Beyond the Bookstore Ideas

It is imperative for authors to think beyond the bookstore when marketing a self-published book. A bookstore is where you have the most competition - the lowest likelihood of being carried - and would make the least amount of profit.

One of my authors has written a book that explains the sport of soccer at a very basic level. Instead of going to bookstores I recommended going to local YMCA's and other youth soccer leagues marketing the book to the parents of these kids. Try and get creative about your own book concept and look for opportunities such as this.

Here is a link to his book on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Soccer-Sidelines-Whats-goin-there/dp/1419653423/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197906619&sr=1-1

Another one of my authors recently emailed me about one of his newest beyond the bookstore ideas. Here is his email:

"john here is a good lead for your customers.....cigarette cigar stores.....we just did one at a place called cigarette express....sold 18 books from noon till 2 pm (more there than a borders store)...lots of walk in traffic etc...."

Here is his book on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/These-Scars-Are-Sacred-Written/dp/1419627988/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197906585&sr=8-1

Try and get creative about your own book concept and look for opportunities such as this.

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Video for Book

I posted previously on how to make a trailer for your book. One of my authors recently did something of this nature where she took images from her book and put them to a music score and then listed this on YouTube. This can be an additional avenue for people to find out about your book and can also be a good tool to send to prospective television interviews.

"I created the videos in Windows Movie Maker, just using still photos (many of which are in my book). It was fairly straightforward and simple to do, and I was able to complete it in one afternoon."

Here is her link on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB1iuyo9Mk4

Here is her link on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Born-Without-Tail-Ariel-Wulff/dp/1419664360/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196435732&sr=8-1

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Contest Opportunity

One of my authors has started a company offering contest opportunities to authors with cash prizes available.

Please click on this link to learn more about this opportunity: http://www.sumthingnew.com/writing

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Know your book's online presence through Google Alerts

Google has a great program that allows you to be alerted every time a certain search term is inputted into Google. This allows you to be notified whenever someone searched for your name or possibly the name of your book so you can get an idea of what marketing efforts are building general interest in you and your book and which efforts generate little online traffic.

This program is free to use and you can find out more by going to www.google.com. Click on the “News” tab located directly above the Search tool. Then, click on the “News Alerts” link on the left panel. You can then enter “Search terms” and Google will send you a personal e-mail whenever these terms are found on the Web.

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Creating a Podio Book

One of the hottest new marketing waves to come over the book industry is the free podcast or podio book. It is virtually cost free and is a great way to create a fan base for your writing as they do not have to pay anything until they get a taste of what you are offering. The author to my knowledge to see great success with this technique is Scott Sigler. He has been releasing Podio books since 2005. His first podio book, EarthCore resulted in thousands of downloads, which later translated in to sales on Amazon and other online retailers. He’s continued to release serialized versions of all his books, and in the case of his book, Ancestor, he reached that much coveted top ten spot on Amazon. You can read more about Scott if you click here. He is a great example of a new breed of authors who are taking responsibility for the marketing of their book and finding success by utilizing creative ideas and innovative technology.

Click here to see an example of a Podcast from a top 5 book on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Am-America-So-Can-You/dp/0446580503/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-9159004-3086846?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192048047&sr=1-1

If you want to make your own Podcast and get in the game, click here to find out how: http://www.newmediamusings.com/2005/02/how_to_podcast.html

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Creating a Book Trailer

A great new way to help market your book is to create a video trailer for your book. This can be used on your personal website, on www.youtube.com, and in your publicity packages that you are sending to TV stations. Here is an interview one of my colleagues held with an author of ours who has used this idea to successfully market her book.

SPA: Congratulations on the book and the video. Obviously the video is a reflection of the material in the book, but what kind of pre-production work went into it?

Author: Well, with virtually no budget there's not a ton of pre-production. Luckily, my background is live theatre and a bit of film so I had access to a lot of really talented people. For instance, my costume designer at the theatre built the gorgeous red cloaks (I use one for my readings now!) and my set designer made the actual flask for the Miist of Kalliope. However, this same kind of talent can be found working at fabric stores and paint shops, not to mention art schools. As for the sets, I have a room in my basement where there are no windows so it was perfect for creating dim, moody locations. Basically, I yanked out everything I had from my Halloween stuff...and let me tell you, as an official Halloween Freak, I had lots...and decorated the room like an old library. I made scrolls from dollar store parchment paper, used lots of candles and focused on tight shots as they would be easier to "make real". The fire was a total fluke. I had put flour on the book to look like dust and when I went to blow it off, it caught on the flame of the candle and made this awesome fire. Man, can't pay enough to get special effects like that! For the outside shots I just snuck into a cemetery not too far from my house, threw the cloaks on my sister and her two kids and said "walk". That was a laugh! I was also able to use a photography studio for a few hours. They had the big stone walls, which really helped for some shots.

