Promotion Tips for Authors

One of the most gratifying parts of writing a book is actually finishing writing it. But where do you go from there? You want people to find your book and purchase it so that you make money. It’s up to you to get your book out there and into the hands of readers.

Now is the time to promote and market your book. If you’re not sure where to start with your marketing, or what you should even do, turn to experts in book promotion. I spoke with Dan Smith and Corinne Liccketto of Smith Publicity and asked them for some promotion tips. Here’s what Dan Smith, the founder and CEO of the company, told me:

“Be creative! There are thousands of books coming out every day because of the boom in self-publishing, and this means authors usually can't rely on their book being solely taken on literary merit by media. Authors must present their book and themselves in creative ways. What can YOU do for the media? How can you be interesting for an interview, feature story or commentary? Examine your competition, because they are all vying for the same media attention you are, and see how you can set you and your book apart from them. It's all about using the media as a conduit to spread word of your book to the book-buying public. Authors must be relentless, patient, and creative; book marketing is more marathon than sprint. It is a highly competitive field, however, every day we see indie books find their way through the mass of books to reach prominence. It CAN happen. Be realistic, yet optimistic.”

Corinne Liccketto’s advice went along the same lines, focusing on four points:

1. Research your options! There is no one way to promote a book; rather there are several initiatives that work together to increase visibility for the book and round out your marketing plan. Once you have a handle on the top marketing/publicity strategies, you can begin to narrow down the options and select the ones that best suit you and your project. 
2. Know your target audience! Everyone is not a target audience. By focusing your marketing efforts on the most applicable audiences first, you'll work to build a foundation for your book upon which you can leverage interest from audiences outside of your core target. Start with the most relevant audience, even if it is niche and small, and work your way out from there. 
3. Have a professionally designed website! This is your online business card and the marketing tool that will be used in all of your publicity and marketing initiatives. 
4. Blog! Launching and upkeeping a blog well in advance of your book is just one fantastic way to encourage followers and build a network before your book is launched. Additionally, having an updated blog means you're providing new content to your audience ongoing so even after they've ready your book, they can still engage in discussion and your new writing trends. 

Not only do experts in promotion have tips for you to follow, but fellow self-published authors are a great source of information. I talked with three – Kara Griffin, Kate Devlin, and Bobbi Romans – and they all had great ideas. Kara stated that authors “shouldn’t be afraid to give books away for free,” as “getting reviews goes a long way to gaining readers’ interest.” Kate promoted “supporting other authors! Tout their new releases, Be a cheerleader.” Bobbi, Like Kara, gives out review copies, but also swag items as forms of promotion such as “Mini note pads with Bobbi Roman Stickers on them. Rack Cards (can still be used as bookmarks but hold more info) and magnet business cards.”

Promotion may seem like hard work, but in the end, it’s worth it. Try a few of these tips, and watch your book sales soar.

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book One)

After hearing so many good things about this series, I finally decided to try it. That was probably one of the best decisions I have made in a long time. I had thought about just jumping right into the television show without reading the book, but my brother talked me out of that idea. He said that to get the full effect of the show, I should read the book first.

I was slightly daunted by the length of this book. Even to someone who reads often (and quickly), 800 pages is long. Despite this, I still finished in a few days because it was just that good. Each chapter was between ten and twenty pages, so they went by quickly. However, they were not numbered so I wasn’t sure quite how many chapters I had read in a sitting.

The overall storyline of this book was that several noble families were fighting over who should be king. Meanwhile, an exiled princess was trying to find her place in the world. By the end, there were six people who could potentially become the new king. The next book in the series, A Clash of Kings, should attempt to clear up who will be king.

The thing I liked best about the way Martin wrote A Game of Thrones was that each chapter was from a different point of view. There were eight narrators altogether, ranging from adults to children. One thing Martin did not do that other authors have done is repeat events from different viewpoints. Each part of the story only happened once, from one viewpoint. I prefer this method, because otherwise the story just drags.

This story did anything but drag. There were three main story lines to follow: Daenerys Targaryen, exiled princess of the seven kingdoms, finding her place in a changing world and eventually deciding to reclaim her lost throne; Jon Snow, son of Ned Stark, becoming a member of the Night’s Watchmen and deciding if he should stick with them or support his family in battle; and the political mess in the capital city. All three of these story lines were woven together in a way that made sense. Martin never left a character at a bad time, and stayed with each storyline for at least a few chapters. There was also never more than one chapter at a time from a particular character’s point of view.

