What's the best marketing outlet?

[J. Gunnar Grey]

Of all the marketing you've done for your ebook, paperback, hardback, whatever--of everything you've tried, what would you say has worked the best? I've heard various comments, such as:

• Goodreads or Facebook ads,
• guest blogging or guest blog hops, and
• buying your own book on Amazon.com and linking it with those of your favorite authors. ("People who bought this book also bought. . .")

 

Comments? Additions? Subtractions?

 

Gunnar

[I. J. Parker]

Web site.

[Benjamin Sobieck]

A combination of midnight incantations and a healthy e-mail newsletter list.

[J. Gunnar Grey]

need the words to that one, Benjamin!

[Jack Getze]

Librarians.

 

[I. J. Parker]

Aha!  And how do you harness them?

[J. Gunnar Grey]

I can see getting the local librarians on a writer's side through, say, a reading or donating some copies. There's also the Library Journal for reviews and printing and distributing bookmarks through libraries. Otherwise, how would this work, Jack?

[Jack Getze]

I contacted every NJ library; I sent them postcards; I made phone calls.

 

[I. J. Parker]

Theoretically, they get their info through LJ and Booklist.  I doubt one can improve on that.

[Stephen Brayton]

This site and other .ning sites. Publishedauthors.com might help. You own blog and your own webstie. FB and Twitter. Word of mouth. Local Rotary, bookstores, library.

[minervaK]

I'd like to piggyback onto this query with: what do you do when you're personally marketing napalm? By which I mean, you don't "present" well? Hire somebody to pretend to be you? Do the reclusive author thing? Fake your own death?

[I. J. Parker]

Minerva, you present exceedingly well here.  Why not do your marketing online?

 

For that matter, the personal effort never pays off.  Publishers like it because they can get it for nothing and it keeps bookstores happy.  How happy depends on how many books you sell.  People in business have their eye on the bottom line.