked cars. You should get permission for the car park owner or your local council. But I have been naughty and done a dozen or so cars directly around mine just before I leave the car park. Take 10 minutes or so and you never know who you might reach.

Remember you are not promoting 1 book you are promoting yourself as an author.