Rosey Marketing
Do I have a treat for today!! The fabulous Stephanie Faris is here sharing a little about marketing!! I know. I know. Marketing makes me want to cry too. I'd rather be in labor edits than do marketing. But Stephanie is one smart lady and she's here to try to ease our pain.
Here's Stephanie!
How to Promote Your Book
without Breaking Your Budget
As
new authors, we want our books to succeed. We work hard, crafting the perfect
piece of fiction, and we can’t wait to share it with the world. Unfortunately,
as new writers, our names are completely unknown to the vast majority of the
population. This means we have to work hard to get the word out about our books
and hope people are interested enough to buy it.
New
writers have another problem, as well: no marketing budget. Fortunately, we
live in the era of the internet, where a message can be sent to thousands of
people at once for free. Here are a few free (or inexpensive) ways to promote
your book for free.
Make It Social
Sites
like Twitter and Facebook are perfect for promoting your book, especially if
your friends and family follow you. The problem is, unless you’ve worked hard
to build your online networks, your following may be fairly small. To build it
up, invite your followers to share news about your upcoming release. You’re
likely to get a few new followers who are excited to be Facebook friends with
an author.
Host a Giveaway
As
part of your book promotion, host an internet-wide giveaway that includes a
free signed copy of your book as a prize. Some authors purchase a $25 gift card
to add further incentive to entrants. Rafflecopter
offers all the tools you’ll need to create a giveaway to post on your blog.
Pound the Pavement
One
thing you can (and should) do is visit all of your local bookstores to tell
them about your book. If your novel is self-published, many independent and
used bookstores will now sell your book on consignment, so if you have physical
copies for sell, you’ve likely already considered that. Introduce yourself and
offer to sign a few copies if your book is already on shelves. If not, tell
bookstore owners you’ll come back to sign them once they’re in. I found most
bookstore owners were more than willing to order a few copies if they could
place a “Signed by local author” sticker on the front cover.
Schedule Local Visits
If
your books are for adults, contact local writer’s groups and offer to hold
workshops. This can be a great way to sell books and introduce your name to
people who love to read. Also check for local book clubs and readers’ groups.
Children’s writers often find the best way to promote our books is to offer
school visits, either in person or via Skype. Some authors have been able to
sell hundreds of books in one visit.
Keep Promo Items Simple
Before
your book releases, you’ll need a website, as well as some promotional
materials to give out as you’re talking to bookstore owners and writer’s
groups. You don’t have to spend a fortune on a website—using one of the many
free WordPress templates available, you can create a promotional page without
spending a dime. You can also design your own bookmarks and postcards using the
design tools available on sites like VistaPrint and UPrinting.
Printing won’t be free, but you can print in small quantities and have a
handful available whenever you need them.
With
enough hard work, hopefully you’ll eventually build a fan base who will buy
every new release from you. Initially, this will require some hard work and
support from your great friends.
Stephanie Faris
Blurb:
Mia moves from the shadows to the spotlight when her matchmaking plans go awry in this contemporary M!X novel from the author of 30 Days of No Gossip.
Mia is used to feeling overlooked: her perfect older sister gets all the attention at home, and the popular clique at school are basically experts at ignoring her. So when it’s time for the annual Student Council chocolate rose sale, Mia is prepared to feel even worse. Because even though anyone can buy and send roses to their crushes and friends, the same (popular) people always end up with roses while everyone else gets left out.
Except a twist of fate puts Mia in charge of selling the roses
this year—and that means things are going to change. With a little creativity,
Mia makes sure the kids who usually leave empty-handed suddenly find themselves
the object of someone’s affection. But her scheme starts to unravel when she
realizes that being a secret matchmaker isn’t easy—and neither is being in the
spotlight.
Bio:
Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism, she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing.
Stephanie is the author of 30 Days of No Gossip and 25 Roses, both with Aladdin M!x. When she isn’t crafting fiction, she writes for a variety of online websites on the topics of business, technology, and her favorite subject of all—fashion. She lives in Nashville with her husband, a sales executive.
Thanks for stopping by Stephanie! I took some notes and now I just have to put these wise words into action! And for readers, that's not all- there's a give away too!
