[stylist] After You Publish: Anyone Have Promo Advice?

Mon Apr 29 18:30:14 UTC 2013

Yes, I agree with Donna. You do have to ask all these questions and be abel 
to answer them.
But the big question, right in the front, is to be able to answer these 3 
questions:
"Who cares?  "So What?"
"Why should I care about this book?"
That is exactly what a publisher wants to hear about in the initial 
discussion.
You also need to be able to articulate what exactly your market is - that 
means, spending time at the big book stores and finding the area where YOUR 
BOOK will be placed. HOW does YOUR book look in comparison to those already 
there? You need to be able to discuss the other notable books in your chosen 
genre and relate exactly why someone needs or wants YOUR book and how does 
it compare to XXX book that is already there on the store shelves?

If it is a book that Christians would be interested in, an excellent 
publisher is Tate Publishing Company.  Not only do they publish your book 
they create the cover, all the inside of the book, and they promote your 
book through their presence at Christian Bookseller Conventions. My son's 
book (Beginning a Prayer Life, by R. Andrew Lambert) was published by Tate 
and he gets royalty checks from them every time his book is sold.  they 
schedule him for book signings in major stores, they do all the legwork on 
promotion, and it is his role to show up and be congeniel and discuss his 
book with interested people during the book signings. It is very exciting.

When my book was in the process of being created by the publisher, I had 
already scheduled the first venue to introduce the book and do a book 
singing/reading to go with a major art exhibition I was having - people who 
came to my opening reception, were the first people to see and hear my book 
and purchase it. I liked that up a year in advance of the release of the 
book.

All ofDonna's suggestions are great and you have to know that YOU are a 
MARKETER of YOUR BOOK - and you have to do a ton of very hard work to make 
it all come together as you have planned.  This is in no way to discourage 
you, but to give you the information I have to help you get it going - you 
have to really do your research, all along as you go.

GOOD LUCK and I hope you have a very successful book release -
Lynda

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, April 29, 2013 1:45 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] After You Publish: Anyone Have Promo Advice?

> Bekah,
> The website is very important, as is Twitter, which is even more important
> than Facebook, since the feed is public and you can reach strangers and 
> they
> can follow you without risking the site's wrath.
>
> What are your plans for marketing your novel to a niche group like 
> Christian
> middle and upper schools? Is there anything in the book that you could 
> point
> to as an area of experteese, such as a blind character? Or, is there some
> other popular social justice or awareness raising issue such as
> anti-bullying that you can use to market the book?
>
> Do you have a  degree in literature or creative writing? Some writers
> promote their books and make a little money by applying to give
> presentations at writers' workshops.
>
> Have you spoken to your local schools/libraries about doing a presentation
> for them at which you could sell your book? Have you been collecting 
> e-mail
> addresses for people who review books and websites that feature book 
> reviews
> from indie authors? There are also contests nowadays for self-published
> authors like the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. That one's free to 
> enter,
> but there are others that have fees.
>
> Have you sifted through your connections, family and friends for anyone 
> who
> is either in a position to help you or who can approach someone on your
> behalf?
>
> What kinds of experiences have you had in terms of public speaking? Have 
> you
> done any internet radio shows?
>
> One thing that I use as a source for finding media types who might be
> interested in using me as a source for articles, book reviews, internet
> radio, etc is a free service called HARO (Help a Reporter Out). They send
> out e-mails normally 3 times a day on weekdays in which journalists post
> queries about what they're looking for. "Sources" which are often 
> publicists
> answer the ones that look like a fit with their "pitches," and hope for 
> the
> best. As in sales in general, you need to get used to dealing with very 
> long
> odds. I hardly ever find anything that fits and most of the pitches I send
> go unanswered. Nevertheless, I've lost count of the number of radio
> appearances and guest blogs I've done, and I've had my material included 
> in
> at least 3 books that I can remember. I have also been quoted as a source 
> in
> some articles.
>
> Maybe you're way ahead of me here, and if so, I hope this will help 
> someone
> else. The best tool we have, and this is true whether we are blind or
> sighted, is Google and the internet. I'd advise anyone who is trying to
> promote anything, whether it's a book or NFB issues, to get comfortable 
> with
> using the internet and ploughing through with all of the accessibility
> issues. You'll find lots of resources, and you'll spend some time getting
> nowhere, but that's sales.
> Donna
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bekah Felix
> Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 11:28 PM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] After You Publish: Anyone Have Promo Advice?
>
> My book is a fictional novel directed towards teens and young adults. 
> Though
> it could be considered Christian fiction, it could appeal to anyone. I am 
> on
> Facebook, and I am working on creating my own website.
>
> Rebekah Felix
> Author of In the Family
> Print: http://booklocker.com/books/6812.html
> E-Book:
> https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/304358
>
> On Apr 28, 2013, at 8:38 PM, "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net> wrote:
>
>> Hi Rebeka,
>> I think that we need a little more info here to truly help you. Is
>> your book fiction or nonfiction? Have you thought about a niche market
>> that it might appeal to? Do you have an online presence -- website,
> Twitter, etc.?
>>
>> I'm just publishing my first novel, but I had a nonfiction booklet
>> decades ago and three recordings and have always done my own PR.
>> Donna
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bekah
>> Felix
>> Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 5:40 PM
>> To: stylist at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [stylist] After You Publish: Anyone Have Promo Advice?
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I have just recently published my first book, and I'm looking for
>> promotional tools. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for book
>> promoting as a blind person. Any help or advice would be greatly
>> appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Rebekah Felix
>> Author of In the Family
>> Print: http://booklocker.com/books/6812.html
>> E-Book:
>> https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/304358
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