Hello

Hopefully I have put this in the right place!

Having recently become published I wondered if any of you lovely lady writers had any tips for promoting my book?

Hi Samantha!
I would join authorsden.com. They offer a lot of opportunities, like posting excerpts of your work for others to read, blogging, etc. I self-published and the problem I'm having is GETTING THE WORD OUT. I've sent it to a couple of "big names" so I'm hoping it will catch the eye and interest of one of them. PATIENCE, I'm learning.

I've been advertising on various sites but they haven't paid off AT ALL!!! To me, that is a waste of money that I just don't have to throw around (since I'm currently unemployed). I've had people review my work and post to Amazon and I'm having marginal success there.

It can get frustrating but I keep being reminded of Phllipians 4:6-8 and that keeps me focused.

The Podcasting is also helping since I'm pulling subjects directly from my book.

Identify your genre and they MARKET THEM. I wish you the best and maybe you can be a guest on WHATEVER! and talk about your book sometime.

Peace & Blessings,
Beverly Mahone
Athor, WHATEVER! A Baby Boomer's Journey Into Middle Age
www.talk2bev.com

Hi Beverly

Thank you for your comments. My publisher Publishamerica has done wonders for shops etc knowing about it and it is even on the shelves of Barnes and Noble with a 5 star rating.

Its getting the public to know about it I think I am struggling with.

Mind you I decided this morning to make my husband my Manager and have got him on the phone and do you know what it's working!! I may have a book signing lined up that I have been trying to get for weeks. Lol!

Would love to be a guest sometime, just give me the shout.

The first tip I give all authors is to buy Carolyn Howard-Johnson's book The Frugal Book Promoter and read it. You can purchase the ebook version or find out how to get a paperback copy here: http://www.starpublish.com/carolyn_howard-johnson.htm

It's like the spaghetti sauce commercial, if you want it, it's in there. It tells you what you need to know to have a successful marketing campaign.

Another friend and VERY successful author is Trish Terrell (p.m. terrell) who has a book coming out in Sept. Take the Mystery out of Promoting your Book on promotions AND how to have successful book signings, etc....Another one that should become your bible. It should be available for pre-ordering soon. You can read all about P.M. Terrell at this site: http://www.pmterrell.com/ (scroll down a bit to read about the upcoming book).

These people have paved the way for you. Don't reinvent the wheel...read what they have to say, then go out and do it! Trust me...it works!

Thank you for those I shall check them out.

queenjawjaw,

Is that who I should've given my book to for a review?

Beverly Mahone
www.talk2bev.com

No...these are people who are veterans in the publishing, writing, and promoting world. They don't do reviews, to my knowledge.

JJ

According to Dan Poynter, one of the self-publishing gurus, bookstores are lousy places to sell books. There are just too many of them there! We have published two wine books and sold about 3,000 of them. We mainly sell in wineries. So where else would your book do well besides bookstores?

Other things that have worked:
- We have a great web site (www.MountainVinesPub.com) and someone who feeds the search engines with our keywords on a regular basis.
- Newsletter to about 70 people who refer others
- I teach a class at the local recreation center
- We carry the books with us, visit wineries and talk it up.

Patience is right!

Two other books to look at are Guerrilla Marketing for Writers (Jay Contrad Levinson et al) and Shameless Marketing for Brazen Hussies by Marilyn Ross.

Good luck
Casey

I'm going to take a different approach here. Due to the nature of your book and because one of my publisher's authors (Doreen Virtue) and I spoke about book promotion, I am going to suggest allowing spirit to open doors that should be opened. Doreen has sold a ton of books and she refuses to self-promote.

I've had it happen in my own life. I, of course, put myself out there but allow God to do the rest. I do make contacts with shelters, etc to help them and to donate my book but I have never actively gone on a promotion gig. I detest book signings and have even turned some down. My publicist agrees with me that they don't really sell that many books unless friends and family show up. I'm not saying that people don't sell at them, it's just not my thing.

I would also suggest that you try to book speaking engagements on your topic. That way, you meet people and they want to hear more and buy your book.

Okay, that's my two cents.

Thank you for your two cents Dianne. I do leave most of it to spirit but am a great believer in opening the doors ready for spirit to push something through.

Today I have been approached by a magazine writer to do another article and I have another journalist writing a different kind of article on my behalf as a consequence of giving it to the Universe.

So we shall see what else spirit has planned!