Blogger: Mary Keeley
Writers always are looking for new ways to promote themselves and their books. A multi-published client and I were conversing about promotion ideas for her new book that just released, and I mentioned a couple of ideas that were new to her. Because promotion is a necessary endeavor from the time you sit down to write your very first book draft until you market your last book, there is a continual need for new tips.
If promotion is approached in the positive way Rachelle Gardner described in her post last week, it can actually be enjoyable. It ceases to be fun, though, when you hit a brick wall and fresh ideas just aren’t there.
Recent conversations with two authors who are savvy book marketers, yielded a few promotion tips and tricks that have worked for them, and they’ve given permission to share these. I think they’ll help you get out of a rut and spark your own fresh ideas.
- Write blog posts relating your book’s setting to the current season by describing how a holiday was—or is, depending on the genre—observed in that region. Or relate the topic of your Christian living book to how it can be appropriated during the current season. Create free pdf files of each and offer them on your website.
- Respond to every review and blog comment. This can be time-consuming, but it’s important relationship building that grows your audience…and book sales. The reviewers took the time to read your book and then to write a review. Thank them. And always thank a negative reviewer for giving honest feedback because it may help you become a better writer. Maybe you’ll get a conversation going and win her over to read your next book.
- Create a seminar from your most popular speaking topic and offer it to churches, libraries, and on your website around the time of your book’s release. Include a link to a video of you talking about the topic. It’s an opportunity to mention (promote) your book, and it could lead to future speaking engagements.
- If you dig, you can find out who has given you a four- or five-star review on Goodreads. Send a thank-you email.
- Make a list of the reasons someone would buy your book. Shoot for ten. You’ll have that many blog post ideas or article topics to submit to appropriate publications. And of course mention your book.
- One author was told that Amazon often recommends a book more often when they see frequent activity on the listing. The author was told that, even if you just “Like” a review only once a day, it appears in Amazon’s system. Here’s the trick. If you get a review today, wait until tomorrow to send a thank-you message. It doubles your activity. I can’t verify the validity of this information, but try pacing the activity for yourself and see if Amazon recommends your book.
- Print return address labels with your book cover. Add Author in front of your name. They inform recipients about your new book. Something so simple and cost efficient as this can reap book sales.
- Bookmarks are standard for most authors. But here is a trick to try. Include interesting facts or relevant information on yours and then Pin it. One author found that if there is something of additional interest, often it will get re-pinned, multiplying your book’s exposure.
If you have tried any of these tips, how successful were they for you? Which ones will you file away for future use? What additional promotion tips and tricks can you add to this list?
TWEETABLES:
Writers always need new ways to promote themselves and their books. Try these tips. Click to Tweet.
Are your book promotion efforts growing stale? Try these promotion tips and tricks. Click to Tweet.
Thanks for the information- good ideas. I especially like the idea of making return address stickers with the book cover!
One thing: I was surprised to see that you recommend responding to negative reviewers. I thought that was considered taboo and could be lead to unhelpful engagement.
Sheila, t depends on how the author responds. If he humbly and sincerely thanks the negative reviewer for taking the time to read the book and then write a review, it could turn around the reviewer’s first impression of the author, if not the book. And the criticisms in the review might be helpful to the author.
Awesome ideas! Thank you.
Reviewer says: it’s taboo.
I’m extremely hesitant to buy or review a book by an author with a habit of responding to Amazon reviews, and my experienced reviewer friends tend to agree.
If they respond to every review, it looks creepy and stalker-ish. If it’s a simple ‘thank you’, it looks like a cut-and-paste response that might not even be from the author.
If they only respond to positive reviews, it looks unprofessional as though they only want positive reviews, not honest reviews.
If they only respond to critical reviews, it looks needy and insecure.
David (below) is right. Responding to Amazon reviews is simply not recommended. There are so many ways it can go wrong.
