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.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by J. Steve Miller on March 11, 2011 at 3:36pm

KC,

If I'm reading you right, I think you're making a very important distinction that I'm still getting through my head about my own books. What you're passionate about is the message of your book, not just the book itself. I think when we can focus on the former, we can get out and speak and do interviews and participate in social media with true abandon, knowing that we're getting out the message whether we sell tons of books or not.

The way one of the Chicken Soup guys put it, to sell millions of books, he had to get over the stigma of marketing. He did that by realizing that he had a critical message of hope to share. He asked, "If you discovered a cure for cancer, would you feel bad about marketing it?" Of course not. As a result many people have said they resisted suicide because of a Chicken Soup book. Makes me glad Canfield and Hansen didn't neglect the marketing.

J. Steve Miller
President, Legacy Educational Resources
Author of Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It
"The money book for people who hate money books."
http://wisdomcreekpress.com/press_kits.html

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Permalink Reply by KC Lauer aka Kay Balbi on March 12, 2011 at 4:38am

Yes Steve, exactly. My book Bad Girl Gone Mom tells my personal story but the mission is to help those struggling with suicidal thoughts, specifically because of gender or sexual orientation or bullying because they are "bad girls".

I have sold about 40 printed books through my facebook friends in a few months. I have also had two girls reach out to me (one in Kenya and another in Austrailia) as a result of the book and my activity on an M.R.K.H. facebook page. Twitter has also helped me get the word out. If I wasn't using social media to share my message, I'm not sure that I would have sold book one.

I have high aspirations for the book to become a best seller, but I know that unless people know about it, it will never happen. The momentum will come when others start talking about the book. So far, everyone who has read it has said 'Wow' and I'm getting 5 star reviews consistently.

Patience isn't one of my strong suits, so I just keep pumping and have my fingers crossed that in a few months, it will "hit". In the mean time, I am getting immense gratification from those girls that are telling me I have helped them.

Here is an interview from Mary, a M.R.K.H. survivor.

When Mary contacted me, it made me feel like all the work I have done up until this point was just the start of where I want to take this. Opening up my heart and sharing my secrets has been cathartic; I feel a sense of power and strength that I never have before.

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Permalink Reply by J. Steve Miller on March 12, 2011 at 5:33am

K.C.,

Great interview! Yes, I can see the passion you have concerning your message. With that passion, you'll always find ways to get it out there.

One suggestion: Don't worry if your sales and opportunities take time to develop. Used to be, authors had to make a huge push 3 months before publication and 3 months after. These days, with print on demand technology that even the big publishers are starting to use, we can take time to build platforms in different target areas. So, you might get a reading group to read your book and then you do question and answer with them. So you get testimonies from them and use them to get other reading groups.

Or, you find an organization that works with your target audience. You build a relationship. Eventually, they want you to represent their organization. Some of the things I've done take time, and most of the marketing venues that have worked for me don't really care when my book was published. They just care about it being relevant to their target audiences.

Many colleges offer a "Gender Studies" track. Many of them may want you to speak in a class.

So you're doing great! Your Facebook success shows that you've got a book with a lot of appeal. Keep up the great work!

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Permalink Reply by KC Lauer aka Kay Balbi on March 12, 2011 at 12:11pm

Steve,

Thank you so much for your suggestions and advice about focusing on my niche.

One of the best classes I took at the Post University was a class on Gender and Socialization issues. That is a great idea. I will have to contact them.

Best, K

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Permalink Reply by albertasequeira on March 12, 2011 at 10:22am

Hi Steve,

I shocked myself jumping on an event in the newspaper; a tiny, just about seen ad. It was a retreat being run by two sisters who own "Sisters of Solace" in Westport, MA. It's about 1/2 hr ride from my home. They do counseling on mental an physical stress, massages, etc. a great website www.sistersofsolace1.net.At first I thought who from a message location would want me.

They were holding the event on my church grounds at their retreat center. Seeing they were into spiritual healing I emailed them with my long list of speaking engagements. I introduced my book A Healing Heart; A Spiritual Renewal and I sent a quote to speak. Felt I had nothing to lose.

I got an email about two weeks later saying they wanted me for my hour talk. and paying me. I'm scheduled for April 9th.

