Book Promotion for Novelists and Other Book Authors

The following interview is one I did for Gatekeepers Post:

How do you balance promoting your book and writing time as well?

I find that promoting my book generates new content for new books, so book promotion is not a waste of time and really doesn't take away from writing new books or revising old books.

Besides, book promotion - if done right - really shouldn't take you more than an hour a day. If you are taking more than one hour a day, you are doing the wrong things to promote your books.

In the above sentence, I'm talking about proactive book promotion actions like writing emails, posting to social networks, writing a blog, etc. These actions should not take much time.

It is perfectly okay to spend more time doing interviews, attending effective book-signing events, organizing blog tours, etc. Stick with the actions that actually produce measurable results.

Would you suggest Twitter as a great way to promote your novel?

Twitter is an okay way to promote a novel or a book. It is not a great way.

Personally, I find the most effective way to use Twitter is to post 3 to 4 times a day with great content. Then repost your tweets to your email newsletter and/or your blog. I get at least 80% of my tweet views - and clickthroughs - from my email newsletter and blog posts.

The above actions takes me about 10 minutes a day at most.

What are common mistakes authors make when writing?

Listening to others. Listen to your heart instead.

Second mistake: Not writing every day. Writing every day is the best way to discover and improve your style. It is also an incredible way to discover what you really want to write.

What are common mistakes when writers are promoting their books?

1. Doing time-sucking promotional activities. As noted above, if you are spending more than one hour a day doing book promotion, you are wasting too much time on nonproductive actions. Stick with actions that work.

2. Not joining in with like-minded book authors to do joint promotional campaigns. You can easily connect with other book authors via The Book Marketing Network.

What are your tips for not using too many flashbacks?

Since I don't write novels, I have no tips for this. But note: Flashbacks slow down the action. Great novels move. They sweep you along in a wave of action. They keep you reading.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Sometimes flashbacks are very effective. The Time Traveler's Wife couldn't have worked without a lot of flashbacks.

What are your thoughts on what writers like Joe Konrath are doing?

I applaud them. I think more and more novelists and other book authors are going to find it makes much more sense in today's world to publish ebooks and sell online. Why get 10% royalties, one year or more delays, and loss of control when you can have full control, instant publishing, and 70% royalties?

Of course, that comes with a caveat: You do have to do book promotion if you want to succeed selling your own ebooks and print-on-demand books. Without really great book promotion, you'll be having full control and no sales. That makes no sense at all.

So, for authors that want to go the way of Joe Konrath or Amanda Hocking, they have to learn how to promote their books. That simple.


John Kremer is the author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books. If you want to launch a SuperStar Blog Tour™, a Mega Blog Tour™, or a Blogpalooza™, click the graphic below:

Novel Promotions: 3 Author Success Stories

Here are a few author success stories I shared a few years ago in my Book Marketing Tip of the Week newsletter. They're still relevant today, especially for novelists.



The following story came from book publicist Denise Cassino of
http://www.wizardlywebdesigns.com:

I recently got one of my young adult fantasy fiction authors a gig at a local grade school. She sent flyers a week in advance with purchase information. We set it for the last day before Thanksgiving break. There were 56 students and their parents there for a feast. Afterward, she did a book reading at which she offered a writing contest to the kids. Each student writes a story using her book's main characters. The teacher chooses the top 5 and sends them to the author who picks the best one. That winning student's name will be used for a character in her next book and will get to appear on the author's radio show! Way to keep the kids interested!

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The following story was sent to me by a reader, Jessica James, author of Shades of Gray: A Novel of the Civil War in Virginia:

Every author trying to market a book has probably heard these words of advice: Tie your book to a current news event. If you write fiction, that is sometimes hard to do, but by no means impossible.

Historical fiction author Jessica James found a way to connect her Civil War novel with the hoopla surrounding the recent presidential election by conducting a poll on her website asking readers to choose the literary character they thought had the qualities to make a great president.

One of the characters from Shades of Gray ended up coming in third, but that was just icing on the cake. What mattered was that many newspapers ran portions of the press release and online sites linked back to Jessica's website for the full story. A few days after the election her historical fiction novel was in the top 10 on Amazon in the Romance/Historical category.

Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird won her presidential poll by a wide margin. The full results of the poll are still listed at her website: http://www.jessicajamesbooks.com, and a full story can be found on her Civil War blog at http://www.jessicajamesblog.com.