SPA: Where did you find your actors?

The walking in cloaks is my sister and her kids. And then there's a shot of my nephew's eyeball and my niece reaching for an old teapot. The rest are me (opening the book, the creepy looking Simp) For the Simp I just used red food coloring, petroleum jelly and kleenex and mixed it all together to look like gross peeling, bloody skin. I think it worked as it freaked out my daughter! Oh, and I had a hideous wig! The growling teeth were my dog's.

SPA: The music is chilling and I think a key to the success of your video. Where did you find the music?

I was so very fortunate with the music. The composer in residence of your city's symphony caught wind of my project via a mutual friend and offered to do the music. How fantastic is that! Of course I said 'yes' or rather squealed 'YES!' and after viewing the rough cut of the video he composed this amazing score. I was blown away! I'll never forget hearing it for the first time. There I was crying with headphones on in the middle of this coffee shop. He'd just nailed it so perfectly! Obviously, this isn't something that will happen for everyone but there are many music options such as schools, free online stuff and even Garage Band.

SPA: What equipment did you use to shoot and edit the video?

We shot on digital video, with a pretty decent 3 chip camera. My friend did the editing on Final Cut Pro, which is a really accessible program. We got sound effects from free sites online and then he put it together, brilliantly I might add. But he has had quite a few years experience on the program. This is where I think the money should be spent.

SPA: How long did it take you to shoot and edit?

The shooting took two or maybe three days and about a week to edit.

SPA: Do you have any advice for other authors who may be thinking about putting a video trailer together for their books?

Well, I just did an interview with our local TV station and they were absolutely thrilled with all the 'stuff' I had for them to work with (book trailer, footage of readings, props, costumes etc). It made their job so much easier and made the entire story, not only longer (aka more air time, aka more exposure), but also much more interesting for viewers. Also, my readings are much more fun. I play the trailer on a giant screen (always supplied by the school or library) even before I enter. By the time I come in the kids are already with me. They're sold! And they can't wait for me to read more of what they've just seen. The book trailer has been absolutely my strongest marketing tool. It's a fantastic way of giving media a taster. This plus the website. I spent a lot of time and money on my website. Probably the most (aside from my book, of course:) But, keep in mind I am sharing with a demographic that has grown up 'virtual' so I wanted to impress them with the best of that. I think that, especially if an author is going POD, then a book trailer and website are essential. But don't go cheesy or cheap on the trailer. Do some research and some sniffing around at film schools. Do it right, the best way possible. A really bad trailer is worse than no trailer at all.

Thanks again for the opportunity to share with you, Richard. It was a real pleasure!

All the best,Kami

SPA: Thank you, Kami. Great advice and great video!

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Success Story - Why a Press Release matters

One of my author's recently chose to have a professionally written Press Release through our company and received some great feedback and landed on the front page of his local paper. A good press release in the right hands can be a good tool for getting the word out about your book.

Here are his comments in his own words:

I wanted to share my good news with you. Due to your skillfully written press release, my local news paper did a front page story and photo on me! Here is the link: http://www.snponline.com/

Here is the link to his story in case the front page has changed by the time you are viewing:
http://www.snponline.com/FRONT/Stories/1.HTML

Here is Mark's book on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Making-Preacher-Naked-Pulpit/dp/1419667939/ref=sr_1_2/103-7613588-2714267?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1188248959&sr=8-2

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Contest Opportunity - All Genres

Here is more detailed information about this contest:

LOS ANGELES (August 21, 2007)_ The 2007 DIY Book Festival has set Sept. 25,
2007 as the deadline for entry to its sixth annual celebration of independent authors and publishers.

This year, the DIY Book Festival is placing a special focus on the poetry, fan fiction, unpublished stories and comics/'zines categories. Special reduced entry rates, exclusive category cash prizes and special spotlights for select entries are among the plans.

