Marketing Your Novel with Success!

[Miranda Phillips Walker]

Alrighty then, your book has been published--Great! Now the hard work really starts, you need to know it's up to you to promote it. I know some of you are working with a large publishing house and think your covered. Well take off your rose colored glasses. Yes, the big houses will do some promo work, but it's not like it use to be, with budget and staff cuts all around, you can't sit back and hope magic happens. If you don't know this, take note, publishers and agents you will deal with from now on are concerned with "The Numbers." How many copies did you sell? You made be a kick A writer, but it's the numbers that will keep you in the game. Some writers have even went with a pen name to start over so the powers that be don't get blind sided by the poor numbers they recieved on their last book.

First, you need to get your face and name out there. Get a website, this is a must. If you don't know how to built one get professional help. Picking a webmaster can be tricky like everything else some are out to take your money and give you a crappy site. I use [e-mail] You can check out his work on my site at www.mirandawalkerbooks.com

Set up your author profile on Myspace, Facebook, Blog Spot, Authors Den, Crimespace, refers to my website for more of these links. After you get your blogs going write and submit articles related to writing, add your url to search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN...it might take a week or so before they crawl to top ranking.
Consider doing guest blogging or blog tours, start with your contact list, most other authors will be glad to have you as a guest on their blog. Don't forget your bussiness cards, book markers, book posters, post cards you should always carry your cards with you. Vista print offers free deals on several products you just pay S&H.

A note on Book Signings- set them up at least a month in advance. When you are about 3 weeks from the date, (very important remember this) confirm they have no problems ordering your book and confirm that they have ordered it. Book stores usually order 20-30 copies. I make sure I have an extra twenty with me. You don't want to show up for the signing and not have books! Can you say disaster. Most books stores don't think signings sell books so they don't do much in way of promotion. Take your book or a PDF file to a office supply store and have them make up a simple color poster of the front cover of your book on a board. cost about $5-7 dollars depending on the size you order. I also take a camping table with me, in case they don't have a table or it's too small. Set up your books, posters, flyers, cards on the table. I also have a dish with suckers and chocolate kisses, to draw the customer to the table. If you can, ask the book store if you can place one of your poster in their store window with dates of your signing a week or so prior to the event. Remember to place your table at the store's entry so you see customers as they enter. Whatever you do don't just sit there, nows not the time to be shy. you don't have to jump them, but greet the customers as the come in, tell them your the author and mention your book. if they seem interested pitch your book in 20 secs.

Press Releases are another great way to market your book, send them to book stores, independent book stores, newspapers, libraries, the college you graduated from...you get the idea. If you don't know how to write a sell sheet/press release I will be posting a sample one.
Sign up for book conferences, do signings, network. Join writers forums, and writers organizations.
Theses are just a few of my suggestions for affortable book promotion, I hope these tips were helpful to you...

[Miranda Phillips Walker]

You are welcome, thanks for posting a comment and good luck on your novel!

[Flic Manning]

Fantastic post - I have done a checklist based on this and I am on track. Thanks for sharing!