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!
I've been trying to help shadow-market my bf's book for the last couple of months. Unlike your multi-talented self, Dave doesn't have a widely popular blog or a recording career or a faithful legion of the undead at his beck and call, so clearly you've got several aces up your sleeve already.
However: I'm recovering academic and my area of study was viral marketing. I was more on the analytical end than the practical, unfortunately, but I've been trying to give Dave some suggestions and we've worked up a series of web sites that hopefully make people go "huh" -- here's the central one, if you're curious. All of which was by way of saying: I think viral is a good way to go if you're looking for visibility with groups who might not know you yet.
thoughtful
February 10 2009, 20:58:23 UTC 8 years ago Edited: February 10 2009, 20:59:07 UTC
However: I'm recovering academic and my area of study was viral marketing. I was more on the analytical end than the practical, unfortunately, but I've been trying to give Dave some suggestions and we've worked up a series of web sites that hopefully make people go "huh" -- here's the central one, if you're curious. All of which was by way of saying: I think viral is a good way to go if you're looking for visibility with groups who might not know you yet.
February 14 2009, 02:10:55 UTC 8 years ago