(Guerrilla) Marketing your printed book
The following are some of the things I’ve put in place to market some of my own books, which have received top ratings on Amazon and hundreds of likes on my official Facebook author page.
All it will cost you is some time, some gas, a lot of creativity and perseverance, and less than $200:
$40 – for 1500 business cards at Vistaprint
$75 – for 20 copies of your book (if less than 300 pages) on CreateSpace
$1 – for a roll of tape at the dollar store
$30 – for a Facebook ad
$50 for postage (to send 10 copies of a book to 10 different people)
If you’re on a budget, get your copies of your book for $75 and 1 box of business cards for $10. Almost anyone can lend you a tape, and you can hand-deliver copies of your book instead of mailing them.
Your strategy:
+ Create an intriguing Facebook ad and set your ad budget to $1 per day. ($30 per month)
+ Mail copies of your book to TV/radio personalities, bookstore owners, and include a handwritten note asking them to read the book or pass it on to someone who might be interested. Make sure your handwriting is clear. ($5-8 per book print, plus $5 postage if mailed priority)
+ Post a link to your Facebook page or website on a relevant Facebook page; For example, if your book is about a child with Down syndrome, post a link to your book on the Down’s Syndrome Association, Downs Side Up and Down’s Syndrome Scotland page. Most Page owners are fine with you doing this, as long as the topic or book is relevant. FREE!
+ Get articles or stories published in a magazine like Harper’s, Tropics, Apex Magazine, etc. This usually pays you $0.50 to $1.00 per word, and gets your name out there. FREE (it can actually pay for the rest of your marketing efforts!)
+ Subscribe to a writer’s magazine like Writer’s Digest. You can also read free copies at your local public library. ($15 per year or FREE)
+ Social networks: create a profile on the following and maintain them regularly (schedule at least one day a month – it will take only a couple of hours to maintain them all! Fill in your username, password and a link to your profile in one place , like this file.
(Facebook pages should be created for your main characters, your books, and an author page for yourself)
Facebook:
Twitter:
Google+:
Pinterest:
Good reads:
LinkedIn:
Yacht:
tumblr:
Picasa:
Instagram:
AIM:
MailChimp:
Alter ego:
blogger:
Plaxo:
Snapchat:
Their website:
Amazon author page:
crushing words:
(ALL FREE!)
+ Ask local bookstores if you can make an appearance or sign. Most small bookstores appreciate this, and it benefits them too. I recommend that you offer the owner a flat fee or commission for each book you sell. (FREE – you can even pay for your other marketing efforts!)
+ Most public libraries will host appearances and readings by local authors, usually with themes like “Women’s Fiction,” “Black History/Literature,” “Hispanic Heritage,” “Mystery Month,” etc. contact them and see if they will feature you at one of those events. (FREE!)
+ Networking – attend parties, events. Dress to impress! A good place to start is ProfessionalNetworkingGroup.com, which hosts a networking event for local professionals every two weeks. Here you can make connections that can help you get a job as a freelance writer, ghostwriter, get your name out there, and can help you promote a book. Plus, they’re fun! (and free!)
+ Book Fairs: Take advantage of your local market. Most cities and towns will host a book fair, and it’s usually not too expensive to get a booth. Or, you can buy a ticket to enter the book fair and give away business cards or copies of your book(s). (Cost will vary.) An alternative FREE option is to volunteer for the event. Check the event website.
+ Book Clubs – These really do exist, and if you’re an author, people will buy copies of your book, read it, and sit and discuss over tea. Be sure to offer your books at a decent discount to club members. You can find book clubs on Meetup or Booksprouts. PaperbackSwap is like Netflix for books, and you can borrow copies of your print book in exchange for someone else’s. I recommend including a handwritten request on the inside cover for the borrower to rate your book on Amazon and Goodreads if they enjoyed it. (Free – you can really pay for your time!)
+ Writers clubs, like the ones on Meetup (free!)
+ Chat Rooms – Even though they are dying out and becoming more focused on adult entertainment, regular chat rooms are still a great way to connect with readers. (FREE!)
+ Book websites, such as Shelfari, Goodreads, Whichbook, Librarything, Gnooks, TheStaffRecommends, GetGlue, Blippr, 22Books. (FREE!)
