For book/ebook authors, publishers, & self-publishers

Book Marketing Success Stories

This is a forum to allow people to showcase the things they've done that have worked well for them in marketing their books. Please share your stories here. Then we can all read them and learn from them. If we work together, we will all be much stronger and more successful in marketing our books.

Tags: books, marketing, stories, success

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Permalink Reply by Judi Lake on March 7, 2007 at 9:16am

I always tell authors I work with to budget their money for each phase of the project -- design and typesetting is a very important phase but should never saturate the budget for the most important phase: marketing. One author I had worked with literally had less than a shoe string budget but a huge desire -- We began a simple post card campaign for under $500.00 and it landed him on a major television show -- never underestimate the power of direct mail.

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Permalink Reply by CBM Christian Book Marketing on June 4, 2010 at 7:59pm

Excellent idea. Authors can also create great post cards and other marketing tools at Vista Print at prices that are fantastic and sometimes free.

Blessings,

Christian Book Marketing
Book Trailer Productions

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Permalink Reply by Victor P Vigil Jr on January 15, 2011 at 12:33am

Hello Judi, here is a great site to send and create postcards. They print them for you and send them out for you. http://www.sendoutcards.com/43121

Good luck

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Permalink Reply by BJ Binning on September 29, 2007 at 4:28pm

I am very excited about the marketing process. I am marketing my book on my own because I think that no one knows the conteent of my book like I do. This is what I have done so far. I have made up press packets that include: A release campaign, a bio, any stories that have been done on the book, a flyer about the book, book signing dates, excerpt from the book a business card and a book mark. I have received great compliments and responses from it. I have also sent out post cards that I made, and I am being booked for many different events! It is very exciting!

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Permalink Reply by Richard Bowers on December 24, 2012 at 2:48pm

BJ - It would be of no little service to all authors here to know about how your efforts paid off. Just anything would be better than being left hanging and not knowing what the outcome was. We all thank you in advance.

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Amaal V.E. Tokars on March 8, 2007 at 6:15pm

We are in the early stages of marketing the book I wrote, so this is yet to be proven as a total success story. Nonetheless, I do feel it is a positive piece to the total marketing effort. My husband and I decided to have business cards created (not your usual boring cards - but instead tied to the book branding). The primary use of the card was for when we met someone and spoke of the book we would give them a card. This, in our minds, built in a better chance that when they returned home and pulled out the card, they would go the the site listed on the card and possibly buy a book. Now we not only use them this way, but we carry them all the time and drop some off whereever we go (bulletin boards, air port terminals, coffee houses, etc...) Low cost, easy effort, portable and they look great! My husband has posted them at his work and they get taken.

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Permalink Reply by Kat R. on March 13, 2007 at 12:18pm

This is interesting. By extension, one could produce magnets with the same product. Trying to visualize. Would you post a scan of the card you made?

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Permalink Reply by Dawn Nocera on March 27, 2008 at 8:21pm

Why not the book cover as a business card with your bio or business information on the back! I have seen this done with magnets, but not as a business card. The visual is awesome and people can use your business card as a book mark. You can upload your image and type whatever you want for the back of the card. You can do this all online and have it finished and in your own hands in less than 2 weeks via Vistaprint.com. I use them for my business cards. Be warned that they do not edit anything unless you pay them to do it, so have an extra set of eyes edit your business cards before confirming your order.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Worstell on June 19, 2009 at 5:26am

Lulu has this option as they print business cards with your cover for you and a quote on the other side along with your data. Not too expensive. I got a kit that also came with bookmarks and postcards.

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Permalink Reply by CBM Christian Book Marketing on November 15, 2009 at 10:40pm

This is a excellent idea and works very well. Creating a business card with your book cover on the front is very impressive. Make sure you put your name as author, the title, the ISBN number, your author media site or blog address and of course a phone number.

You might also incorporate matching book markers when you create and design your authors business card. This is very impressive when speaking with book store managers about book signing events. You leave them a copy of your book, your business card and a book marker. Of course creating a letter of introduction and mailing these items can also produce great results.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda Stephan on November 24, 2009 at 9:43am

Love this idea! I had also thought of a business card promotion, but was concerned with the 'throw-away' potential. So I'm considering having a pocket calendar put on the reverse side of the card.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Worstell on June 19, 2009 at 5:24am

And you don't have to get a lot of magnet-types made - there are small sets of business-card-sized magnets available which are self-adhesive. Make only as many as you need - as many as you will be able to actually use.