The Book Marketing Network

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

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.

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I thought this was very creative, Lisa! Thanks for the idea! *smile*

Blessings from my spirit to your spirit!
Susie
Share your book with Molly Lundquist's brand new, elegantly-designed and resource-packed new social network, LitLovers: http://www.litlovers.com/litclub.htm

Where can news about your book fit in what they offer?:
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WOW! There are so many great ideas for marketing my book that I had not thought of! Thanks for this forum, the suggestions and the pure sharing (ie, bathrooms, grocery stores, bulletin boards, Rotary clubs, etc!)
I'm off!

Adrienne Zurub
Author of,
'Notes From the Mothership ~ The Naked Invisibles' due out November 2007
http://adriennezurub.typepad.com
http://chasewunderlickpublishers.com/cn
I recently learned that because I had an account with Lulu.com, I qualified to receive a free three-month full Authors promotional membership package at Edit Red. For all it included, the offer was one I dared not refuse. Please feel free to take a look at the benefits by clicking the link below to my profile page.
Aberjhani

Writing Community
I sold a copy of my children's book today to my dental hygienist. As she worked on my teeth, we had a conversation which led right into telling her about my book. She thought her son would love to read it. I sent my daughter out to the parking lot and she quickly returned with a copy of the book.

I always keep a few books in my vehicle and some bookmarks with info. about the book in my purse. You never know when you'll run into someone who is interested in your writing. I also sold a book to a family in the cabin next to ours while on vacation. And I've given out many bookmarks when I'm just out doing my usual errands around town. People always sound so impressed when I told them that I've written a book!

www.freewebs.com/mclevelandbooks

we do this ... myself, my mom &  my husband ... we carry books. bookmarks which I give free w/each book sold & we carry the business cards w/ my book cover on the front & info

How do you go about selling an ebook? Well, I could give you a whole course on it (and actually, I am working on one), so it's not easy to say in one short reply!

However, it all comes down to: building a list (by offering some kind of valuable information your market wants, in exchange for their email addresses), building multiple web presences to drive traffic to your site (article marketing, blog, social networking, podcasting and teleseminars are my favorites), and then using strong copy to convert visitors into buyers. None of this is instant pudding; it takes time to build a presence and credibility.

As you do these things, you're going to want to be selling more than one ebook! The idea is to think of yourself as the message, and find as many ways and price points as possible to package and market your message.

It also means knowing your market and their needs. I love using Ask campaigns for this. A few simple Ask campaigns have given me plenty of things to write about, and best of all, I know I'm writing about what my market wants to hear!

That's the short answer. My sites are all about answers to this question, so I'm glad you did sign up. Take what tips and strategies from my site, and this group, and just start implementing!

Good luck!
I am using almost every marketing method mentioned on this thread. Website, news releases both mailed and online through prweb.com. I put flyers, book marks and book related business cards in all of my correspondense, even my bills. I hand out cards everywhere I go as well as putting flyers on bulletin boards. I do book signings, give talks to local literary and library groups. I have even had a weekend book sale and signing at our local Air Force Base exchange. I have also managed to get on local radio, and book related public TV shows. I even managed to get a half page in the Literary Las Vegas section of our news paper. Don't overlook book reviews. I just got a nice one from Midwest Book Review in Oregon WI. They have been around since 1976 and they give special consideration to small press and self published authors. What I'm trying to say is that it all works to some degree, but it takes stuborn perseverance. In polite terms I call it the "Poop theory of marketing" - "If you throw enough poop at the wall some of it is bound to stick"
My recent prweb release was read 26,000 times the first day and as a result my wesite reads were 300 plus for the same period. It cost me $80.00. Was it worth it? I'll let you know when I find out.
Arctic Monkeys' debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, released on 23 January 2006, became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history and received critical acclaim, winning both the 2006 Mercury Prize and the 2007 Brit Award for Best British Album. The band's second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, was released on 23 April 2007 and sold over 225,000 copies in its debut week and was also nominated for the 2007 Mercury Prize

Arctic Monkeys achieved their success through fan-made demo tapes and online file-sharing. They were heralded as one of the first acts to come to the public attention via the Internet, with commentators suggesting they represented the possibility of a change in the way in which new bands are promoted and marketed. The band eventually signed to the independent record label Domino Records.

Arctic Monkeys built their fan base by giving away their music for free on myspace. This could work for authors as well as musicians but writers have to write material that people want to read. Other bands have tried to emulate Arctic Monkeys without the same degree of success. Authors must know their market well and write to please their readers not to please themselves. If readers don't want to read your work when it is free, they certailnly won't pay to read it. You lose nothing by giving away free stories and could gain a great deal. You might learn a lot from your readers too!

~Shelagh
Hi C.D.:

Was the PR web release worth it?

Best wishes,

Deborah Rummelhart
I have had success in marketing, promoting, and selling my book. Some of the things that I do are as follows:

1. When I am scheduled for a book signing, I pass out postcards to people telling them about the book, date, time, and location.
2. I have held private book signings at my home, inviting neighbors.
3. Instead of using regular return address labels, I made my own, displaying my book cover, website address, and return address.
4. I made T-Shirts with eye catching phrases. Besides me wearning them, I give them away as door prizes or free drawings. One example--on the front of the T-Shirt is says--Listen to your...., On the back it says---INTUITION (The title of my book) and it has my website address and a picture of the book.
5. No matter where I go, I try to have a book signing. I was on a cruise and asked if I could have a book signing during one of the cocktail parties and I was granted my request.
6. I sponsored a charity event.
7. I joined amazon.com associate program and linked the site to my website.
8. I donated my books to the library but a review has to be conducted before the book can be placed in the library.
9. I put flyers on grocery store bulletin boards.
10. I add a tag to my email address, including my website address.
Great ideas. Thanks for sharing.

Just curious. Which cruise line did you do a signing for? I've written to Princess ahead of time and been turned down.

Best,
Emily
http://www.emilybryan.com

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