Pre-Buzzing Your Book Launch

ProBlogger had a really interesting blog post recently about how to sell your product by creating an effective product launch campaign before your product is released. In layman’s terms, it’s called pre-buzz.

Authors know all about pre-buzz. Once they find out their manuscript has been accepted for publication, their mind races to think of ways to promote it. Booksignings might be one of them. Buying postcards and business cards might be another couple of things the authors might do in terms of publicity tools, but if you’re aiming online, the first thing I would think of if I had a new book out was how to find ways to get those thousands of Internet buyers interested.

Setting up a virtual book tour should be at the top of everyone’s list. Whether you set one up yourself or hire us to do it, there is no other way to get more exposure for your book if you do it right.

I sent out a few questionnaires to last month’s clients to see how effective their virtual book tour went in their own opinion and one of the questions I asked was “How much pre-buzz did you create for your virtual book tour?” I will be sending a flurry of blog posts through here to let you know how that went, among other valuable information in case you’re planning a virtual book tour launch. If you’d like, you can sign up for our feed at top left to be alerted when new posts are published.

I do hope that all authors realize the importance of pre-buzzing your book launch. Do stay tuned for more posts on this subject to make sure your book campaign stands out from the rest and while you’re waiting, wander on over to ProBlogger…they’ve got really good tips that will help you create that online presence which virtual book tours are good for.

Technorati Tags:
pre-buzz, pre-buzzing, book launch, online book launch, online book promotion, virtual book tour, virtual book tour launch, blog tour, book tour, author publicity, book publicity, how to sell your book
Add to: | Technorati | Digg | del.icio.us | Yahoo | BlinkList | Spurl | reddit | Furl |

June is ‘Book Reviewer Month’ at Blogcritics Magazine!

To promote the release of The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing, co-author Mayra Calvani will be interviewing 15+ reviewers and review editors during the month of June. Learn all about the business of book reviewing and what’s in the mind of some of the most popular reviewers on the internet today. Some of the guests will include: Alex Moore from ForeWord Magazine, James Cox from Midwest Book Review, Irene Watson from Reader Views, Andrea Sisco from Armchair Interviews, Magdalena Ball from The Compulsive Reader, Sharyn McGinty from In The Library Reviews, Lea Schizas from Muse Book Reviews, Linda Baldwin from Road to Romance, Hilary Williamson from Book Loons, Judy Clark from Mostly Fiction, and many others!

To see the complete lineup, visit: The Slippery Book Review Blog.

Between June 1st and June 30th, stop by Blogcritics and leave a comment under the reviewer interviews for a chance to win a Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tour ,OR, as an alternative to a non-author winner, a $50 B&N gift certificate!

It’s My Review and I’ll Cry If I Want To, Cry If I Want To

I was listening to a radio show tonight and the host and author were talking about book reviews. The host said that if it scored below a 3, then she wouldn’t review the book, or wouldn’t post it, one or the other.

I know they say if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all, but I absolutely adore honest reviewers. The snarkier the better because in my opinion, that’s telling me this reviewer has guts and doesn’t give a damn about how anyone feels. That’s telling me that this reviewer is putting her or his integrity on the line and feels that if they sugar-coat a bad book, then their reputation will go right down the toilet.

Sure, we can keep in mind that everyone’s opinions vary - what you like, I might not like - and that all goes with the territory.

Susan Jensen of Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books…now that’s a chick who will tell you how it is. She’s not sugar coating anything and that’s why I simply adore her. My authors might not adore her after they read her scathing reviews, but you gotta admire this woman’s chutzpah. If she doesn’t like it, she’ll let you know.

And, again, we all have to keep in mind that it’s one person’s opinion over another.

But to the author, well, it’s the curse of death. You might as well had advertised it on Oprah or plastered it on a bulletin board at the Super Bowl because the author gets really really upset when this happens.

When an author reads a bad review - even though they know in their heart that the reviewer hit the nail on the head - all she or he can think about is that fifty million people are going to zero in on that review and they start going psycho thinking now, because of that one review, no one is going to buy their book.

It happens. If you are an author, you know the deal. You’ve been there, done that. It isn’t pretty, is it?

Of course not because this is your book and this book is what proves to the world that you can write. If someone else tells you that you can’t write, it’s like a kick in the gut.

But you know what I think the worse part about getting a bad review is? The fact that it’s plastered on a public place for all the world to see. It’s not so bad that someone else thinks your book stinks, but when someone posts this fact or fallacy in a public place, then it’s hide my head in shame or get on the boxing gloves because I’m not going down without a fight.

