Happy Thanksgiving!

How Do I Get People to Buy My Book? - Part Three - Give to the Community

By giving to the community, you are opening yourself up to a world of possibilities.

How do you get people to buy your book? I think one of the most self-sacrificing things an author can do in regards to helping out struggling authors everywhere is to find time in between writing and marketing their own books to help others who are in the same boat as they are.  Somewhere in those precious writing and book marketing moments, this person takes the time to find an outlet for which other authors can be promoted and, hopefully, gain more online attention in the meantime.   

These people are out there – offering to interview you, review your book for you, or even host you in a chat.  Millions of things they are doing to help others and they are not doing this for self-satisfaction; they are genuinely enjoying doing it.  And the crazy thing about it is that they ask for no money for doing it.  Self-sacrificing people who just want to help others in the community of starving writers. 

There are too many people to name who are out there doing this so I can’t even begin to start – in my own case, my wonderful blog hosts who put up with interviews being late and having to scramble to get them up at the last minute (you know who you are). 

When I tried to figure out just what I wanted to talk about today concerning book promotion, I was going to talk about something completely different, but when I came upon a blog post tonight by one of my past clients, I knew she was who I was going to talk about who is a good example of someone giving to the community. 

Yvonne Perry is the author of RIGHT TO RECOVER: WINNING THE POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS WARS OVER STEM CELL RESEARCH IN AMERICA (Nightengale Press, Oct. ’07).  Not only that, she writes a free monthly subscriber-based newsletter, Writers in the Sky, as well as a podcast by the same name, interviewing authors in all sizes, shapes and forms, and does so because…she loves it. 

It was last night when I happened to land on her blog after checking out some particular key search words I was using on my own blog and I saw that Yvonne was out there doing it again – offering something for nothing to help other authors. 

I could have just pasted her promo here, but I wanted to make a point, and to let those of you out there who are doing the same thing and offering it for free that we really do appreciate you. 

Of course, I will tell you what it is (although she has no idea I’m doing this) so that others can take advantage of it.  She’s calling it “No Cost Book Promo for Authors.”  How appropriate!  

Yvonne is willing to interview you (for free) and will post the interview on a popular social network site which is seen and read by thousands of people.  Social networks are perhaps THE best place to put promo.  Since this particular social network is already established in the search engines, you’ll get instant results and, hopefully, more sales! 

Wander on over to Yvonne’s blog and she’ll fill you in on the details.  WTG, Yvonne, for helping authors sell those books!  

The point is, by giving to the community, you are opening yourself up to a world of possibilities.  You never know when someone is going to see what good you are doing for others and blog about it for all the world to see.

Tags: book marketing buzz, online book promotion, book publicity, How do I get people to buy my book?, Yvonne Perry

How Do I Get People to Buy My Book? - Part Two - Targeting Your Audience

 Don’t target your audience as a whole.  Dissect it.  Look into the different aspects your book brings up and target those people.

How do you get people to buy your book?

 

Yesterday’s post centered on making your book recommendable - one in which people talk about and encourages others to buy.  Today, I’d like to talk about targeting your audience, which is another great way for people to find out about your book and buy.

 

The first thing you need to do is look inside your book to find out what audience to target.  If it is a romance book, sure, target romance readers, but Kathy Holmes, author of the women’s fiction novel, REAL WOMEN WEAR RED, took that one step farther and looked INSIDE her book to determine what other audiences she could target to sell her book.  After all, you can’t box yourself in.  Look outside of the picture and see if you can’t find an audience who would be willing to want to learn more about your book; and, hopefully, buy it.

 

“What’s worked best for my book, REAL WOMEN WEAR RED,” says Kathy,  “is to target an audience according to the different topics included in the book.  At first glance, it seems to be a book about a woman over 40.  That’s a start - marketing this book to women over 40 has resulted in sales.  It’s also set on a Caribbean cruise and I’ve found buyers by making my book known on cruise boards.  Some have bought a book and purchased a REAL WOMEN WEAR RED t-shirt, which they plan to wear as a swimsuit cover-up for their next cruise.  A third topic is adoption - both from the adoptee point of view and from the point of view of a woman who gave up her child for adoption.  As part of my fatherless daughters/adoption promotion, I’ve found buyers of REAL WOMEN WEAR RED who are interested in the adoption aspect.”

