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Your News Release and Website Press Kit

9/23/2014

September 24: the twenty-fourth day of InSeMaMo
Today's challenge is to create a news release for your upcoming book, or a press kit on your website.

A press release is a single page of information you can email or hand to the media about your book.

It starts with a hook: why is your book release news? This is where you mention the "unique twist" I talked about in the post on How to Launch Your Book.
Follow this with your author's bio. Why are you qualified to write this book?
Then a short description of your book - the blurb you wrote to entice readers to read it will work here.
Next some quotes praising your book from reputable sources - a well-known author, an authority on the subject, a magazine that reviews books, or if none of the previous, some satisfied readers.
Conclude politely with your request for an interview, a short mention in the paper, whatever the one purpose of the press release is.
Include your contact info if they want to contact you. Offer photos of the event/of you/of your book cover.

A website press kit is a spot on your website where journalists can find the information they need to write a story on your book or e-book, or readers can find what they need to convince them to buy your book. It includes many of the same elements as your press release:

Your author bio (check out “How to write an author bio.”), professional photo and a photo of your book cover which they can copy and use.
A blurb about your book which shows its uniqueness and how readers will benefit from reading it.
Your credentials - previous books, your qualifications to write this book, expert endorsements, etc.
A fact sheet of what is in your book if it's non-fiction.
An optional Q&A sheet in case they don't have time to interview you themselves.

Do you have a press kit on your website? Send us the link so we can see it!

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Twelve On-Line Strategies for Launching Your e-Book

9/22/2014

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September 23: the twenty-third day of InSeMaMo
Today's challenge explores marketing strategies particularly, but not solely, useful for an e-book launch. Pick one (or two) and try it, even if your e-book has already come out.

1. Create a "Launch Team" of readers excited to help you launch your book. Set up a private FB group for them and ask their opinions when choosing your book's title, cover, etc. Send them a pre-pub draft of your ms. and ask them to post a review of it when your e-book goes live, and to help spread the word.

2. Find 3-5 Amazon top reviewers in your e-book's genre and request that they review it in advance of publication. (See the earlier post on reviews here.)

3. Use Amazon's pre-order option to boost your first-week sales, & let people know. (Check it out here.)

4. Reduce the price of your e-book significantly for the first 2-6 days it goes live to encourage people to buy it then, and boost your early sales. Let people know.

5. Run an e-book review request contest. Ask people to post a review of your e-book on Amazon within a certain time period. Enter all who do in a drawing for prizes. As they'll have already read your e-book, offer a prize such as an Amazon gift card rather than a copy of your book.

6. Run a blog or FB contest. Create one based on some aspect of the e-book, such as the setting, theme, subject matter if it's non-fiction. Have people submit photos, anecdotes from their lives, videos, recipes, etc. You choose the winner and the prize - such as a copy of the book when it comes out.

7. Let people know. Tweet and Facebook interesting tidbits about it, Pinterest the cover or an announcement, put it on Google+, use every social site you're on, and ask everyone you know to do so also. Announce it in your email newsletter, which we discussed here.

8. Use a Pay With a Tweet Campaign to get the word out. Check it out here: http://paywithatweet.com/.

9. Consider paying for advertising. I’ve never used it, but I've heard good things about BookBub.com Subscribe first to see how they operate.

10. Run a blog-hop or blog tour of book bloggers' sites. Tips on running a blog tour can be found here: http://www.writersfunzone.com/blog/2013/06/07/3-essential-tips-to-running-your-own-blog-tour/. Add a give-away of your book or related gift with this.

11. Offer a guest blog on the topic of your book or some related aspect that fits the host's blog, and mention your book and publication date with the URL. Add a give-away of your book to this: invite everyone to leave a comment and choose one of them to receive it.

12. Create a virtual book launch. Check out Karen Dionne's here. Karen ran the party for 3 days and included video clips from authors endorsing her book, or just welcoming people to her party, which she videoed at conferences in advance. Her book included penguins, so she got items with penguins for prizes.
2,700 people visited the website during the party, and 400 posted comments in the guest book for a chance to win prizes.

Most books nowadays come out as both print and e-books, so if you are launching a book, I suggest combining the strategies you liked yesterday and those that you like today to have an on-line and a physical launch of your book.

Would any of these ideas work for you? Try it and let us know!

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How to Launch Your Print Book

9/21/2014

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September 22: the twenty-second day of InSeMaMo
Today's challenge is to plan your book launch. If you don't have a book coming out soon, that's okay - you'll have a prototype launch ready for your next book. (Tomorrow we'll talk about launching an e-book.)