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The following story was sent to me by a reader, Doreen Orion:

I saw your newsletter note about the author in Hawaii. What I did on my book tour was contact hotels near my signing (as well as the one I was staying in, of course) and speak to the concierge. They are always being asked by their guests what there is to do in town. I told them about the signing and asked for their fax number. Then, I faxed them a flyer.

My book, Queen of the Road, went into 6th printing after only 3 months out. When I thanked my editor at Doubleday, she said, “I think you only have yourself to thank.”

John's comment: An active author is the greatest blessing a publisher can have. Active authors sell books.

Web: http://www.bookmarket.com/novelmarketing.htm

How to Write a Query Letter That Genre Agents Want Now

This is a guest post form Jeff Rivera . . .

Everyday I'm on the phone with top agencies and literary agents that would have most writers salivating. They tell me on the down-low exactly what they're looking for in a writer and some of the inside secrets in getting them, to sign you. I thought I might share with you a few of the genres that they are dying for right now:

1) Middle Grade - If you write middle grade fiction and have a unique funny voice, agents will be ringing down your phone. Especially, if you write books for boys 9 -11 that are funny, funny, funny. "Stay away from bathroom humor," one agent who just sold a 3-book deal for her client said, "but let's face it, some of the biggest selling boy books are full of farts, snot, and talking butts" (literally).

2) YA (Young Adult fiction) - Beyond just the Twlight books, YA fiction is one of the biggest selling genres right now in books. In fact, although most book sales have gone down, this genre has gone up. If you have a background in education, or are a camp counselor, babysitter, parent, aunt, or uncle of a teen, definitely mention this in your query letter. Edgy, edgy, edgy - that's what they're looking for. Don't be afraid to have sex scenes or violence or curse words. And if you write clean cut Christian fiction, don't be afraid to mention that too. There's definitely a call for that as well. Don't talk down to teens talk up and keep your protagonist between 15 -21 years old if you can.

3) Graphic Novels - Oh, my God. If you want to light a fire and get a huge reaction from agents then tell them you have a graphic novel or better yet a graphic memoir. They're dying for them. You only need a 5-page sample of your art work and a full summary. So, even if you can't draw, you can team up with an artist. We can help you with that by the way at: http://www.GumboWriters.com. One tip: Try to stay away from comic book style art and do more of a style in the vein of Stitches by David Small or the Pulitzer Prize-winning Mause if you can.

4) High Platform Nonfiction Books - Platform is king, not content. One agent who just sold a book deal last week for over a half million dollars told me that editors are looking for one thing only, platform. Who cares if you can write? They can always hire a co-writer or ghostwriter to write with or for you.

If you have a huge platform, mention it in your first paragraph. I would say in your first sentence, literally. I did this for one client a week ago and he had over 30 agents that responded to his query letter in less than 24 hours. As you know, a platform is a built-in fan base. It's guaranteed buyers (not potential ones) that are poised and ready to by it. One big wig publisher at a Harper Collins imprint told me a few days ago that saying you can get a lot media coverage isn't going to cut it nowadays. It helps to have pre-buys and bring those to the table. Exactly how many? And what can you do if you think you don't have a platform? Well, if you want to know more about how to do that, stay tuned and we'll go into more of that next time.

For more tips visit my new site: http://www.HowtoWriteaQueryLetter.com

And by the way, we're having a special for our query letter service from today to Monday, October 18th. 1/2 off, yes that's 50% off our normal price but only until this Monday then it goes up to its normal price. We guarantee we'll get at least 10 top agents to request to read your manuscript or proposal or double your money back.

- Jeff Rivera of GumboWriters.com

Scripts Make the Difference

I noticed the following comments in a recent issue of People Magazine - in an article on summer stinkers in the movie business:

Why The Last Airbender didn't work: Bad acting, lame visuals, and a script that bends logic.

Why The Killers didn't work: The actors had no chemistry - and painful jokes.

Why Jonah Hex didn't work: The holes in the script are bigger than the one in Hex's face.

Notice the common denominator: bad script, bad jokes, bad script.

You can have the best actors in the world, but if the script isn't right, the movie will never work.



Want to know more about writing scripts that work? Check out http://www.screenwritingu.com. Good people there.

A Great First Line for a Novel

I happened to see this first line from a new novel featured in Time Magazine:

"It began the usual way, in the bathroom of the Lassimo Hotel."

Quiet, interesting, intriguing.

The novel is Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad.

How to Sell Your Novel Like a Pro multi-media course

I've just completed a new program called How to Sell Your Novel Like a Pro - Advice to First-Time Authors Who Want to Become Bestselling Novelists (or Children’s Book Authors).