 

These are really good suggestions and it really makes you think outside of the box, doesn’t it?

 

Don’t target your audience as a whole.  Dissect it.  Look into the different aspects your book brings up and target those people. 

 

Look for part three of “How Do I Get People to Buy My Book?” coming soon!  If you are an author and you would like to share how you successfully marketed your book, let us know and you may be featured in a future installment of “How Do I Get People to Buy My Book?”

 

Email us at bookmarketingbuzz(at)yahoo.com for more information.

Tag: Book Marketing Buzz, online book promotion, How Do I Get People to Buy My Books?, Kathy Holmes, Real Women Wear Red

How Do I Get People to Buy My Book? - Part One - Make it Recommendable

People either love it or they hate it; but one thing is for sure, they are buying it.

 

How do you get people to buy your book?

 

Unfortunately, the answer to this is, you can’t.  There is no secret formula; there is no magic key, there is no gold at the end of the rainbow.  Unless… people have heard about your book through recommendations of their friends or through the media or through some other forms of publicity that made them sit up and go, “I’ve got to have that book!” 

People can’t be made to buy your book through blatant advertising unless the advertising comes from someone who is familiar and well-known.  It could be Oprah or it could be a member of your family; it doesn’t matter.  Have someone tell you this is the best book they’ve ever read, you’re bound to take notice.  Have it land on the NY Times Bestseller List and everyone starts talking about it, that’s more than likely a sold book.

So, in order to get people to buy your book, you have to have a book that is recommendable.  That’s the most sure-fire way I know of to get someone to buy it.

How does one make one’s book recommendable? For starters, it could be controversial even if the controversy isn’t in the author’s favor.  In January ‘08, I will be representing Kathleen Willey, author of the book, TARGET: CAUGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF BILL AND HILLARY CLINTON (World Ahead Media, Nov. ‘07) for a virtual book tour in which I will be sending Kathleen throughout the blogosphere to talk about her CONTROVERSIAL book.  This book is highly recommendable; in fact, our informants have just told us that it just made the New York Times Bestseller List because of its CONTROVERSIAL nature and of this date, it’s #174 at Amazon. People either love it or they hate it; but one thing is for sure, they are buying it. 

What’s really remarkable about this is that sometimes the author has no idea it’s going to be as controversial until after the book is published.  And, then there’s the aspect of whether a publisher would even be interested in a book that would be controversial, thinking that if it received bad reviews because of its controversial content, it wouldn’t sell.

Kathleen Willey is one such author who is proving them wrong.  World Ahead Media, branded as the west coast’s leading conservative publisher, believed in Kathleen Willey.  From a publisher’s standpoint, they knew it was only a matter of time before it would be money in the bank.  These are the kinds of publishers who have the hindsight to see ahead and don’t mind going with their gut instincts.

Sure, it’s a gamble.  From a publisher’s standpoint, it’s a big gamble.  But, I have a sneaking supspicion this gamble is going to pay off as Kathleen Willey’s book provides us with not only reading entertainment, but hits that controversial button to the point where everyone is going to be talking about it. And, guess what happens then?

People buy.

Stay tuned for the next installment of “How Do I Get People to Buy My Book?” at a future date on Book Marketing Buzz or sign up for our feed at the top left hand sidebar so you don’t miss it! 

Tags: Book Marketing Buzz, New York Times Bestseller List, Kathleen Willey, Target: Caught in the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton, World Ahead Media, How Do I Get People to Buy My Book?

Testing the Unknown Waters of Self-Publishing

Interesting story in The Wall Street Journal about a man by the name of C. Ben Bosah from Ohio who believed so strongly in his wife’s book, “Letters to My Sisters: Plain Truths and Straightforward Advice From a Gynecologist,” that he decided to forgo finding an agent or publisher for it (claiming he wanted all the profit for himself) and self-published - to a tune of 15,398 copies and a debt of $40,000.

