We CAN! promote our books

"I always get your books from the library."

Happy Monday from Gail Gaymer Martin www.gailmartin.com

When readers' letters show up in a writers mailbox, authors are anxious to hear the fans reactions to their books. It’s always nice to know that the books have touched people’s lives and made an impact on their faith. One thing that sometimes stops a reader cold is the line, "I always get your books from the library."

How do you react when you read this?

Connect with Churchs In Your Book Settings

Hi from Gail Gaymer Martin www.gailmartin.com  Finally home for a few weeks.

My three book series set in the central coast of California was released at the perfect time for my visit to San Francisco for a conference. Another hour and a half from there got me to the central coast area where my niece lives and where I was scheduled for a book signing. I had two connections to this area—my niece and the setting for all three books. But how do I spread the word?

Contests and How They Work For You

Hi from Gail Gaymer Martin www.gailmartin.com  I'm back from San Francisco and the central California coast where I presented a workshop on writing and was involved in two booksignings. One of my books was a finalist in the Booksellers Best and though it didn't win this year, I've been honored to receive two of these prestigious awards, but this brought the topic of book contests to my mind and I wanted to share these thoughts with you. Whether win or lose, submitting books to national contests is a great form of promotion and here's why and how it works.

Conferences and Giving

Hi from Gail Martin www.gailmartin.com I’m leaving again, this time for San Francisco to attended the Faith, Hope, and Love chapter of RWA Mini-Conference where I’ll be presenting a workshop and then attending the Romance Writers of America’s national conference so I’ll see you when I get back. Conferences are all about giving for published authors. At conferences, we often give away bookmarks, postcards, ballpoint pens, and other material, but today, I’m talking about something else we can give that is different, yet comes back in multiple ways.

Do Search Engines Know You? Try Google Alert

Hello from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com traveling in Florida and enjoying the opportunity to visit with some of my writing friends and your favorite authors.  Visiting with them face to face is so much better than reading emails.  Don't miss a chance to meet your favorite authors when they come to town.  But on to our topic. . .

Have you ever wondered how effective your promotion is? It’s hard to calculate accurately but I have found one way that gives me an idea and I want to share it with you.

Try Something Creative and Unique

• Hi from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com I’m always on the lookout for new ideas when it comes to promotion. While reading an article, I ran across a creative and unique idea from Canadian writer Julie Ferguson. The idea is interesting and one that's unique so I wanted to share it with you.  You can do your own take on this and come up with something that works for you.

Letting Other Sites Work For You

Hello with a summer smile from Gail Gaymer Martin  www.gailmartin.com

It’s obvious that anything that makes contact with readers is a good thing. Weighing the time it takes and the effort is always a consideration for busy writers, but when it works, then the energy it takes is worth the effort.

Booksignings, answering reader mail and so many other promotional methods are good yet reach a small audience. Most booksignings don’t draw in crowds and so many authors talk about selling one or two or five books and that’s it. Answering reader mail touches one person. So considering ways that reach many people is worthwhile. Websites are a must be a feature on Amazon is something you might want to consider.

Book Discussions Across the Miles

Blessings from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com . 

As always on Monday, here I am to share some thoughts with you about marketing. I hope that our comments and suggestions provide you with some innovative ways to spread the good news about your books and platforms. 

Speaking and writing good hand-in-hand, it seems, and so when we promote either one, we open the door to touch many lives.  This weekend I experienced the joy of a standing ovation for a keynote address at an awards banquet. Apparently I said things the conferees needed to hear -- and they were not easy things for them to handle-- but they also touched me with their amazing expression of appreciation. Having direct contact with our audience is so important to writers, and though we can't all travel across the miles to be wtih them, I want to provide an idea that will help close those miles.

Keep Your Blog Active

Hello again from Gail Gaymer Martin -- who's been traveling so much I forget where home is.  Visit me at www.gailmartin.com

Blogs have become a major source of information for a multitude of topics and purposes, but many of you have learned blogs are a great way to promote your books. Users of blogs have learned many lessons about what makes a blog successful, and I’ll talk about three of these things with you.

Promoting Your Books and You -- Part II

   Last week I spoke about the benefit of making contacts at conference venues. As an instructor, I have the opportunity to speak with so many people and to also have them get to know me, my writing, and my teaching ability. The last four day conference I was on staff led to a wonderful opportunity to teach in Jamaica.

Following this marketing blog, I received a question from a self-published author who asked about tips on what she can do to open doors for her to speak and to be in a situation where people will be to know her and her work. She suggested that this would be a helpful blog for others. So today I will share a few thoughts on how to market and promote a very difficult situation - being a self-published author.  Although she writes children's books, some of these ideas might work for you.