Book Marketing Buzz

Book Marketing Buzz: Book Promotion & Publicity Tips: How to Promote Your Books is a continuing series to help authors learn how to promote their books. If you would like to be a guest blogger for our book promotion and publicity series, click here.

Today’s guest blogger is Terry Spear, author of Heart of the Wolf.

There’s nothing worse than paying all kinds of money to sell a book, and ending up in debt. Why do we write again? Because we love to, obviously, or we wouldn’t continue to brave the rejections. Certainly not to pay all of our savings to promote it. And most of us aren’t household names like celebrities so we don’t have either the stardom or money to back us. So what are some ways we can promote our books without paying a fortune, even a dime, maybe even get reimbursed in the process.

I may not be a professional publicist, or have one, but for years I’ve been marketing my award-winning teddy bears and the same goes for them, as it does for selling books. I’ve advertised in high cost teddy bear magazines, and though some teddy bear stores picked up my bears because they were advertised, I only had one individual sale through the advertisement. Because I had to pay for three months, I didn’t recoup my losses on the venture. However, I began submitting my bear photos and stories to both teddy bear magazines and others, the Texas Monthly (because I’m in Texas ), The MacNeill Galley (because I make Celtic Clan bears) and newspapers. Teddy Bear Review picked up two of my bears for special occasions for two different issues free advertising! The newspapers spawned more requests for interviews in other magazines, including the Texas Co-op Monthly. I didn’t pay for any of these, and made a lot more sales than I did with advertising.

The same can be done with books that relate to various markets. I’ve advertised my Winning the Highlanders Heart in The MacNeill Galley, because the hero is a MacNeill. Free advertising. Ive also written articles about famous McNeills in my family tree and had a byline. Anytime your book falls into a special niche market, exploit it. Is the heroine running a spa? Offer to do a signing at one and bring in your friends to check out the spa in the meantime. One author had nuts in her title and she was able to get free samples of Planters peanuts to give away at signings!

When I was going to teddy bear shows, everyone was a professional teddy bear artist. Everyone was strict competition for the few dollars the collector would bring. The same with doing book signings at book stores. Find other places to do the signings. Book reading clubs are great. One gave a wine and cheese party, and I presented a lecture on life during the medieval ages. I sold a lot of books before the signing so the ladies could read them first, and several more at the signing. Some book clubs love to have authors speak.

This spring, Ill be setting up a medieval booth at a garden festival. I’ll be offering my Winning the Highlander, with an incentive, some herbs in a package that would have been used in medieval times. I’ll also bring Heart of the Wolf, the heroine loves to garden. I’ve also set up booths at Celtic festivals. I’m the only one there with Celtic bears and Celtic books. Locally, they’ve been free, so no cost, free advertising, and I meet a lot of people I might not otherwise.

The simplest is loops, connecting with other writers, offering snippets of reviews, contests, newsletters, joining other groups such as Facebook, Bebo, Myspace, helping others with questions about writing, publishing. The more you participate, the more your name and titles will be recognized in your signature line. I wasn’t sure if participation in all of these groups would help, but I’ve already received emails from members who want to buy my books. They’re readers! Not just authors. And I received an email from a reviewer, who I didn’t even know about, in my area through Myspace.com who will be interviewing me after Heart of the Wolf comes out.

Design a video book trailer. Word has a program for it so you dont even have to go out and pay for one. Write for RWA chapter newsletters, or several of the romance sites look for articles on writing and will use your byline. I’ve written for genealogy magazines and an anthology where I always include my author byline.

Websites: Yes, even if you have a blog, have a website. I’m on linkreferral.com which means I check out other websites and review a few. It might seem like another time waster, but because others check out your website, it makes your ranking higher on the search engines! Also, I’ve had a few interests in my books, an added bonus I didn’t think would happen. I’ve sold tons of bears all over the world because of having a website. I haven’t gone to a show in years. I sell a lot more through the website and repeat sales. I use tripodmembers.com which is a free service. I finally did go to a service where I pay a little to get rid of the advertising on my site because you want to do that with professional sites. On my website, it’s more static than my blogs so it gives interested parties a place to check out my reviews, online workshops, my books and they can recheck anytime to find out updates. I have a lot of repeat viewers.

Cross-publicize. Do you have a hobby where you interact with others where you could promote your books I include my books on my teddy bear sites in case someone is interested in my books, and likewise have my teddy bears listed on my book sites because I create books for authors. I link with several different bear sites. The same can be done with books. Helpful writing links, other writer links. I’m an avid genealogist and promote the books while corresponding with other genealogists. I just sold Winning the Highlanders Heart to a distant MacNeill cousin in Canada. Some have expressed interest in my other books too. When I took the CPR training for substitute teaching, the superintendent asked each of the 100 students a little about ourselves. I said I was an author. When everyone was done, she came back to me and asked what I wrote. She wants me to leave a note with the board concerning speaking about being an author and about my books. Since I have a YA book, The Vampire In My Dreams coming out in August, Ill be sure to work with them on talks (I work at 3 different school districts).

Take bookmarks wherever you go. Yes, they cost a little, but I’ve sold more books by taking them to restaurants, doctors clinics, banks, women’s luncheons and dinners, even substitute teaching. Just hook’em a little. But don’t let them get away. Carry a couple of the books with you. Impulse buying racks up the sales more often than not.

Solicit family and friends to be your marketers. My mother talked to her garden club about my giving a talk on medieval foods and gardening next year (different activity than the garden booth Ill be setting up). Now she’s scheduled me to talk before another women’s social organization! Another friend took my books to her Curves group and sold them. My mother sold to her Yoga class. My daughter has sold to her Sunday school teachers and college professors and friends. My son sold to his college roommates. Another lady is involved in the historical society in town, and she’s contacted them to have me speak before their group also. Don’t be afraid to solicit family and friends to help. They often have contacts we don’t have.

Advertise for free on radio and TV as a guest speaker. Write blogs. Join group author blogs so that your work can get even more exposure. My group blog gets a lot more hits than my individual ones do, but I can post whenever I want to on mine, so I keep it. Post to other writers’ blogs. Conduct interviews, be interviewed. Participate in chats.

Click here for Part Two!

Award-winning author of urban fantasy and medieval historical romantic suspense, Terry Spear also writes true stories for adult and young adult audiences. She’s a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves and has an MBA from Monmouth College. She also creates award-winning teddy bears, Wilde & Woolly Bears, to include personalized bears designed to commemorate authors’ books. When she’s not writing or making bears, she’s teaching online writing courses. Originally from California, she’s lived in eight states and now resides in the heart of Texas. She is the author of Heart of the Wolf, Don’t Cry Wolf, Winning the Highlander’s Heart, Deadly Liaisons, Relative Danger, The Vampire In My Dreams (young adult) and numerous articles and short stories for magazines. You can visit her website at www.terryspear.com.

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