Self-Published Authors Are Advertising in New Ways by Christopher L. Vaughn
As a self published author I've found that it's an uphill battle to advertise your
literature, especially with a shoestring budget. To help combat this problem
I've gone to unusual lengths to get the word out. Some of which has made a big difference.
First, I printed over 500 business cards from a major printing
website. I included the different types of literature that I write, my contact
information, and my website's URL. I was able to purchase the business cards for
less that $10.00 and I now place them everywhere I go, community boards, pay
phones, business counters and restaurant tables, inside books at the book store
(sneaky is the key here), and even in elevators were people have nothing better
to do than stare at my card. This has basically resulted in over 500 mini-billboards.
Second, I hit the blogs like MySpace, Facebook, etc. During this phase I
would try different tactics like saying, “Hey did you hear about this
book/author?” or “Book X sucked, but I thought book Y by C. L. Vaughn was good.”
Using blogs was effective to a certain point, but since most people blog about
other topics, talking about books made it harder to get responses. Make sure
that you link every blog you do to either your website or the book's page. [John
Kremer's note: I don't recommend commenting on other blogs or social
networking sites unless you make a real comment about that blog or site rather
than simply spamming you book.]
Third, I created a book trailer. A book trailer is basically like a movie
trailer and lasts anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes, but try to avoid
anything longer. Book trailers have become increasingly popular with authors
since they first appeared as a viable marketing tool. There are companies out
there that will create book trailers for a fee (usually $100 to $1200), but a
few hours with a movie maker and you can do it your self. Try to catch the
viewer's attention with gripping music and a brief blurb about the book. Once
that's done, upload the video to every media site you can like, YouTube, MySpace,
Google, etc. Here's the book trailer I created to help give you an idea of what
I mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjllMGnMeBI.
Fourth, I placed for sale ads in every classified website I could get my hands on.
This may seem like an odd place to promote a book, but I had some good leads
using this tactic and even made a few sales because of it. This also helps
create a web presence for your book in the search engines.
Fifth tactic: Fliers here, fliers there, fliers everywhere. Same concept as the
business cards, just on a bigger scale, but be careful to ensure that the fliers
look professional or no one will take them seriously.
Sixth, public communications. I spend a lot of time steering my conversations to
the topic of my books or the fact that I write. This can be anything from
striking up a conversation with a stranger to book signings at your local book
store.
Seventh marketing trick, networking with other authors. This has been a huge
asset to helping with my books. I've done this by conducting interviews with
other authors and selling full page advertising spaces in the rear of the book.
For a small charge of $25 an ad, I give other authors the chance to advertise
their books on a full page inside my novel. Their advertisements are visible in
the online book previews, listed on my website (17,900+ hits and counting), and
are permanently included in both the printed version and the ebook form.
With that said, it's time for the shameless plug. If you would like to advertise
your book or service inside my novel, please contact me. But hurry, space is
limited and filling fast.