All authors need publicity, and here are a few of the methods we’ve used over the past few years, and have found to be the most effective.
PAID PROMO:
There are several very good promotional sites, where you can pay for a banner ad or a cover ad, new release info, newsletter advertising etc.
Always choose high traffic sites, and don’t pick a site that specializes in erotic romance if you have a cosy Christian romance, or try to promote romance on a site that caters only for murder/mystery readers.
Some good sites that are worth looking at are:
Coffee Time Romance
www.coffeetimeromance.com
Long And Short Romance
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/
The Romance Studio
http://theromancestudio.com
Night Owl Reviews
www.nightowlreviews.com
Manic Readers
http://manicreaders.com/
THE ROMANCE STUDIO:
Both of us have used The Romance Studio extensively over the past few years. There are loads of ways to get publicity on TRS, but we’ve found being a ‘featured author’ allows you to get additional exposure.
It only costs $5/month (which is pretty cheap) and as part of the package, your new releases are advertised free. There are also book-a-day giveaways, blog posts, release parties, what’s new announcements, drawings and giveaways, and interviews. Some are paid, others are part of the featured author package. Note: you don’t have to be a featured author to access these services.
In addition, featured authors get more than the general public for advertising specials. If there’s a special deal on, featured authors will be offered at least one additional free advert than those who are not members.
We’ve found TRS advertising to generally be more beneficial than anything else we’ve tried.
FREE PROMO:
Every author need a good website. Make sure you have a ‘book’ page, including links to your published books. You may also have a blog, but it must be updated regularly to be effective.
Visit other writer’s blogs for ideas, and perhaps interview other authors on your blog to get your name out there. (They will advertise the interview, which will bring traffic to your blog.)
ADVERTISING MATERIAL:
Bookmarks, pens, business cards are all effective promotional materials. These can be sourced from VistaPrint (and other online sites of this nature) – they are good quality, and relatively cheap. (Look out for the specials to save even more.)
Some publishers will supply their authors with bookmark graphics for a small fee.
AMAZON:
Ask friends to ‘share’ on FB, Twitter, or another social media site after buying your books on Amazon. Once they’ve purchased, a link will automatically come up and they can add a personal message, or just hit share!
SAMPLE CHAPTER:
Add a sample chapter of your book to your website. (Check with your publisher that this is okay. They don’t usually object.)
You can add the whole first chapter, or just a snippet. At the end of the sample, add buy links, and also add links to some reviews.
For people who prefer to have a Kindle version of the first chapter, you can direct them to the appropriate page on Amazon where they can download it.
The latter can be a very effective tool, as it allows people to read the first chapter, then provides a link for them to buy the book. If they’ve become invested in the book by this point, they’ll often go on to purchase it.
STREET TEAMS:
And while neither of us have used Street Teams, the latest thing going around seems to be Street Teams.
This is where authors get a group of people together to help them with their publicity. You get participants by putting out feelers in places such as Facebook or Twitter, or send invitations to specific people you know personally.
Once you have your team together you present them with specific tasks, generally only once a week.
Here are some of the things that can be set for your team each week:
· Become a “Fan” on Goodreads
· “Like” on your Amazon author page
· Invite five friends to join your Street Team. (This makes it viral. You get five people to join, then those five are asked to invite five more, and so on.)
· Add specific books (of yours) to their ‘want to read’ list on Goodreads.
· Like your author page on Facebook.
By doing all these things, the author is getting her name more visible. But what’s in it for the Street Team?
Each member of the Street Team is provided with an electronic copy of your book. Each person is then asked to write a review in return. There will be some people who won’t do it – but you would still end up with a substantial number of reviews.
The downside of this is that Amazon will no longer allow reviews to be added to Amazon when they are written in return for a free copy of your book. So you’d need to be sure you advise your ‘Street Team’ not to mention it.
Some authors also supply their members with other goodies, such as pens, and other publicity goodies. (i.e. Bookmarks, keychains etc.)
It’s all about the buzz. Getting people excited about you and your books is the first step to free publicity.
CONCLUSION:
Publicity can be very personal, and the results may differ from author to author. The best way to know what will work for you is to give it a try. Many of these methods are either free, or near to free, so shouldn’t break the bank.
If you don’t get your name out there, you won’t sell your books. It’s a simple as that.