Click here: Rafflecopter Give Away!!!
Welcome to Elizabeth's blog, Stephanie! Ignore the whispered chatter. That's just Mark picking on Elizabeth.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot we can do online to promote. And giveaway items can be more than books - I've given away mouse pads, tote bags, and mugs with my book covers on them.
I haven't done those! For authors who sell primarily e-books, bookmarks might not be the best, now that I think of it. It doesn't help much to have a stack of bookmarks sitting next to your Kindle. I have a cutesy little promotional pen I hand out but I'm very stingy with it because they're expensive. I sent one to each bookstore and library here in town but I mostly use it as a business card for when people ask, "What do you do for a living?" I also always give 5 to my hairdresser. They always end up dwindling in number between visits!
DeleteGreat suggestions. I hate marketing. *pouts*
ReplyDeleteI worked in PR for 6 years, so some of it doesn't bother me. I still always feel like I'm bothering people, though! Now public speaking...THAT I hate!
DeleteAs you know, I still have a lot to learn on the subject. Reviews and interviews work best for me. Blogging too, though I hardly ever write about my own books. Have a lovely weekend.
ReplyDeleteI try to keep it to a minimum (although it doesn't seem that way THIS week!
DeleteAll great tips!! School visits are key for YA, middle grade, & children's authors. Sometimes I only sell 2 books, but other times I sell 200 :-)
ReplyDeleteTrue...I just read in SCBWI's magazine that those are getting harder and harder to get. I wonder if it's because so many authors are doing them? When schools have tons of authors knocking at their doors, they get to be picky, I guess!
DeleteGreat tips indeed, as we have to stretch every little buck, as there sure isn't much of them to use lol
ReplyDeleteFor new writers, often our time is all we have to give, and most of us barely have that!
DeleteThese suggestions all sound good for marketing. I'm not there yet, but I hope to be. I know the marketing side gets old for authors (because I read about it a lot on here).... self promotion is hard!
ReplyDeleteSelf-promotion is definitely hard. I think we feel like it's bragging about ourselves...but it's easier when it's your books. It's similar to bragging about your children!
Deletelove these ideas. My agent and I were brainstorming on this stuff for when the time comes and since my books are makeup themed I'll probably include maybe a drugstore lip gloss or something. Since my MC is a YouTube beauty guru kind of put together items she would love
ReplyDeleteI love makeup!!! Sounds like that would be fun to promote.
DeleteThanks for your sharing those tips, Stephanie, and much success with your book.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Peaches!
Deletethe frustrating thing about marketing...you can't write while you network et al .... sigh
ReplyDeleteAmen to that! Although I'm supposed to be writing about VoIP telephone systems right now and this seems a great way to procrastinate.
DeleteExcellent post. Some great tips.
ReplyDeleteI never would've thought it'd work to pound the pavement, but it has for me. Great advice. I merely asked local reviewers and bookstore employees to give attention to my book. I've been successful at it. It helps to live in a small town.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elizabeth and Stephanie. xo
Thanks for the great tips. The days of writers just writing and letting someone else handle the distasteful self-promotion and marketing are long gone... if they ever existed at all.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't even occur to me that building a fan base for the author is more effective than building one for the book.
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of Stephanie's book! Great advice too!
ReplyDeleteHey, Elizabeth. :)
Hi Emily!
DeleteI think Stephanie gives great marketing advice.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, both of you.
Thanks Medeia!
DeleteGreat tips! I tend to forget the local angle, as so much work is done online, but that's important.
ReplyDeleteAll good advice and all stuff we've been very active with. That local bookstore one is huge; it's good to have connections online, like with all of these blog folk, but it's also good to have a following in your local community, too.
ReplyDeleteSome great points, Stephanie!
ReplyDeleteSia McKye Over Coffee
I agree, Stephanie. Get out there and be seen and heard. The tools are available. It's the time that always seems a tad short.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your lovely book.
Your book looks adorable, Stephanie. Congratulations. Great tips too. I'm always looking for advice.
ReplyDeleteThose are great tips for authors just starting out. I will need to revisit this post when I publish. :)
ReplyDelete