The DIY Book Festival will consider self-published or independent publisher non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children's books, teenage, how-to, cookbooks, science fiction, audio/spoken word, photography, art, comics, 'zines, fan fiction, poetry and e-books published on or after Jan. 1, 2005. All entries must be in English and have been self-published or issued by an independent publishing house.

Our grand prize for the 2007 DIYBF Book of the Year is $1500 cash and a flight to the awards ceremony, held in October. All entrants receive free admission to the annual DIY Convention in Los Angeles each February and are eligible for special exhibition discounts at that event. Genre category winners will receive a combination of books, software and cash awards.

Submitted works will be judged by a panel of industry experts using the following criteria:
1) General excellence and the author's passion for telling a good story.
2) The unique use of guerilla marketing tactics to reach a wider audience.

This includes innovative marketing, merchandising, publicity tactics and other innovative methods of reaching an independent audience..
ENTRIES: Please classify your book and enter it in the following categories.Multiple entries must be accompanied by a separate fee for each book.

1) General Non-fiction
2) General Fiction
3) Children's books
4) How-to
5) E-books (word or .pdf file acceptable)
6) Comics
7) 'zines
8) Photography
9) Fan Fiction
10) Poetry
11) Art
12) Teenage
13) Biography/Autobiography
14) Audio/spoken word
15) Compilations/Anthologies
16) Best Unpublished Short Story
17) Cookbooks
18) Science Fiction

In addition to honoring the top selections in the above categories, The DIY Book Festival will award the following chosen from submissions:

1) DIY Author of the Year-Honors the outstanding book of the competition.
2) DIY Book Design of the Year --- Honors outstanding and innovative design.
3) DIY Independent Publisher of the Year-Honors the top publisher based on materials displaying excellence in marketing and promotional materials, as determined by our judges.

FESTIVAL RULES: DIY Book Festival submissions cannot be returned. Each entry must contain the official entry form, including your e-mail address and contact telephone number. All shipping and handling costs must be borne by entrants.

NOTIFICATION AND DEADLINES: We will notify each entry of the receipt of their package via e-mail and will announce the winning entries on our web site (www.diyconvention.com). Because of the anticipated high volume of entries, we can only respond to e-mail inquiries.
Deadline submissions in each category must be postmarked by the close of business on Sept. 25, 2007. Winners in each category will be notified by e-mail. Please note that judges read and consider submissions on an ongoing basis, comparing early entries with later submissions at our meetings.

TO ENTER: Entry forms are available online at www.diyconvention.com or may be faxed/e-mailed to you. Please contact our office for fax requests.
Applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable entry fee of $10-$50 (see entry form drop-down menu for specific category prices) in the form of a check, money order or PayPal online payment in U.S. dollars for each submission. Multiple submissions are permitted but each entry must be accompanied by a separate form and entry fee.

You can also enter the contest by phone by calling 323-665-8080 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific time.

Entry fee checks should be made payable to JM Northern Media LLC. We're sorry, but entries must be mailed and cannot be delivered in person or by messenger services to the JM Northern Media offices.

Entry packages should include:

1) One copy of the book;
2) Your official entry form or a copy;
3) The entry fee or receipt for online payment;
4) Any marketing materials you wish to send. Marketing is used as a tie-breaking consideration by our judges.

Entries should be mailed to:
JM Northern Media LLC
attn: DIY Book Festival
7095 Hollywood Boulevard
Suite 864
Hollywood, CA 90028-0893
Phone: 323-665-8080

AWARDS: The DIY Book Festival selection committee reserves the right to determine the eligibility of any project.
The 2007 DIY Book Festival is part of the DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books, which also produces the DIY Film Festival and the DIY Music Festival. The 2007 DIY Book Festival is sponsored by Final Draft Screenplay Software; The Hollywood Creative Directory; Imagic; Alcasid.com and The DIY Reporter.com.


I hope you do well and do let me know if you win or place in any category!

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Bookstore Returns Program

A bookstore returns program is something I advise to authors with a high degree of caution. It is always a more profitable option to focus on direct selling to customers and online sales, but many authors want to establish a bookstore presence as well. I suggest going directly to Baker and Taylor to set up as an individual vendor with them. Here is some information on how to do this:

Link: http://www.btol.com/inf_details.cfm?id=193
Email: pubsvc@btol.com.