However, absolutely thank reviewers on blogs (e.g. blog tour participants, or street team members). It shows you appreciate the effort they put in to promote your books.
These are great tips, Mary. I especially like the one about a bookmark with fun info on it. Maybe even a yummy recipe from the region your book is set in.
Kristen, a recipe that has some connection with the book is a great idea to put on a bookmark if you plan to pin it on Pinterest.
I’m not sure it’s good to comment on public reviews. Review sites are for readers, not authors. Yes, we want to connect with readers, but review sites may not be the place to do it. At the Absolute Write forums they strongly discourage commenting on reviews, good or bad, and call doing so “the writer’s big mistake”. On the other hand, commenting on any and all comments on your blog is essential.
David, I’m not suggesting an author get into a discussion with a reviewer. Maybe that wasn’t clear in my post. A simple “thank you for taking the time to read and review” message, for positive and negative reviews, is courteous and good business etiquette.
These are great tips, and I will keep them for future reference – they’re an incentive to stick around for that future.
* Some thoughts…
– Refrigerator magnets. A bit more expensive than bookmarks, but we do use our refrigerators every day.
– For historical writers, a wall or desk calendar with themes from the book. They’re not terribly cheap to produce, and don’t fit into the freebie category, but again, they keep the name and imagery in front of people.
– Again, mainly for historicals…Showcase Your Research. Don’t tie it directly in with your book or characters, because that can be cheesy. Respect your readers, and let them make the connection.
– In social media, I follow the watchword “Blog At Your Best”; never write a blog post just to meet a deadline. Always have some posts in reserve for when you’ve got the flu or when the cat is stuck in the crawlspace.
– Remember that what you are selling is Yourself, in the form of your voice and values. Those are your most valuable assets, so guard them well. An intemperate FB post or comment, or a snarky comment on another’s blog can garner the kind of name recognition you don’t want…and it lasts.
– Don’t wear your heart on your sleeve. It’s tempting to comment on subjects for which you have a strong passion, but don’t do it. It’s very easy to get strident, and in most cases stridency doesn’t ell.
– Make sure that anything that’s attached to your name is of high quality. Don’t post fuzzy pictures or amateurish videos, and while casual and comfortable are appealing, always be just a bit more formal than that level called for by the situation.
– Be a little bit formal on social media, as well. Don’t engage in banter with friends who comment on your blog or FB posts; in creates an insider/outsider dynamic. Consider social media something like a speaking engagement, or book signing.
– Don’t hesitate to delete inappropriate comments. You are responsible for what is on your social media site, and tolerating something that, say, includes bad or derogatory language ultimately reflects on you. The First Amendment doesn’t apply here.
– In closing…be the best version of yourself. That’s what readers want…a friend they can find whenever they open one of your books; someone the like, someone they can trust.
Well, we surely want you sticking around, Andrew. Great ideas and advice. And you nailed it regarding the spirit in which all of us in this industry should approach our public interactions as well as promotions. In essence, we are to be be accurate reflections of our Savior. Thanks, Andrew.
Thanks, Mary – I want to be around for a long time, too! Writing helps – it throws hope into the future, over the time barrier they say I won’t cross…and that hope is slowly but surely reeling me in to see a future that may otherwise have been lost.
* Put another way…hope floats, and it is my life preserver
Andrew, I always am amazed at the directions you take when you add suggestions to posts like this one. These are great!
Thanks, Jeanne!
As always, great input, Andrew!
Thank you, Teresa!
Regarding replies to reviews…having read over what you said, I’m a bit puzzled –
Did you mean to reply in the public forum, or to PM the reviewers?
PM the reviewers. Done publicly, the thank-you response could sound like distasteful self-promotion.
Thanks, Mary.
