Winding down. To those of you who may be tired of reading about writing, I will be getting back to miniatures soon. I have a great miniatures story coming up that I will run as the Miniature of the Month and for my last daily blog. But I will continue to write about writing as well at least a few times a week.
Today's discussion: promotion. BSP (Blatant self promotion) and other forms is part of becoming a published author. You tweet, share, brag, on and on. Some people hate it. Some like hearing about other writer's successes and news. I know I like to hear about new books. I read excerpts and often find some that I put on my to-be-read list.
But other than authors selling to other authors as goes on a lot, as a newbie myself, I'm wondering what works and what doesn't. So authors, share what you've done for promotion; what materials you've purchased; what results you've had.
** Your Turn: What have you done to promote your book? What's worked best? What hasn't? What materials do you use? What advice do you have to promote a book? Share your experiences!
The majority of my sells come from church members. I'm a minister and wife to a Pastor, so when I travel, I often sell everything I have with me (about 40-50 books) each time. Christians are good about supporting one another.
ReplyDeleteAfter that, I believe the majority of my sells come from online networking. Of course, all of my current books fill a very specific niche. That counts. You have to stick to your niche and dominate it.
I've learned the more promotion an author does, the better. It's a cumulative thing. It's a truism that it takes seven exposures to something before a person will buy a particular product. It doesn't matter what specific type of promotion a writer uses, it's the amount of promotion that counts.
ReplyDeleteThanks to the Internet, even shy writers can promote, listing their books on every site they find, putting flyers about their books in libraries, taking part in on-line chats, writing articles for e-zines (for free), writing articles for their own website if they have a free website at AuthorsDen, giving free workshops for various writer's groups, etc.
I went from having one subscriber for my newsletter back in 2002, to my 4th book (Contract Bride)becoming a best-seller on Fictionwise.com in 2006.
It takes time, a lot of it, to promote yourself. But it can be done.
Take Care,
Ayn Amorelli also writing as Ayn Hunt
www.AuthorsDen.com/aynhunt
I make most my personal sales from public appearances. I do church engagements, social events, and I want to branch out more in that regard also.I actually took out a booth at a farmers market this summer and sold a dozen books.
ReplyDeleteInternet marketing takes monumental effort to reach enough critical mass to really see the results roll in, but eventually it does. My first book sells on amazon quite regularly now with very little pushing from me anymore.
My boyfriend is the best promotional tool...er...okay, that just sounds bad no matter how I put it!... that I have. He is so supportive and excited about what I do and makes sure everyone knows about it. Better than postcards, bookmarks or anything else!
ReplyDeleteI blog, promoting the work of others, and write book reviews. It gets my name out there.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm experimenting with blog tours.