Promote Your Book: Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author

by Patricia Fry

Do you have what it takes to become an author, but are not sure where to start? Promote Your Book gives enterprising authors the advantage they need to navigate the publishing industry and gain a better understanding of what book promotion is all about. This well-organized collection of the most successful low-cost and no-cost ideas provides solutions for both aspiring and seasoned authors in any genre. You will learn how to promote the book without changing your lifestyle; how to promote creatively, locally, and through social media; submit news releases and tip sheets; arrange book signings, radio, and TV appearances; enhance marketing skills; spend money in all the right places, and more.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 2011

About the author

Patricia writes two cozy mystery series. The Klepto Cat Mysteries and her newest series, The Calico Cat Mysteries featuring Olivia, a sweet and sassy calico. Patricia has been writing for publication for over 45 years, having been fortunate enough to establish a career doing what she loves. Hundreds--maybe thousands--of her articles have appeared in over 500 different publications and she has published books on a variety of topics--grandparenting, local history, youth mentoring, journaling and many aspects of publishing and book promotion. After years of writing nonfiction, in 2012, she decided to branch out and try writing fiction and the Klepto Cat Mysteries were created.
The Klepto Cat Mysteries feature Rags, an ordinary cat with a most extraordinary habit--he's a kleptomaniac. Currently, Patricia is producing anywhere from six to eight books per year in both ebook format and in print. Read the Klepto Cat Mysteries and you'll laugh, you'll sit on the edge of your chair in suspense, and you'll smile at the good-feeling you're left with when you finish each book in the series.
New in 2021, the Calico Cat Mysteries.

Reviews

[Wendy Dager · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a professional freelance writer, what impressed me most about Patricia Fry’s PROMOTE YOUR BOOK: Over 250 proven, low-cost tips and techniques for the enterprising author is that I learned much more than I expected. Fry packed such a wealth of information in this how-to book, featuring her own experiences and those of other authors, that I found myself making notes while reading so that I could fully utilize these ideas for my recently released mystery novel. She offers up these tips in a way that’s matter-of-fact and homey, as if you are having a discussion with a friend, but from the point of view of a long-time professional who’s been there, done that, and adjusted her technique to suit every situation. PROMOTE YOUR BOOK encourages authors to use their current resources, as well as create and discover new ones to sell their books, whether they are traditionally published, self-published, or published by a small press. It doesn’t matter if you write fiction or nonfiction as the tips listed within can be adapted for virtually any genre. As the subtitle says, the ideas—garnered from Fry’s nearly four decades of writing—are truly low-cost or even no-cost for publicizing one’s book, from making use of mailing lists to chatting up your book to garnering invites to conferences and conventions, and so much more. PROMOTE YOUR BOOK is well-organized, easy to read and lists numerous online organizations and reference websites. All you have to do is take the tips in PROMOTE YOUR BOOK and run with them!

[Angela James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this as an ARC from the publisher via Net Galley.

I think this is a really practical book, and might be a valuable resource for someone just starting out with no clue of how to begin marketing. However, any author who's been doing this for awhile will be disappointed if they're looking for new marketing ideas.

I thought the book was well laid out, with a logical progression, but I thought a portion of the tips weren't necessarily feasible for a lot of authors.

I also think this was aimed more at the self-published author than the traditionally published author, which isn't a bad thing in this self-publishing boom!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative but not to be read without a purpose.

[Lisa Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was easy to read and has lots of ideas for an author to use. I loved this book and hope to start using some of the ideas quickly.

[Janette Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have written your first book and now the hard work is finished. You are ready to sit back and wait for the sales to come flooding in. WRONG!
Patricia Fry, author of "Promote Your Book; Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips And Techniques For The Enterprising Author", believes that you'll have to pay at least as much attention to promoting your book as you did to writing it. If you want to reach potential buyers in a wide range of arenas, you may have to market outside of your comfort zone. This book will show you how to do it!

The author provides 250 low-cost ways for authors to promote and sell their book. Ms. Fry suggests that this book should be read from cover-to-cover to get an overview of all the techniques available in the book. The reader should then go back and choose activities that are appropriate for his talents and skills. The author suggests that you start with just a few activities and then add more as your confidence grows.

Here are some of the chapter titles that I found especially interesting;

Promote Locally
Promote Your Book Through Social Media
Solicit Book Reviews
Get Out And Talk About Your Book
Sell Your Book Through Retail Stores
Become An Expert
Give Something In Order To Get Something
Spend Money In All The Right Places
Go The Extra Mile For Your Customers

This book demonstrates how you can create a full-time job around the task of promoting your book. Ms. Fry has included unique and creative marketing strategies that she has used in her own marketing efforts.

Ms. Fry has provided many ideas for local promoting that I would have never thought of. She suggests selling books door-to-door and putting a stack of books on a table at your yard sale. You might not make any sales, but this is a great way to get exposure and open doors for future contacts.

There is extensive information provided for marketing your book on the Internet. Ms. Fry explains the benefits of having a web site, blog, joining discussion groups and using social media sites.

I honestly did not realize that marketing a book could be so much work. I was exhausted from just reading about these activities. The amazing thing is that the author seemed to be having fun! It did not seem like a burden for Ms. Fry to promote her books...it was a labor of love.
This is the most comprehensive material on book marketing that I have ever read. Highly recommended!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary digital copy of this book to read and review from the publisher.

