We CAN! promote our books

Relationships in Writing

Aloha from Karen Whiting

I am so thankful for relationships I've developed with writers, authors, and readers, in the world of publishing. It's a small world in many ways and networking is vital to success. But it's also a place of friendships and connections. So many of my contracts came from relationships I developed. And, when I'm having problems, the friends I've made pray and support me.

Think beyond contracts and what you can get, to what you can give and how you can extend friendship.

R. J. Larson's journey to publication

Greetings from fall-draped Colorado. Davalynn Spencer here, visiting with author R. J. Larson whose second book of her Books of the Infinite series hits stores in November.

Rarely is publishing success an overnight venture, R. J. How did you get into writing?

My personal road to publication was actually a long twenty-years-plus hike through the publishing field. I’ve been a book fanatic since my parents first placed books within my reach. But writing…well, writing books never occurred to me until my sister-in-law, Kathi Macias, became an editor/writer and inspired me to write. I cut my author-teeth, so to speak, on writing devotionals for anthologies and I wrote several historical manuscripts while my children were young, but the third manuscript, Biblical fiction, was the first to sell.

Generosity Marketing

One of the best ways to get your books into the hands of readers is to simply hand them one. That’s right. Just give them a book. For free. No strings attached. 

When I receive author copies of new books, I drive around to different churches and deliver a book to the person sitting in each church office. It may be the receptionist, pastor, pastor’s wife, or a volunteer who just happens to be in the right place when I walk in the door. I include a business card and an offer to speak to women’s groups, but I never ask for money for the book. It’s my gift to them.

Each time I travel by air, I pack a few extra books in my luggage – a couple in my carryon and a couple more in my checked bags. When I get to the airport, if I see someone reading fiction that is similar to what I write, I whip out a book and offer it to the person. I’ve done this at least a dozen times, and I’ve never had anyone turn me down. Most of the time, this starts a conversation about what types of books we both read, and I often recommend other authors who also just happen to be my friends. 

Before I leave a hotel, I sign one or two of my books and jot a short note to the housekeeping staff, letting them know I hope they enjoy my book. I also leave a generous tip for their hard work. They need to know that Christian authors are kind people who appreciate good service. 

I keep a half dozen of my older books in a box in the trunk of my car, just in case I have the opportunity to share with people I meet. I’ve handed them out to women I’ve met at the gym, bank tellers, grocery store cashiers who just happened to be going on break when I left, and customers standing behind me in the checkout line. I’ve received emails from people who wanted to let me know they enjoyed my books, and they look forward to my next release. I always encourage them to pass their free book to family members and friends. 

Another way to get your books into the hands of new readers is to donate a few to a charity. The Salvation Army Thrift Store is one example of a Christian organization that will benefit from the sale of your book, and customers who can’t afford shopping at traditional bookstores will appreciate getting a brand new book at a thrift store. They are also likely to recycle the book by donating it back to the store when they finish reading it. 

Although there are no guarantees these people will become fans and purchase all your future work, if they don’t know you, they may not take the risk with their book-buying budget. And if they read your book and love it, they’re likely to go looking for other books you’ve written.

I've always enjoyed giving, so this is a natural way for me to market my books. Even if you're shy or reserved, handing someone something without strings attached is a great icebreaker.

Debby Mayne

Christian Store Week

Aloha from Karen Whiting

Next week is the beginning of Christian Store Week and the publishing industry is getting ready for it. Many CAN authors will be at stores for events and book signings. 

 

Have Fun Marketing to Book Groups

Greetings from Debby Mayne. I’m new to CAN, and I’m super excited about being part of this wonderful organization and blogging about what I know. I’ve been a published author for more than a dozen years. During that time, I’ve tried everything I could think of to get my books into the hands of readers. Some have worked, and others have been what I call “learning experiences” that I’ll leave alone until I can figure out a way to make them work. 

One of the marketing techniques, connecting with reading groups and book clubs, is fun and personal, allowing the author to get to know readers in a more intimate way. Book group members truly love stories in the form of the written word, so you can skip the step of having to sell them on reading. They’re going to read a book. Your job is to convince them that your book should be the next one on their list.

Marketing to book clubs is a multi-step process that may take a while, so start planning long before your book’s release date. Keep track by using a spreadsheet, day planner, large calendar, or list on a word processor. You’ll need to be diligent with every step, or you may disappoint your fans.