Again, this is not something I advise doing as a general rule and if you have any questions on a returns program feel free to email. It is important to remember that this will not make any bookstore order your book - it only makes it less of a hassle for them to do so.

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Success Story - Getting a local appeal

Paige Cummings is one of my authors who has done very well at attracting a local appeal for her book. She has also found that combining her marketing efforts with other self-published authors has made the experience more enjoyable and productive.

In her own words:

I have learned that marketing is critical, and it is a lot more fun when you are doing it with other people. Dac Crossley, another BookSurge author, is a close friend and writing buddy. We, with six other writing buddy pals, created a loose coalition called Southern Scribes. As a group we actively market and promote each other's works. One of our initial successes came at the Comer, Georgia Farmer's Market. Dac and I each sold ten books the first time out, and they have invited us back for any Saturday we wish to come. While there we networked with an individual who is responsible for "unusual" vendors for another (larger) Farmer's Market, and we will be doing booksignings there. We have made it into the newspapers three times so far-- one article on the Southern Scribes, one article on the Harriette Austin Writer's Conference and one photograph of Dac and I each donating a copy of our books to the Madison County Library. >From those three articles, we have been invited to two festivals for book-signings, two libraries for book-signings and to an art gallery for a combination art-show, book-signing and story telling.

My best piece of luck came when an old friend in my hometown (where Under the Liberty Oak is set) read my book while visiting her mother in the hospital. She told her husband, who happens to be an AP columnist-- he emailed about 200 people in his list who like his short stories and essays-- and told them about the book. Said that they might find some of their own pranks in print. And he also contacted the Brunswick, Georgia newspaper-- I am going to be a featured article in the bi-monthly magazine "Coastal Times."

Her and her husband also actively contact independent bookstores, local gift shops, and have taken out ads in free circulations.

You can find Under the Liberty Oak on Amazon.com at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/Under-Liberty-Oak-Paige-Cummings/dp/1419668013/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7613588-2714267?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187622536&sr=8-1

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Coffee And Books

A co-worker of mine provided this idea to some of his authors and it worked well so do read below and see if you think it might be a good idea for you!


What goes better with a book than a good cup of coffee? It’s a natural fit. How many coffee shops have you approached to do a book signing? Chances are if you live in or near a metropolitan area you are within short driving distance of a coffee shop. I’m not talking about a coffee shop in a bookstore. I’m talking about a free-standing neighborhood coffee shop. They specialize in serving a loyal customer base, and that loyal customer base is your demographic.

Here’s your assignment. Walk into your local coffee bar, order your favorite brew, and hand the manager a copy of your book. Let him or her know that you are available for a signing anytime and you are going to be doing some heavy marketing. If the manager’s not there, ask for his or her business card and send them a signed copy of your book and include a brief note outlining your proposal for the book signing. Stress your greatest asset, you’re a local author.

Now you’re ready for the coffee shop tour. Make sure you have plenty of books on hand.

Happy marketing!

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Publishing's Transition to Online Marketing

I found this lengthy article on online marketing strategies by major publishers http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6417182.html?q=unique+marketing. The article focuses on YA and children's books titles, but I think it can be applied to virtually every genre. It focuses on the transition by many mainstream publishers to online marketing techniques as more and more transactions are taking place through online channels. I would read through the article and see if some of the strategies might work for your book. It is also a good indicator that even traditional publishers are seeing more of a shift to online sales and developing an online presence.

The highlights: Over the past 12-18 months (article was posted in Feb) - there has been a major shift by trad publishers to online marketing. A recent Pew Internet and American Life Project poll discovered that 21 million teens are spending their afternoons after school online. Some publishers are devoting as much as 70% of their over-all marketing budget for a title to online strategies. Those strategies include: "re-energizing a Web site (or developing a new one) or ramping up tech knowledge to create campaigns utilizing blogs, podcasts, instant messaging, viral marketing campaigns, video sharing, ads on third-party URLs, video book trailers and social networking sites like MySpace"

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Success Story

This author had a writer see her book on a local events list in her area, and was contacted about an interview. In her words, "The free lance writer was referred to me by Booksurge. He saw the booktitle on an events list somewhere in San Diego; so he contacted Booksurge, who gave him my name and info...When he e-mailed me, I sent him a copy of the book, and a few days later, he called me for the phone interview."

