Self-Publishing: Promoting Yourself - Part Four

[Cheryl Bradshaw]

There are many outlets both in print and in person where you can be seen and heard.

MAGAZINES

In print, consider submitting short stories to different magazines. Every reader of your article is a possible buyer for your book. For one stop shopping in this area, become a member of Writer's Market. On their site, they list magazines alphabetically that you can submit to.

One other place you can register is at HARO (Help a Reporter Out). If you sign up for emails, you get three a day on business days and they are all related to stories a reporter is working on, and if you are chosen, there's a good chance your name and the fact that you are an author will be mentioned. As a tip, I heard the people who respond with their phone number within 15 minutes of getting the email have the best chance of being used. Just some food for thought there!

DO A GUEST BLOG

Take part in blogging on someone else's blog. Most authors have one, and some have a huge fan base. Do as many guest spots as you can in the areas that you are knowledgeable.

GET INTERVIEWED FOR THE NEWSPAPER

Once your book is in print, you can submit a press release (and you should) to your local newspaper (and any other venue that applies to your general area). I grew up in California, then moved to Utah for several years, and now I live in Wyoming. That gives me three states to start with that I have ties to. An example of other venues would be - in Utah there's a news station called KSL. They have a huge online classifieds section where it's free to post a listing, and you can post more than one actually. And I've never met anyone in Utah who wasn't familiar with KSL. It's well known and widely used. So for me to pass up a chance to put my press release on there for FREE would be crazy. So seek out what you options you have in your area and use them.

CONTACT INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES

Next I would suggest contacting the independent bookstores in your area. I think as an indie writer, you have a better chance of getting them to be interested in you right off, and it helps that you have a tie to the location as well (you live there, your book was based in that city,etc). You might be invited to do a signing and they may even purchase some of your books for their store.

Here are some tips:

1. Once you find out the date you will be a guest author, see if the store will start promoting that you will be there. Maybe they can hand bookmarks that you send them out with every purchase or a flier or they can post a poster in their store about the event.

2. Try to get your newspaper article posted right before your signing so you can announce it.

3. As an indie author, you will need to bring your own copies of your books if the store hasn't already purchased them, so be sure to have them in advance.

4. Sometimes nobody will come, and don't be frustrated by this. Greet customers when they come to the store, even if they aren't there for you. Chances are, they'll walk out with a copy of your book. I know, most of us aren't salespeople - I'm sure not, and I'm not pushy by any means - but you can still say hello, engage in conversation, and be friendly.

ATTEND CONVENTIONS

There are so many wonderful conventions each year for writers to meet and greet and get known. If you don't have a lot of money, try to find one close to you to start and then you can work your way up to some that you have dreamed of attending. I have made some author friends along the way and I absolutely love being a part of their world because they are the only ones who really understand the passion I have for what I'm doing. You can find a list of conventions on my blog site at www.unearththeclues.blogspot.com under the CONFERENCES tab.