What makes this an unusual story and the reason why it ended up in The Wall Street Journal I suppose is that it shows what people will go through to get their books published with doing little homework on what really goes into the process.

It ain’t easy.

I have a friend who had a book published (as did I) whose publisher went bankrupt; now all we’ve got to show for our efforts is a book with no home, no profit, and probably a book that will never see life again. While in my case, my co-authors and I are trying to ignore this ever happened, my friend is looking into all different ways of trying to get that book published again and self-publishing was something that was suggested to her.

There are many authors who have gone this route; although, it’s not for the weak of heart. As was mentioned in the article, a distributor must be found, as well as a printer and everything else that is involved that the ordinary person might not know a thing about.

I have another friend who is going that route and she swears by it. Having started her own publishing business to publish her books, she has done her homework and will test the waters out soon.

My opinion of self-publishing is that it does create an attractive alternative to having your book published only after you have exhausted all other means of publishing. What I have found in setting up book tours is that often the self-published author is turned down by a prospective blog host simply by the method of publishing which I find ridiculous, but you can’t fight city hall.

Like I told my friend who is looking into the different methods of publishing, start at the top. If you can’t find anyone interested to take it on, self-publishing could be the way to go - ONLY if you’ve done your homework first and go in with your eyes peeled wide open. But, isn’t that with any publisher?

Tags: self-publishing, Letters to My Sisters: Plain Truths and Straightforward Advice From a Gynecologist, Wall Street Journal

Book Marketing Buzz Welcomes New Age Recording Artist & Intuitive Cookbook Author Dyan Garris: Marketing VOICE OF THE ANGELS COOKBOOK

Have you ever talked to your food?  I’m serious…stop laughing. 

According to Dyan Garris, author of the most wonderful cookbook I’ve ever read about intuitive cooking, VOICE OF THE ANGELS COOKBOOK (Journeymakers, Inc., Aug. ‘07), intuitive coooking is listening to your inner voice and hearing what your body wants to be fed. 

“Communicate with your food so that it can transform from raw ingredients into what nourishes you on every level.  We all have the ability to create that which resonates for us in a complete, healthy way,” says Dyan, who is on a virtual book tour during November with Pump Up Your Book Promotion.  “It’s a vibrational attunement of mind, body and spirit using food rather than sound frequency, as in my CD series.  This does not necessarily translate into lettuce and tofu.  You learn to make what your body wants in a loving and delicious way.  My goal is to teach people to feed not only the body, but the mind and spirit as well.  Turn ordinary food into something special.  Talk to it!”

Interesting!  We’ve had her in TWL Author Talks this week (join up before Friday so you can ask Dyan your own questions about intuitive cooking!) and she will continue all month long, stopping off at blogs giving interviews, getting reviews, making guest blog posts, appearing on podcasts  and showing off her promotional tour trailer to drum up some promo for her book, VOICE OF THE ANGELS COOKBOOK.  A truly buzzed up author who knows how to promote her book!

I asked Dyan what she had been doing to market her book prior to the virtual book tour and she was kind enough to send me an essay which I have included below:

BOOK PROMOTION: ONE LAYER IN THE LASAGNA by Dyan Garris

Every layer in lasagna is important because each contributes to the makeup of the whole and we all know how luscious lasagna truly is.  Book promotion is just that.  It’s one layer, but such a significant part of the recipe for the success of your book.

Part of what makes one person’s lasagna different than someone else’s lasagna is in the sauce.  Even if someone uses the exact same methods for promoting their book, ultimately each book promotion is as unique as a tasty, spicy, perfectly seasoned, secret sauce.

From this particular perspective in my kitchen, I gave some very serious thought to book promotion for my book, VOICE OF THE ANGELS COOKBOOK - TALK TO YOUR FOOD! - INTUITIVE COOKING.  There are so many exciting and viable options these days.  Like any good recipe, I decided to start with a few basic ingredients and create from there.

