Part Three
5.
DO: Always carry business cards or
postcards...
...that contain book and ordering
info.
Hand these out to anyone and
everyone you meet---especially if you tell them you are a writer and
they express any interest whatsoever.
Ideally, you should print the cover
design of your book (in color) on one side and the title, author, and
ordering information on the other side. You can use the post-cards for
direct mailing or to advertise signings and appearances. You can put
them in stacks at the local dry-cleaner's, in your barber's shop, at the
local supermarket's notice board...
These pieces are eye-catching and
useful for many different events and promotional efforts.
DON'T: Pay for advertising...
...until you have
exhausted every possible opportunity for free publicity.
Paid advertising
carries much less weight than editorial coverage. Try to obtain
editorial coverage in newspapers and magazines by sending not just an
announcement about your book, but a story idea the reporter can use. If
you need ideas for this, subscribe to the Publicity
Hound newsletter and the Marketing
Minute.
But there are many
more sources for free publicity than print publications. Ask local
businesses or clients if you can include your information in their
direct mailing. Offer a free copy as a contest prize to an organization
whose members might be interested in your book. Give online chats about
your book, publishing, your area of expertise, anything - just make sure
'author of...' appears in the promo materials.
Paying for
advertising should be your last resort. To be effective marketing has to
put your product's name in front of the customer between 3 and 18 times
before they will buy it. Can you afford to rely of paid advertising for
all that exposure?
6.
DO: Ask people to send reviews and feedback
...that you can use in your publicity
materials.
Save every piece of email or mail you
receive that says anything remotely flattering about your book. Ask the
sender if it would be OK to quote them in publicity materials. If they
give permission, save that communication too. Not only does this give
you protection against accusations of using someone's words without
permission, chances are they will add some other glowing comment in the
reply!
If
you meet someone who has read your book don't just ask 'what did you
think?'. That question is too broad. Ask which character they liked
best, what in particular they liked and disliked about the book, who
they think would enjoy it. As long as they don't recoil in horror, ask
if you can follow up with a note or email asking for a written quote
(don't put them on the spot for a quote right there and then).
It
is hard to ask for compliments, but if you are willing to accept honest
feedback, it can be very useful.
DON'T:
Harangue people...
...
if they haven’t yet read or ordered your book.
I
know they said they were going to, but asking 'have you read it yet?'
every time you meet them, is only going to make them less and less
likely to read the book. Instead, they will probably start avoiding you.
If
people have read it, great!
If
they have not read the book, politely leave it alone. Change the
subject, ask them how the family is, or how their business is going. The
more people like you, the more likely they are to want to read your
book!
Part
I
Part
II
Part
IV
Part
V
***
If
you have any questions about getting published, email me at jd@jdwrite.com. If
I don't know the answer, I'll find someone who does!
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