9-8 Promoting Your Book

(c) 2010, Mona Leeson Vanek

Promotion is 85% of becoming a successful author. Unless your book sells, whether self-published or through a publishing house, promotion is the number one key to sales. You must be involved and be able to generate sales on a broad scale. Besides being a benchmark of your success, sales of your book pay the bills.

But sales don't happen without promotion.

Whether your books is the product of a publishing house or if you self-publish it, promotion is largely up to you. Your promotional efforts are integral to becoming a successful author. Your job includes discovering or generating ways to spread the word about your new book. And time quickly runs out, and yours is quickly bumped from the new book list.

One opportunity not to be ignored is The Habitual Reader, http://www.habitualreader.com/, 00an online fiction book club that features reader profiles, book reviews, and favorite community bookstores. Along with a wealth of information, it offers free promotion of your book(s). Here is your chance to "shamelessly self-promote your masterpiece." If you're published, click "Authors."

Charlotte Cook, President of Habitual Reader and Komenar Publishing suggests,

"If an author wants to have substantial impact on our site, he or she should use the other offerings as well, such as Reviews and Profiles. We are also looking for some original editorials. Each of these offers participants in the site an opportunity to be featured and showcased. And those authors who send us more readers ... not just other authors ... help the site become successful for all of us."

Also, take advantage of the excellent help you'll find by visiting, http://www.komenarpublishing.com/home.htm (featured in Shelf Awareness.) I especially recommend that you click "About Us," and scroll down to Charlotte Cook and click "See some examples."

Two books belong on your reference shelf:

• The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't, by Carolyn Howard-Johnson
• Plug Your Book! Online Book Marketing for Authors, by Steve Weber.

Each provides a wealth of information and ideas on how to market and publicize your book, especially Weber's book, which also includes an entire section on blog tours and social networking.

Book promotion is increasingly the burden of the author, rather than the publisher, so regularly search online for news articles that address the issue. Search dilligently to find opportunities to promote your book.

Arrange book signings at local book stores; smaller stores generally yield better results than large chain book outlets like Barnes and Noble, etc.

Join or monitor writers discussion lists, too. And read, Advice From The Pros, What About Distribution and Publicists?, http://tinyurl.com/2dw2teo.
End

Chapter 18 - Book Publishing: http://tinyurl.com/38d98qf

Next: 9-9, Trade Book Publishing Agreement: http://tinyurl.com/2eq4myf