Book Marketing: How to Get Recognized on a Budget
(Guerilla) Marketing your printed book
Below are some of the things I have put in place to market some of my own books, which have received top ratings on Amazon and hundreds of “Likes” on my official Facebook author page.
All it will cost you is some time, some gas, a lot of creativity and perseverance, and less than $ 200:
$ 40 – for 1500 business cards at Vistaprint
$ 75 – for 20 copies of your book (if it’s less than 300 pages) at CreateSpace
$ 1 – for a roll of tape at the dollar store
$ 30 – for an ad on Facebook
$ 50 for postage (to send 10 copies of a book to 10 different people)
If you are on a budget, get copies of your book for $ 75 and 1 box of business cards for $ 10. Almost anyone can loan you the tape and you can hand deliver copies of your book instead of mailing them.
Your strategy:
+ Create an intriguing Facebook ad and set your ad budget at $ 1 per day. ($ 30 per month)
+ Send copies of your book to television / radio personalities, bookstore owners, and include a handwritten note asking them to read the book or pass it on to someone who might be interested. Make sure your handwriting is clear. ($ 5-8 per book print, plus $ 5 postage if shipped with priority)
+ Post a link to your Facebook page or website on a relevant Facebook page; For example, if your book is about a child with Down syndrome, post a link to your book on the Down’s Syndrome Association, Downs Side Up, and Down’s Syndrome Scotland page. . Most page owners agree that you do this as long as the topic or book is relevant. FREE!
+ Get articles or stories published in a magazine like Harper’s, Tropics, Apex Magazine, etc. This typically pays you between $ 0.50 and $ 1.00 per word, and gets your name out there. FREE (you can actually pay for the rest of your marketing efforts!)
+ Subscribe to a writers magazine like Writer’s Digest. You can also read free copies at your local public library. ($ 15 per year or FREE)
+ Social media: Create a profile on the following and keep them regularly (schedule at least one day a month – it should take just a couple of hours to get them all! Fill in your username, password and a link to your profile in one place , like this file.
(Facebook pages should be created for your main characters, your books, and an author page for you)
Facebook:
Twitter:
Google+:
Pinterest:
Good reads:
LinkedIn:
Yatedo:
Tumblr:
Picasa:
Instagram:
POINT:
MailChimp:
Alter ego:
Blogger:
Term:
Snapchat:
Their website:
Amazon Author Page:
Smashwords:
(ALL FREE!)
+ Ask local bookstores if you can make an appearance or signatures. Most small bookstores appreciate this and it benefits them too. I recommend that you offer the owner a flat rate or commission for each book you sell. (FREE – you can even pay for your other marketing efforts!)
+ Most public libraries will host appearances and readings by local authors, usually with topics like “Female Fiction”, “Black History / Literature”, “Hispanic Heritage”, “Mystery Month”, and so on. reach out to them and see if they’ll feature you at one of those events. (FREE!)
+ Networking: attend parties, events. Dress to impress! A good place to start is ProfessionalNetworkingGroup.com, which hosts a networking event for local professionals every two weeks. Here you can make connections that can help you land a job as a freelance copywriter, ghostwriter, get your name out there, and can help you promote a book. Plus, they are fun! (and free!)
+ Book Fairs: Take advantage of your local market. Most cities and towns will host a book fair and it is usually not too expensive to get a booth. Or you can buy a ticket to enter the book fair and give away business cards or copies of your book (s). (The cost will vary). An alternative FREE option is to volunteer for the event. Check the event website.
+ Book clubs: These really exist, and if you are an author, people will buy copies of your book, read it, and sit down to discuss it over tea. Make sure to offer your books for a decent discount to club members. You can find book clubs on Meetup or Booksprouts. Trading is like Netflix for books, and you can loan copies of your printed book in exchange for someone else’s. I recommend including a handwritten request on the inside of the cover for the borrower to rate their book on Amazon and Goodreads if they enjoyed it. (Free, you can actually pay for your time!)
+ Writers clubs, like the ones on Meetup (free!)
+ Chat rooms: Although they are disappearing and increasingly focused on adult entertainment, regular chat rooms are still a great way to connect with readers. (FREE!)
+ Book websites, such as Shelfari, Goodreads, Whichbook, Librarything, Gnooks, TheStaffRecommends, GetGlue, Blippr, 22Books. (FREE!)