I just finished two events at the Brockton Resource Center in Brockton, MA. It's a recovery program where the courts order the substance abusers to attend. I talked an hour on "The Effect of Alcoholism on the Whole Family" at one morning 11-12pm and an evening 6-7pm. The talk is based on my other two alcoholic books losing my husband and daughter from this disease. I filled out their form and I'm on the books as a speaker. They are paying me for the two events. They have 3 other locations and may call on me. I can't sell books because the abusers don't have money but the center bought them for the patients to read. Hopefully, my name will get out into the court system.

After finishing my sequel Please, God, Not Two, I'm now working hard on my blog www.albertasequeira.wordpress.com. I got my royalty report from Infinity and sold 1 e-book ( sold one last month) and eight paperback books. I truly believe it's from the blog. Now I need to learn how to use Facebook and Twitter to get my info out there.

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Permalink Reply by J. Steve Miller on March 12, 2011 at 4:25pm

Congrats Alberta! I'm starting to set up speaking engagements for my next book and you're a true inspiration to me.

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Permalink Reply by Patrick M Kennedy on March 11, 2011 at 1:53pm

Unfortunately, when self publishing a book, being a saleman is a necessary evil. I have self published 2 books, a novel, and a senior's How To humor book. I have found when a book is self published, newspapers won't review it, DJs don't want to talk to you, book stores won't stock it, and even my local writer's club won't recognize me as a published author, thus, no readings and possible sales. It's a hard row to hoe and saleman is the only thing left for me to do, i.e., beating the internet to death trying to get links to my book web site.

Thanks for letting me rant.
PatK

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Permalink Reply by John J. Hohn on March 12, 2011 at 3:24pm

Ifyou want to pormote your book, great. I am only speaking for what is right for me. Enough people are reading it to let me know that it is getting attention. The reviews have all been wonderful. The book is going to be around a lot longer than I. I am simply not going to bend my life out of shape to promote it.

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Permalink Reply by Jeanne Webster on March 15, 2011 at 10:08am

I'm in the process of working on my book tour. What is working for me stems from understanding my market and paying attention to who is buying the book. I had several catagories as prime markets. The one that is constantly the biggest buyer is the people who own pets. I was having a devil of a time getting book stores to consent to a book signing. An unknown author, a first novel, they're not thrilled. I had to get creative.
Since most of my most successful signings were done as fund raisers for rescue groups( we gave 20% back to the group that hosted us) I enjoy giving back to the community and like the idea of a win/win situation. So I spoke with the publisher and we have a marketing approach that works well.
I contact a rescue group in the state and city I wish to sign and offer to do a fundraiser. They accept. These groups do such good work and are so short on money. Then they tell me which bookstore in the area is pet friendly, has done work for their cause in the past and I contact them. We set up a date and time and the rescue group does the emailing to their list, friends, family. They tell me what newspapers and radio are friendly to them, I contact them and get reviews or community calendar mention. I ask the bookstores to send to their book clubs as my book is a good discussion book. The book store does their advertising as well.
This is a great way to introduce yourself to a community. You have alot of support from all the parites involved and it's a win/win/win situation. I get my books scanned through Nielson, the rescue groups makes money and the bookstore pulls in customers.
I venture to guess that with a little thought, you could find a cause that you wish to support that has something to do with the topic of your book. Even vampire genre could support the blood banks or the local blood drives. Lots of great publicity and your supporting the community that supports you.

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Permalink Reply by albertasequeira on March 15, 2011 at 10:13am

Hi Jeanne,

I don't have a vampire book but what a great idea to think of blood banks. It goes to show we can promote if we can think of using our imagination on selling our books.

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Permalink Reply by Shawn Lamb on March 15, 2011 at 10:17am

Actually, I would find the vampire genre at a blood bank morbid and tasteless. Blood banks supply a vital need for life, vampires suck out life. Some people might think different, but I would not want to got to donate with that concept staring me in the face.

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Permalink Reply by Jeanne Webster on March 15, 2011 at 10:32am

The point was not the blood bank or vampires- that was an stretch- the point is you can use the subject of your book to give back to any cause you wish. If you write love stories, then perhaps the Heart Associations, if you write crime novels, perhaps the policeman's fund etc. Personally I like the idea of giving back and the way I can do that best is to offer my work as service too.