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.

Our guest blogger for today is David S. Grant, author of Bleach/Blackout.

I am the author of Corporate Porn, Emotionless Souls, and The Last Breakfast.  My current book I’m promoting is the double novel Bleach|Blackout from Offense Mechanism, an imprint of Silverthought Press.  Bleach tells the tale of coming back home for the holidays to find decadence that forces a look inside.  Blackout is a dark comedy with the theme of living moment to moment.  A story about living.

In terms of traditional promotion I’ve always started with Press Releases prior to release (pre-order), at time of release, and then after release.  After release, including any blurbs or reviews is helpful, giving the reader an idea of what others think.  For each release it’s important to call out what the book is about, the publisher, and where it is available for purchase.

Using printed postcards with pertinent info as book description, publisher contact information, and author information is nice to leave behind in bookstores, or anywhere. 

Approaching local bookstores, introducing myself, and gauging interest on selling my books and/or hosting a signing isn’t easy, but necessary.  Most books will not be sold through bookstores, but it’s still important to make your work available whether through purchase or consignment basis.

Online I have utilized the social network MySpace as well as the writing social network Author’s Den.  My website (http://www.davidsgrant.com) serves as a portal to all of my works (publisher websites), reviews, articles, and contacts.  Craigslist and EBAY are two additional online avenues that are free and allow authors to sell their work to a much larger audience than would typically be available through traditional channels.

I have found much success through Pump Up Your Books virtual (online) book tours.  I am currently on my second virtual tour (this is one of the stops!) and am able to promote across multiple channels via interviews, reviews, and articles.  The way it works is you sign up for a month long tour and then each day you have another stop.  Along the way you promote where you are going to be, where you are today, and where you are headed while PUYB does the rest.

Thank you for having me.  I do believe anyone that reads Bleach|Blackout will enjoy themselves.  The humorous story, littered with pop culture throughout, will have you knee deep in the characters addictions before you know it.  Thanks again.  -David