Here is the link where you can see her interview: http://www.laprensa-sandiego.org/current/mariachi.htm

Here is her book on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Fiesta-y-el-Mariachi/dp/1419663399/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7613588-2714267?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184765769&sr=8-1

New Online Marketing Tool

A co-worker and I have been researching a new marketing opportunity and he has had some success in using it to promote his book so I wanted to let everyone know about it. Essentially you would need to setup an account, which is free to do, with the website www.Shelfari.com. This is a site where many book lovers have set up their profiles and placed their favorite books in these profiles. They then find people with similar tastes with which to connect. They connect in the form of discussions and forming groups around various ideas. You can see my personal page on this site from the following link: http://www.shelfari.com/Jmark333. The more active you are with the site the more connections you will make for you and your book. You would use it similar to a MySpace account and the more groups, discussions, etc. that you take part in the more contacts you will build. When you join a group you can add your book to their shelf thereby including it in the catalog of that particular group. When a new member joins they see all the books that belong to that group and so this would be a way to generate sales to your title. You would also want to place your book as one of the things showing when people click on your profile as another way of promoting your book.

I hope you find it useful and are able to connect with some people who may be interested in your type of book!

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Success Story - Who to contact at Borders

This author worked very hard to get his book signing at Borders, which traditionally allows their store managers more flexibility in managing content. He did not initially find it easy to get his book in as they were hesitant to promote a self-published book, but he kept working with them - showing them positive reviews and providing them with copies to review. He ended up having some great events and here is a tidbit about that in his own words:

The whirl-wind tour of Des Moines, Iowa was outstanding! We have been asked to make a Return Engagement to WHO during August when they host a special Talk Radio booth at the Iowa State Fair (Oldest & Largest in America). It would be in conjunction with Michael Reagan's syndicated talk radio show. Michael doesn't know about this yet, so I must let the program director at WHO work his "magic" first. They did say they REALLY liked my twenty-five minute appearance---& that the answers I gave were "excellent & came across--great!" They said, "It sounded good."
THE BORDERS book store Speech & Book Signing went very well! The staff had best venue inside the store with chairs, desk, mic & sound system &, as you can see by the Attachment, the BORDERS Regional P.R. people sent out numerous signs & enlarged RR book covers as signs & posters. By the way, my WHO host & anchor, Steave Deace (DAY-CE) allowed me to promo the BORDERS date (two days later) twice on his show---no problem. BORDERS was the firm that had ordered fifty (50) books through Baker & Taylor. We sold them all & signed them all. Then orders were placed, by the "stragglers" & store patrons who just happened to be there & heard my talk---with BORDERS for more books.
I had some friends who were planning a 50 year East High School Reunion at a library near the old H.S. & they asked me in to give a short talk---this is the way Reagan did it---unannounced---time after time---I sold & signed fifteen (15) books there. Seems miniscule---but the "buzz" sure got around Des Moines that we were in t own with REAGAN: WHAT WAS HE REALLY LIKE? VOL. 1.

Here is what he advises on who to contact:

The BORDERS story is this: The individual store manager, in KEY markets, MUST be approached by the author through a direct, on-the-scene, contact from a LIVE representative of that author---plus a telephone call from the author---IF he or she is in a remote location from the desisgnated Key market store. Then that store manager, if he or she does not initiate it, should be asked by the author to contact the Regional BORDERS Rep., known as the District Regional Marketing Manager responsible for a specific, multi-state area. They are ALWAYS looking for someone to promo in their regions.
It is up to the author to send that BORDERS DRM Manager a "package" by e-mail of 1. Photos of the author. 2. Newspaper / magazine clippings plus photos (even personal snapshots) of the author giving Speeches / Talks / Lectures / Presentations of the author's work---to groups---the larger the better.
Those authors (Fiction or Non-fiction) should start out with local book clubs, authors clubs, church groups, Current Events & History Clubs, etc. etc.---to get some groundwork laid down first. One or two little events begets MANY larger, more important events! Tell them to do something (logical but innovative) to get people TALKING about them & their book!!!

See his book, Reagan: What Was He Really Like?, on Amazon.com here: http://www.amazon.com/Reagan-What-Was-Really-Like/dp/1419643517/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7613588-2714267?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181739179&sr=8-1

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Children's Book Contest Opportunity

This group is the same group that does the IPPY awards that are announced at BEA each year. It is an honor to win one so I wish each of you the best of luck. See below.