I decided that it is best to start with what I know about making lasagna, like basic tomato sauce.  I already know a little about promotion in general because of promoting my line of music and meditation CDs for chakra balancing,  relaxation and vibrational attunement.

What makes promotion for my cookbook a little different is that I don’t need radio air play as I do for those.  Or do I?  Wait a minute!  It’s time to add something to the mix.  As part of Dorothy Thompson’s Virtual Book Tour package, she sent me her ebook, 101 INTERNET RADIO TALK SHOWS TO PROMOTE YOUR BOOKS! PLUS TIPS TO MAKE SURE YOUR INTERVIEW IS A SUCCESS!  That valuable information went into my pot, where I now gently stir it in.

I added in a few dashes of Amazon.com, a handful of websites and storefronts which are even easier to construct than that truly delectable lasagna.  I blended in a layer or two of flavorful cheese by blogging a bit and a splash of slideshow on my main website at www.voiceoftheangels.com.  That is the basic recipe I have followed for book promotion.  Right now, my lasagna is still baking in the oven, but it’s beginning to smell heavenly!

The recipe for book promotion is not as mysterious or difficult as one might think.  Follow the basic recipe and then make it your own by adding your own special ingredients - intuitively, of course.

Tags: Book Marketing Buzz, online book promotion, Dyan Garris, Voice of the Angels Cookbook, intuitive cooking, lasagna, New Age recording artist

Book Marketing Buzz Welcomes True Crime Author Dennis N. Griffin

Every now and then, an author comes along who really stands out in promotion.  Of course, they are all special, but Dennis  N. Griffin, author of the true crime book, CULLOTTA: THE LIFE OF A CHICAGO CRIMINAL, LAS VEGAS MOBSTER, AND GOVERNMENT WITNESS (July ‘07), has been going the extra nine yards in promoting not only his book but his virtual book tour, too, which is a biggie since the promotion end of it is what will make his tour a success.  I am seeing him pop up everywhere online, so I know he listened to my suggestions and did them.

I was curious what Dennis had done prior to the tour because I was pretty well sure of the fact he didn’t sit back and let his publisher do the work for him (which they don’t).

Denny tells me that his marketing/promotion efforts for CULLOTTA included personal appearances, print and electronic media, and the Internet.

He wanted even more exposure and that’s why he chose a virtual book tour to add to the list and I’m excited to see how well this works for him in his total book campaign strategies.

As for as personal appearances go, Denny says, “The kickoff for the book was held on June 6, 2007, at the Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas.  My co-author, former mobster Frank Cullotta, and retired FBI agent Dennis Arnoldy, did a signing for an hour, followed by a panel discussion of the Tony Spilotro era in Las Vegas.  For the panel portion we were joined by print and TV reporters who had covered Tony’s Las Vegas reign.  The program drew an audience of 225, a facility record for that type of event.  The signing segment resulted in 123 sales.

“I am booked for several signings at Borders and Barnes & Noble stores in Las Vegas commencing in early December.  I also have been scheduled for a series of Saturday signings at the Borders Express at Las Vegas’ McCarran Airport.

“I am also planning speaking engagements at the Clark County (Nevada) Library and a county senior community center.

“As for the media, the Las Vegas Review-Journal has run several articles relating to the book and Frank Cullotta.  A local TV station has been in contact with the publisher’s publicity person about an interview, but no date has been set.

“Frank Cullotta has been active doing interviews with Chicago TV and radio interviews with stations from across the country.  He will get additional exposure in November when he will be interviewed for a National Geographic Channel documentary about organized crime in Chicago.

“As for online, I am promoting through my personal site and am on a virtual book tour this month.  I have created  two blogs and am posting book excerpts and related articles on a daily basis.  Additionally, I’ve joined multiple true and organized crime groups where I’m getting extra exposure.”

Dennis is a go-getter when it comes to buzzing his book and we’re keeping a careful eye on him as he tours the blogosphere to promote his book, CULLOTTA: THE LIFE OF A CHICAGO CRIMINAL, LAS VEGAS MOBSTER, AND GOVERNMENT WITNESS.  If you would like to purchase his book at Amazon, click here. 