About a year ago, I had a book that I wrote with two other writers. For four years, we let the manuscript sit. One of my co-authors decided to go for a publisher that had just started up and I knew that the book needed major editing but I figured (big mistake) that the publisher would take care of it. Well, the publisher didn’t take care of it.

A couple months after its release, the reviews came in. One “friend” decided to post for the world to see that the book needed editing bad. The thing is, it was posted at Amazon.

I knew it needed editing and had told my co-authors it wasn’t ready but I trusted this publisher to make everything right.

The publisher has gone bankrupt and the book is no more, but it only goes to show you what lessons we can learn with each review. Sure, it’s only one person’s opinion, but this is the very reason not to let your book go out without a professional editing job and then go over it yourself with a fine-tooth comb because once it’s out there, it’s prime bait.

I had my good cry, but it opened up my eyes to how important it is not to let your book go out there unless it’s the best it can be.

And I’ll guarantee that once it’s the best it can be and you feel there’s nothing else you can do to better it, then at least you can say you’ve done your best and you only have yourself to fault if you didn’t.

Bad reviews come with the territory. Have a good cry, lick your wounds and go on.

And, go on, you will.

I guarantee it.

Have you ever had a bad review?  How did you handle it?

How to Improve Blog Traffic

I am constantly writing about the benefits of blogging to promote your books, so creating traffic for that blog should be top priority for any author wishing to sell their books.  ProBlogger had a wonderful guest post from Courtney Tuttle about improving blog traffic and in only 30 minutes. 

I especially liked her first suggestion…

1. Create link clusters within your blog

A link cluster is a group of links that you can point at a post or page to improve its search engine ranking. Let’s say you have a post that’s ranked for ’stupid business ideas’. Edit 10 of your other posts to create links (using ’stupid business ideas’ as the anchor text) to the ’stupid business ideas’ post and you will surely move up in Google for that keyword. This process can be implemented in about 10 minutes and can be used for any keyword your site ranks for or is trying to rank for.

I’m going to have to reread this so that I understand what to do but it does sound like an excellent idea.

I also liked this suggestion:

6. Stop writing about yourself. Start solving problems

Surfers become readers when a blog provides something that is wanted. A casual visitor may read your blog because they find training, answers to problems, entertainment, or something else they want. This more than likely will mean that they won’t want to read about you, your girlfriend, your cats, your kids, or your catastrophes (unless you have a personal blog that your friends read). Discontinuing the off-topic posts will help you to develop more repeat traffic and takes exactly 0 minutes to implement.

If that doesn’t make sense!  I have been preaching about this for a long time.  Save those kind of blog posts for a personal blog.   However, I do like some intimacy involved between author and reader but just don’t make it a habitual thing.

But the point Courtney is making is this.  People are in a hurry.  If they land on your blog and you’re talking about your pet doggie, they’re apt to run off.  But..if you were talking about writing tips, promoting tips, what have you…they just might stay a little longer.  People want to learn.  They want to find out secrets.  Give that to them and keep giving that to them and you could end up with skyrocketing stats!

Thank you, ProBlogger, and thank you, Courtney! 

Would you like free publicity for your book?

Book Marketing Buzz will be starting a new series starting in March called Book Marketing Buzz: Book Promotion & Publicity Tips: How to Promote Your Book!  This is a free book promotion opportunity for all published authors.

What we will be looking for is first-person accounts of how you, the published author, are promoting your book.

All genres will be accepted with the exception of porn.

If you would like to share your experiences, plus receive free promo for your book, please fill out the following form and send it to thewriterslife(at)yahoo.com.  Please put “Book Marketing Buzz:  Book Promotion Series” in your subject line.

Only .doc files will be accepted and you are welcome to pass on this information to all published authors.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

Name:

Email Address:

Book Cover Url:

Exact link to your preferred online bookstore (e.g., Amazon):

Bio including your website url:

Your guest post:

*****
Technorati Tags:
free book publicity, free book promotion, book promotion, online book promotion, promote your books, sell your book, book marketing
Add to: | Technorati | Digg | del.icio.us | Yahoo | BlinkList | Spurl | reddit | Furl |

Network, Baby, Network or How to Sell Books the Right Way

One of my tour coordinators, Cheryl Malandrinos, brought up an interesting conversation in the staff group today. She was saying how important networking was because it leads to other things such as great contacts which might be used in the future for other things.

But, the point she was making was, why don’t authors realize how important it is to network?

Between the staff and myself, I bet we have represented almost 200 authors. I’d have to do a check, but it’s funny what I, as the tour coordinator, learn about the promoting habits of these authors and it’s very important for us to know this because we then know where to aim or what has already been taken care of as far as promotions go.

