Book Promo: What Worked for Me
I’d like to start by giving a couple of disclaimers. First off, the strategies I’ve listed below have worked for me in varying degrees, and while there are certainly other methods authors use, I can personally attest to these. Secondly, before you even consider employing any of these strategies yourself, make sure that whatever you are promoting is something in which you are absolutely confident. If you currently have a “woe is me” attitude and degrade your own work publicly, even in joking, the strategies below become instantly obsolete. Be confident. Lastly, understand that the publicity department at my publisher (as with most authors) has done good things for me, but they also have dozens of authors to attend to; meaning this: at the end of the day you, the author, are your primary publicist. The more buzz you generate early, the more of a snowball effect that it creates.
Congrats, you’re a public figure now, whether big or small. Embrace it. Shying away from tasteful self-promo only hurts your pockets and career aspirations.
With that being said, here we go:
Social media presence. I currently only use Twitter and Instagram. Twitter is the biggie for me. Before I was an author I’d developed great relationships with wonderful writers all over the world. The writing community is one of the most accessible group of folks you’ll ever meet. Why? We all know the struggle of this profession.
Goodreads giveaways. Once your book appears on Goodreads, make sure to claim your author page. At that point, you can schedule a Goodreads giveaway for however many copies you or your publisher can comfortably give away. When I did this, over 2,000 people marked my books on their “to read” shelves in under three weeks. This is the only successful (for me) thing on this list that requires a little money. Totally worth it. In fact, it’s a must.
Send ARCs to big publications, lit mags, and local newspapers. If your publisher doesn’t have many physical ARCs, then send digital copies to those who don’t mind reading digital. Early reviews and mentions are huge. On a whim, I contacted my local paper months before release. Come release week, they put me on the front page of the paper that circulates to 17,000 people. It was my best sales day by far.
Make sure you have an ARC on NetGalley (if affordable/possible through your publisher.) This was huge for me, helping me generate a good many reviews. It garnered me 60+ on Goodreads before my book even released.
Snag some blurbs early on. Start by asking people you know well within your genre. If they have ample time, chances are that they’d be flattered to do it. If it’s someone that seems a long shot, hopefully you’ve developed a rapport with that person. Worst case scenario? They say no. 90% of the folks I asked said yes or politely said they didn’t have time. Blurbs were my lifeblood after I announced my book deal. People pay attention when the authors they like show up on someone else’s cover or on their book description page. I certainly do.
Learn some basic graphic design. Better yet, use the Canva website. It’s free, and making a graphic is a simple drag and drop format. You’ll learn it in 5 minutes. Pick a background or image. Pick a font. Bam! You’ve successfully created a graphic you can download in high quality. These are best used for blurbs, early reviews, and pull quotes. You can also use them for social media banners, etc. I did a Twitter banner in two minutes: https://twitter.com/ScottMBlackburn
Contact your local bookstores. And by local, every respectable store in your state/region. I did this in my month leading up to release, letting each know I had a book on the way. Most replied that they already had it on order. 100% of the ones who didn’t added it to their lineup. Some as far as 1,000 miles away. This also led to tour opportunities later on. At minimum, it puts you on the book buyer’s radar.
Podcasts. 100% the best bang for your buck. Find podcasts you dig and those within your genre, contact the host, and send them an ARC if they have interest. At that point, you’ve done all you can. I’ve met some lifelong friends by going on to podcasts, and it’s opened other doors for me that I can hopefully speak on soon.
Help out your friends, and don’t be afraid to ask them for help. This is the motor that should always be running. Perhaps you or your friend knows someone at a press, publication, or podcast, and you can extend an introduction via email or social media. If you feel comfortable with that, do it. I’ve had several big opportunities arise from a friend showing me a kindness, and vice versa. Lean on your buddies, and let them lean on you. This also applies to sharing the work of your friends with others by posting links, retweeting, etc.
Celebrate your milestones and make them public (when you’re allowed to.) Signed with an agent? Take a pic of you signing your contract. Publisher’s Marketplace announced your deal? Share it. Signed a foreign rights or film agreement? Hell yes people want to know. This goes for smaller victories as well, like reaching a certain number of reviews, finding your book in the wild, and so on. I took a picture of my book in a Barnes and Noble and gained 300 followers and generated almost 2,000 likes in 24 hours. Sales went up. New friendships were made. People want to see you succeed. Let them see it. And celebrate their victories as well. They aren’t your competition.
Ask for reviews and ratings, politely. It’s that simple. If someone told you they read your book, let them know that Amazon reviews are vitally important, because they are. A friend of mine landed a big foreign rights deal because the publisher was impressed they had 100s of reviews. True story. I also have friend who published with a micro press and he’s nearing 300 Amazon reviews in under a year, which is more than some folks with big 5 publishers garner in the same timeframe. Why? He has a good product, and he politely asks for reviews (plus he sends out sweet ass swag kits with book orders from his website.)
Do not turn down opportunities if you can help it. This includes guest blogs and columns, interviews, podcasts, tour opportunities, signings, etc. Only you know how much you and your family can handle, so be wise, but make sacrifices when needed.
Never pay for a review. Ever. Kirkus may ask you for $400 bucks for a short review. Don’t do it. This isn’t a slight against Kirkus. Personally, I didn’t pay them a dime (a nod to my publisher for that hookup.) Save your money for giveaways and travel expenses.
Follow up with people. If someone you contacted doesn’t answer, send them a courteous follow-up. I spoke to a bookstagrammer this week that I’ve been after for a year. Persistence matters.
Don’t be an ungrateful jerk. None of the stuff above matters if you break this rule. Interact with your fans, be genuine, and be thankful. Leave the mysterious, introverted schtick locked in your basement. You’ve been blessed with the rarest of all opportunities, to be an author, so embrace it with joy.
If one of these things helps you, I’m thrilled. I learned a lot of these strategies from author friends as well as my own trial and error. I hope whatever you do pays dividends for your work. Again, this isn’t a competition against other authors. We’re all in the same, ever-tossing, ever-shifting boat ride of publication. As my buddy S.A. Cosby likes to say: “A rising tide lifts all ships.” So kick ass, take names, and enjoy the process. Don’t wait for a seat at the table, pull up a damn chair. You and your words matter. Cheers, y’all.
Best,
Scott