This is a multi-media course on how to market novels and children's fiction/picture books. It includes a beautiful 200+ page ebook, a 4-hour seminar audio, 4 other audios, and 3 Q&A teleseminars where you'll be able to ask questions related to marketing your novel.

I will be selling this multi-media course for $97 starting in March, but you can get it for only $57 by clicking on this link: http://bit.ly/7qd4FC

Note: When you buy this program, you will also get all the updates to the book, audios, and related materials.

Bookmarks Help Sell Novels

Georgina Martin convinced three local Barnes and Noble stores to display her mystery, Reads Like Murder - In Honolulu. As a result, in a short time, she sold 82 copies.

51 copies were sold in one store. Why? Because she place 1,000 bookmarks in that store. As she noted, "The store had so many bookmarks they were practically giving them away to people."

As a result of the bookmark exposure and book sales, that store placed Reads Like Murder In Honolulu on the top shelf of the mystery section for more than three months, thus increasing the sales of the book.

Note: 1,000 bookmarks cost only 60.00 at http://www.overnightprints.com (recommended by the above author).

Online Book Promotion for Novels: It Works!

The following story was posted in the Book Marketing Success Stories forum at the Book Marketing Network: http://bookmarket.ning.com. I wanted to give Stacy-Deanne's story a wider circulation here on this blog. Thanks for sharing.



I gotta say ONLINE PROMOTION rules, baby!

For my last release, Melody, I worked (and continue to work) the social networks and online groups. It must have worked because I made back my advance in a few months! That's how I knew social networking was the way to go. I never did it much with my other books and my sells weren't as good as my third book. But, because I am out there more in the virtual world, my other books are selling more now too. I'm with a big pub, Simon and Schuster, but we all know that even with big pubs authors gotta work their butts off themselves.

The key to marketing and promoting online is that you have to take it seriously. You gotta put the time in everyday. I tell people all the time that they shouldn't just join online groups but that they need to participate on forums and become a true member. They can't just add folks and spam then expect to sell books. All promotion takes hard work. Some authors act like they shouldn't put in the time with online promotion but they should. You gotta be dedicated. The benefits I see from online networking is not just in selling copies either. I see this too:

1. Getting the chance to talk with and meet authors online I never would be able to meet. This way I can exchange promotional ideas and learn from them.

2. Writing articles that result in popularity as well as book sales.

3. Online marketing helps you build a steady fanbase much faster than the traditional methods.

4. When you do interviews or get your books reviewed on blogs/sites, they pop up on millions of other sites instantly bringing your work exposure as well as traffic to your own site.

5. Being able to talk with reviewers, book clubs, readers one-on-one.

All of this is promotion and promotion sells books. It may not happen very fast but if you keep it on going, you'll sell in the long run. Sometimes actual sales isn't the only thing to look at. Exposure and publicity can help build a career.

I have seen a bigger difference with online marketing than I ever did when I did book signings. I already plan to do multiple virtual book tours whenever my next release comes out. Online is also great promotion when watching your money and who isn't these days?

For more about Stacy Deanne's novels, see http://www.stacy-deanne.net/works.htm.

Marketing Novels: One Man's Experience

The following post was written by Earl Sewell in a forum at the Book Marketing Network (http://www.thebookmarketingnetwork.com).

What’s working for me is setting up events where I have an audience. Also having an act when speaking to groups helps a great deal---for example, I write fiction, and instead of just reading the work, I turn it into a dramatization and get the audience to participate. The Call and Response method works great for me. This also helps me to sell myself as an entertainer.

Two weeks ago I did a book release party with a book club in DC. I ordered 100 copies of my book from my publisher and let the book club pre-sell Have Mercy. Since Have Mercy is an erotic thriller, part of the program included a lingerie fashion show. About 35 people showed up and when it was my turn, I put on a great show for my fans. The book club kept the remainder of the books and hand sold all of them for me.

During my book signing in Kalamazoo, Michigan, I asked a local book club there to join me at Waldenbooks. I asked them to wear their book club t-shirts and walk around the mall handing out my promo cards. They did this for me and for the first time, I got a crossover audience. The ladies, whom I’d known for three years, told every woman in the mall what a great writer I was and they came over. Some purchased books while others were just curious.

I also write Y.A. fiction. What’s working for me there is dealing directly with high school librarians. They’re always looking for great books to purchase for their students. I also do creative writing workshops and publishing workshops. I charge a nominal fee for doing this plus I get the schools to order the books at a discount from my publisher.

