This one is a follow-up to my blog post on 3/17/2015 "5 Tips on Reaching & Engaging Your Target Audience - and Increasing Book Sales", and is not only my gift to all you published authors and soon-to-be published writers out there, but also to you wonderful readers who wish to chime in and share your thoughts and ideas with writers so we can learn how to make your reading experiences lots more fun.
So here’s 5 more!
So here’s 5 more!
TIP #6
Create physical promo material for display and handouts at public appearances:
Personalized author business cards with website and contact info, and include published novel product sales page links as QR codes
Bookmarks with published book info like hook lines, mini-synopses, and links and QR codes
Professional author photo - I made an 11”X17” poster of my Kerry Alan Denney is The Reality Bender poster with stand for display at signings and always get numerous compliments over it
24”X36” poster of your book cover(s) mounted on board backing for display on easel/ stand
8.5”X11” flyers with author/ book/ contact/ upcoming appearance info for handouts
Full-color banners with author and book info
Various swag such as pens, key chains, tote bags with iron-on-transfer imprints of book covers, etc.
Create physical promo material for display and handouts at public appearances:
Personalized author business cards with website and contact info, and include published novel product sales page links as QR codes
Bookmarks with published book info like hook lines, mini-synopses, and links and QR codes
Professional author photo - I made an 11”X17” poster of my Kerry Alan Denney is The Reality Bender poster with stand for display at signings and always get numerous compliments over it
24”X36” poster of your book cover(s) mounted on board backing for display on easel/ stand
8.5”X11” flyers with author/ book/ contact/ upcoming appearance info for handouts
Full-color banners with author and book info
Various swag such as pens, key chains, tote bags with iron-on-transfer imprints of book covers, etc.
TIP #7
Offer free e-book copies to readers on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, etc. as Read-4-Review copies (free copy in exchange for agreement to post honest reviews), as well as host various e-book giveaways in contests and raffles during online events such as Facebook Virtual Book Release Parties, special website, blog, Amazon, Goodreads, or Facebook Author Page events, etc.
E-book copy giveaways don’t cost you anything. If you’re traditionally published, your publisher should provide you with free e-book copies of your books as epub or mobi files; if you’re self-published, you have those files yourself.
When you host giveaways or Read-4-Review events, always be sure to ask the winners to mention when they post their reviews that they won your book in a contest or received it as a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Offer free e-book copies to readers on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, etc. as Read-4-Review copies (free copy in exchange for agreement to post honest reviews), as well as host various e-book giveaways in contests and raffles during online events such as Facebook Virtual Book Release Parties, special website, blog, Amazon, Goodreads, or Facebook Author Page events, etc.
E-book copy giveaways don’t cost you anything. If you’re traditionally published, your publisher should provide you with free e-book copies of your books as epub or mobi files; if you’re self-published, you have those files yourself.
When you host giveaways or Read-4-Review events, always be sure to ask the winners to mention when they post their reviews that they won your book in a contest or received it as a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Happy Book Contest Winners
TIP #8
Join Facebook and Goodreads author/ reader groups in your genre(s). Make friends with people who read titles you like, and find discussion threads in those groups where you can share your work, such as links, discounts, giveaways, etc. Many of these groups also host Read-4-Review events where you can offer your work to readers who enjoy your genre(s).
Join Facebook and Goodreads author/ reader groups in your genre(s). Make friends with people who read titles you like, and find discussion threads in those groups where you can share your work, such as links, discounts, giveaways, etc. Many of these groups also host Read-4-Review events where you can offer your work to readers who enjoy your genre(s).
A very happy Book Contest Winner
TIP #9
I partially mentioned this in another post, but it’s so important I’m going to elaborate:
Solicit reviews from various bloggers and online reviewers in your genre(s).
They’re easy to find in a Google search, and whether they are long-established or fairly new, whether they have thousands or just a few hundred follower/ subscribers, these are the wonderful people who will help share your work with your target audience, and get your name, brand, and writing seen and recognized all over the world!
I partially mentioned this in another post, but it’s so important I’m going to elaborate:
Solicit reviews from various bloggers and online reviewers in your genre(s).
They’re easy to find in a Google search, and whether they are long-established or fairly new, whether they have thousands or just a few hundred follower/ subscribers, these are the wonderful people who will help share your work with your target audience, and get your name, brand, and writing seen and recognized all over the world!
Two more happy Book Contest Winners
TIP #10
Solicit radio, podcast, and television shows to appear as a guest on their shows!
Start local, develop solid connections, and share links to your appearances on all your social media. This will gradually build your author platform over time, and eventually create a following beyond online social media.
I’ve already appeared as a guest author on five different radio/ podcast shows, and even been invited back by one host to do a guest voice-over spot as Blitzen the reindeer on a Christmas special, as well as a 20-second station ID spot advertising my brand and work.
Solicit radio, podcast, and television shows to appear as a guest on their shows!
Start local, develop solid connections, and share links to your appearances on all your social media. This will gradually build your author platform over time, and eventually create a following beyond online social media.
I’ve already appeared as a guest author on five different radio/ podcast shows, and even been invited back by one host to do a guest voice-over spot as Blitzen the reindeer on a Christmas special, as well as a 20-second station ID spot advertising my brand and work.
We love happy readers! Photo by David Williams copyright 2011
See more of David Williams's fine photography HERE
Finally but equally as important, if you haven’t started your own writer’s blog, start one immediately, and post regularly and often.
You can offer lots of valuable information to both readers and other writers, and if you do the job well and right, you can develop a separate following based on your blog contributions alone. Study other writer blogs for ideas on various posts—feel free to use my blog as a base to create your own ideas for blog posts.
Make sure to provide quality content over quantity, and share links to your blog on your Amazon and Goodreads Author Pages! This is easy to set up on your author dashboard pages. You can also solicit other authors in your genre(s) to appear as a guest blogger on their blogs, and offer to let them do the same on your blog.
Developing good, strong relationships with fellow authors in this way is a mutually beneficial endeavor: You provide links on your blog to theirs, and they provide links to your blog on theirs. The more you spread the word about your blog, the better and larger the following you will develop.
You can offer lots of valuable information to both readers and other writers, and if you do the job well and right, you can develop a separate following based on your blog contributions alone. Study other writer blogs for ideas on various posts—feel free to use my blog as a base to create your own ideas for blog posts.
Make sure to provide quality content over quantity, and share links to your blog on your Amazon and Goodreads Author Pages! This is easy to set up on your author dashboard pages. You can also solicit other authors in your genre(s) to appear as a guest blogger on their blogs, and offer to let them do the same on your blog.
Developing good, strong relationships with fellow authors in this way is a mutually beneficial endeavor: You provide links on your blog to theirs, and they provide links to your blog on theirs. The more you spread the word about your blog, the better and larger the following you will develop.
I heartily welcome all you writers out there to share your own tips in the Comments section below this post!
Good luck to you all, and happy reading and writing!
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