This topic would fill a book, but here are some key points to consider:

1. Choose the date and venue.
Deciding where to hold your book launch depends on a number of things such as the type of book, subject matter and setting, what you can afford to spend and your contacts. Here are a few examples:

If your book is a genre book and there is a convention for writers and fans of that genre, consider booking a room at the conference center or hotel for your launch. If this is expensive, can you go in with another author (or two or three) and have a joint launch? Could you launch a non-fiction book at a convention on that subject?
a friend of mine has published a book of poetry and artistic photos inspired by her trips to Malta. Her launch is in a small art gallery, at no cost to her. Her launch will bring her friends and contacts into the art gallery and the gallery owner will advertize the launch to her clients: both the gallery owner and the author will meet a new potential market. Win-win, at very little cost to either. Similarly, a history book could be launched in a museum, etc.
book stores often host book launches at no charge to the author, but they will sell the book themselves and keep a percentage of the profit.
Libraries might charge you for use of their room unless you can come up with a way it will benefit them and their regular patrons.
Churches are good especially if the book is appropriate for that clientele, and if you belong to the church they likely won't charge you.
for a children's book, a children's play center or school gym after hours is good, and if the book is geared to an older crowd, maybe a senior's rec center. If you offer to donate to them a percentage of the profits for your sales, and create an event their regular clients would enjoy, they might not charge you to use their facilities.

2. Advertize:

prepare a press release for the local TV and radio stations and the local newspapers. If your event has a unique twist, you are more likely to get an article or media interview
a unique twist = seasonal (relate it to a season or holiday theme); local angle (local author, author's childhood home, story setting, etc.); topical (ties in with current social issue or anniversary of a news event, eg. a suicide story launched during National Mental Health Week); charity (percentage will be donated to a charity)
send invitations to everyone you know - hard copy they can tape on their fridge or calendar
if your local paper has a 'community events' page, list your event there
prepare posters and put them up in the venue, in book stores and libraries, and wherever your target market goes
ask the venue to let their regular clients know, ie, the patrons of their store/museum/gallery, the seniors who come to their center, a handout for the children at the school to take home to parents (you may have to supply this) etc.
prepare an article on your topic and submit it to your local newspaper (mention the book and launch at the end) or to appropriate newsletters (ie, if it's an historical story, does the local history club send out a newsletter - print or online - to their members, if a business book, the chamber of commerce or business clubs)

All this must be done weeks or months in advance as many places have a monthly newsletter, or have to schedule it in in advance.

3. Entertain:
A book launch is entertainment. How will you entertain your guests so they go away and talk about the launch?

food and drink - you don't have to feed them a meal, but parties are better with something to drink and nibble on. I had a cake decorated with my book cover. Appoint someone in charge of restocking/pouring/etc & leave it entirely to them.
reading - choose a scene with action, or dialogue in which there is some conflict, and practice until you can read it dramatically. Stand to read, use a mic even if you believe you have a loud enough voice, and stop at a significant point where they want to find out what will happen next.
appreciation - there are people you need to thank - your publisher, editor, long-suffering family. Keep the list short. A few heart-felt thanks are gracious, a ten-minute list is dull.
music makes a nice change of pace. Do you have a friend who can sing or play WELL?
what can you do that's fun? I know someone who bottled her own wine with the book cover on the labels. These also make good door prizes. She gets raffle tickets and every guest who buys a book gets one ticket. If it is a multiple-author launch, she gives a ticket for buying one author's book, 3 tickets for buying books by two of the authors, etc.
tie your door prizes in with the theme or setting or something in the book (does your heroine wear scarves? there's one prize. Is it a seasonal book? get a few seasonal items.)
dress as one of the characters in your book. If it's historical fiction, suggest your guests dress in period attire. MAKE your family do so :-)
supply appropriate hats/masks/badges at the door
Give away a copy of the book to: the person who guesses the best/funniest version of what happens next (after the section read); or who remembers some fact or name from the reading; or is wearing the most interesting apparel that ties in with the theme of the launch, etc.
ask someone else to sell your books so you can mingle and chat with your guests. Announce a specific time you'll sit and sign books and place the signing table apart from the selling table so there's no confusion.

What do or have you done for your print book launches?

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Public Appearances Sell Books!

9/20/2014

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September 21: the twenty-first day of InSeMaMo
Today's challenge is to set up a public appearance.

Face-to-face meetings are three times more likely to sell books than any online strategy you can devise, because meeting you in person is more memorable for readers than any number of on-line mentions.

