Boyd Lemon's Blog: Author's Blog
February 7, 2012
Promoting Your Book
Book Promotion: What Works and What Doesn’t
I have been promoting my books now for about 16 months, not enough time to make an expert (assuming anybody is an expert in book promotion these days), but I feel like I finally have sort of a handle on what works and what does not work, so I thought I would share my thoughts with fellow writers to help especially those who are even more novice at this than I am. I must emphasize that I don’t really know for sure what works and what doesn’t; I don’t think anybody does. These are educated guesses—better than no information at all, I think. I also must say that the effectiveness of various promotional tools varies with the type of book. Except where otherwise stated, this list applies generally, so long as you keep in mind that some tools work better or not as well depending on whether you are promoting, say a “how to” non-fiction book, an adult novel, a chidren’s or YA book or a memoir, just to mention a few examples. Anyway, the first list is what I think does work in approximate order of effectiveness, the second what doesn’t work. The good news is that I think there are more things that work than that don’t work, but effective promotion is very time consuming, so you should pick what is most effective for you and your book in the time that you have.
What Works
1. Your own website featuring your book(s), but providing valuable information related to your book(s) but in addition to your sales pitch of the book(s), including your blog or at least a prominent link to it (see 2 below).
2. A blog that relates to the subject matter of your book(s), which you post to at least once a week and preferably more often with information of value.
3. Comment on high traffic blogs (like Huffington Post) on articles related to the subject of your book(s), leaving a link to your website at the end.
4. Get people to review your book(s) on Amazon, Goodreads, Barns & Noble, high traffic blogs, etc.
5. Get radio interviews.
6. Get blog interviews.
7. Create a YouTube video (short––about 1 minute) and post it everywhere.
8. Build an email list of friends, connections and people who know something about you and, therefore, might be interested in your book(s); send them news about your books (giveaways, reviews, interviews, etc.), but no more often than once every 90 days.
9. Social networking, including a Facebook author and/or book page, twitter and LinkedIn. Tweet and post with information of value 75% of the time; book promotion no more than 25%. (I would place social networking higher on the list, if it weren’t for the fact that it is so, so time consuming.)
10. Book signings and talks at public events that are not solely for the purpose of authors selling books; and dropping book marks, cards, etc. related to your book(s) in appropriate local public places, and giving them to people when appropriate.
11. Giveaways on Kindle Direct Publishing, Goodreads and Librarything.
12. Contests where either buyers or those who give you their email addresses get something for free.
13. Giving away an ebook to buyers of another book that you really want to sell.
14. Have a signature that includes a link to your website on all emails and most posts on blogs and social networks (but try not to be too obnoxious about it on social networks; I probably am).
15. Paid advertisements to a very specific niche. For example, for my book about living in Paris for a year, I paid for advertisements on two newsletters that are widely circulated to American expats in Paris.
16. When in public places or events or while traveling, if you meet someone, and it is appropriate in the context of a conversation, tell them about your book(s), and always have a couple of copies of a book with you.
17. Post a well thought out profile on your Amazon author page, Goodreads, Librarything, Smashwords and sell your books on those sites and any other site that is free or commission only.
18. Try to get your friends and connections to promote your books, but don’t be obnoxious.
What Does NOT work.
1. Book signings at bookstores.
2. Frequent emails to friends and connections pitching your book(s)
3. Frequent blogging about your book.
4. Paid advertisements, except to a very specific niche.
5. Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and Goodread ads have not worked for me.
6. Frequent pitches to sell your book on social networks. Provide valuable content 75% or more of the time, instead.
7. Expressly making a sales pitch about your book to people you come in contact with; it has to be more subtle (see 15 above).
Folks: I am sure there are other tools that I am unintentionally leaving out, but I hope this helps. Writers: please add to the lists.
If anyone would like to post the lists on their blog with appropriate credit and links of mine, of course, I would be delighted to have the exposure.
Boyd Lemon-Author of “Eat, Walk, Write: An American Senior’s Year of Adventure in Paris and Tuscany; "Digging Deep: A Writer Uncovers His Marriages," the author’s journey to understand his role in the destruction of his three marriages; and “Unexpected Love and Other Stories.” Information and excerpts: http://www.BoydLemon-Writer.com. Travel blog: http://www.boomertravelblog.com.