For starters, I put all my authors in Google Alerts. The main reason I do this is because I want to see how well we are doing promotion-wise. Are our authors’ interviews, guest posts and reviews coming up in Google Alerts? Are our key search words helping and what can we learn to make them show up better? Are other people talking about our authors? How are our blog hosts promoting these authors and are they showing up well in Google alerts, also?

Lots of reasons to use Google Alerts.

But, when I first start working on a tour, Google Alerts will also help me narrow down what’s already been done online for the author, so that’s a good thing, too. Are they out there promoting their books online? Where are they showing up? And, the most important, are they showing up at all?

It saddens me to tell you that about half of the authors I have
represented barely show up at all before their book tour. Either they are new at online marketing or don’t realize its full potential.

But, the ones who are – let me tell you, they make me smile because they understand how important online marketing is; and more importantly, how crucial networking becomes if you want to sell your book.

For example, in Cheryl’s case, she was telling us about an author she has – LaConnie Taylor-Jones – who has done a marvelous job of networking. Cheryl reported that she has had two people contact her since the tour started and want to join in – one of which she had contacted earlier when she was looking for stops and the other one contacted her because she knew LaConnie and wanted to be a part of her tour.

Because of LaConnie’s wonderful networking abilities, her tour is maxed out and Cheryl has had to double up on some days.

Now, that’s a tour.

What’s LaConnie’s secret? It’s no secret. It’s about hard work and high visibility and reaching out to authors without selling your book or yourself.

Networking is not all about what you can gain out of others, but what others can gain out of you. Reach out and they’ll reach back.

How do you do this?

Simple.

A blog is the best way I know how if you know how to work it. When you set up your blog, don’t wait for people to come to you. Go to them. Make it a point to comment on at least ten different blogs a night and watch how over time, these people come back to you and comment on your blogs. Voila – instant contact. But, keep going back. Don’t let them think you’re a one-time fly-by-night out there to promote your books. Whoa…a spammer is not a good thing. Really get involved in their blog. Put them on your Blogroll. Give them a link on your blog. Let them know how valuable they are to them.

Our tours are set up for comments on the different blogs our authors appear on. Who is to say your comment doesn’t result in a book sale for yourself? It most certainly does happen.

But the key thing you want to remember is to not go into this selling books. When I see a book mentioned in a comment, I cringe because I know very well why this person commented. No. No. No. That’s not the way to do it. A person can very well click on your name to find out all about you as it leads to either your blog or your website.

I have made lots of contacts through bloggers and, to tell you the truth, it wasn’t to sell books. Although, I did have people buying them because we became friends first and when they found out I had a new book, they were first in line to buy one.

It’s like a relationship. Friends first, lovers second.

Network, baby, network.

Technorati Tags:
how to sell your books, sell your books, book marketing, online book promotion, networking
Add to: | Technorati | Digg | del.icio.us | Yahoo | BlinkList | Spurl | reddit | Furl |

Rachel & Judy’s Letter to My Lover Valentine’s Day Contest!

Would you like to become involved in Rachel Greene Baldino and Judy Ford’s virtual book tour? Read below how you can!

Since February is the time for cupids and hearts and all things romantic and sometimes not-so-romantic, what better time than to write a letter to your lover?

On February 1, 2008, Rachel Greene Baldino and Judy Ford, authors of the book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Enhancing Sexual Desire, are embarking on a virtual book tour around the world collecting letters from bloggers who would like to tell their lovers how they really feel about them – the good and the bad – and become a part of their tour!

If you would like to become involved in their contest, this is how it works:

1. Think of the things you would like to say to your lover, but haven’t had the time or the reason, whether it’s to say how much you love them or how they drive you up the wall. Yes, the good and the bad and the funnier or more outrageous the better! Let everything hang out!

2. Do not use names. Name your blog post “Letter to My Lover” and begin your post with “Dear Lover…” They’ll have to guess who it’s for!

3. Post your message on your blog between now and February 14th and send us the exact link to thewriterslife(at)yahoo.com. Please put “Letter to my Lover” in your subject line.

4. When we receive your link, we will add it to Rachel and Judy’s tour page.

5. But, that’s not all! Rachel and Judy will pick one of the bloggers who participate a FREE copy of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Enhancing Sexual Desire! That’s their Valentine’s Day present to you!

6. And…we will promote your blog through our daily promotions using your blog post as part of their virtual book tour, thus bringing you lots of traffic during February!

7. We also ask that you include a jpeg copy of Rachel and Judy’s book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Enhancing Sexual Desire, in your blog post. You can find their book cover here (you are welcome to copy and paste from there).

