There was a time, not so long ago, when a newbie author didn't have to worry so much about marketing their book. If they were lucky enough to find a publisher, there was an entire marketing department ready to promote the book for them...shouting it from the roof tops if need be...and many a new author was blissfully unaware of that side of the book business.
Not any more.
The topsy turvy, ever changing in a blink of an eye, world of publishing nowadays means a new author like myself needs to be more aware of how to best promote their own books. I feel fortunate that even a smaller publisher like Anaiah Press will have a publicist assigned to me to help, but it is MY responsibility to lead the parade of showcasing my work.
In the years BSM (Before Social Media), there were tried and true methods of getting the word out on new books. Indie bookstores as well as national chains stepped up to promote their select list of potential best sellers. Advanced Reader Copies were sent by the publisher to all the major review channels in the hopes of being selected for the spotlight. And then there were the coveted book awards that almost guaranteed book sales would be strong.
My book, THE STORY CATCHER, will arrive in a ASM (After Social Media) world where anyone can call themselves an author, books are being almost instantaneously available through self-publishing arenas, and publishers are now putting the challenge of marketing back on the shoulders of authors who might not be aware of what it takes to promote their own book.
Now that my book's release date is tentatively set for January 20, 2015, I'm not going to wait until the last minute to create a marketing game plan. There are many resources out there to help me and I've included a few below that I have found helpful so far:
EBOOKS & ARTICLES:
1. http://bookmarketingtools.com/...this website has an incredible free Ebook called THE ULTIMATE AUTHOR CHECKLIST FOR ONLINE BOOK MARKETING. This guide is crammed with tips on how to get the best out of an online marketing campaign. It even has a printable checklist.
2. http://www.sourcebooks.com/author-toolkit/author-toolkit.html...this is a free article on the Sourcebooks website. It's full of media, interview, social networking, and Amazon review tips.
3. http://www.askbuildbookbuzz.com...Sandra Beckwith offers a free Ebook with 10 ideas for generating book buzz after your book's release.
4. http://www.thecreativepenn.com/blueprint...Joanna Penn offers a free Ebook with tons of tips on marketing your book.
5. http://www.yourwriterplatform.com/promote-and-market-your-book...great article with 71 ways to promote and market your book.
6. http://selfpublishingteam.com/newsletter...ebook on learning how to market your book in just one weekend.
7. http://www.iuniverse.com/Resources/BookMarketing...nice list of marketing articles for all areas of social media.
8. http://authormarketingideas.com/contests...an article on how to enter your book into contests along with links to book awards.
9. http://authormarketingideas.com/tips-for-getting-book-reviews...nice article with links on getting book reviews.
BOOKS:
1. How To Promote Your Children's Book by Katie Davis
2. Guerrilla Marketing for Writers by Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman, Michael Larsen & David L Hancock
3. Author 101 Bestselling Book Publicity by Rick Frishman & Robyn Freedman Spizman
4. Writing Children's Books For Dummies by Lisa Roany Buccieri & Peter Economy
There are many more resources out there to help a new author out with marketing ideas. I've started to create a list for my marketing plan and I have been overwhelmed with the kindness shown to me by all the lovely writers out there willing to help me promote my book once it is released.
I've also just added a NEWSLETTER sign up link on my blog's sidebar for anyone who would like to join my mailing list. I will be putting out a short newsletter three or four times a year where people will get a chance to connect with me through a question & answer segment, get information on free giveaways I will be doing, receive updates about upcoming book signings, and other cool stuff. Just click on the link at add your email to the list so you don't miss out!
In the coming weeks I will be adding to the lessons I'm learning about promoting and marketing my book. I don't claim to be an expert but I'm hoping others will find these posts useful for their own works. That way, we can all learn together. Now if I could just figure out how to do a group hug? ;~)