Mary, your advice to respond to comments is spot on. I posted a sincere and favorable review on Goodreads, and the author shared it on his Facebook page. I was so impressed, I shared his Facebook post on my Facebook with a call to action for all book lovers to post reviews when they can. He showed me how much it means to an author for someone to take the time to write a review. Now I make it a priority to post on Goodreads when I really like a writer’s work. If I don’t like or don’t finish a book I don’t bother posting a review since I’m already too busy being distracted from my own WIPs. 😉
Blessings ~ Wendy (P.S. — I’ve pinned this post)
Wendy–how do you pin a post?
Michelle, first a person must have a Pinterest account. Then they are able to click on the ‘Pin it’ button from the share options. I have categories set up on my Pinterest board so I can easily find specific topics. You can also set up boards that are private. I enjoy Pinterest and have to limit how often I go on it because it’s a visual candy store. 🙂 There’s an option to put a Pin share button on your browser too, which I haven’t done on my Google Chrome yet.
Wendy, I hadn’t thought of showing appreciation by posting on Facebook. It’s a great option to a PM. Thanks for sharing. I think it all boils down to the genuine sincerity motivating the response. And thank you for pinning this post. 🙂
Blessings back to you.
Wendy, sharing a Goodreads review on Facebook is a wonderful idea. 🙂
Shelli, I was touched an Oxford educated author would care what I thought of his words. He, Ryan J. Pemberton, writes his memoir humbly from his heart, so I shouldn’t have been surprised. It’s the from-the-heart writing that drew me into your memoir too. 🙂
One thing I hope to put on my bookmarks is the recipe for Navajo tacos, and for proper fry bread. I might even get permission to advertise Blue Bird Flour on my website, as Blue Bird of THE proper flour for fry bread.
I love the idea of putting recipes on book markers, Jennifer. And then it’s not just a piece of paper, but it’s something that will be looked at again as people try your recipes. 🙂
Yes!
I can imagine them happily covered in grease spots!
I think a photo of an epic Navajo taco should go on there too, yes?
Yum! The taste…the smell…of those while delving into your book, readers will surely sense they are right there in the story. Blue Bird better plan to increase production in the future.
Do we have to wait for the bookmark? Can’t we be your test audience? (here’s hoping that the recipe is easy; I have many talents, but gourmet cooking isn’t one of them)
I may have to vlog about this culinary gem.
I’ll be in New Mexico after ACFW and will see if I can arrange a fry bread lesson for the sole purpose of education. Yeeaahhhh, “education”.
I’ll try not to drool on camera.
Mary, thank you for these tips, and thank you to your authors for sharing them. I definitely agree with responding to blog comments, although sometimes other responsibilities or illness get in the way of consistency. I like the idea of writing blog posts that correspond to the book but in a creative way. One suspense author has written posts about personal safety for women. It caught my attention and made me remember her name.
Meghan, I think an occasional absence from blog responses is understood by all. Life and business get prime billing some days. It happens here on our blog too, as you know. Listing ten reasons people will buy your book could spark a whole series of creative blog post ideas.
What practical suggestions, Mary. Since I haven’t had a book to promote yet, I’m taking notes. As far as what I’m doing now, I do try to respond to every comment left on my blog. As far as what I can try? I love the idea of putting interesting facts on a book marker. The suggestion of printing address labels with a picture of the book cover is also a fun one to try.
It seems like some of the best things we can be doing to promote our books is being relational with readers and potential readers. On social media and when we speak publicly. Making sure we leave time and energy to do this will strengthen relationships, I’m thinking.
Absolutely, Jeanne. Developing author-reader relationships on social media, your blog, and speaking opportunities must be connected in some way to what you write. Enough personal so they feel like they know you as a person, but always focused primarily on you, the author, and around what you write. The nice thing about blogging is that readers become familiar with your author voice and genre in which you write. Those who are attracted to both are likely to become loyal readers of your books.
Mary – these are great ideas. Thank you so much for sharing. I will print this blog and will make use of them when my book is published (hopefully next year).
Kristi, you’re most welcome.