 

Here are the steps for in-person book club events:

1. Find local book clubs and reading groups by contacting your library, bookstore, and church groups. If your story deals with a specific topic that has an organization, contact them. For example, a book that features a cancer survivor, you might want to contact the local American Cancer Society and find out if they have survivor groups.    

2. Make a list of the groups and rank them according to direct interest, location, and how many members you can reach. I prefer mid-sized groups (10 to 15 people) because it’s easier to have back-and-forth conversation and to share personal experiences than with larger groups. However, I’ll talk to almost anyone who invites me. 

3. If possible, physically go to the meeting and be prepared with a list of questions. Some publishers request discussion questions for each book, but even if they don’t, you can come up with some. I like to post them on my website so people can think about them before the meeting. Print the questions and hand them out. Then be prepared for the discussion to go totally off topic. That’s a good thing because you might get some great ideas for your next novel or series. 

4. I like to have a giveaway or door prize. Not only does this provide incentive for more people to attend, you can use this opportunity to share some of your backlist with your new fans. 

5. Let everyone know If you have a newsletter and ask them to sign up for it. You can even use this group for future influencers. They’ll love getting free books from you or your publisher. 

6. If you enjoy speaking to groups, this is a good place to get word out. The book club members may attend a church or civic group that would enjoy having you speak. 

7. Follow up a week or so after the get-together. Send the host or hostess a thank you note. 

Long Distance Book Club Groups:

• If you are unable to attend the meeting due to distance, offer to call in or have a videoconference at a designated time.
• Send the hostess a box of backlist books or a gift basket to keep or pass out to the members.
• Since the members will see you, dress as you would if you were there in person.
• Be friendly as you introduce yourself and give a brief self-bio. Then tell the people what inspired you to write the book and other information that helps connect you to the readers. Use your discussion questions to keep the conversation flowing.
• After the call or videoconference is over, thank everyone and invite them to subscribe to your newsletter or blog. 

Don’t forget about online book clubs. A couple that come to mind are Goodreads and ReadingGroupGuides.com. At Goodreads, you can build an author page. ReadingGroupGuides.com charges a small fee, but they have thousands of member groups that search their database, making this a worthwhile investment.

Visit my website: DebbyMayne.com

 

Author photo by Tina Bass

Power and Benefits of Groups in Marketing

Aloha from Karen Whiting

CAN offers great benefits to readers and blessings to members. It's good to follow CAN because we post about marketing that others can adapt. It's also good to see what a group does to glean ideas for your own group.

 

Let's chat about to multiply efforts greatly through team efforts that benefits all the members and blesses others.

 

Promoting books through Articles

Articles tend to reach far more readers than books. That makes it important to write articles for magazines, especially ones that include author bios or links and mention the title of a book. The articles promote the books.

I enjoy writing articles. I also help authors in CAN write for MTL (More to Life) magazine that's published by the Munce Group (CAN partners with that group to reach out to independent Christian book stores).

7 Twitter Rules of the Road

Hi, Ava Pennington, CAN Secretary, here. Our CAN members have been learning how to better use social media, thanks to several recent member webinars. As I apply what I’ve been learning, I've noticed some parallels with driving…

Have a New Book Releasing? Let's Party!

Hi everyone! Pamela Meyers here with my monthly post on marketing your books. Last month I described the inception of my debut novel, Thyme for Love, which released last November with OakTara Publishing. Along with describing how the idea for my story evolved, I also shared ways in which thoughts toward marketing the book materialized as the story took shape.

As soon as I learned my release date of November 14, 2011, my thoughts went to how was I going to celebrate my debut novel and, at the same time, get the word out to people in my local area about the book? What better way than a party and book-signing event? After all, we only have one debut novel in our writing lives.

 

Maximizing Marketing When Speaking

Aloha from Karen Whiting. CAN treasurer

I Love speaking to Moms, Women, Writers, and well, anyone who shares similar passions. I also find that there are many ways books get promoted when I speak, beyond the actual time I stand and talk.

It starts the moment I get a speaking engagement with the meeting planner letting people know I'll be coming and my posting the event to my website upcoming appearances. There are several ways to maximize the promotional possibilities.