Calling All Children's Book Publishers

Entries now being accepted into the inaugural 2007 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards Early Bird entry fee deadline June 15th www.moonbeamawards.com

We welcome and encourage all children's book authors, illustrators, and publishers to enter their 2006/2007 releases in the first annual Moonbeam Children's Book Awards, designed to honor the year's best children’s books.This new book awards program is accepting entries until August 1st, 2007 for books with 2006 or 2007 copyrights or that were released in 2006 or 2007. Results will be announced in early November. The contest is presented by Jenkins Group and their book marketing webzine, Independent Publisher Online, sponsors of the popular Independent Publisher Book Awards. www.IndependentPublisher.com

Early bird entry fee deadline: June 15th postmark or online entry. Pay $75 per category through June 15, 2007. Regular entry fee thereafter is $90.

Complete entry guidelines and secure online entry form at: https://moonbeamawards.com/MoonbeamGuidelines3pg.pdf

The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading. The new awards program will recognize books in a wide range of children’s publishing categories, from board books and alphabets books to young adult novels and multicultural non-fiction. The Moonbeam Awards also acknowledge excellence in specialty categories including Religion, Holiday, Interactive, and Audiobook, and give special awards to Best First-time Author and Best Children’s Book Illustrator.

24 Awards Categories include:• Board Book/Cloth Book• Alphabet/Counting Book• Pop-up/Cut-out• Activity Books• Books with Music/Theatrical• Audio Book• Picture Books - Preschool• Picture Books 4-8 Year Old• Picture Books - All ages• Juvenile Fiction - Early Reader• Pre-teen fiction - Intermediate/Middle Grade• Young Adult Fiction• Young Adult - Mature Issues• Non-Fiction - Picture Book• Non-Fiction - Young Adult• Multicultural - Picture Book• Multicultural Fiction• Multicultural Non-Fiction• Comic/Graphic Novel• Religion/Spirituality• Holiday• Book with Merchandise (e.g.. plush toy, etc.)• Best First Book• Best Illustrator

“This children’s book awards contest will go much deeper than any other,” says Jim Barnes, Awards Director at Jenkins Group. “We’ve learned by judging children’s books for 11 years in the Independent Publisher Book Awards that it’s not fair to judge an alphabet book against a sophisticated book of verse. One of our goals with the Moonbeam Awards is to create a list of categories that allows us to judge the many styles of children’s books being published today.""The Moonbeam Awards recognize a very diverse group of authors and publishers, and ‘illuminate’ hidden gems that don’t make it onto the national radar screen. These will surely include books from publishers of all sizes, styles, and locations. Each year we'll bring a great list of award-winners to the public’s attention."The Moonbeam Awards are part of a huge national effort to bring attention to children's books and childhood literacy. This week the Library of Congress announced a newly created post of National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Programs such as FirstBook.org,TeachingBook.net, and Letters About Literature (http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/letters.html) are dedicated to bringing books into kids' lives in creative and meaningful ways. The Moonbeam Awards will include special awards for the best books dealing with world peace and environmental awareness.Visit the Moonbeam Children's Book Award website to learn more and enter online www.moonbeamawards.com

Complete entry guidelines and secure online entry form at: https://moonbeamawards.com/MoonbeamGuidelines3pg.pdf

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Publicity for a Book Signing

It is difficult to overstate how important creating publicity for your book signing is to the success of a signing. This author makes a concentrated effort through passing out pamphelets, posters, etc. and he sees very good results. In the first image you will notice his book is right below a display in front of a bookstore in a mall under a Harry Potter advertisement. I honestly would not have believed he could have gotten that prime a location if he had not sent me the pictures. This level of success does not happen everyday, but it is possible to succeed with a book or any product - you just have to create the demand!

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Another way to get people to a signing

Placing posters where you plan to have the event such as the one above can be a great way to start to build interest in your book signing. The designer that made this poster is Mia and if you want to get some posters made by her for your event you can contact her via the following email address, mp7982@yahoo.com. This author has done well with his book by pre-publicizing at events and making sure that each reading and signing is indeed an event.

