Promotions

[Heather Froeschl]

What is your favorite method of promotions? Blogging, youtube trailers, reviews, interviews, radio spots, website, networking sites, booksignings, newsletters, etc.? I'd love to hear what you think is the most enjoyable, and also what you think has worked for you.

[Jon F. Baxley]

Hello Heather...

One of the best areas I've used for book promotions was the Yahoo Answers website. Though they discourage blatant commercial promoting when you post an answer, it is possible to slip in a mention of your book titles. You also have the Yahoo Profile page where you can post a blog and other related materials about your books. I stopped posting new answers sometime ago, yet I still get daily inquiries off my answers about agents from a year ago, and many of those people are visiting my blog, MySpace page and Amazon as well.

And speaking of MySpace, believe it or not, that is an excellent place to do book promotions. I started a group page for Five Star authors back in February and that page gets hundreds of hits a week. I also have a personal page over there which has been great for posting reviews and blog info. Check it out at:

www.myspace.com/fivestarauthors

Good luck with your promotions. I hope this helps.

Jon Baxley
THE BLACKGLOOM BOUNTY
THE REGENTS OF RHUM
THE SCIONS OF SCOTIA

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594144516

[Colleen Avelli]

Have to say...out of the box ideas, persistance and making connections. Radio and newspaprer interviews have been a blast, with a bit of persistance you can get an article or interview from your local media if you find the right angle! Phone calls a must, I have found e-mails to be just the icebreaker for your follow upi pjone calls, nothing beats the personalized pitch you can give for yourself and your work. Also, festivals and local community events can be fruitful and w/o the overhead of bookstore %, you can set your own $ in an inviting and comfy atmosphere.
Thanks Heather for the question, 'tis one we can all gain some tidbits from! Col

[Missy Sue Hanson]

My favorite is websites, trailers and myspace! I love incorporating my creativity into my writing and making trailers and websites fits that!

[Tim Quinton]

Booksignings have to be the most enjoyable. Even if the customer comes into the store to buy something else, they are going to know about the Sea Huntress series just as soon as they walk in the door. Besides, it seems that no matter where I go someone there knows, has been, knows someone, or has family living in my hometown.
Then there are just the people that you meet. Most of them are happy to just shake your hand and wish you the best of luck if they don't buy the book themselves. However, there is always that one person that comes up and just makes such a memorable ass of themselves. One of them was at my very first booksigning. He came through the front door wearing a t-shirt that had a picture of a hand, middle finger extended. This person stopped at my table and asked "What do you think of Adolf Hitler?" My book is about pirates, hence the skull and crossed bones on the cover. I quickly deduced that he might have confused it with the skull over crossed bones that the Waffen SS wore in the Third Reich. But he insisted that I tell him what I thought about Hitler, so I did. Then the guy shrugged his shoulders and said "Good answer, you know your history." Well yeah, I was a history major in college. There have been many more since him, at least one at every booksigning. But you learn to just shrug them off.

[Charlotte Boyett-Compo]

MySpace. Being there has quintupled my royalty checks.

Charlee

[Missy Sue Hanson]

Hi, Charlotte! I would have to agree! MySpace is amazing in what it can do, lol.

[Teri Thackston]

So what do all of you do that is special to get people to your table at book signings? My book Perilous Passions will be out in print some time in July and I'll be doing my first signings then. I know I can count on friends to stop by, but how do you attract the attention of people you don't know? Some kind of display? Treats? Magic tricks? :)

[Keetha]

Teri, I have found a few things that got good results for my two books, Culinary Kudzu and More Culinary Kudzu. Both of these are food-related so have a sample from the book (chocolate mocha cookies, peanut butter fudge) is a natural choice. Since your book is has passion in the title, you could have a dish of Hershey's kisses on the table! Maybe that sounds corny, but hey, anything that will get readers over there to pick up your book and talk to you.

Another thing that has been successful is a postcard mailout. I have postcards of my book cover and I send them out about a week or so before the signing to friends in the area, friends of my parents, etc., with a note telling them when and where I'll be and asking them to stop by and say hello. That is effective.

Recently, I had good reviews in two prominent local publications. I played around on the copier and blew up the reviews a bit and put them in a frame along with a picture of the cover of the book and a color copy of the masthead of the magazine. That has really helped draw people to me.

Whenever I do a signing, I have a signup sheet for my free email newsletter on the table somewhere and invite people to sign up.

Just a few thoughts!

Keetha

[Teri Thackston]

Thanks, Keetha! Great ideas!
Teri

[Schuyler Thorpe]

Blogging, websites, the internet. Word of mouth.

And so far things have been working well--even though I am not published yet. While most people would have other methods, these are mine.

[Keetha]

I enjoy doing signings and talking to people about my book. That's fun. I also enjoy putting together the free email newsletter I do each month. Actually, I enjoy all aspects of promoting!

Keetha

[Melissa Schroeder]

Depends on the book. I have some books that go ebook only and some that come out as ebook then as print. To add to the mix, I have some prints that are not in distribution.
Online, Myspace, trailers, my own yahoo chat, newsletter, and other yahoo group chat days. I get a ton of hits on my site when I do places like Coffee Time, FAR chatters or Chatting with Joyfully Reviewed. I have blogs at Myspace, my website blog and then a couple of author group blogs. If your publisher has one, make sure you listed. All of this works for getting your name out there on the web. Also, several review sites have very cheap advertising options and many of them to interviews.
Offline, I am learning my way through this. With Samhain, I now have actual street dates, and bought into the Pat Rouse romance list that has a bunch of romance friendly stores. Bookmarks, pens, other little things like that I send to them for their book clubs and customers. The managers, or contact person, are rabid romance fans, so they can help get your name out there.