Mary, wonderful list. Speaking seems to be the best promotional tool for my future that I’ve found. I love the bonds that I make with the women. And they spread the word that you speak to their connections. Our pastor’s wife was at the last women’s retreat I spoke at … our music minister’s wife approached me recently (she taught Sunday school next door to us) and said that our pastor’s wife had been bragging on me to her … “and we are spreading the word about you, Shelli.” Just made my day. I don’t know how much it will help me, but they blessed me, all the same. And our church librarian, who was at the retreat, said her friend’s church wants me to come there. 🙂 It’s slow promotion–the time it takes to be scheduled to speak, next year’s events, etc.–but it’s real and genuine. Slow and steady could win the race, right? 🙂
Shelli, you’ve been affirmed as a speaker, for sure. Take note of which speaking topics are most popular with your audiences. Perhaps the tip to create a seminar based on that topic will serve you well to broaden your exposure. Speaking can be a local endeavor for a long time before your name is known more widely, so keep nurturing your social media growth at the same time. Maybe blog about topics similar to those women respond to when you speak. Similar, not the same–you don’t want to give away the house.
Mary, would you recommend having a video made in which one talks about what kind of writing paradigm one is pursuing? For example, someone whose writing is historical, centering on the Long Walk of the Navajo, could have a short video shot in Bosque Redondo, and give the background of what’s being written, and the reasons for writing it.
* Seems this might offer the kind of engagement readers seek – putting a face and a voice and a mission statement to the book or books, and if a writer had a passion for the subject, it would come in that medium, and be all the more compelling.
Andrew, a video tour of a book’s setting can have great promotional benefit. The content should depend on how close it is to publication of the book. For example, before the author’s book releases, she could create several short videos highlighting a particular point of interest in the setting that relates to the current season, the purpose being to attract reader interest in the setting–without giving away the story too early. Prime time to post a full video tour following the main characters through the setting is within a few days of the book’s release.
Mary, great tips! I’m a sucker for little take-homes or giveaways, so I love the idea of bookmarks with interesting tid bits or whatnot.
Since I’m not yet published, I am working on building a platform. A goal is to always point potential readers to my website, where all my information and blog is housed. So, I make sure my URL is on everything it can be…my email signature, in all my social media profiles, etc. I also take advantage of built-in tools like Facebook’s “Sign-Up” option on pages, to encourage people to sign up for my newsletter, for instance. It’s our job as authors (or anyone selling a product of some kind) is to make finding us and–hopefully–engaging with us as effortless as possible.
Platform-building is what I’m doing, too. For what it’s worth, I’ve learned a couple of things –
* Consistency of content is important. My core message is that marriage is a sacrament, and that love is the greatest adventure we are offered – love for a spouse, and love of God. Hence, marriage is my topic, and will remain so. This has gained me a fairly wide readership; they come for the message, but stay, I think, because I always try to offer good takeaways.
* I do stray one a week; I take part in a weekly flash fiction contest, and there is a good bit of carryover of readers to those posts.
* Consistency seems to be important in the short story posts, as well. I’m writing a series built around a Marine tank crew in Viet Nam, with a first-person narrator (the tank commander, or TC), but the central figure around whom the stories are built is the driver, known only as The Dude. The readers seem to really like him, and that provides the impetus for a disciplined approach to writing the episodes.
* But the core message remains, even there; the stories are built around relationship, and the bonds of comradeship, and love.
So true, Teresa. It is an author’s job to make it easy to find her, and you are doing well to accomplish that goal.
Thanks, again, Mary!
Great discussion today.
Recently, both Sarah Sundin and Cynthia Ruchti have taken their readers on tours of the location where their novels are set. Such a creative and engaging idea.
Since my story ideas almost always begin with a setting I would love to be a tour guide for my novels someday. Do you think this a feasible option before publication?
See you at the OCW conference next week, Mary!