In his words, "So far it has been Trial and little error.we knew our market before we published and planned out the strategy long before we had our copies. That is why i was biting my nails to get my baby..I have a good team we all know our jobs and I think that is the secret...(my agent writes letters, makes phone calls etc.) my tour mgr who is doing all the leg work (he was a first Sgt 20 year man in military knows how to give orders and hustles) i will send you copies of our posters we use, I have a graphic artist who is amazing . so all i have to do is direct (like a Lt does) and sign books.....prior to a book signing my people go in set up and I come in about 20 minutes later.. Some Posters will Read A NEW STORM IS HITTING NEW ENGLAND..etc.....we put these up 3 or 4 days prior.....Then press sees it gives us a free ad. I sorta play Zorro the mystery man"

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How to get an audience at a reading

This is a great example of how to make your event worth going to. Alistair offered people much more than just a chance to hear him read - he also offered them a chance to tour a historic landmark while at his reading giving people an incentive to attend the event. Read below:

Hi John:

Hope you're doing well. Thought you might enjoy this self-promotional effort.

Best regards,

Alistair

Do not miss what many are calling "the cultural event of the season, if not the entire year." On Sunday, April 29th, Alistair McHarg will read selections from his recently published, and widely celebrated, memoir of Manic Depression, Invisible Driving. The reading will take place at one of Philadelphia's true architectural and historical treasures, The Physick House. Named for Dr. Philip Syng Physick, "Father of American Surgery," the house has hosted innumerable luminaries and played a pivotal role in the foundation of this great land of ours.

Doors open at 1:00, the reading commences at 3:00. You are strongly encouraged to arrive early and take the tour, which is offered by J. Del Conner, Dr. Physick's great great great grandson. The Physick House is located at 321 South 4th Street, just blocks from Independence Hall. Secure parking is available on Lombard Street between 2nd & 3rd. The $5 admission goes entirely to The Physick House, which is a national landmark.

In the unlikely event that you have not already purchased, read, enjoyed, and actively promoted Invisible Driving, you are advised that it can be purchased from Amazon.com. Links to all online vendors, (and so much more), are easily accessed by visiting http://www.invisibledriving.com/.

Some photographs of The Physick House are attached for your enjoyment. See you there!

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Success Story

Here is an email I received from one of my authors - some of the things she did may be of help to everyone:


Hello JohnMark
I wanted to give you a small review on how my first book signing event went. First, I did a great job promoting and marketing the book. I went on 5 different aired Local TV Shows, I passed out flyers, I posted 18X24 posters all over my town and shared my publication announcement with over 7 collaborative groups consist of members from different community based organizations throughout the Hudson Valley area, which includes, Rockland County, Westchester County, Ulster County, Sullivan County, Orange County. I also advertised on all the lower hudson radio stations, live and on their websites. I advertised on the Local Journal news and on News12 New York News Cable website. I also made use of my company email data and sent the announcement to hundreds of people and businesses. As a result I am happy to say that I had over 150 people in attendance and sold 80 books. The Library donated their space. I printed bookmarks and donate to buyers. I signed bookmarks to the children and I catered refreshments. I had a big cake made with an edible book cover printed on top. I also met the Manager of my local Barnes and Nobles recently whom came to attend my book signing. She will be contacting you soon. She seems very interested in having my book on her shelves.
I connected with a Jazz Enterprise promoter that is doing an annual concert in New York City on March 10th, 2007. They offered me an opportunity to make announcements throughout the concert acknowledging my first publication. I admire the gesture and since they are also doing a raffle for the early birds, I have donated two books as door prizes.There is also an organization that is doing a fundraising to raise awareness of the existence of LGBT in the Haitian community. I am their guest of honor and will also donate 3 copies to be sold for their benefits.
In all, I think I am on the right path and my book is starting to smell like success. Thank you all at booksurge for making it simple for starters such as I, to bring our stories to life.
Daniela D. DuCasse, Author

Here is her book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Farewell-Old-Me-Love-you/dp/1427607664/ref=sr_11_1/103-7613588-2714267?ie=UTF8&qid=1173203424&sr=11-1

Initial Posting

As I mentioned in the welcome to this blog it is intended to be a vehicle for self-published authors to learn more about how to market their books by creating a forum where ideas can be easily shared. Hopefully by sharing successes and failures everyone can become a better marketer of their books!

I hope you find it helpful!

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