So get out the reader profiles you did on day one of this challenge (find that challenge here) Review where your target market is likely to be found. You're going there.

Here are some suggested places for a start: coffee shops, restaurants, book stores, church groups, senior centers, retirement communities, hospitals, libraries, writers' groups, schools (from primary up to college and university, depending on your book), shopping malls, book fairs, conferences/conventions, author events, storytelling nights, community events, historical societies, service clubs, legions, locations similar to the setting of your book...there's no end to the places you can make an appearance. All you have to do is decide which ones your readers are likely to be at. I once read one of my stories to a knitting group while they knitted. They loved it! Give a reading at a medieval fair from your medieval historical fiction novel or attend a convention on the subject of your non-fiction book.

And what do you do at these places?
It can be casual - let your readers know when you're going to be in a city, and set up an hour or so in a coffee shop to meet with them. If you're at a conference or book fair, have a meal with them. Don't try to sell them anything, just let them get to know you a bit. You'll convert those readers into dedicated fans.
Or it can be more formal - make a presentation, sit on a panel, or give a book reading. Get out that list of skills and expertise you wrote on yourself (Find that challenge here), and list the subjects you can talk about. A talk that goes with a reading is more effective and interesting than simply reading a passage from your book. Push yourself - you can do it. I once offered to read a story at a weekly lunch hour series. All the performers on other weeks were musicians. I was pretty nervous, but it was great. Not many people came prepared to buy books, but one woman did, and she liked it. Turned out she was a book reviewer at bookreporter.com, and she reviewed my book! I spoke at a library once - a mucky night, only 2 people came out. We had a great chat, no one bought books, but I was asked to do an interview on CBC radio in advance - pure gold. You never know.

So make a list of places you could speak/read/meet your target readers and set one up. Then tell us where you're going and what you'll be doing.

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Author Business Cards - and Other Paraphernalia

9/20/2014

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September 20: the twentieth day of InSeMaMo
Today's challenge is to create business cards.

My first business cards had everything on them - my twitter handle, FB address, LinkedIn, my blog URL, website URL and my street address, and a cute free stock photo line-drawing of a girl reading a book.

Too cluttered. Well, it was something to hand out.

Here is what should be on your business cards: your name &/or pen name; your professional photo (the one you use everywhere); the genre you write (Science Fiction Author); your website URL; your Amazon Author page URL; your email address. That's it.

On the other side (yes, it's worth paying for a two-sided business card) you have a choice. Either put your book covers and their titles, possibly a few delectable quotes from each one, or a one-sentence blurb if you only have a couple books. The other option is to list your book titles on the front, if you only have one or two, and on the back put something useful. I have kept calendar-business cards, and one that has a list for tipping - 10%, 15% & 18% of various amounts of money increasing by $5.

OTHER PARAPHERNALIA

Here's where you use that list you wrote of your target readers' other interests and hobbies. What would appeal to them? Book marks are a staple, but avoid those with book covers and titles and URLs. No one keeps those. If you're going to make them at all, take a little more time and make something people will keep. A cool picture or a great quote on one side, your books on the flip side. (Quotes - from your own book or from before 1923. Anything quoted before 1923 is in the public domain).

Use your readers' emotional/intellectual triggers in designing these. Are they sentimental? Love a good laugh? Interested in self-help? Like a mystery or puzzle? (What about a crossword puzzle that, when solved, is the title of your book?) Try to link your giveaway item to your book - ie, fridge magnets for culinary books, with one of the recipes printed on it. (These are good ideas for the back of your business cards, too. Anything unique to make you memorable.)

What ideas do you have for inexpensive take-aways?
Pick one and go design it!

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"The End" - Improving the First and Last Pages of Your Book

9/18/2014

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September 19: the nineteenth day of InSeMaMo Today's challenge is to write a first and last page that will help sell your books.

Even though you may be publishing an e-book, on the first page don't forget to add a list of "Books by the Same Author", followed by your Amazon author URL.

The last page is even more important. It's said the ending of your novel sells your next book. As long as the opening gets them to read it, and the middle keeps them reading it, this is true. :-)

There's a sense of satisfaction and even exhilaration in a good ending to an interesting story. If you've done your job well, the reader wants to read more. So don't stop after "The End".

If you're writing a series, and you've already written the next book in the series, put the first chapter here and end it on a dramatic scene so they can't wait to read the next book, and include where they can buy it. (make sure you've clearly indicated where this book ends, and that the following pages are the beginning of the next book, and give its title. Otherwise your readers may feel like the book they've have reading doesn't have an ending.)