Peter Hart, who writes about WW1, does lead battlefield tours.
Forgot to add that Peter writes nonfiction.
You’re doing this really well right now, with the ABCs of California Architecture on your blog. It’s a great idea, and you handle it really well. Makes me feel like I’m there.
Andrew, I appreciate your encouraging words. When it’s relevant, I share links to my blog posts on the CA History and San Francisco History FB pages. It’s a fun way to connect with people who have lived, or currently live, in the state where my books are set.
I lived in California for a bit, and found the architecture there fascinating. There was so much history hiding in plain sight, if you knew where to look.
I agree with Andrew too. You’re establishing your “brand” now, that dreamy love of California landscape and architecture, which comes through in your stories. In the process, you’ll attract like-minded people, who could become your readers some day. WHEN your book is published, you can post a curated selection of photos relating to that book. And I’m glad you’re enjoying my photo tour 🙂
Short videos highlighting general facts or points of interest about the book’s setting can be beneficial in attracting reader interest before the book’s release. But I would hold off on doing a video tour that puts the characters into the setting before the book releases because readers could think the book is old news.
We just tried something new to promote our company–my mother had our logo painted onto her nails! It’s gorgeous, and will surely start some good conversations. 🙂 You can see them on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ashberrylanebooks
Now that’s creative! A conversation starter anytime. And we should take note of your deft example: offering your tip, which fits our conversation nicely, while also using the opportunity to point to your company (for authors, your book) in a natural, tasteful way. A win-win example to remember. Thanks, Christina.
Oh, did you notice that, Mary? 😉 I figured since our latest release (Aug. 1), To Dance with Dolphins, was written by the amazing Bookie Bonnie Leon, represented by the just-as-amazing Wendy Lawton, it would be in good taste.
(See what I did there?) LOL
LOL, yes, I saw that. Nicely done. Christina.
Dovetailing on your tip about writing blog posts: several authors I know write 10 or so blog posts well in advance of their book’s publication (often, while they are in the process of writing or editing the manuscript, so the book is top-of-mind). They then schedule these posts to publish on key days during the book launch campaign.
Great tip, Laura. Thanks.
Something I’ve been testing with book campaigns I’m managing for authors: Design a template for a “quotes graphic.”
Make it 1200 x 628px, the perfect size for Facebook graphics that include a link. Or 735x1102px, the perfect size for Pinterest. Include an image of the book cover and a big space for text. You can overlay a key quote from the book, an excerpt from a review/endorsement, or your own pithy quote to the template. Post it to social networks.
I make up a batch of 10-20 graphics for a book campaign — each graphic uses the same template but unique text. I’m seeing a lot more shares and likes on these types of posts, as the graphic adds visual interest and helps with visual brand recognition for the author.
I’m not a graphic designer, so I hired a designer I work with to create the template. It cost only about $50 for the template design, and I’m getting a lot of mileage out of it. I use PicMonkey or Canva or other online photo editing sites to add text to the template graphic, and I’m good to go.
Great ideas, Laura. I’m a graphic designer by trade and love to work in these sorts of “branding” touches to marketing efforts that feel subtle and yet make you recognizable when you post. I even have a standard blog post header image I use, then attach to share on other social media, so they’re all similar. Love the idea of working in book quotes! Thanks.
Great idea, Laura! One of many coming from you. 🙂
Laura, thank you for sharing this valuable tip and providing the necessary details. For a small investment, these designed graphics communicate professionalism as well, which is very important.
I love these unique tips, Mary! I’m bookmarking this one. 🙂
Glad you like them, Sarah.
I recently found a very interesting article about promoting authors’ books on LinkedIn: https://nicholasrossis.me/2018/04/05/11-tips-to-using-linkedin-to-promote-your-book/ I think it can be very effective.
Writers are always concerned about how to promote their own work so that as many people as possible get to know about it. And in today’s information rush, it’s very important to be able to stand out.