For book/ebook authors, publishers, & self-publishers
What's Working for You?
I'd like to start a new forum where people can talk about what's working for you right now in marketing your book.
I think this will help other authors to prioritize their activities if they can find out what's working for other people. This would be especially valuable to new authors.
I've share the hottest tool that I'm using right now. And that's Twitter. As you will note on the main page of this Book Marketing Network website, both my http://www.bookmarket.com website and this network have been rising in Alexa ranks (and visits) because of my use of Twitter.
I think this will help other authors to prioritize their activities if they can find out what's working for other people. This would be especially valuable to new authors.
I've share the hottest tool that I'm using right now. And that's Twitter. As you will note on the main page of this Book Marketing Network website, both my http://www.bookmarket.com website and this network have been rising in Alexa ranks (and visits) because of my use of Twitter.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by J. Steve Miller on
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Jim, can you tell us a bit more specifics? So you sold about 100,000 copies. That's incredible/remarkable/wonderful, even if it had been traditionally published from the start! So how exactly did you go about selling 100,000 copies of a self-published book (I think you were saying it was self-published.)?
Did you just go physically from store to store to talk to owners about selling your book? Was it 90% through stuff like this? Or, was a lot of it from the back of the room when you did seminars? Or, were there just a ton of John Kremer's 1001 things that you tried, so that lots of them netted some sales?
At some point, did it reach a tipping point where word of mouth took over?
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Permalink Reply by Deborah Weed on
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Hi John,
I am just starting out in "authordom." A health crisis turned my life around, from the world of marketing and entertainment to doing what I love: being an author, speaker and artist.
One thing that I have noticed is that there are a ton of children's books and I want to stand out. So, I am currently composing all original music to be utilized in an interactive theatrical production of my book, The Luckiest Penny. Right now I am in the leaping stage. I will share whether it works. . .
Also, I am a sponge--in the learning stage. I appreciate anyone's guidance and I believe that you ROCK! Thank you for being generous with your knowledge!
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Deborah,
One thought is to sell your childrens' book in places where parents buy stuff or do stuff, but their children have to hang around with nothing to do. Example, I've got a Soho Hero nearby (people make copies, get stuff printed, do business cards, Fed Ex stuff, etc.). I asked the manager/owner about selling my book there. She said, "Sure, I'm selling one author's childrens' books on the wall there. While parents do their copies and stuff, their children have nothing to do but read those books. When it's time to leave, they want the book and the parents buy it for them. I've sold lots of them."
That makes so much sense. And if your book is in stores like that, then it's not competing with other books. Just make sure it gets placed low enough so that the children can see it.
Since my book is a personal finance book, I'm putting it in stores where young people shop, but parents have time on their hands. Like a local shop that sells used video games. The parents are bored stiff, waiting for their children to make a decision. I'll let this group know if it works. It sure makes sense. And believe me, store owners are looking for something - anything - that might bring them some more money! If you give it to them on consignment for a limited period of time, to see if it sells, what do they have to lose?
J. Steve Miller, author of Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It http://www.amazon.com/Enjoy-Your-Money-Make-Invest/dp/098187567X/re...
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Dr. Mani,
That's very helpful information. Thanks for giving the specifics, like how many people respond, etc. Lots of people talk about what they're doing to market their books, but it helps when people give some actual figures as to how contacts respond, and in the end, how many books actually sell as a result of specific efforts.
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Permalink Reply by albertasequeira on
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Dr. Mani,
Books In Sync also does a Book Trailer for $59 and puts it on Youtube. See what else comes with it.
www.booksinsync.com
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Permalink Reply by Edie Jarolim on
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I can't say what's going to work because my new book, Am I Boring My Dog, isn't out yet (it will be in less than two weeks!), but I've been finding Twitter very useful for finding a potential audience for it. John, I noticed on your link to Ten Million Eyeballs that you don't recommend Facebook. Although I've been trying to get into it, I find your description of it as too time consuming very heartening. Twitter is enough of a time sink for me because I like it so well. Trying to keep up with Facebook too -- not to mention my blog -- seems overwhelming.
One thing I got my publisher to spring for was a series of video promotions, which I posted on my page here. I think they're great -- but I can't figure out how to get people to watch them, which is a waste. Any thoughts about how to promote them would be appreciated. I've been posting them on Twitter, but am trying to avoid the shameless self-promotion route and go for something more organic...
Edie
http://willmydoghateme.com
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Edie,
Can you tell us a couple of Twitter tips and specifically how it's bringing you a following? I, too, feel that Facebook isn't the best avenue to get the word out about my books. First, these are my true friends and I don't want to pester them. Facebook was a good place to originally let them know I'd published the book (friends want to rejoice in that with me, and some bought books), but not a good avenue to do continued promotion, at least in my mind.
How much time are you putting into Twitter? What are you posting - tips on dog care? links to interesting articles? etc.? And do you feel the need to follow those people who are following you, making comments on their comments and re-tweeting their stuff? To me, it seems like if I got a large following, that a high percentage of my publicity time would be eaten up with Twitter. And I wonder what percentage of those people who are "following" are really reading my tweets?
Any thoughts?
Steve Miller, Author of Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It - http://www.amazon.com/Enjoy-Your-Money-Make-Invest/dp/098187567X/re...
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Steve, I've found that it's evolved over time to the point that there are certain people I have "conversations" with about topics of mutual interest, such as dog training, dog food, etc. Many times followers will post articles that I'll comment on. Other times those conversations have inspired blog posts, which in turn, spurred interest in my blog on Twitter. The articles I link to are less "how to" -- although some of my blog posts are of that nature -- than opinions on different topics. You'd be surprised how controversial many dog issues are.
Generosity is key, but it has to occur naturally. That is, if I retweet a blog post or article that I'm interested in, others will return the favor. I don't do it just for the sake of getting followers.
I follow back a lot of people who aren't dog people but who have similar interests, just to get the news about a variety of topics. Of course, it's easy to find the dog people -- like me they often have dogs as avatars!
Edie Jarolim, Author of Am I Boring My Dog and blogger at http://WillMyDogHateMe.com
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Thanks Edie for the specifics. Now I think I better understand!
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Permalink Reply by John Kremer on
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I spend about 2 minutes a day on Facebook and 20 minutes on Twitter. My main online activity is still responding to all the email I get and creating/updating pages at http://www.bookmarket.com.
My Twitter Mania Manual tells you how to Twitter and how I've twittered successfully. You can download it for free at http://www.bookmarket.com/50WaystoTweet.htm.
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John,
Downloaded it and I'll look it over. Thanks! btw, I regularly recommend your 1001 Ways to Market Your Books http://www.bookmarket.com/1001ways.htm . First I read it all the way through. Then, I keep going back to it as a reference manual each time I try a new tactic. WONDERFUL book!
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Great feedback as always - based on your own experience.
Note to others: What works for one person may not work for you. What doesn't work for another might work well for you. Just a caveat.
But I do hope this forum continues to help you find things that work for you.
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