So as I sit here, a safe seven months from my release date, I'm watching various friends and acquaintances as they madly dance through the steps required to promote and advertise a new book. It's important, especially for newer authors, to do something beyond just saying 'I have written a book and my mommy says it's awesome' when they have something hitting the shelves. (Although 'I have written a book and Seanan's mommy says it's awesome' seems to carry a surprising amount of weight for everyone but me. Does anybody else out there have a tattooed, foul-mouthed mother who'd be willing to fill that particular role for me?)
So the question becomes, what works? Book giveaways are obviously good things, but also somewhat self-limiting, as I sort of want people to buy things. (Oddly enough, I don't feel like earning back my advance all by myself.) Competitions are also good, providing the prizes are interesting -- and heck, prizes are just lovely things to offer. So what do you think would be a good idea? What kinds of promotion would you like to see? We have seven months to put even the strangest of plans into motion, so sing out!
Like the pdf idea. Briggs does sample chapters and sucked me in that way. Anythimg to make people go "what then??"
LOVE the book plates idea too.
Create a blurb or handout of any sirt and grant permission and I'll print them and try to get them to Powell's and libraries here to tempt the patrons thereof.
I'm going to be talking about it to someone at Powell's in any case, as they're my chosen store for book purchases and I plan to preorder copies there AND lobby them to get additional for the shelves.
It's also because I want to own the whole series, and that will be easier if the early books sell well enough for the later ones to get bought and published. And it's because shiny stuff oughta be shared, too.
thoughtful
February 11 2009, 02:19:58 UTC 8 years ago
LOVE the book plates idea too.
Create a blurb or handout of any sirt and grant permission and I'll print them and try to get them to Powell's and libraries here to tempt the patrons thereof.
February 11 2009, 02:21:14 UTC 8 years ago
February 14 2009, 02:14:32 UTC 8 years ago
February 14 2009, 02:14:19 UTC 8 years ago
February 14 2009, 07:24:08 UTC 8 years ago
February 15 2009, 15:50:19 UTC 8 years ago
February 15 2009, 18:19:50 UTC 8 years ago