But this still isn't the end. The last page of your book/e-book is a note to the reader.

What's in this note? A call-to-action, of course. One call-to-action. Don't confuse your reader with multiple requests. You've already listed your other books at the front, with the URL where to find them. What you want to ask for now, is a book review! Most readers have no idea how important these are to an author. They just need to be asked, and the best time to ask is when they're in that warm afterglow of finishing your book.

As an example, here's my last page for Walls of Wind:

Hello,

Thank you for joining me in the world of the Ghen and Bria on their planet, Wind.

If you have enjoyed Walls of Wind, please consider posting a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Your review will help others find this story. Every review matters and is valuable to me, no matter how short or long it is. I would love to hear what you thought of my book – I read every one.

To write a review on Amazon.com, go to http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HO1IOWE where all my books are listed. Click on Walls of Wind and scroll down to the button marked “Write a customer review”

I really appreciate it!

J. A. McLachlan
http://www.janeannmclachlan.com

However you write it, that final page will increase your number of reader reviews.

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Book Reviews

9/17/2014

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September 18: the eighteenth day of InSeMaMo Today's challenge is to set a goal of 25 book reviews for your book/e-book. You don't have to get them all today, of course, but start working toward them today and don't stop till you meet that goal. They can be on Amazon, Goodreads, B&N, wherever your readers will see them.

Reviews won't move your book up Amazon's charts - only sales will do that - but reviews do sell books, especially if you're an unknown author. And Amazon is more likely to show your book to people searching for one in that genre/topic if you have 20-25 good reviews.

The only way to get book reviews is to ask. (Unless you want to buy them, in which case I recommend bookbub, as I've heard the most positive things about them.) For free reviews, start with people you know, then people in your FB groups, LI groups, etc., and move up to book reviewers.

Keep in mind:

1. Any review of 3 or more stars is a good review. Sure, it would be nice to have all 5-star reviews, but is that realistic? A 3-star review is fine. You might ask people if they don't think they can honestly give you 3 stars or better, to give you a brief critique, instead. This can help you improve your book without lowering your ratings.

2. Amazon likes reviewers who receive a free copy of a book for review, to indicate that they received a free copy. Don't be surprised or upset if a reviewer says that in their review.

3. Amazon puts a little "Verified Purchase" tag at the top of a review of a book that was purchased by the reviewer on Amazon. Fair or not, reviews with these tags are more valuable than reviews without.

Where do you find book reviewers?

Check out sites like Choosey Bookworm, Book Pleasures, and Readers Favourite.
Check Amazon's lists of frequent reviewers. Click on http://www.amazon.com/review/top-reviewers for their top reviewers. Click on a name, and you'll see all their reviews plus the reviewer's e-mail address in the lower left corner of the page. Make sure they review books in your genre before sending them a personal email request to review your book.
You can also use keywords on Amazon.com to find books like yours and see who reviewed them.

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Make Your Book/E-Book Cover Sell Your Book

9/17/2014

4 Comments

September 17: the seventeenth day of InSeMaMo
Today's challenge is to design a cover that will sell your book.

Your book should be designed to market itself. I'm not an artist, so all I'll say about the cover art is that it has to appeal to your target market. It has to intrigue them without giving away too much of the story, and it should identify the genre. I have mine professionally done by Expert Subjects, then I ask readers who haven't read the book yet, which cover appeals most to them. If your book will be an e-book, the cover has to be a clear image, not too dark or too busy, and the title be readable in thumbnail size.

Leave the cover front uncluttered - your name, the title, the intriguing art. The back cover should include, in order of importance, the blurb about the book, positive comments from a professional review if you have one, testimonials from readers, your photo and brief bio, website URL and "author of---" (your previous books, if they're in the same genre or a close one), the genre, and if they are e-books, your amazon author URL so they can find your other books. If it's non-fiction, indicate the reader benefits of the information inside (Learn to lead a healthier life, be a better---, etc.)

If someone types in the key words for your genre, will your e-book come up? Make sure you have used those keywords in your blurb, bio, and the testimonials you've chosen, as well as in your title. Don't necessarily compromise a great title for keywords, however; that's what your subtitle is for!

Your challenge is to check your book cover(s) to see if all these things are there. If it's too late to alter existing books, consider what you need to add to future book covers.

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Building Relationships with the Influencers in Your Field

9/15/2014

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September 16: the sixteenth day of InSeMaMo
Today's challenge is to find the influencers in your field and get to know them. Or, more importantly, let them get to know you.