Margaret Tanner
http://www.margarettanner.com
Cheryl Wright
http://www.cheryl-wright.com
PAID PROMO:
There are several very good promotional sites, where you can pay for a banner ad or a cover ad, new release info, newsletter advertising etc.
Always choose high traffic sites, and don’t pick a site that specializes in erotic romance if you have a cosy Christian romance, or try to promote romance on a site that caters only for murder/mystery readers.
Some good sites that are worth looking at are:
Coffee Time Romance
www.coffeetimeromance.com
Long And Short Romance
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/
The Romance Studio
http://theromancestudio.com
Night Owl Reviews
www.nightowlreviews.com
Manic Readers
http://manicreaders.com/
THE ROMANCE STUDIO:
Both of us have used The Romance Studio extensively over the past few years. There are loads of ways to get publicity on TRS, but we’ve found being a ‘featured author’ allows you to get additional exposure.
It only costs $5/month (which is pretty cheap) and as part of the package, your new releases are advertised free. There are also book-a-day giveaways, blog posts, release parties, what’s new announcements, drawings and giveaways, and interviews. Some are paid, others are part of the featured author package. Note: you don’t have to be a featured author to access these services.
In addition, featured authors get more than the general public for advertising specials. If there’s a special deal on, featured authors will be offered at least one additional free advert than those who are not members.
We’ve found TRS advertising to generally be more beneficial than anything else we’ve tried.
FREE PROMO:
Every author need a good website. Make sure you have a ‘book’ page, including links to your published books. You may also have a blog, but it must be updated regularly to be effective.
Visit other writer’s blogs for ideas, and perhaps interview other authors on your blog to get your name out there. (They will advertise the interview, which will bring traffic to your blog.)
ADVERTISING MATERIAL:
Bookmarks, pens, business cards are all effective promotional materials. These can be sourced from VistaPrint (and other online sites of this nature) – they are good quality, and relatively cheap. (Look out for the specials to save even more.)
Some publishers will supply their authors with bookmark graphics for a small fee.
AMAZON:
Ask friends to ‘share’ on FB, Twitter, or another social media site after buying your books on Amazon. Once they’ve purchased, a link will automatically come up and they can add a personal message, or just hit share!
SAMPLE CHAPTER:
Add a sample chapter of your book to your website. (Check with your publisher that this is okay. They don’t usually object.)
You can add the whole first chapter, or just a snippet. At the end of the sample, add buy links, and also add links to some reviews.
For people who prefer to have a Kindle version of the first chapter, you can direct them to the appropriate page on Amazon where they can download it.
The latter can be a very effective tool, as it allows people to read the first chapter, then provides a link for them to buy the book. If they’ve become invested in the book by this point, they’ll often go on to purchase it.
STREET TEAMS:
And while neither of us have used Street Teams, the latest thing going around seems to be Street Teams.
This is where authors get a group of people together to help them with their publicity. You get participants by putting out feelers in places such as Facebook or Twitter, or send invitations to specific people you know personally.
Once you have your team together you present them with specific tasks, generally only once a week.
Here are some of the things that can be set for your team each week:
· Become a “Fan” on Goodreads
· “Like” on your Amazon author page
· Invite five friends to join your Street Team. (This makes it viral. You get five people to join, then those five are asked to invite five more, and so on.)
· Add specific books (of yours) to their ‘want to read’ list on Goodreads.
· Like your author page on Facebook.
By doing all these things, the author is getting her name more visible. But what’s in it for the Street Team?
Each member of the Street Team is provided with an electronic copy of your book. Each person is then asked to write a review in return. There will be some people who won’t do it – but you would still end up with a substantial number of reviews.
The downside of this is that Amazon will no longer allow reviews to be added to Amazon when they are written in return for a free copy of your book. So you’d need to be sure you advise your ‘Street Team’ not to mention it.
Some authors also supply their members with other goodies, such as pens, and other publicity goodies. (i.e. Bookmarks, keychains etc.)
It’s all about the buzz. Getting people excited about you and your books is the first step to free publicity.
CONCLUSION:
Publicity can be very personal, and the results may differ from author to author. The best way to know what will work for you is to give it a try. Many of these methods are either free, or near to free, so shouldn’t break the bank.
If you don’t get your name out there, you won’t sell your books. It’s a simple as that.
Margaret Tanner
http://www.margarettanner.com
Cheryl Wright
http://www.cheryl-wright.com
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