Support for Indie Authors discussion

Hey Everyone,
I got a question regarding physical promoting and marketing that I’ve been wondering about. Aside from libraries, bookstores, and cafes/coffee shops what places should an author consider looking into for promoting their books?

I know all towns are different and some may not have certain brand stores but you can mention them and/or the type of store it is, what service it provides and if it’s a reasonable place to look into for promoting and marketing ventures.

Thanks,
Justin

Pop culture conventions, large and small. Most of them are receptive to having authors, and it is a good way to get your name out there, connect with potential readers, and can be a very good way to make sales.

Thomas wrote: "Pop culture conventions, large and small. Most of them are receptive to having authors, and it is a good way to get your name out there, connect with potential readers, and can be a very good way t..."

Conventions are a good one, thanks! All I would need to do there is look into the type of convention it is and if there are any near me.

Whenever I bring out a new book, I put up posters at work. This won't be suitable for everyone, but I work in a large office (500+ people) and many of them are avid readers. Awareness there results in a slow but steady trickle of inquiries and I've sold maybe around 50 paperbacks directly to readers through that route, plus an unknown number of ebooks. That's perhaps small beer for some authors, but significant for me :)

Our local farmers' market supports tables from outside groups, such as authors or--for a while--a consortium of local authors. Churches are often supportive too either hosting events or including authors in their bazaar fundraisers. One of the local malls has a "fair day" where outside vendors set up shop for a day, and authors have been included in that.

I have had some luck at arts and crafts shows. Some say no because a book isn’t an art or a craft but most allow me to set up a table.

Quite a few good ideas have already been mentioned, keep in mind though that promoting a book is not an easy task. Others I can think of are, interviews on local radio stations, writers' conferences, garage sales, buy a display table at live concerts, whether religious or secular. These depend, of course, on the type of book that is being promoted.

if your town has any book festivals or fairs you can try there. depending on the sign up to be a panelist or speaker at a workshop. do interviews with podcasts.

Thomas wrote: "Pop culture conventions, large and small. Most of them are receptive to having authors, and it is a good way to get your name out there, connect with potential readers, and can be a very good way t..."

I second this. Comic book and genre fiction conventions have been some of my most fruitful avenues. Not just in terms of sales (those are hit-or-miss depending on several different factors), but making connections, meeting other authors/creative types... there are benefits to the con circuit far beyond how many books you sold in a weekend.

J.D. wrote: "Thomas wrote: "Pop culture conventions, large and small. Most of them are receptive to having authors, and it is a good way to get your name out there, connect with potential readers, and can be a ..."

I'd love to attend a horror convention and setup a table there but just getting a spot is quite costly.

Leigh wrote: "I have had some luck at arts and crafts shows. Some say no because a book isn’t an art or a craft but most allow me to set up a table."

Yes, I've done this also. It helps if you've done your own cover art. Then, you can point out that if prints are allowed the book qualifies as "handmade" as well.

Thomas wrote: "Pop culture conventions, large and small. Most of them are receptive to having authors, and it is a good way to get your name out there, connect with potential readers, and can be a very good way t..."

These types of events are good, but make sure the event has something to do with the genre you write in: attempting to sell romance titles at an Animae convention doesn't work well.

Gail wrote: "Thomas wrote: "Pop culture conventions, large and small. Most of them are receptive to having authors, and it is a good way to get your name out there, connect with potential readers, and can be a ..."

Very true! Some conventions have a mixed bag of several genres while others are genre-specific.