1) Facebook Events
Use the events feature on Facebook to let your friends know when you will be doing book signings, readings or other events. You can set the event up on Facebook and invite all of your Facebook friends.
2) Have a Giveaway
One good way to generate publicity for just about anything is to have a giveaway using social media. The giveaway starts with a post on your blog. Write up a description of the item you are giving away, along with the rules for entering. An autographed copy of your book would make a nice giveaway item.
In the rules, give people multiple ways to enter. For example, you could state that they get one entry for commenting on your blog with the reason they want to win, one entry for tweeting about your giveaway on Twitter and one entry for posting the giveaway on Facebook and becoming your friend. For entries submitted on other sites, you should require the person to post a comment on your blog saying that they tweeted, or whatever the requirement was. That way, you don’t have to go searching on Twitter to find out who entered. All of the entries will be right on your blog.
3) Give Sneak Peaks
Leaking a free chapter or two to your Facebook friends in downloadable form can really get them interested in reading the rest of your book. Before you try this, make sure it is all right with your publisher. Make sure to give your readers enough to get them hooked on your book (say, two to three chapters) but not so much that they feel like they no longer need to purchase the book itself. It is best to time this promotion with the release of the book so that your fans will be able to buy it right away if they like it.
4) Trivia Contest
After your book is released, why not have a Twitter trivia contest? You could tweet questions about your new book and offer promotional items such as bookmarks or book bags as prizes to the first person who tweets back with the correct answer.
5) Social Bookmarking
Use social bookmarking sites such as Digg and Stumbleupon to bookmark new posts on your blog. Be careful with this, though. Some of these sites don’t like it if you bookmark every single post. However, whenever you write a post that is particularly useful or insightful, don’t hesitate to toot your own horn by linking to it on these sites.
These are just a few of the many ways you can use social bookmarking to promote your book online. Keep on the lookout for other sites that offer the chance for authors to interact with readers and try to think of ways you can use them to increase awareness of your book and find new fans.
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Thanks, Louise!
Hope y’all will check in tomorrow when Deborah Sharp guest blogs for me. :)
My July 6th release is right around the corner. Click here for my book release contest. Entering is easy…and you might win a $25 bookstore gift card, a signed copy of “Delicious and Suspicious,” and a “Delicious and Suspicious” tote bag. :)
THanks for the SM tips, Louise! I was just discussing this on my blog, and told people Elizabeth’s blog was the place to go for SM advice.
One point, you have to be careful with scheduling events on Facebook. I have one friend/author who sends me TONS of invites…and I get a bit tired of it. In fact, this person sends so many that I don’t even read them anymore…So don’t saturate your readers and this SM function will work for you!
And Elizabeth, I preordered ‘Delicious and Suspicious’ today! Excited to get reading!
Michele
SouthernCityMysteries
ELizabeth – Thanks for hosting Louise.
Louise – Those are very useful tips – thanks much. I’ve done a couple of giveaways, and they really can generate interest. I’ve also found that having an author page on Facebook is quite useful. It allows you to promote your work, and allows all Facebook subscribers – not just your own friends – to see it.
Very useful tips. Enjoyed the post Louise.
Elizabeth, congratulations on the pending release.
Mason
Thoughts in Progress
I was just thinking about having a contest on my blog. Thanks for the suggestions.
Great post, as usual, Elizabeth!
It’s hard to believe your release date is almost here! I remember our first peek at the cover …
One caveat: it’s often illegal to require a purchase to enter a contest. Remember all those ‘send in a cereal boxtop or a reasonable facsimile contests. If someone has to buy the book to enter, you might be in violation of the law.
I really appreciate all the tips. I’m on Facebook, but know nothing about it. Sometimes I even get invites to events and I mostly ignore them, not even considering they’re online events, not in-person events.
Straight From Hel
I’m smarter now.
Excellent advice. Thank you. I will save this post for future reference.
Those are terrific tips – thanks :)
Thanks for the tips, Louise!
These are great ways to promote. I will have to remember them when I have a book to promote.
CD
Nice tips. I didn’t even think of using the Facebook Events function to inform people about book signings and the like… Now I just need to have book signings to Facebook about!
Thanks so much for coming by, y’all! And thanks again to Louise for giving us some marketing tips. :)