Published by deborah.woehr on 10 Jan 2006 at 08:16 pm
Book Marketing from A - Z, by Francine Silverman
This book is a compilation of book marketing and promotion tips from 300 writers of many genres. Topics cover the traditional methods of book signings, press releases, direct mail, Internet Marketing, etc. Two tips stand out for me right now.
1. Book signings at military base exchanges. Arranging a book signing at these exchanges will give your book broader exposure compared to the traditional bookstore. That’s because Anderson News (the distributor responsible for those book racks) is the same company that stocks books at Wal-Mart, Kmart, airports, grocery stores, etc.
2. Business Cards: Put something on them that your readers will want to keep. For example, one writer made a wind chill factor chart for bikers to tie in with his fictional novel involving Harleys. He stuck this on the back of his business card and put the information for his book on the front.
Stuck on how to set up a press kit for the media? You’ll find step-by-step instructions in this book. Also included are profiles for editors and ghostwriters, writer’s resources, and success stories. I haven’t read the other books on book marketing in my “To Read” pile, but I think this book is going to be my Bible.
Fredcq on 11 Jan 2006 at 5:29 am #
It’s great to hear reviews like this. I may do the same. I have a ton of books on writing. Please keep the reviews coming!
Benjamin Solah on 11 Jan 2006 at 6:13 am #
I need a book on marketing. It is not one of my strong points.
However, I don’t know if my collection of short stories would go down well at a military base
deborah.woehr on 11 Jan 2006 at 8:07 am #
I will, Fred.
Thank you for the encouragement.
You never know, Ben. They may like your stories as much as they like Stephen King.
Lee Pletzers on 11 Jan 2006 at 8:46 am #
There are a lot of books like this on the market but none of them I own actually shows you what to do. Does, this book show by example?
deborah.woehr on 11 Jan 2006 at 9:55 am #
The writers don’t take you by the hand, but they do tell you what they did to gain more sales. For instance, one writer wanted to sell his books at Costco. He went on to explain how he went to the manager’s office to get the name and contact information for Costco buyer, which not only got his book into the Costco chains but garnered more orders.
Now, I wished that the author had gone into some detail about how he approached the manager to get the buyer information. Knowing exactly what to say and how to say it can make or break the sale.
The only step-by-steps I saw involved the press kit and a basic marketing plan. There are some links to some sample press kits in this book.
Chris Howard on 11 Jan 2006 at 6:29 pm #
The business card idea sounds cool, and started me thinking. Thanks.
deborah.woehr on 11 Jan 2006 at 10:08 pm #
You’re welcome.