Tags: Book Marketing Buzz, virtual book tour, Dennis N. Griffin, Cullotta, Las Vegas mobster, Chicago criminal, organized crime

Intuitive Cookbook Author Dyan Garris Coming to TWL Author Talks

Dyan Garris, best known for her culinary talents and love for music is coming to TWL Author Talks on Monday, November 12!

Dyan is touring the blogosphere in November on a virtual book tour for Pump Up Your Book Promotion and I thought it would be really nice to have her come in and talk to us at TWL Author Talks!

The book on tour is called VOICE OF THE ANGELS COOKBOOK - TALK TO YOUR FOOD: INTUITIVE COOKING (Journeymakers, Inc., Aug. ‘07).

“The concept of this cookbook,” says Dyan, “is to raise the culinary experience to a more spiritual level. I want readers to feel what they cook and, on some level, communicate with their food. Cooking should be fun and inventive, not intimidating, with the end result being a creative exchange rather than a mundane task.”

Here’s a little more you might like to know about Dyan:

For many years, Dyan Garris has been counseling clients in order to help them positively move forward in their lives. She is clairvoyant, clairsentient, and clairaudient. In addition, Dyan is also what is known as a voice recognition psychic and trance channel. This means that she can help her clients via phone, which is how she conducted her readings throughout her career.

Growing up in Illinois, Dyan became aware of her clairvoyance, and other gifts, at a very young age. She spent years learning how to appropriately use these gifts for good and to help others.

In 2005 she created a CD series of music and meditation for self-healing, relaxation, chakra balancing, and vibrational attunement. Her interest in music began as a child. A blind piano teacher taught her to “feel” music and “see” through different eyes and influenced her at a young age. Dyan continued her music studies with the violin. Through the violin, she learned how easily music vibrates throughout the body and, hence, all of the chakras. This was her first lesson of how the power of music and sound could be used for healing.

In the early 1990s, Dyan launched a jewelry business custom designing and manufacturing Austrian crystal earrings and healing bolos. Even in this work, she continued to use her special gifts for her client’s benefits. The healing bolos were custom made with stones such as crystal, onyx, hematite, jade and rose quartz. Each came with a channeled poem specifically for the person who commissioned the item. The bolos were designed to be worn over the heart chakra as a form of healing, as well as protection.

She eventually re-focused her life on home, family, spiritual counseling, and teaching meditation and energy classes. Music was incorporated in her classes as a method of sound healing as well as an effective method for opening and balancing the chakras.

In 2005, while sitting at the piano, she heard specific songs and titles coming from her psychic connections. Writing them down as fast as she could, the result was A Healing Journey – The Voice of the Angels CD. This is the first in the series designed for self-healing and vibrational attunement of the mind, body and spirit. There are six CDs in the series. A new release, titled, “Release,” will be available September 24th and is available at www.voiceoftheangels.com/store/12/6  or http://www.cdbaby.com/dyangarris6.  

She is the author and developer of Voice of the Angels – A Healing Journey Spiritual Cards. These are a 30 card deck of Angel Cards based upon scenes from A Healing Journey-Guided Fantasy, which is the guided meditation found on the last track of A Healing Journey-The Voice of the Angels CD. Each card has its own channeled message in verse from the Angels.

Her new book, Voice of the Angels Cookbook – Talk to Your Food! – Intuitive Cooking is now available at the author’s website and http://www.amazon.com/.  This is an adventure in opening the creative centers and communicating with your food so that it can transform from raw ingredients into what truly nourishes you on every level. The book includes twelve food-related channeled messages and several “Intuitively Speaking” paragraphs, which explain how to prepare the recipe using one’s own unique creativity.

For more information, please visit http://www.voiceoftheangels.com/  or http://www.newagecd.com.

If you would like to join TWL Author Talks in time for Dyan’s special appearance on Monday, Nov. 12, click here!

