We CAN! promote our books

Preparing for a Successful Blog Tour

  

Cheri Cowell here.

There is much discussion in the writing world about the effectiveness of Blog Tours. I take the stance that the Blog Tour is one of a smorgesborg of marketing opportunities available to authors, but not if our goal is a direct link to increased sales because the jury is still out on those numbers. However, if our goal is to create buzz and connect with potential readers, then a Blog Tour is a great tool in a marketing bag. Here are a few steps I'm taking as I prepare for a June Blog Tour for my new bible study.

Social Media Stats: Why Authors Should Join the Bandwaggon

 
From Cheri Cowell's desk:

In preparing for a weekend retreat I'm hosting on Marketing for writers I came across these social media stats. If you need a push to join the social media bandwaggon, perhaps these social media stats will help you decide to jump on board.

Using Christmas Marketing All Year Long

Merry Christmas From Cheri Cowell

Now don’t turn me off before hearing me out. I’m not talking about the annoying and sometimes over-the-top commercial marketing all of us are tired of by now. I’m referring to the marketing God did that first Christmas to tell the world about His great gift. What do I mean by calling God’s work marketing? Marketing in the positive sense means sharing the good news about something so as to entice others to [join, buy, get, receive or] desire to have. There are three things we can learn from God’s marketing plan—three things you and I can use in our own speaking and writing.

First, God used targeted marketing. He used a star to guide the Wiseman or astrologers, as some biblical scholars call them. For the shepherds in the fields, He sent a host of angels to calm their fears and tell them what to do. To Mary God sent an angel and the wisdom and assurance of Elizabeth. And to Joseph He sent the unmistakable Word of God to help a good man make the right decisions. God knew His audience and spoke to them using the language and method best suited for each. Who is your audience? What is their language? Are they on Twitter, Facebook, message boards, do they belong to MOPS or Book Clubs?

Second, God sold the sizzle. For each person or group of people, God chose what would excite them and shared that. God didn’t serve the whole meal when only the appetizer was needed. To the Wiseman He said the star would lead them to the promised Messiah—He didn’t tell them about Herod and their need to avoid him on their way home until that information was necessary. Likewise, you and I don’t need to tell everyone the ten points we cover in our book or message when we are simply enticing them to enjoy a taste. What is the one thing they need to hear now, so later they will hunger for the whole meal we are ready to serve?

Third, God gave. Still the most astounding part of the Christmas story is that God gave it away for free. Now I’m not saying we shouldn’t charge for our books and speaking, but what are you and I giving away for free? I have found I’m unable to out-give God. I started by giving away bookmarks with a poem a friend wrote for the closing of my presentation, and people bought things from my book table that went with that bookmark. Then I took a leap of faith and changed my fee structure—I charge a flat fee per person for speaking which includes a free autographed book (and for retreats it includes the companion workbook, too). I thought back of the room book sales would be gone, after all everyone already had a free autographed book, right? Wrong. They wanted to buy a book for a friend “since they already had a free one for themselves…” God gave. How can you give away more in this coming year? Just try to out give God…and may you have a Christmas filled year!

Book Review on Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives

  

I have a friend whose husband is deployed in Afghanistan. I've been searching for the perfect gift to let her know not only how much I appreciate her husband's service to our country, but also to recognize her faithful service, too. With Faith Deployed, I've found it the perfect gift.

Jocelyn Green and her army of been-there, walked-a-mile-in-your-shoes writers, have packed a lot into this little book. Each two-page devotional is a morsel of food for thought and spiritual nourishment. Not being a military wife myself, I was surprised at how the book affected me. In it I found a new depth of appreciation for what these women go through as each daily anecdote ties directly to the day-in and day-out lives of these unsung heroes. In many ways, they are no different than we are as they have fears, hopes, and dreams. They long to honor God with their lives, but are also seeking to balance that with a love for their military husbands and the country they serve together.

Each devotional includes a Scripture, a 2-page anecdote, a few questions to ponder, and a prayer related to the topic.

Through this book, I know my friend will be ministered to in a way I'm not able. In fact, so many of the books I looked at offered nice stories and gave great advice, but Faith Deployed goes deeper. It connects biblical principles to the real needs these keepers of home front share.

I know my friend will find in the pages of this book, a new set of friends, and a closer walk with the One True Friend who never leaves nor forsakes. What more could I want for my friend?

 

 

 

Book Review on Direction by Cheri Cowell

This is Jocelyn Green, and today I have the pleasure of offering a book review of Cheri Cowell's  Direction: Discernment for the Decisions of Your Life. Many times, it’s easy to discern a good choice from a bad one. But when neither option is bad or wrong, how does one know which path to choose? While most of us would prefer the proverbial “handwriting on the wall” to show us the way, that kind of unmistakable message from God is rare. But according to Cowell’s book, that’s OK. We don’t need it. In fact, instead of trying to guess what God’s will is, she writes, we should instead focus on discerning His “way.” When we know God’s way, we’ll be better able to choose our own.

