Yesterday I talked about the first half of Pat Fry’s workshop. Today I’ll list her 10 ways to promote your book and include some information from other sources that fall into Pat’s listed categories. By now the newbie writer knows that promoting (selling) their book can be more difficult than writing their novel. That’s the purpose of blogging this kind of information. It’s not to discourage, it’s to educate one in the realities… not to beat you up but beef you up. It’s the author’s responsibility to promote the book.
Okay, so celebrities of all sorts (movies, TV, radio) get an easy ride. All they have to do is show up at their own book signing, tweet about it, or hold up their book while on the Today show and droves of readers run to the bookstores or make a few clicks online. The book can be drivel, violate all rules of grammar, or shift in the point of view until the eyes cross, but it still gets the attention and the sales.
But for the rest of us, there are some concrete things to do to promote your book, short of doing what the photo below suggests.
1. Build promotion into your non-fiction: interview people, name them and they will want to see your book in print. Involve products with permission and promote book in that type of business: i.e. motorcycles, computer software, tourism bureaus or tourist locations.
2. Public speaking: Yes you may have to brush up on your presentation skills and step outside your comfort zone. Be flexible, be an actor, be ready to go this route as part of promotion.
3. Build a meaningful blog, website or both. Did you catch that word “meaningful?” Keep up the site, do regular maintenance, keep it fresh and professional. There are so many writers, agents, and publishers who share valuable information. Get into that spirit of generosity. Blogs are an integral part of the writing community, participate.
4. Connect with your audience: join a club, group or several blogs that write in your genre. Collect contact info from writing groups, bookstores, other authors.
5. Get book reviews: An agent can help in this area or you can send out your book to get reviews before you are published. Use those contacts from clubs, groups, Publisher’s Weekly, and other sources.
6. Book signings: Go to writer conferences, book festivals, cultural events that relate to your subject or genre, contact independent bookstores, local colleges, professional organizations if the subject relates to their group.
7. Write articles and/or stories for local or national magazines.
8. Use social media: use this for special prices or pre-sales of your book, virtual booktours, and give-aways.
9. Join organizations that are specific to your genre: historical fiction, mystery, romance, Christian and all sub-genres.
10.Spy on other authors: how are they promoting their book, what conference are they attending, read their blogs.
If all this seems too daunting, not your style, or you don’t want to be bothered, your book may die a quick death. Not necessarily because it’s not a good story, but because it didn’t get noticed.
Or you can get out the megaphone, put on the red shoes, go to a talk show and stand outside waving your book, until a security guard escorts you away. You have to get publicity some way, right?
Tomorrow, I’ll go over the third workshop I attended, “Working with the Media.”
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