[Nicki Markus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I requested this book from NetGalley because, as a new writer, I am keen to find ways to successfully promote my books. I settled down to read it, looking forward to all the amazing insights it would offer.

I wasn’t completely disappointed, and I have scribbled down a few notes on websites to look at and things to try, but I did find that many of the suggestions were not suitable for me personally. I write fiction and currently I am only published in e-book format. A number of the ideas were really aimed at print releases, with a heavy leaning towards non-fiction writing and also self-publishing.

Considering it states the ideas are low cost on the cover, I found that this was not always the case. Recommending spending $300 on a book trailer hardly seems low cost to me. From my personal stand point, I wish to find some ways to advertise and promote, but I am not yet earning enough from sales to spend more than a handful of dollars here and there. This knocks out the suggestion for having marketing/promotional materials, such as bookmarks, printed, unless I found a really good deal somewhere.

I think this book could be useful to writers who specialise in non-fiction print releases and have disposable income to spare, or for self-published authors who have to plan distribution etc themselves. But it is probably not the right book for e-book fiction authors as many of the suggestions will not be relevant and the ideas that are could be easily found elsewhere.

I received this book as a free ARC from NetGalley.

[Birgit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can books that claim to have tons of tips and tricks for you really help? I think Patricia Fry's Promote Your Book really can. I'm often weary of books like these as far too often there's either nothing really new to discover between the pages or the advice just isn't feasible.
From things you should do before your book even hits the shelves to creating your own author website, from soliciting book reviews to tapping into the library market, there is plenty of helpful material for the enterprising author to be found. Highly comprehensible, the book is engagingly written without ever being dry or boring, and apart from lots of advice it also provides interesting and helpful examples by published authors.
Books rarely (if ever) sell themselves if you just sit back and wait for some miracle to happen. If you're just about to publish your book, or even if you already have, you should definitely heed Patricia suggestions by choosing those activities that will work best for you personally.
Mostly aimed at self-published authors I believe that every writer can gain lots from reading this book. The only downside is that it's aimed at the American market, thus there are tips included which aren't always viable for people from other regions/countries.
For additional advice head over to www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog/ for a daily dose of Patricia's thoughts on book promotion and more news on writing and publishing.
In short: A great how-to for every author!

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I normally avoid buying how-to guides for promoting your book. In this era of instant info, it's easy -and free- to locate that information online. But I had an exception for this book because Patricia Fry doesn't just suggest the tools- she also explains how and why they work.

I have released three volumes via a traditional publisher, and can vouch for her assertion that good promotion is key. Unless you're lucky enough to be an A-lister in the literary world, publishers don't put a lot of effort into marketing your work. Whatever route you go- traditional or self-published- it's really all down to you, the author, to make your book succeed.

Promote Your Book contains ideas that vary in difficulty levels, expense, and time required. Some of them may not work for you: for example, not everyone can afford to attend conferences or hire a publicist. But most of Fry's tips -maintaining an attractive and informative website, doing a virtual blog tour, hand-selling at every opportunity- are cheap and doable.

For me, the book's biggest selling point is the sample marketing plan, which is a detailed timeline of book promotion from prepublication to release. I also enjoyed her real-life examples of what particular strategies worked and why. When you understand what it would take to make a potential customer buy your book, you're that much closer to the sweet dream of success.

[Randy White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patricia Fry's book,"Promote Your Book: Over 250 Proven. Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author,"tackles the tough subject of promoting books for all authors. Fry dished out a banquet of information on promoting a book in traditional ways, as well as, new-age electronic promotional avenues today. This books is a good reference book for indie authors/ publishers. This is one of a few texts I have added to my "References to Book Promotion" section of my library so I can be used as a go-to-book on the subject (after all, this book is packed with promotional information). I like the way Fry sections off her information in the book, making it easy to locate pertinent information. While the information provided on each promotional approach is short and sweet, it overall text does lack insight into the personal experience of the author while preforming these promotions--what she learned about this type of promotion as compared to other approaches, etc.; nevertheless, the promotional listings are extensive and helpful--if only as a secondary source. I recommend this book to other authors suffering from the "Book Promotional Blight" that most indie authors face.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ideas and tips in Patricia’s book were most helpful. I was really pleased. I found myself going from one link to another, checking things out. I self-published my book and I wish I had read this book a year before I published. There is so much information in this book. I found the section on promoting my book to be the most helpful. When you self-publish it is all up to you to promote your book. The book doesn’t give you every single step. It is more like giving you the basics, and pointing you in the direction of many resources to help you along the way. I reviewed this book in an e-galley format. I will most definitely need to purchase it for the advice within as I prepare to publish my next book.

[Laini · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's great if you're writing non-fiction. She has lots of ideas about how to tie your non-fiction book in with cooking or Hawaiian themes if you happen to be writing a book about luaus. Marketing to various groups, etc

However, for those of us writing fiction, there wasn't as much valuable information as I'd hoped.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is a guide to promote your book sales from when you first get a concept to when the work is published. There are numerous common sense ideas discussed as were as numerous contacts and sites listed.

[شريف لطفي · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book, simple, practical, efficient and to the point

[Pat Council · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ideas and techniques.

[Nopadol Rompho · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that you want to read if you are an author who wants to know how to promote your book. Some of tactics are quite interesting and will definitely help you gain more sales.