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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One point to update the article - if you put yourself on a Wordpress blog as your website, it automatically pings the search engines. And if you're looking for data on personal branding, there's this by Chris Brogan (as well as a great deal more articles on how to brand yourself online). http://www.chrisbrogan.com/free-ebook-on-personal-branding/
This is very true. Creating a author media blog and online presence is very important. A authors web site or blog becomes the place where book lovers, bookstore managers and other people can find you and your book at convenient times.

Further, you can create author business cards with your authors web site or blog on them, book markers and these become advertisement for you and your book. You give them away to friends, people you meet, at book signing events and so on.

Creating a online presence is further very important as a powerful marketing tool. Finding new markets to market your book and author media site, is equally important.
I agree with this. It's important to create a online presence and there are many ways to accomplish that. A authors web site, authors blog, networking with others, joining groups, communities, social communities and so on. Another great way is using book trailers.

Christian Book Marketing
Book Trailers

Cheryl, thank you for the "internet identity" information; I copied it and will put it to use.  Do you know about Lightning Source packages, particularly about whether or not they have a package that would receive orders and take care of shipping that came from an author's book-titled website (as in, "thedoorway.com," for example)?  If so (or anyone else), I would certainly appreciate the information; I tried to find this information out from LS's site, to no avail, and they apparently don't want to deal with anybody unless they already know everything about their procedures.  Marty

Marketing your books can happen anytime--anywhere! Be prepared! :)

A few months ago, I packed up my laptop and headed for my favorite haunt (if you don't know where that is, click on the link above!) I got there in the morning, sipped four jumbo mugs of cinnamon hazelnut coffee, had lunch (the Cheryl's Special Quesadilla), then later had a slice of lemon poppy seed loaf. I didn't leave until after 10:00 PM.

Talk about buzzed!!

I worked on Children of the Fog, my new suspense novel that asks, "How far would you go for your child?" I wrote in a frenzy, finishing 2 chapters, plus some editing. I was lost. Lost in my world--the one I had created for Sadie and Sam, the mother and son in my novel.

But a small voice brought me back to reality.

"Are you Cheryl...T?" a young girl asked hesitantly.

"Yes," I answered. "Are you a friend of my daughter's?"

The girl shook her head. "I read about you in the bathroom."

I smiled. I had two posters on the bathroom walls of the coffee shop--one with the cover of The River, one with the cover of Divine Intervention.

"Do you have any of your books here?" the girl asked me.

Without a second thought, I put aside my laptop and searched the canvas tote bag, coming up with one Divine Intervention and the very last copy of The River (it had sold out across Edmonton by December 20th).

"I have both," I said.

She immediately raced off. "I'm going to tell my mom!"

A minute later, she reappeared with her mother in tow. The girl's enthusiasm was contagious and for a moment, I forgot they were here to see me...and not some rock star. :) The mother introduced herself and asked about my books. A minute later, Julie was writing me a cheque and I was signing her new books. Her daughter smiled all the while, then made my day all the more special by a simple request.

"Can I have your autograph?"

"Of course," I said, happily signing one of my bookmarks for her.

Julie walked away with her 2 books, while her daughter skipped away with her treasure--the bookmark.

I had to smile. The simplest of things and a few minutes of my time had made two people happy.

It wasn't until I got home that I recalled the girl's words: "I read about you in the bathroom."

Suddenly, I was confused. I realized that my posters couldn't possibly have indicated who I was. After all, they showed book covers, not ads saying, "Look for the woman with red hair typing maniacally on a laptop. That's Cheryl Kaye Tardif."

So how had she known?

When realization hit me, I began to laugh. You see, earlier that day I had switched the cover posters in the men's and women's washrooms. And I removed a smaller sign that announced past book signing events. On the bottom of those signs I had mentioned that I could often be found in this coffee shop. There was even a small photo of me. I had folded the signs in half and tossed them in the garbage can.

THAT'S how this young girl knew who I was.

Bless her heart for being so interested! :)

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of Whale Song, Divine Intervention and The River
You put up posters in the bathrooms of restaurants.....I never thought of doing something like that. Do you also put them up in department stores and groceries where they have bulletin boards. I don't have a poster but I probably should make a few.

What do you put on yours. A copy of the book cover and then about the book below it....do you put where they can order it as well or the website address...and do you sell a lot of books that way... Shirley
If a grocery store or department store or anyplace has a bulletin board, I'll put up a poster. There's even one at a bingo hall I go to sometimes...and I've donated books occasionally to the bingo hall to give as special prizes...and of course that always gives me opportunities to hand out bookmarks after it's over...and sign the winner's book. :)

Cheryl
http://www.cherylktardif.com
http://www.whalesongbook.com
A very successful campaign I did on my book , 101 Ways to Get Your Foot in the
Door, was to host a live event for the actual launch of the book going to market.
I was living in Salt Lake City at the time and very well positioned in the business
community. We sold seats into a presentation based on the book's content and the
price in was the cost of the book. Not only did we sell nearly $10,000 worth of
books, I was also able to sell several thousand dollars worth of product back
of the room.
I registered with google.com and requested a daily alert to any news or blogs about Everest or Sherpas. When the alerts arrive, I click on the links. Often there is a place to post a comment. I then thell them about my book about Sherpas. Sales on amazon go up in direct proportion to my efforts here. it works!
Great work, Linda. Google Alerts works. I agree, everyone should be using it, and doing the kind of footwork you are doing. Kudos!
Thanks for this great tip!! I utilize Google to get the info out there about my book, Help Is NOT a Four-Letter Word, but had not thought to do related alerts. You're brilliant!

Peggy Collins, author of
Help Is NOT a Four-Letter Word: Why Doing It All Is Doing You In
what an awesome idea!

(i did my job search this way, but got a job somewhere before this strategy paid off.. but promoting by keywords - this is awesome!)

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