For many of us, the writing is the easy part. Publicity is another story. Last week, I started a great series of articles by Seattle published Lizzie Leaf on steps to help now that you’re published.
“Now that you have that contract…CONGRATULATIONS!
Here’s what you do now. EVERYTHING discussed last month continues!!!!!! Keep your name out there. This is not the time to stop, but to continue to build name recognition.
DECISION TIME – AGAIN – Decide how much and where you’re going to spend your dollars to promote your book. Where do you want to advertise? Yes, YOU do that.
Bookmarks, postcards, trinkets, Romance Sells, RWR, Romantic Times, Online Romance sites… You should know who they are and how much they cost – remember, you researched them BEFORE you got to this step!!!
MAILINGS – You can purchase lists of bookstores around the country/world that you can contact with a letter and a handful of bookmarks in advance of your release date.
PRESS RELEASES – Contact your local newspapers with information about your upcoming release. Do the same with radio and television stations. They might ignore you…but they might not!!
BLOG TOUR – Arrange to visit other Blogs and be ‘interviewed’.
CHATS – Arrange to be the guest in chat rooms.
RELEASE EVENT – Some people work with a local bookstore to hold a Book Release Party. Basically, it’s a book signing where you send out invitations and provide refreshments to the people who attend.
Or you can work with a restaurant or pub that has an extra room and do an invitation Book Launch Party. Some will work with you where your investment is a few trays of snacks and the attendees purchase their dinks from the bar. You also bring your books (which you purchased from your publisher at a discount) so anyone who wants to purchased one, can.
BOOK SIGNING – Contact local bookstores to arrange this. Remember, you’re friends with a bookstore because you’ve attended book club meetings or have started your own club that meets there. The manager may give you referrals to other managers if it is a chain store.
ATTEND CONFERENCES – Meet people; get yourself on a panel, present a workshop. You can start with your local writers group. Work up a presentation the members would find interesting and talk to program chair and offer to give it to the group.
BOOK TRAILERS — mini-movies to reach people with the idea of your book. You can make this yourself or hire someone to do it for you.
CONTESTS – Enter as many as you can afford.
PROMO SPREAD SHEET – Establish a promotion spread sheet. Excel works great, but if you don’t have Excel, fake it. Have categories across the top like this example:
Promo Item When Where Comments
(EXAMPLE)
Monthly Chat Monthly on www.realmsoflove.com Invite guest authors
2nd Monday 7 p.m. MT so you always have things to share.
E-Books – Just a Few Perks to Reading and Writing
The Kindle, Nook and various other readers are bringing e-Books into their own. In addition to growing in popularity here are a few good reasons to consider e-publishing.
1 – Reduction of paper waste filling our dump sites.
2 – Reduced cost in transportation and pollution associated with shipping paper books.
3 – e-Books take up space on a computer or reading device and not your home.
4 – e-Books can be purchased any time day or night and are downloadable instantly.
5 – e-Books can be the length the story demands so authors aren’t filling a story with padding to make the tale fit a specific length.
Another thing to keep in mind with e-publishers, their schedules may get your book out there faster. But, check out the publisher…some are here today, gone tomorrow. Or they may have a reputation for poor editing or slow paying (though that happens with some NY pubs) and some are difficult to work with across the board. So check them out just like you would a major publishing house.
Next month, lists of sites that will help you accomplish the things discussed this month and in the prior post last month.”
Look for part 3 in the series coming soon.
Beyond Magic now available at
Passion in Print Press
http://www.passioninprint.com/ShowBook.php?CR=LTL_BEYONDMAGIC