+ Donate copies of your book to libraries and universities, or school libraries if it is a children’s book. Again, handwrite a note on the inside of the cover asking the reader to rate your book and pass it on if they enjoyed it. ($ 5-8 per printed book)
+ Post business cards (tape if necessary, but don’t damage property!) EVERYWHERE, many people can see them: bus stops, tables at Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts, mailboxes in apartment buildings, bus lanes payment at Target and Walmart, INSIDE SIMILAR BOOKS AT LOCAL LIBRARIES, on the shelves in your gender section at a large bookstore like Barnes and Noble (ask management if this agrees with them first), notice boards, grocery stores (they usually have a bulletin board), doctor’s office waiting rooms (you can also leave copies of your book here), movie theaters that present a movie of the same genre as your book (s). Be creative, but stick to places where large numbers of people can see them and display them prominently. ($ 10 for 250 cards, less expensive if you buy more)
Note: Tried leaving business cards door to door in my neighborhood, I used 380 cards and only got 1 new “Like” on my Facebook. The other way above works better. Also, if you use this strategy, be sure to avoid places where books are on scheduled consignment. That is, the books they have are on the shelves for about 3 months and then the unsold copies are sent back to the publisher. These places include Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, KMart, Target, etc. If you decide to do it anyway, be sure to place your card on only 1 copy of each title.
+ Make sure your cover looks good as a little icon. Remember that your book may be listed with several other books, and if your image is a mess, no one will click for more information.
+ Similarly, make sure your business card gets people’s attention. Simple cards tend to get filed or thrown away without a second glance. Use an eye-catching image (not necessarily of you) and consider printing something unique on the back (an excerpt from a story, pictures, motivational words, etc.) – things that will entice people to keep the card on their desk at the work or fridge at home ($ 10 for 500 cards)
+ Control your online presence by opening an account at Yatedo. This website monitors search engines and you can maximize searches by moving sites that are not relevant to you lower in the search results list. It also helps you monitor any negative website that may affect your online reputation. (FREE)
+ Sign up for Google alerts (http://www.Google.com/alerts). This will send you an email whenever a new website or result appears on Google, and will help you monitor websites that may be selling your book illegally (Thailand, China, and India are notorious destinations for this kind of thing) . It also helps you find if someone has posted a review or something about you online that is immediately searchable. (FREE)
+ Get a review. There are a number of ways to do this (you can pay anywhere from $ 400 to $ 550 in Kirkus Indie), but remember that they may negatively rate you and will not issue a refund. Another less expensive option is Publishers Weekly’s PW Select, which costs $ 150. However, despite paying for it, they may not review it. What you pay with them is a consideration for the review, not a review itself. ($ 150-550)
+ Consider doing a book preview. Many writers are doing this (James Patterson, Dan Brown) and it gives you the opportunity to tap into the millions of YouTube users. Make sure to tag your video with common search terms (Coming Soon), plus some very specific terms (knife murder). Do a search on YouTube to get an idea of what they look like. (FREE – thousands of dollars)
+ Make a press release and send it to local newspapers. This is quick, easy, and FREE. Lots of newspapers (and don’t forget the fine print ones, like your local town’s bulletin or newspaper). Newspapers have to fill pages, and sometimes the news just doesn’t appear on a certain day. Press releases are used to fill this space, but be sure to follow the proper format or they won’t even consider it. (FREE)
+ Create an Amazon Author Page (Author Central). This adds credibility to your work and to you as the author, as well as leading to search engine results. EVERYONE should do this, even if it hasn’t been posted yet! (FREE)
+ Create a Wikipedia article for yourself and / or your publisher. This will take you some time to master, because you will need to cite the sources before it is approved and published, but it will help you get into search engines and more. It also adds credibility to you as an author, as there aren’t many freelance authors there. Again, don’t submit a bio that you would place on an Amazon author page. SPEND TIME ON IT. (FREE)
+ Giveaways. These are powerful marketing tools. Make sure the item you are giving away clearly identifies you and your product (book). An excellent and inexpensive option is stickers. I created stickers in the shape of my latest book (cover) that has my book title and my name as the author. I bought 24 sheets from Vistaprint (if you order business cards they will offer them at a big discount, but order only 1 sheet – see why later). Once you complete your checkout process, Vistaprint will take you to their limited-time offers page, with a clock counting down from 10 minutes. When it reaches 0, the offers will no longer be available. This is where you will buy more sticker sheets at a fraction of the discounted price. For me, the first sheet cost me $ 5. After paying, each sheet cost me $ 1.50. You can break them down into individuals and ask the manager of ANY store (though preferably a bookstore) if they’d mind giving one to every customer in their purse or whatever, and you can do it with brand name pens, pencils, or pens. what. Most managers will, because it seems like they are the ones giving the customer the gift. ($ 1.50 -?)
Remember that when you are a writer, you are in the “creative types” class. So when it comes to marketing your work or yourself, why use that creativity? There are many options for getting the word out about yourself or your work, and many of them are free. Now go out and become famous!
