Category: Book Marketing

Book Marketing, Kelly Speaks

5 Ways to Promote Your Book in April

Today’s post is by book marketing industry expert, Kelly Schuknecht.

Book marketing is an ongoing effort.  Here are five ways to promote your book in April:

  1. April is National Poetry Month.  If you have published a book of poetry, this is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of National Poetry Month events.  Visit Poetry.org to find a full list of Poetry Month events.
  2. April 2nd is International Children’s Book Day.  If you are a Children’s book author, call your local library and elementary school(s).  Volunteer to read your book during storytime.
  3. Speaking of libraries, National Library Week is April 10-16.  Contact your local library, offer to donate a free copy of your book.
  4. The London Book Fair takes place April 11-13.  If you have not already made arrangements for your book to be represented this year, consider this opportunity for next year.
  5. April 22nd is Earth Day. If your book is about environment issues (or even if it’s not), contact your local schools and environmental agencies and ask about Earth Day events you can get involved with.  Even if you are not directly promoting your book, you will be doing something to help the environment and networking with individuals who have similar interests.

DISCUSSION: How are you planning to promote YOUR book this month?

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT:
Kelly Schuknecht works as the Director of Author Support for Outskirts Press.  In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com.
Book Marketing, Kelly Speaks

What Does Your Online Presence Tell Your Potential Readers?

Today’s post is by book marketing industry expert, Kelly Schuknecht.

When it comes to publishing a book, no matter what goals you have, as an author your online presence is important and should be thoroughly reviewed and perfected.  Your personal website or blog, your profile on Amazon and any other social networking sites may be viewed by potential customers and should accurately reflect who you are and help sell your book.

If you have a website or blog, you will most likely want to list information about your book.  This can include:

  • About the book
  • About the author
  • Testimonials/reviews
  • Link to purchase the book on Amazon or other retail sites

Have you ever visited a website with so much “stuff” on it that it made it hard to figure out what you were looking at or where you should go?  The ability to navigate a website easily is very important for getting the attention of your viewers.  Be sure they can find what they want easily and that all links work properly.  If you use other social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or any others, your website should include links to those locations.  Also, your “behavior” on those sites should be professional and appropriate for your target audience.

DISCUSSION: Do you consider your target audience when you post something on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or YouTube?  If so, why?  If not, why not?

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT:
Kelly Schuknecht works as the Director of Author Support for Outskirts Press.  In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com.
Book Marketing, Kelly Speaks

Improving Your Book’s Presence on Amazon

Today’s post is by book marketing industry expert, Kelly Schuknecht.

After you self publish a book, assuming your book is listed on Amazon.com, you should thoroughly review and perfect the listing for your book and your Amazon profile.  Remember, this is your opportunity to sell your book to potential customers, so your presentation online, including on Amazon.com, is important.

3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Listing on Amazon:

  1. Get Reviews -Reviews tell potential readers why they should buy your book.  They will look at how many reviews your book has in each star category (1-5) and may glance through a few of them to find out what other readers are saying about your book.  If you don’t have any reviews, get some.  If you have some, get more.  Ask everyone you know who has read your book to post a review (preferably 5-star).  Actively seek reviews by contacting potential reviewers and sending out review copies.
  2. Add a Kindle Edition – Additional formats provide more opportunities for people to find (and buy) your book.  I suggest you price your Kindle Edition low to encourage sales.  These sales may turn into reviews, recommendations and even more purchases of the hard copy format(s).  I have my own Kindle and often find that if I like a book I’m reading, I want to buy the hard copy (particularly with non-fiction books).
  3. Utilize the Search Inside Feature -Amazon offers Search Inside the Book to allow viewers to virtually flip through the book.  Utilizing this feature is a good way to enhance your listing and make it easy for viewers to get a sneak peek.

Of course there are many other things you should do to improve your listing (and sales) on Amazon.  Brent Sampson, CEO of Outskirts Press has written an entire book on the subject, which you can find on Amazon here. 

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT:
Kelly Schuknecht works as the Director of Author Support for Outskirts Press.  In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com.
Book Marketing, Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Self Publishing Book Review of the Week: Did Success Spoil Jayne Mansfield? by Frank Ferruccio

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if they don’t know about it? Paired with other book marketing efforts, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.

When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us let the community know about a great book. So, without further adieu, here’s this week’s book review:

Did Success Spoil Jayne Mansfield book cover

Did Success Spoil Jayne Mansfield?: Her Life in Pictures & Text

Frank Ferruccio

Outskirts Press (2010)

ISBN 9781432761233

Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (2/11)

“I must say that many of us always wanted to know more about the mysterious Jayne Mansfield and the author has certainly done his research on her life and family.

Many individuals dream of being a movie star and Jayne was no different. Even though she came from a very strict upbringing she never lost sight that she would become a star. Jayne was a very beautiful child and teenager and did what she wanted. At the age of fifteen she got pregnant much to the dismay of everyone. She met her first husband, Paul Mansfield, during this time and even though he wasn’t the biological father he stepped up to the plate.

She married two more times, but it was hard for her husbands to deal with her fame and publicity stunts. Jayne knew how to get attention and she went for what she wanted and usually got it.

While she was married to Mickey Hargity, she began to party all night long and become very close to Matt Cimber, who would later become her third husband.

Jayne was fun, interesting and had a good heart. She loved her children and she loved acting. It’s sad that there are so many negative stories about her.

The author has provided pages and pages on Jayne throughout her life till the end. There is so much information in “Did Success Spoil Jayne Mansfield?” coming from interviews with family, friends and others in the entertainment field. The author has done an exceptional job in his research and providing references for all his information.”

DISCUSSION: Are you trying to obtain book reviews as part of your overall book marketing strategy?

Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Book Signings

Book Stores, Book Signings, and Media Events for the Self-published Author

Successful book promotion involves both online and offline sales. There are a number of progressive online book marketing tools available for the self-publishing author today, but the tried and true book signing or media event remains quite viable and a lot of fun. Here we’ll take a look at a 3 part approach to promote your book through media events.

Media events and public appearances can fall into any number of categories and include any number of venues (bookstores, radio interviews, television interviews, writing group speeches, presentations, chat room interviews, public forums, and more).

First things first: identify possible venues. You may begin searching media events through your local bookstore. Local bookstores will often collect event calendars and maintain a list of contact people who provide those opportunities.

Media contacts often send announcements of upcoming events. Keep tabs on those listings and note if any relate in any way to your book content. It’s generally easy to develop correlations and tailor your approach to make your presentation applicable. When contact information is available take the first step and approach the organizer.

The art of selling—be prepared to promote yourself and your work. The true art of selling is bringing helpful and enriching information to people’s lives. In that light, sales takes on nobility. Be proud of promoting. You may not close the deal every time, but be sure to follow-up with every prospective media venue to confirm dates. Selling yourself and your book is a numbers game, and as any salesperson will tell you, the amount of contact is directly proportionate to the amount of sales. Be persistent without being annoying. If, after three or four unsuccessful attempts with a particular venue, move on to another prospect.

Finally, your self-publishing firm may offer assistance. Be sure to check with your representative.