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!
So don't give away books. Give away book-related things.
People mentioned bookmarks. Always a good plan. People love bookmarks, they're easy to take because they're small. With a nice graphic, they get read.
You're already doing art cards... so do more as promo. They only cost you time, really. The same time you were going to spend drawing anyways :)
If you're sending out ARCs to people who don't necessarily know you, include a Toby related art card with it. Even if they go "Oh, another book", the art will stand out and catch their attention. Then they are FAR more likely to actually look at the book.
thoughtful
February 11 2009, 10:52:54 UTC 8 years ago
People mentioned bookmarks. Always a good plan. People love bookmarks, they're easy to take because they're small. With a nice graphic, they get read.
You're already doing art cards... so do more as promo. They only cost you time, really. The same time you were going to spend drawing anyways :)
If you're sending out ARCs to people who don't necessarily know you, include a Toby related art card with it. Even if they go "Oh, another book", the art will stand out and catch their attention. Then they are FAR more likely to actually look at the book.
February 14 2009, 02:15:45 UTC 8 years ago