In addition I have a special website for my Y.A audience. Staying in direct contact with them has helped because they tell their friends about the book and then get them to join my website. I have contests and prize giveaways for them.

However, even with all that I do, I still can’t get my sales numbers to soar the way I’d like them to. It’s a very very tough market out there and getting a name brand to stick without a large marketing budget is no easy task. However, this is my passion and no matter what, I’m going to keep moving forward. 

John's Comments: Earl is clearly creative and working hard to promote his novels. Obviously some things are working. I love his go-to-it-tiveness.

Reader Question: Getting Reviews for a Novel

Reader Question: How can I have my book reviewed by reputable reviewers? I am The 2008 recipient of the Schopenhauer International Literary Award for my novel The Raving Eunuch Monks. The Schopenhauer Studies Program released a press release (attached) announcing my selection, however I want to be more proactive in promoting the novel. I published through Booksurge, but I do not have much faith in their marketing packages.

John's Answer: Well, you are in good company with the award. Unfortunately, most media are not that aware of the Schopenhauer award. Yet, the other recipients of the award could get you attention.

How do you get your book reviewed? It's tough when you are POD published via BookSurge because you won't have much bookstore distribution and, without that, most reviewers won't be interested in reviewing your book.

But, of course, the first step to getting reviews from reputable media is to send them a review copy along with several good reasons why they should pay attention to your novel. The Schopenhauer award is one reason. What's another?

Also, by the way, your cover needs to be a fiction cover. It's not now. It looks nonfiction, academic, and boring.

Viral Videos Lead to 3 Printings

After uploading three viral videos to YouTube, the publisher of Chad Kultgen's novel The Average American Male had to go back to press three times in the first month.


Here are links to the other two videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WSczMVN6ns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMFoAvnzxl4

For more such success stories, see http://www.tenmillioneyeballs.com.

A Brilliant Novel Marketing Idea

I found the following story in Roland Hachmann's Web Jungle. It's a wonderful example of an entrepreneurial author:

Back in 1897, novelist W. Somerset Maugham, now best known as the author of Of Human Bondage, was having trouble selling his first novel Liza of Lambeth because his publisher wasn't interested in advertising the book. So he took matters into his own hands.

He placed classified ads in a few daily newspapers in London. The copy read: “Young millionaire, lover of sports, cultivated, with good taste of music and a patient and empathetic character wishes to marry any young and beautiful girl that resembles the heroine of W.S. Maugham’s new novel.”

By the end of the week, the first edition had sold out. The novel went on to get critical praise and many, many more sales.

Now, in today’s world, a classified newspaper ad like that won’t work because people don’t read the classifieds like they use to.

But the basic strategy of tying your book into your potential reader’s dreams and aspirations, that will always work. Maugham tapped into his potential reader’s desire for love (a universal perennial yearning that every romance novel taps into).

For more such success stories of debut novelists, see http://www.bookmarket.com/debutnovels.htm.

Novels Via Cellphones

A New York Times article recently covered the phenomenon of Japanese novels being written and delivered via cellphones. While many thought it a novelty, the phenomenon has turned out to be the genesis of some of the bestselling novels in Japan for last year.

Indeed, of last year's ten bestselling novels, five got their start as cellphone novels self-published by their authors and later picked up by a publisher and bought out as a printed book.

A debut novel Love Sky by Mika was read by 20 million people on their cellphones or on websites where the novels were hosted as well. When the novel was published in book form, it became the #1 selling novel in Japan for all of last year. In addition, the novel was made into a movie. Not bad for what was essentially a self-published novel.

Teen Vampires Blog About Their Lives

When Heather Brewer found out that her first novel Eighth Grade Bites would be published on the same day as Adele Griffin's Vampire Island, she sent Adele a message via MySpace.com. They soon met in New York City where they exchanged galleys. As they talked, they decided it would be fun to write a blog from the viewpoints of their vampire characters.

Brewer's Vladimir Tod suffers the typical junior high troubles (girls and bullies) while Griffin's Lexie Livingstone, a human-fruit bat hybrid, tries to keep her superhuman abilities secret while attending school. It wasn't hard for the two authors to imagine their two characters meeting at a summer debate trip to DC.

Their two characters now share a MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/vladandlexie) as well as a blog called Bite Me (http://bite-me-blog.blogspot.com).

Their shared blogging allows the authors to introduce their books to a larger audience. In addition, it could lead to a few new books featuring both characters. Now that's creative blogging!