The only negative I have to say about Martin’s writing style is that there was a bit of language. However, the language in the book is nothing compared to what happens in the television show, or so I’ve been told. Then again, you should expect a bit of explicit behavior from an HBO show.

I would recommend A Game of Thrones to anyone who wants a great read, as long as they have the time and can commit to an 807-page book. It was filled with intrigue, deceit, and a dash of honor. So many things happened throughout the story that it kept me reading late into the night on a few occasions. Each chapter revealed a new twist, and I was always on the edge of my seat. One word of caution to anyone who decides to read it: do not become attached to any characters. No one is safe.


Purchase A Game of Thrones
Find out more about George R. R. Martin

Professional Behavior on Social Media

In today’s Internet centered world, social media has become imperative for authors. Instead of spending the time to browse through books in a bookstore, readers can now ask friends for book suggestions via social media. What does this mean for authors? It means that, since readers have turned to social media for suggestions, authors should be waiting there to promote their books. However, readers aren’t looking for authors to constantly shove their books in readers’ faces. Authors need to act professionally on social media. Otherwise, readers will just pass them by.

What is professional behavior on social media? Everyone has his or her own opinion as to what is considered “professional.” To me, the main thing for authors is to not constantly (and shamelessly) promote the life out of their books. There needs to be a balance between posts about your book and other types of posts. Authors should consider posting tips for other authors, relevant news about the book industry, news or interesting facts relating to their book’s topic, tour schedule or events they’ll be at, and character descriptions.

One of the main things to keep in mind when dealing with social media is that each platform can, and should, be used for different purposes. The biggest platforms for authors are Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+. Of these, Facebook is probably the biggest platform, and therefore garners the widest audience. It is good for posting giveaways (along with a picture of whatever the giveaway item is), an excerpt of your book, and your tour/event schedule. Twitter is just as big as Facebook, and gives authors a greater possibility of having their post shared by others. It is good for posting updates on how your writing is going, links to helpful articles on writing, and links to articles about your topic. Keep in mind that tweets have a 140-character limit, so your messages must be short. Next up is Pinterest, which is completely picture based. This style is good for posting your cover artwork and inspiration. For example, if you’re writing about medieval Scottish royals, post pictures of what they might wear or what the scenery looks like. Not only will it get readers interested in your book, but it will also help you in writing it. The last social media platform authors should look into is Google+. This site allows you to join author communities, which you can use to network with authors and readers. It is the most professional of the platforms I’ve listed, and is good for posting tips for other authors.

Many authors may have accounts for some, if not all, of the above social media platforms. However, it is important to keep author accounts separate from personal accounts. Your readers do not need to see posts that don’t relate to your writing. You should create a personal account, such as Kate Benesch, and another account for yourself as an author, such as Author Kate Benesch or Kate Benesch Official. Barry Feldman, founder of Feldman Creative, explained this very succinctly in an interview: “You should have one account to foster your social life, and one to foster your business.” However, he advised that you should let people into your life. “If you feel passionate about anything, you should let your audience know. The more authentic, the better.”

Feldman also had some great tips for responding to people on social media. “Always respond, no matter what the comment was, positive or negative. Social media is how younger people communicate. It’s their first choice, so you have to be available to them. Social media is here to stay. Get on it, take responsibility for it, or you won’t be relevant.” If people are reaching out to you on social media, it means that they care enough about your work to tell you about it. Not responding to them might lead them to believe that you don’t care about what they have to say, and that can only reflect badly on yourself.

Any social media platform can either be used well or poorly. It’s up to you to decide how you want to be perceived. Here are some things Feldman keeps in mind while on social media:

• Have something to say.
• Comment on other authors’ content.
• Be a networker.
• Say thank you when someone pays you a compliment.
• Ask questions.
• Be reciprocal and appreciative.
• Go out of your way to connect people.
• Be helpful.
• Be honest, trustworthy, and authentic.
• Listen to what other have to say.
• Don’t use social media as an advertising medium. You can talk about your book and events, but don’t let that be all you do.
• Don’t be unresponsive.
• Don’t be sloppy.
• Don’t say things you may regret later. Everything you do on social media is permanent. If you say something stupid it will come back to haunt you later in a big way for a long time.
• Social media is a conversation.
• Be prepared to be the big man and own up to your mistakes.

When you’re ready to use social media as an author, make sure to keep this information in mind!

Alice Through the Blood-Stained Glass by Dan Adams

Alice in Wonderland meets the zombie apocalypse. What a great idea for a new spin on the Alice story. Especially when Alice goes from being an innocent 18 year old to wielding a .45 caliber handgun and a metal bar, both of which she uses to kill plenty of zombies. I could not put this book down once I started it, that’s how good it was.