 

From Written Word to Spoken Word

From author and speaker Cheri Cowell

One of the most frequent questions asked of me at writer's conferences is "If I speak on my book and tell them everything that is in there, why would they then buy the book?" When I first began writing and speaking, I was fearful of the same thing. However, I quickly learned three valuable lessons.

1. Lesson One: Don't Speak on Your Book- Speak on a Topic for Your Target Audience

You've seen it on television, the "expert" author who's every other word is, "In my book..." Even worse, they tease the audience, only giving two of six tips "available in their book." These self-promotional gimmicks rarely cause someone to run out and buy the promoted book, and often has the opposite effect, causing resentment not future readers. The solution is to not speak directly on the information covered in your book, but instead look through your book for jumping off topics.

Tips from the Pros: Cheri Cowell + Creating Book Tours/Data bases

Aloha from Karen,
   
    I'm interviewing Cheri Cowell, a dear friend and someone who worked hard to           create great sales for her first book. She planned her own               tri-state book tour and build an incrdible database of churches.

    Welcome Cheri. Let's find out more about you and what you did     to market your books.

Book Tour Report

Jeanne Dennis here, back from my book tour with Cheri Cowell. I have to say that it was a wonderful experience, even though we didn't sell quite as many books as we had hoped. Traveling with a fellow author has to be one of the most enjoyable ways to travel by car. During our driving time, we talked about everything--growing up, our families, our dreams, our dilemmas, our faith. We also shared writing, speaking, and marketing tips and experiences. We even had time to brainstorm a new title for Cheri's latest book proposal.

Cheri spoke and I spoke and sang at several churches. We also had book signings at bookstores almost every day. The photo was taken at a book signing in South Carolina. We enjoyed meeting all the people, especially at the churches. They seemed so appreciative that we took the time to come to them. At one bookstore, the manager told us that we had the nicest display they'd ever had for a book signing. He seemed excited that we didn't just plop our books on an empty table as most of his authors have done.

One of the best parts of our tour was staying with fellow author Vonda Skelton. We had such a great time with her. She even arranged for us all to have dinner with two other author friends, Edna Ellison and Linda Gilden.

Next time I'll post some of the things we learned on our tour, both good and bad. Meanwhile, I'm going to get some much-needed rest!

Preparation for Book Signings

Cheri Cowell and I have been working hard to prepare for our book tour. Although this may be old hat to many of you, I thought I'd talk about what we're doing in preparation for our book signings, for those of you who need to know.

Piggyback Book Promotion

Hello, Jeanne Dennis here. I'll be teaming with Jeanette Hanscome, posting every other Thursday.

My latest two books came out in 2006, the year my life went crazy. At the prime time for promoting these books, I was moving across the country so that I could be close to my aging parents and other family who needed help. For the two years prior to the move, I often had to leave my home and teaching job in Colorado to help my extended family—when Mom got cancer, when she broke her hip, when my sister had her twins and needed help with her other three children, and then later when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Everyone's health had improved by 2006, so I had dreams of spending quality time with family in Florida, but on my schedule, with plenty of writing and promotion time in between.

But two weeks after we moved, my cousin died. My sister's cancer returned at fourth stage in her spine, my dad was diagnosed with diabetes and a deforming skin cancer, our new home had numerous problems that required hours of correspondence and months of work . . . and that was only the beginning. Though I took time out to appear on The Harvest Show and do radio interviews, of necessity, my book promotion had to take a back seat. Family and home had to come first.

So what can one do when the window of opportunity for timely book promotion has passed? Some would say nothing, but as long as a book is in print, I believe its author should continue to do everything possible to promote it. So when I heard that my friend Cheri Cowell was conducting her own book tour in nearby states, I asked if I might tag along.

Cheri has arranged to speak at several churches in the Southeast next month. At one church, Cheri will share her allotted speaking time with me, which is generous of her. At the others, I will sing both before and after her presentation. When I introduce the songs, I will be able to talk a little bit about topics in my books. Afterwards, I will help with the book table and have my books available along with hers.

If you like the idea of tagging along on someone's book tour but don't have a solo voice, perhaps you could do an introductory skit, serve the speaker as part of his or her prayer and counseling team, present a fun craft, or demonstrate something from your book. Use your imagination. Just don't give up. An old adage says, "As long as there's life, there's hope." Well, when it comes to our books, as long as they're in print, we can promote.