We all want easy ways to promote our books, don’t we?
I’ve tried many techniques to promote
my books in unique ways, especially on social media. So sit back and take some
notes. :)
Social
Media:
1. When you’re editing
your book, create a list of fun facts to share.
2. Post short dialogue
as statuses or tweets
3. Find some of your
best descriptive paragraphs, share them.
4. Create picture
quotes that are thrilling, engaging, or inspirational.
TIP #1: Use your own photos or get permission to use another's.
Blogging:
5. Create a recipe
based off something your characters cook in your story.
6. Beth Kennedy in
Hurricane Crimes wrote poetry, so I penned a few poems in her name and posted
them on my blog HERE.
7. Did you delete any
scenes that you loved? Make a post out of it. I have.
8. Did you have to
rewrite the ending? Share the alternate ending.
TIP #2: Make sure to include spoiler messages for the deleted scenes and alternate ending posts.
TIP #3: You can try all of these ideas for your website and newsletter as well.
TIP #4: Include the Amazon link after all of these promo statuses and tweets.
Now that you have some ideas to
promote creatively on social media, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of
promotion. When your book first comes out you may be so stressed and excited
that you may not do enough promoting.
First things first, you’ll want to make
the announcement EVERYWHERE.
When
one of my books comes out I make announcements on:
2. Facebook groups
3. My blog
4. Twitter
5. Yahoo Groups
6. Goodreads Groups
7. She Writes
Then I:
8. Update my website with
my new book.
9. Fix my email signature
by putting “OUT NOW” next to my new title under my signature. Sometimes I
include a link.
10. Create a headline on
The Romance Reviews. (You have to be a member to do this and it has to be
approved.)
And I
always:
11. Create a Goodreads event
and invite everyone.
12. Set up a blog tour. (I can't say enough how much this helps. It really does. If you doubt it, give it a try anyway.)
So what can you do? All of these things! Look
at the social media you’re part of and every single group you’ve joined and make
a list of them. On release day, use that list to spread the word.
Now that you’ve made the necessary
announcements and have some unique promo posts scheduled to go up on your
Facebook and blog over the next couple of months, it’s time to check out sites
that you can add your book to. These sites are places where readers may come
across your book.
Promo
Sites I Add My Books to:
The Romance Reviews (For romance only.)
Wanton Reads (No Children’s books
or YA.)
Bargain
Sites I’ve Submitted My Book to for a Sale:
**There are a lot more sites. A ton, in fact.
Some cost money, many only accept novel-length books, or only promote free
books.
For
more tips on promoting your book see:
Very timely as I'm currently promoting my romantic comedy ready for release on Nov 5th - I intended to ask you to host me but saw you were full for this year :-(
ReplyDeleteWill have a go at some of your other suggestions. Thanks.
It would be a bit late, but I could host you in January. Or I can work something out while I'm taking a blog break for the holidays. Let me know.
DeleteBrilliant! Thanks very much - I'll email you.
DeleteYou're welcome! :D
DeleteVery handy tools indeed, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteExcellent tips! I need to get around to submitting my books to promo sites. There's always a lot to do! :) Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteThe list of things to do to promote a book is never-ending.
DeleteGreat tips! I especially like the ones about using interesting facts from the book and deleted scenes/alternate endings etc for blog posts.
ReplyDeleteReaders love little peeks into books like that. :)
DeleteA great and useful list.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteA list I must try and remember, Thanks for sharing with us,
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
You're welcome, Yvonne!
DeleteThere sure are a ton of sites out there indeed, not many of them are that great though, sadly.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. :P
DeleteSeems like a list all author would have at their desk. :-)
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
I know I have this list at my desk. :)
DeleteI'll have to add my books to the free promotion sites, though I'm still waiting to hear back from the cover artist I contacted two months ago for revamped covers. In the meantime, I'll have to make other arrangements.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Carrie-Anne!
DeleteHi Chrys - what a great comprehensive post for one and all .. great ideas - love the takes on and out of your book - making people want to look in and grab it ...
ReplyDeleteCheers Hilary
Thanks, Hilary!
DeleteGood checklist! The image thing works well. I'm going to try a different approach and do Tweets with images again.
ReplyDeleteImages are a lot more popular these days. One can never go wrong with use images to promote/market books.
DeleteI've bookmarked this page for later reference. The early tips are great ideas for content to share. To add to the ones you listed, I'd like to suggest sharing some of the interesting research that went into the story, and some of the backstory and setting details (more applicable to speculative fiction). I've done both of these on my blog and website.
ReplyDeleteAll well and good, but the biggest challenge is reaching an audience for this content! Putting stuff on my blog will only be seen by a small handful of regular visitors, so that's not especially useful marketing. Plus I have a strong aversion to blog posts that are just marketing - I just don't read them on other people's blogs so why would anyone read them on mine? I am looking forward to checking out that list of promo sites, though. That's an area I have not yet explored (other than submitting to Bookbub, which didn't get selected for inclusion anyway)
If you build a platform on social media, gather followers on Twitter and Facebook and use those places to tell them about the stuff on your blog, you will get new visitors. It takes time, I won't lie. But it's worth the effort. Blog posts that are just marketing are pretty pointless, unless they offer something interesting, new, and fun. A recipe, a deleted scene...these are all things readers like.
