My friend and fellow author Cindy Spencer Pape has published more than 50 books and has been around the promotional block once or twice. I asked her to share her thoughts on book marketing in today's Book Marketing Monday post. Take it away, Cindy!
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Cooperative promotions with other authors — yes, they work!
After over 50 published titles, I’ve found that most promotions work…sometimes. I haven’t yet found that magic promotional bullet to catapult me into best-sellerdom. Some people read ads, some people don’t. Some follow Twitter, others don’t. If you can get help from your publisher, those promos probably work better than almost anything else I’ve tried, but most publishers have lots of authors and limited resources. You’ll get promoted if you’re already a best-seller, but it’s hard to stand out in the crowd otherwise.
Next to that, the best luck I’ve had is cooperative promotions with other authors. When readers see an author they like recommend another author’s book, they’re inclined to believe it. Promoting your friends on Facebook or Twitter isn’t seen as self-serving the way promoting yourself can be. Also, being cooperative gets you the reputation as being a “nice person” which doesn’t hurt either.
Blog-swapping (thank you to Angie for having me here today!) is one cooperative form of promotion that a lot of authors use. I’ll admit, after several years of intense blogging, I’m kind of burned out and only blog occasionally now. Special projects like this one, though, keep me out there in the blogosphere, without having to try to fill my own blog every day. Group blogs, where you only have to post once a month or so are another way of authors helping authors—and also a great way to make friends. The same goes for reader-author Yahoo Groups or Facebook Groups.
Generally speaking, if you’re kind to your fellow authors, they’ll be kind to you. And that’s probably better promotion than money can buy.
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Cindy Spencer Pape firmly believes in happily-ever-after and brings that to her writing. Award-winning author of 19 novels and more than 30 shorter works, Cindy lives in southeast Michigan with her husband, two sons, granddaughter, and a houseful of pets. When not hard at work writing she can be found dressing up for steampunk parties and Renaissance fairs, or with her nose buried in a book.
Website: http://www.cindyspencerpape.com (http://bit.ly/ybxKjP )
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CindySPape
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/gjbLLC
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Check out Cindy’s latest paranormal romance, Sea Change available now from Ellora’s Cave. http://www.ellorascave.com/sea-change.html
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Marketing Mondays: Using Wattpad to sell books!
Marketing Monday: Making the most of Twitter and Facebook
Marketing Monday: WordSwag – a Fun Way to Promote Your Book!
Marketing Monday: Creating short links and other Twitter stuff
Marketing Monday: Some tips on gifting books to readers
Marketing Monday: Making the most of Twitter and Facebook
Marketing Monday: WordSwag – a Fun Way to Promote Your Book!
Marketing Monday: Creating short links and other Twitter stuff
Marketing Monday: Some tips on gifting books to readers
1 comment:
Great bllog post
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