Tags: Dyan Garris, Voice of the Angels Cookbook, intuitive cooking

Book Marketing Buzz Guest Author Michael Simon: Marketing THE LAST JEW STANDING

When my first book was released, my publishers told me I needed a web site, and that I was responsible for it. I could barely find a web site, let alone create one. Little did I know that was only the first in what would be an endless series of tasks in the great arc of shameless self-promotion. 

It’s part of the American dream to think that if you struggle towards a goal, one day you’ll reach it and it’ll be smooth sailing from there on in. For authors, the morning-after pain often involves the realization that you are the person most responsible for your own publicity, and “shameless” is what your self-promotion needs to be. It’s not about ego, it’s about survival.  

My web site led to a mailing list, people who got periodic emails announcing my publications and readings and other events. Following that, I began to send mailings to mystery and other independent bookstores around the country, alerting them to the wonders of my fiction. I have sucked up to unsuspecting journalists at cocktail parties and family reunions. And not even for my own family. I have introduced myself to authors of great fame and confidently asked if they’d blurb my new book. 

Since my recent book, The Last Jew Standing, has a Jewish theme, I targeted all Jewish press venues I could find, online and on paper. I emailed every Jewish Community Center in the country, offering to do readings. 

Finally, I hired a company to organize a blog tour, whatever that is. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Michael Simon is the author of THE LAST JEW STANDING (Viking, Aug. ‘07).  You can visit his website at www.michaelsimon.info.   

Tags: Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours, online book promotion, author publicity, virtual book tour, book promotion, Michael Simon, The Last Jew Standing, crime thriller, detective, mystery

Does Controversy Sell Books?

Does controversy sell books?

I don’t know, but we’re about to find out.

Two new clients who just signed up at Pump Up Your Book Promotion are banking on it and I, as representative for virtual book tours for both of them, am about to see just what we can do to greatly increase their already staggering rankings at Amazon. Talk about a challenge!

Kathleen Willey, author of the controversial new book that was released on Nov. 9 whose title, TARGET: CAUGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF BILL AND HILLARY CLINTON (World Ahead Media), is enough to draw attention just in the name itself, tours in January ’08.

Kathleen is a wife, mother and Democratic political activist. In 1993, while she was working as a White House volunteer, President Clinton sexually assaulted her in the Oval Office. On the same day, her husband of 23 years committed suicide. Four years later, she was drawn into the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit and subsequently, the Monica Lewinsky scandal, when she was forced to testify against Bill Clinton. Despite being targeted by the Clintons for daring to tell the truth and becoming the focus of media smear campaigns, terror tactics, and witness intimation, Ms. Willey has pursued a successful career in real estate, and is a popular commentator on political affairs.

Kathleen’s stats at Amazon are enough to knock you off your feet. As of today, November 8, 2007, she’s rocking at #45 and dropping each time I check. Interesting to see as we get closer to the election how her controversial book will continue to sell.

Another author who isn’t letting controversy bother her is Holly Fretwell, author of THE SKY’S NOT FALLING: WHY IT’S OK TO CHILL ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING (Kid’s Ahead Publishing, Sept. ’07). We don’t have to wait as long for this tour as she goes out next month!

Holly Fretwell is a natural resources policy expert, an adjunct professor at Montana State University, and is a research fellow at the Property and Environment Research Center.

This woman knows her stuff. So, why wouldn’t she be qualified to tell us that we shouldn’t be worrying about global warming?

Seems there are some who would feel differently and, thus, the controversy continues.

So, will controversy sell books? Holly’s stats at Amazon as of today are at 16,285. Very, very impressive also. I believe controversy does indeed sell books. Get the world up in arms over the nature of your book and you, my dear, just might have a bestseller on your hands.

Be sure to check out http://www.virtualbooktoursforauthors.blogspot.com/ for Kathleen’s and Holly’s tour schedules coming up soon.

These tours will be rocking! Tag: Book Marketing Buzz, virtual book tour, does controversy sell books, Kathleen Willey, Holly Fretwell, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Monica Lewinsky, global warming