Dear friends,

I'm curious as to what other writers are doing to promote their work. Especially novelists.

Oft times I feel like I get nowhere with FIREBRAND. I have very little extra income to spend on ads, etc. It took over a year after my book's publication for my local newspaper to take interest and run a piece about me. Good thing I went POD and the book is still in print.

Are others banging their heads?

Hi Debra, you're a newbie! Welcome to BWS. I write women's fiction novels and do all my own promotion and marketing.

First thing you should do is purchase Carolyn Howard-Johnson's book, THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/193299310X/103-1902679-3472606 You'll find some great ideas on promotion and marketing.

Second, determine your reader market and then look at what other authors in that genre are doing to market their books. If you're writing romance, mystery, suspense, etc. check out the Romantic Times magazine. http://www.romantictimes.com/ They have advertising deals and you can get your book reviewed by them.

Third, look into reader e-zines and websites. They have some affordable advertising rates and many will even create the ad for you at a low price. Banner ads work well for this kind of advertising.

Finally, I'd sit down and determine how much money I can afford to spend on advertising and then prioritize my types of promotion. You might be able to afford one ad in Romantic Times, or 6 months of advertising in a reader zine. Where do you think you'll get the best exposure?

If you want to have bookmarks made, www.earthlycharms.com is a great place, with awesome products. I think they do pens too, if you want to use those as give-aways for conferences.

Personally, I created a marketing plan for my newest book coming out this year. Parts of it my publisher will handle (like sending the book out for reviews) and I'll handle the advertising. I've set a specific amount for the promotion and itemized what each kind will cost. And, I used Carolyn's book to come up with some unique kinds of advertising - like creating a master mailing list (family, friends, people who sign your guest book, fans, etc.) to send out e-mail and snail mail about upcoming books.

Plus, I have a writers' forum http://www.vickimtaylor.com/forums/index.php?
where you can find TONS of information about marketing your book under the PROMOTION heading.

[ April 06, 2005, 06:01 PM: Message edited by: Vicki M. Taylor ]

Vicki you have such a wealth of information. It's very frustrating when you are on a budget (or no budget!!) for marketing and promotion of your own book. I know the feeling.

There are a lot of excellent resources available to us though and I agree that Carolyn's book is one of the best. Debra you should DEFINITELY get that one because it's designed just for those of us who need to be money conscious but get the most bang for the few bucks we can devote to promotion.

GOOD LUCK Debra....and THANKS for all your encouragement and info Vicki!

Anyone who wants to make their own bookmarks - I found some plain ones that come 5 to a page on a decent stock for $7.99 plus s&h at www.paperdirect.com.
Louisa

Thanks for all the great ideas!