I have been promoting my books now for about 16 months, not enough time to make an expert (assuming anybody is an expert in book promotion these days), but I feel like I finally have sort of a handle on what works and what does not work, so I thought I would share my thoughts with fellow writers to help especially those who are even more novice at this than I am. I must emphasize that I don’t really know for sure what works and what doesn’t; I don’t think anybody does. These are educated guesses—better than no information at all, I think. I also must say that the effectiveness of various promotional tools varies with the type of book. Except where otherwise stated, this list applies generally, so long as you keep in mind that some tools work better or not as well depending on whether you are promoting, say a “how to” non-fiction book, an adult novel, a chidren’s or YA book or a memoir, just to mention a few examples. Anyway, the first list is what I think does work in approximate order of effectiveness, the second what doesn’t work. The good news is that I think there are more things that work than that don’t work, but effective promotion is very time consuming, so you should pick what is most effective for you and your book in the time that you have.
What Works
1. Your own website featuring your book(s), but providing valuable information related to your book(s) but in addition to your sales pitch of the book(s), including your blog or at least a prominent link to it (see 2 below).
2. A blog that relates to the subject matter of your book(s), which you post to at least once a week and preferably more often with information of value.
3. Comment on high traffic blogs (like Huffington Post) on articles related to the subject of your book(s), leaving a link to your website at the end.
4. Get people to review your book(s) on Amazon, Goodreads, Barns & Noble, high traffic blogs, etc.
5. Get radio interviews.
6. Get blog interviews.
7. Create a YouTube video (short––about 1 minute) and post it everywhere.
8. Build an email list of friends, connections and people who know something about you and, therefore, might be interested in your book(s); send them news about your books (giveaways, reviews, interviews, etc.), but no more often than once every 90 days.
9. Social networking, including a Facebook author and/or book page, twitter and LinkedIn. Tweet and post with information of value 75% of the time; book promotion no more than 25%. (I would place social networking higher on the list, if it weren’t for the fact that it is so, so time consuming.)
10. Book signings and talks at public events that are not solely for the purpose of authors selling books; and dropping book marks, cards, etc. related to your book(s) in appropriate local public places, and giving them to people when appropriate.
11. Giveaways on Kindle Direct Publishing, Goodreads and Librarything.
12. Contests where either buyers or those who give you their email addresses get something for free.
13. Giving away an ebook to buyers of another book that you really want to sell.
14. Have a signature that includes a link to your website on all emails and most posts on blogs and social networks (but try not to be too obnoxious about it on social networks; I probably am).
15. Paid advertisements to a very specific niche. For example, for my book about living in Paris for a year, I paid for advertisements on two newsletters that are widely circulated to American expats in Paris.
16. When in public places or events or while traveling, if you meet someone, and it is appropriate in the context of a conversation, tell them about your book(s), and always have a couple of copies of a book with you.
17. Post a well thought out profile on your Amazon author page, Goodreads, Librarything, Smashwords and sell your books on those sites and any other site that is free or commission only.
18. Try to get your friends and connections to promote your books, but don’t be obnoxious.
What Does NOT work.
1. Book signings at bookstores.
2. Frequent emails to friends and connections pitching your book(s)
3. Frequent blogging about your book.
4. Paid advertisements, except to a very specific niche.
5. Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and Goodread ads have not worked for me.
6. Frequent pitches to sell your book on social networks. Provide valuable content 75% or more of the time, instead.
7. Expressly making a sales pitch about your book to people you come in contact with; it has to be more subtle (see 15 above).
Folks: I am sure there are other tools that I am unintentionally leaving out, but I hope this helps. Writers: please add to the lists.
If anyone would like to post the lists on their blog with appropriate credit and links of mine, of course, I would be delighted to have the exposure.
Boyd Lemon-Author of “Eat, Walk, Write: An American Senior’s Year of Adventure in Paris and Tuscany; "Digging Deep: A Writer Uncovers His Marriages," the author’s journey to understand his role in the destruction of his three marriages; and “Unexpected Love and Other Stories.” Information and excerpts: http://www.BoydLemon-Writer.com. Travel blog: http://www.boomertravelblog.com.
