First of all, thanks to Diane at The Book Resort for a delicious review of Finger Lickin’ Dead. If you’re interested in finding out a little more about my book, please pop by!
It’s that time again! And I haven’t had a release for almost a year, so I really had to remind myself what I did the last time to prepare. I’ll have to remember better this time…because Hickory Smoked Homicide launches in November! Ack!
I wrote a post a couple of weeks ago that mentioned some of the things writers can do to promote a release. Some of those things were press releases, book trailers, press kits, launch parties, Amazon and Goodreads pages, etc.
I realized that I’d left out a few of the things that I do, though, so I thought I’d cover them now.
Blog tour: A blog tour is a great way to get publicity for a new release. For one thing, it can really raise the Google ranking for your book title and your name. It’s also a nice way to have your book cover showing up on everyone’s blog reader—if you’re on a lot of different blogs, you’re definitely getting your cover out there.
When should you start the book tour? You should probably kick it off with the release of the book, unless you’re shooting for good pre-orders. And a tour can last as long as you like—and be as intensive as you like. I’ve seen some blog tours where authors have every date in a three-week period booked for an online appearance, and I’ve seen tours which were stretched out for a while, but with appearances every couple of days or so.
You can use different formats with different blog appearances, if you’d like to shake things up a little. I’ve seen interviews, guest posts, character interviews (where the blog host interviews your protagonist), reviews, and contests.
Stock signings: These are different than book signings…so different that I actually enjoy them. :) You just plan a trip to sign your books in the bookstores that are convenient for you to reach (or that are in a place you’re vacationing in, etc.)
Most bookstores have stickers at the customer service desk that say ‘autographed copy.’ You just sign your book, stick your sticker on the front, and then make sure they’re facing out (if possible) so that folks can see it’s an autographed copy. This can help your early sales numbers and get stores to reorder your book.
Social media: I’ve found that social media is especially viral. If you’ve developed relationships with readers and writers throughout the year, then just a couple of mentions of your release on Twitter or Facebook means that your friends and readers will support you with shares and retweets. It’s so much better than beating everyone over the head with your launch.
Have you launched a book? What did you find worked well?
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And—thanks to everyone who offered to host me for my blog tour! I’m hoping that I’ve gotten back to all who offered and have sent posts to many of you by now. Here’s the blog tour as it stands now (and y’all, let me know if I’ve made any mistakes to this list.)
June 7 (and a couple of posts following the 7th) –Penguin’s Blog
June 8—Confessions of a Mystery Novelist
June 9—Thoughts in Progress
June 10—Following the Whispers
June 12—Anne R. Allen’s blog
June 13—K.B. Owen, Mystery Writer
June 14—Confessions of a Watery Tart
June 16—Spunk on a Stick
June 20—Alex J. Cavanaugh’s blog
June 21—The Other Side of the Story with Janice Hardy
June 22—The Creative Penn
Looking forward to it! :)
Elizabeth – Thanks very much for the tips about getting ready for a book launch. And now you’ve whetted my appetite for Hickory Smoked Homicide, too :-). I’ve found that you’re really right about social media. Just a few mentions of the new book is enough to get lots of talk going about it.
Looking forward to hosting you next week at Confessions of a Mystery Novelist!
I’m so happy to see another BBQ book coming out! I’m out of town right now so I can’t send a host offer but I would still like to interview you. I’ll contact you next week. Good luck on your launch.
I really should do more, but I keep telling myself it’s not worth the effort since my books are not going to be on the shelves of the bookstores unless people take the time to go in and ask for them. It’s hard to sign stock at Amazon or B&N!
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
Elizabeth, do you ever look back to just a few years ago and gasp at all you’ve learned and done? Others have probably said this before, but I’ll repeat them – thank you for all the expertise and experience you share with the rest of us.
I love, love, love the new cover! Congratulations on another release, and thanks for the great tips!
Congrats for the great review! You are going to get one from me shortly! I keep forgetting to shout ‘got it! and THANK YOU!!!’ (I did shout at the Burrow Monday, but I am so scatter-brained)… but I am almost half way in and LOVING IT!
Great advice on the promoting stuff! And definitely write it all down… Some of us stalkers will want to vorrow that list one day soon *shifty*
Margot–I’m looking forward to it!
The Daring Novelist–Absolutely! Have fun on your trip. :)
Helen–I think it’s like the saying goes: “The days are long, but the years are short!” It seems like it’s flown by, but I guess there were just lots of long days in there with me trying to figure out what the heck I was doing (still trying to figure it out!)
Jill–Thanks! I like it, too. :)
Hart–Thanks so much! Glad you’re enjoying it. :) Yay!
Terry–I’ve heard that a few times from other authors who write for your publisher. Bleh! Hope things look up soon…glad you’re moving to ebooks.
Congrats on the new release and thanks for sharing the tips. Always great to have extra insight.
Looking forward to hosting you this month! The blog tour really made a difference for me. What’s cool is reviews began popping up afterwards and continued for months, spurring more interest.
LOL – you know my answer. Speaking engagements!
BTW – I intend to get a signed copy next February. With photos of you signing it as proof!
Good luck on your tour, and thanks for the tips.
…….dhole
PW.Creighton–Thanks so much! :)
Alex–That’s wonderful! Glad it worked out so well–reviews are always helpful, too.
Diane–And you’re such a great speaker that it works out wonderfully for you! Looking forward to seeing you in February and signing a book for you. And I expect you to do the same!
Thanks, Donna!
Great tips and conrgratulations on your successes! I’ve yet to experience the joys of publishing, let alone promotion, having only just finished my debut novel. It could be a long time before I need to use these tips, but it’s good to go in well prepared! All the best for your new novel.