+ Donate copies of your book to libraries and universities, or school libraries if it’s a children’s book. Again, handwrite a note on the inside cover asking the reader to rate your book and share if they enjoyed it. ($5-8 per book print)
+ Place business cards (tape if necessary, but don’t damage property!) EVERYWHERE, lots of people can see them: bus stops, tables at Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts, mailboxes in apartment buildings, cash registers at Target and Walmart, INSIDE SIMILAR BOOKS AT LOCAL LIBRARIES, on shelves in your genre section at a large bookstore like Barnes and Noble (ask management first if that’s okay), bulletin boards, grocery stores (usually have a notice board), doctor’s office waiting rooms (here you can also leave copies of your book), movie theaters showing a movie in the same genre as your book(s). Be creative, but stay in places where a large number of people can see them and display them prominently. ($10 for 250 cards, less expensive if you buy more)
Note: I tried to drop business cards door to door in my neighborhood, used 380 cards and only got 1 new like on my Facebook. The other way above works better. Also, if you use this strategy, be sure to avoid places where books are on scheduled consignment. That is, the books they have are on the shelves for about 3 months and then the unsold copies are returned to the publisher. These places include Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, KMart, Target, etc. If you choose to do it anyway, be sure to place your card on only 1 copy of each title.
+ Make sure your cover looks good as a small icon. Remember that your book may be listed with several other books, and if your image is messed up, no one will click for more information.
+ Similarly, make sure your business card grabs people’s attention. Simple cards tend to get filed away or thrown away without a second look. Use an eye-catching image (not necessarily yours) and consider printing something unique on the back (an excerpt from a story, images, motivational words, etc.), things that will entice people to keep the card on their desk at work or fridge at home ($10 for 500 cards)
+ Take control of your online presence by opening an account with Yatedo. This website monitors search engines and can maximize searches by moving sites that are not relevant to you further down the search results list. It also helps you monitor any negative websites that may affect your online reputation. (FREE)
+ Sign up for Google Alerts (http://www.google.com/alerts). This will send you an email whenever a new website or result appears in Google, and will help you monitor websites that may be illegally selling your book (Thailand, China, and India are notorious destinations for this sort of thing). It also helps you find if someone has posted a review or something about you online that is immediately searchable. (FREE)
+ Get a review. There are many ways to do this – you can pay $400-550 at Kirkus Indie, but remember that they may rate you negatively and won’t issue a refund. Another less expensive option is Publishers Weekly’s PW Select, which costs $150. However, despite paying for them, they may not check it. What you pay for with them is the review consideration, not the review itself. ($150-550)
+ Consider making a booktrailer. Lots of writers are doing this (James Patterson, Dan Brown) and it gives you an opportunity to tap into the millions of YouTubers. Be sure to tag your video with common search terms (coming soon), plus some very specific terms (knife murder). Do a YouTube search to get an idea of what these look like. (FREE – thousands of dollars)
+ Make a press release and send it to local newspapers. This is fast, easy and FREE. Lots of newspapers (and don’t forget the fine print, like your local municipality’s newsletter or newspaper). Newspapers need to fill pages, and sometimes the news just isn’t there on any given day. Press releases are used to fill this space, but make sure you follow the proper format or they won’t even consider it. (FREE)
+ Create an Amazon author page (central author). This adds credibility to your work and to you as an author, as well as placing you in search engine results. EVERYONE should do this, even if it hasn’t been published yet! (FREE)
+ Create a Wikipedia article for yourself and/or your publisher. It will take some time to master because you will need to cite sources before it gets approved and published, but it will help you rank in search engines and more. It also adds credibility to you as an author, since there aren’t many independent authors out there. Again, don’t submit a bio that you would put on an Amazon author page. SPEND TIME ON IT. (FREE)
+ Gifts. These are powerful marketing tools. Make sure the item you are giving away clearly identifies you and your product (book). An excellent and inexpensive option is stickers. I created stickers in the shape of my latest book (cover) that have the title of my book and my name as the author. I bought sheets of 24 at Vistaprint (if you order business cards they will offer them at a great discount, but order just 1 sheet – you’ll see why later). Once you complete your checkout, Vistaprint will take you to their limited time offers page, with a clock beginning a 10-minute countdown. When it reaches 0, the offers will no longer be available. This is where you will buy more sticker sheets at a fraction of the discounted price. The first sheet cost me $5. After paying, each sheet cost me $1.50. You can break them up into individuals and ask the manager of ANY store (although preferably a bookstore) if they’d mind gifting one to each customer in their bag or whatever, and you can do this with brand name pens, pencils, or pens. whatever. Most managers will, because it seems like they are the ones giving the gift to the customer. ($1.50 -?)
Remember that when you are a writer, you belong to the class of “creative types.” So when it comes to promoting yourself or your work, why use that creativity? There are many options for getting the word out about yourself or your work, and many of them are free. Now go out and become famous!