Who are the influencers in your field? Well, since we are all writers, they are book bloggers, book reviewers, well-known authors who write in your genre, experts in your field - basically, anyone directly related to your field or genre, who already has a large following.

Step 1: Find 5-10 influential online people who blog about your subject or review books in your genre. Google Amazon top reviewers and check each one that reviews books in your genre - does he/she have a site? Check out authors who write about what you write about- do they have a blog? For a short list of blogs that review books, go here.

Step 2: Get known. Comment on their blogs, with your website URL. Regularly. Your host will get to know you.
(If you don't know what to say, reread my post on day 7, with advice on commenting on blog posts here.)

Step 3. Eventually, when you have been a regular participant in the discussions following their posts for a while, contact the site host and offer a guest blog that his/her readers will find interesting. By now you know the topics on this blog, and the readers it attracts, so you should be able to suggest a post that would attract these readers. And the host has come to know you through your comments, which gives you a big edge over people who ask to guest blog without getting to know him/her by reading and contributing to the posts.

Later on, when you guest post, leave your book and Amazon author central URLs, as well as your website. (Make sure your author central page tells people how to get to your website & has your blog feed on it.)

When a high-traffic site has a link to your website, that's great for your SEO.

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Designing and Sending Your Email Newsletter

9/14/2014

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September 15: the fifteenth day of InSeMaMo
We're halfway through this challenge already! How are you doing?

Today's challenge is to plan what you will include in your newsletter and how you will send it.

For those of you who haven't heard of email newsletters, they are short, one-page information sheets that you email regularly to a group of people who want to receive them. To do this, you have to get their email addresses and PERMISSION FROM THEM TO SEND YOUR NEWSLETTER TO THEM. Never assume because they have given you their email address for some other reason, that they've also agreed to receive your newsletter, and ALWAYS include at the bottom of the newsletter a way they can unsubscribe to it.(Most newsletter services will do this for you.) Otherwise you run the risk of them declaring you are spam, and believe me, you DON'T want that. Once your email URL is labeled spam, filters will begin blocking your emails. I've never had it happen to me, but have heard it's a nightmare.

What will you put in your newsletter? News about upcoming books, e-books and events you'll be at. Maybe show them an excerpt from, or the cover of a book, before it goes public. Non-fiction authors can add interesting tidbits of info from their research. It's really up to you, but if you want them to want to continue receiving your newsletter, you must include content that is of value to them. Since I have writers on my list, I include a writing tip in each newsletter; and since I have readers, I include a recommendation for a book I've enjoyed. I add pictures, and I don't annoy them by sending too many - I send 3-4 per year. That's actually on the low side, up to once a month would be okay, But it's time-consuming to provide quality content, so 3-4 a year is what I can manage.

The point is to keep in touch with people, to build community. I love it when people get my newsletter and email me back to comment on something in it, or share some of their news with me. I even have a spot where I include some of their news in my newsletter, if it's about books and I think my newsletter community would be interested.

Not only do you have to start planning what you'll put in your newsletter while you gather your list of names and email addresses (and their permission); you also have to consider HOW you're going to manage your newsletter.

You can manually write an email and copy it to everyone. (If you do this, be sure you put the recipients' names in the BCC (blind copy) box, so you aren't giving out everyone's email address.) There's a personal feel to this that is appealing, but when your list gets to a certain size, it becomes unwieldy. And you can't insert photos.

You can use a newsletter provider like MailChimp or AWeber. I use MailChimp - it was pretty easy to learn, I like the options it offers me, and you can send up to 12,000 emails to 2,000 subscribers a month for free.(www.mailchimp.com) AWeber is also recommended by reliable publicists, but it charges a monthly fee.

So today's challenge is, while you're growing your list, plan out what you'll put in your newsletter, and how you'll send it out. If you choose Mailchimp or Aweber, sign up and send out a practice email newsletter to your family. They will love you and never tell anyone all the mistakes you made while you were learning. I wish I'd done this. Instead, I sent my first try out to everyone on my list, and then had to send them all an apology and my second try, which turned out okay because I practiced on my family before sending my second attempt!

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Forward>>

Your News Release and Website Press Kit

Twelve On-Line Strategies for Launching Your e-Book

How to Launch Your Print Book

Public Appearances Sell Books!

Author Business Cards - and Other Paraphernalia

"The End" - Improving the First and Last Pages of Your Book

Book Reviews

Make Your Book/E-Book Cover Sell Your Book

Building Relationships with the Influencers in Your Field

Designing and Sending Your Email Newsletter

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