8. All participants will be listed on Rachel and Judy’s tour page so that everyone can read YOUR letters to your lover!

That’s all there is to it! Hurry before time runs out. Become involved in a nationwide campaign to tell the world what you think about your lover and see how much fun it will be to read the letters of others. Share your letters and become involved in RACHEL AND JUDY’S “LETTER TO MY LOVER” VALENTINE’S DAY CONTEST!

Rachel and Judy’s virtual book tour will be highly publicized including press releases and other promotions and is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion, an innovative public relations agency specializing in online book promotion. You can visit their website at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/.

Tags: virtual book tour, Valentine’s Day, letter to my lover, Valentine’s Day contest, Rachel Greene Baldino, Judy Ford, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Enhancing Sexual Desire, Pump Up Your Book Promotion

Offline Sales Vs. Online Sales

There’s an interesting conversation happening over at one of my e-groups over whether an author makes more sales online vs. offline. 

As I deal with authors on a daily basis and I specialize in online book promotion, my answer to this would be obvious - online book promotion is where it’s at.  But, am I wrong?

The only way to find out would be to ask you - the author - if your sales are greater online (Amazon, publisher’s website, your own website where you are selling your book, etc.) is more or less than you are selling offline (Barnes & Noble, your neighborhood bookstore, etc.).

Inquiring minds want to know.  Leave a comment below to give your experiences so that we all will find out the million dollar secret to fantastic book sales.

So, what is it - offline or online?

Tags: book marketing, online book promotion, online book sales, offline book sales

Add to: | Technorati | Digg | del.icio.us | Yahoo | BlinkList | Spurl | reddit | Furl |

“They treat your book like it’s their book”

I got the most delightful email from Cheryl Malandrinos, one of my tour coordinators, this morning.

One of her clients, Garasamo Maccagnone, author of St. John of the Midfield, and who is touring in February, sent her this email in which I’d like to share:

“The Pump Up Your Book Promotion staff is a remarkable group of professional people who babysit you through your entire tour.  I highly recommend them.  They treat your book like it’s their book.”

I emailed Cheryl and told her that whatever she’s doing, keep doing it.

The staff of Pump Up Your Book Promotion and I strongly believe that even though there are many authors going out in any given month, and some of us have four, five tours at one time, and I’d be lying if I told you we don’t get stressed, but the reason why it can be stressing at times is that we strongly believe that even though we are handling more than one author in any given month, we must make each author feel special, unique, one-of-a-kind, which they are rightly due.

The way we are set up - being is because there are so many authors wanting tours each month - is to take each author’s tour and judge it separately.  While it may appear that we place our authors on the same blogs each month, there is a reason for that, too.  Each blog we are contracted with fulfills a certain purpose.  While one blogger might be great for hits, another blogger might be great for promoting that stop.  We have one blogger who posts the interview or guest post on their blog, then turns around and announces the stop on other blogs.  They are not paid to do this, either.  That’s why they are valuable to us, and we keep them aboard.

With that said, once we add these blogs to our authors’ tour sheets according to what genre they are, etc.., we go on a man hunt to find blogs that would increase their publicity.  It’s a variety of stops which, when added up, creates enormous online presence and added visibility to their potential book buyers.

But, what most people think, because that’s what they see, that’s not all there is to it.

We take your book and read it in order to get into the mindset of the author writing it and understand the point they are making with it.  We find hooks that we can use in our promotion which can then be used to make the author stand out - whether it’s a news hook or a general interest hook - and we use these hooks to create an even more powerful campaign.

For instance, one of the clients I am representing right now has experience in television and has co-written a book with a well-known celebrity.  Had I not picked up on that in her bio, I would have overlooked one of the best hooks for her book possible in terms of what a virtual book tour can do for her.

But, every tour is different.  Every tour has that special quality that makes it stand out and it’s all because of the work we put behind the scenes in creating a virtual book tour to be proud of.

A virtual book tour is a vehicle.  It’s a vehicle to get the readers to the blog to where the author is appearing so that they may purchase the authors’ book.  If that interview or guest post or book review does nothing but to waste the readers’ time, then what’s the point?

There is a lot going on at Pump Up that the general viewer might not pick up on, but if you study one of our clients’ tours, you might pick up on what we do.  We don’t just send your book out on tour, we treat your book like it’s our book because that’s the only way we can convey to our reader that this book is worth buying.

I want to personally thank Gary for his endorsement and let him know that it didn’t take but a second and a half to get it up on our endorsement page.  ;o)

Tags: author publicity, book publicity, book endorsements, Garasamo Maccagnone, virtual book tour

Are you a California author?

I just found this.  It looks to me that it’s a place where you can submit your book FREE if you’re a California author.  Look in the sidebar for directions.

http://www.californiaauthors.com/index.shtml

Tags: Book Marketing Buzz, book marketing, free book promotion, California