The story starts off with Alice and her younger sister sitting in the park, passing the time on a hot summer day. All seems peaceful until Alice spots a man (the “white rabbit”) running toward them. That would not be strange, except for the fact that the man is wearing a suit. People don’t do that to go jogging. He then explains to Alice that the zombie apocalypse has happened and they need to get to the last helicopter leaving for safety. Unfortunately, the zombies attack Alice’s sister while the man, whom Alice calls Waistcoat, does nothing to save her. Thus begins Alice’s hatred of Waistcoat and her adventures through “Wonderland.”

From here, Alice quickly learns how to protect herself against the zombies. She meets the normal cast of Alice in Wonderland: the Cheshire cat, the hookah-smoking caterpillar, the Mad Hatter and Hare, and eventually, the Queen of Hearts. All of these characters are easily recognizable by their defining traits, i.e. the Cheshire cat has a maniacal smile, Hatter has a top hat, and the caterpillar uses mushrooms to aid in fighting the zombies. Alice becomes quite skilled with her gun and protects herself over many days. Eventually, Alice corners the queen and sees to her death, as well as Waistcoat’s. However, most of the supporting characters are also killed, either by enemy survivors or the zombies. The story ends with Alice going back to where her sister was turned into a zombie and putting a bullet through her sister’s head.

Alice in Wonderland is probably one of my least favorite children’s stories, so I was surprised when I decided to read this story. The cover may have been the deciding factor – a glaring Alice holding two handguns and wearing a bloodstained shirt. I was intrigued, and I do not regret reading this. Adams was able to bring together all of the important aspects of the traditional Wonderland tale and bring them into the zombie apocalypse. Just as I would start to become attached to a character, they would either die or Alice would leave them. But I guess that’s just how things roll when zombies are trying to eat everyone.

The only thing I didn’t like about this story was the ending. To me, it ended very abruptly. Alice kills her zombie sister, and then that’s that. She had left Hatter and Hare surrounded by zombies, and didn’t even try to help them, even though Hatter had been shot. She had even been in a relationship of sorts with Hatter, but just left him for dead. I wanted to know what happened to Alice after she shot her sister. I assume she was just waiting around for a zombie to come attack her, but there’s no way to know.

Overall, I would recommend Alice Through the Blood-Stained Glass to anyone looking for a good zombie book. I was able to finish it within a few hours, so it isn’t an overly long book. The story flowed very well, and it felt realistic. My only complaint is that it took Alice only a few shots of the handgun before she was used to using it. I feel like it should have taken her longer than that to adjust to everything that was happening around her. I guess this was just a case of necessity demanding her to adjust faster than normal. Even if you aren’t particularly fond of Alice in Wonderland, you should give this retelling a try.


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Find out more about Dan Adams

Book Trailer Promotion Tips for Self-Published Authors

As someone who works in book publicity, I’ve seen how effective book trailers can be. They’re a creative way to get the word out about your book, and show potential readers what they can expect from your book. I talked with two senior staff members in my office, and asked their opinions on the helpfulness of book trailers.

Dan Smith, Founder and CEO of Smith Publicity, knows a lot about the best ways to promote a self-published book. His company recently celebrated its 2,000^th book publicity campaign, so they’ve been in the business for a while. He offered this advice for authors considering book trailers as part of their promotion strategy:

“If done well, book trailers are helpful. The idea is similar to the movie trailers we see: You want to tease the audience enough to make them think, "I MUST read this book!" A book trailer is NOT a 3-minute interview with an author. Trailers are dramatic presentations of a storyline designed to seduce the viewer. Remember, less is usually more! Keep trailers below three minutes, two minutes is even better. It's easy to lose viewers if a video is too long. Keep it fast moving. To promote it, put it on your website and have a link to the trailer in your e-mail signature, make it prominent on your social media networks, and mention it in media interviews. Use the trailer each and every place you can!”

Corinne Liccketto, Director of Business Development at Smith, had similar insights:

“If you're going to proceed with a book trailer, make sure it is short--two minutes tops! It should be prominently displayed on the website and also uploaded to video friendly social networks like YouTube. The book trailer link would be best used by authors with social media savvy!”

There’s no question that creating a book trailer as part of your book marketing strategy is a smart and creative book promotion move. Most authors haven’t tapped into this strategy yet-- so you should utilize this new technique to spread the word about your book. Tell the story of your book by using special effects including pictures, text, music, voice-overs by the author, and more. The only way to know if it will work for you is to try!