DeleteGreat list. I'm going to save this. So far I've only done quote images that I shared on social media. And did character interviews on my blog.
ReplyDeleteQuote images and character interviews are two of my favorite things to do. :)
DeleteGreat list of some wonderfully creative ideas, Lady Chrys! Any one of them could even be used as a casual "Oh by the way, have you seen this?" for those marketing weary folks ;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lady Diedre! :D
DeleteYou've provided a treasure trove of help, Fey! Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThanks, C Lee!
DeleteI love all of these! I could definitely share a recipe or two! I have shared pictures of the cupcakes I've made that came from my story.
ReplyDeleteAnd everyone loves a new cupcake recipe. Yum!
DeleteThese are fantastic ideas. I was stressing about ideas to promote my book, but you saved the day:) Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYAY! Chrys Fey to the rescue. :P
DeleteGreat stuff! I bookmarked this page and I look forward to promoting my books on many of these sites.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Good luck with promoting, Jay!
DeleteOh, you give the best advice. I jotted down a few things.
ReplyDeleteI try. :) I hope this post gets your creative juices flowing.
DeleteLove you list, going to make it mine! I have a lot of catching up to do! LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
You're welcome, Yolanda!
DeleteGreat tips. I'll file this away for the time I might need it (if ever).
ReplyDeleteYou'll need it. I believe that. :)
DeleteHey Chrys. I'd dare say not many of us have the time to implement all of these promo sites etc, but I am paying close attention as I hope to have my first novella published in time for Halloween! Woot! Woot!
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't take too much time to use the promo sites I listed that you can use. And everything else just takes a bit of planning before hand. All doable even with limited time. :)
DeleteGood tips, Chrys.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sage!
DeleteLike Patsy wrote: your post is very timely since my volume of Halloween short stories, TALES TO BE TOLD AT MIDNIGHT, comes out tomorrow the 13th! Cue the spooky music.
ReplyDeleteLately, it seems like my books are wearing leper bells! Thanks for this post. Good to have you on our sides. :-)
Congrats on your collection. I love Halloween stories. :D
DeleteVery thought out info on promoting books with great info you shared here.
ReplyDeleteBetty
Thanks, Betty!
DeleteYou give such great tips bit as I read them my insecurities come out and I feel so overwhelmed since, one day, I want to write a book about my mom's life. I think of just writing and realize that is just the actual tip of that iceberg. There is so much more underneath.
ReplyDeleteI know how that is. I didn't know how much there is that writers have to do when I first started. Not only do we have to write and edit our books. We also have to market them. Once you get the hang of it, though, it gets easier.
DeleteI love love love this article. I need to keep this in mind whenever I finally get something published.
ReplyDeleteI have a few poems published on my site that were 'written' by characters in my story. I don't generally call attention to them on my blog because they reveal plot points.
But this article has got me excited to work on my story again. I have to find a better way to organize my time.
I think tell us about those poems could generate interest in your story.
DeleteI'm glad you're excited to work on your story again. Get to work! :P
Great tips. I've made notes as usual. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from Elements of Writing
Thank you, Anna!
DeleteThese are fabulous, Chrys. I'm saving them for my book launch in March. Now, I must get busy on edits or it won't be coming out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your great advice.
Good luck with edits, Beverly! And you're very welcome. :)
DeleteThanks for all the great ideas!! Very useful!
ReplyDeleteAny time, Lori. :)
DeleteGreat ideas here, Chrys. TY for all the ideas. Some I've used but many I hadn't even considered. You're a wealth on knowledge!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lisa! I hope you're able to take some of these new ways and use them to your advantage. :)
DeleteThanks for sharing such fantastic helpful hints, Chrys. Can you tell me what a blog tour actually involves and how it works? Thanks
ReplyDeletegvsimages@gmail.com
Hi, Greg! A blog tour is essentially you and your book being featured on blogs during the course of a specific amount of time (one week or one month...it's up to you). You could be on one blog a day or several a day. It involves you creating interesting posts about your story/characters for these bloggers to post. This could be an author interview (bloggers usually provide a list of questions if they do this), a character interview or scene spotlight. Along with it you provide the cover art of your book, the blurb, and buy links. Your basically generating interesting and hoping the readers of these blogs will be intrigued enough to buy your book.
DeleteIf you check out the link I shared in the post "How to Set up a Blog Tour" you'll get tips on how to find these bloggers and what to do.
What awesome ideas! I swear I've bookmarked so many of your posts, it's crazy. Ever consider putting together a book of them, like Chuck Wendig does? A marketing one would be awesome. You have a big enough following!
ReplyDeleteI have thought about it and plan on doing just that but it won't be coming out until sometime after 2016. :)
DeleteWow, those are great tips. You're the first person I've seen say that blog tours help. I've heard that quite a few writers feel they're a waste of time. Any idea what might have made the difference for you?
ReplyDeleteI fully believe in blog tours. I sell the most books during a blog tour for a release than after I do after it. I think just doing unique posts and targeting a wide variety of blogs (not just those in my blogging circle) that make difference. And doing it for a month, at least, with 2 posts a day. The longer you do it, and the more you're seen, the better outcome you'll have.
Delete