How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now

L. Diane Wolfe

• Publisher: Dancing Lemur Press LLC
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN: 9780982713990
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Marketing
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Publishing and promoting made simple! Have you dreamed of publishing a book but didn't know where to begin? This book guides you through identifying markets, budgeting, building an online presence, and generating publicity. Get the current scoop on: Traditional publishing & self-publishing
Print and e-book setup, formatting, and distribution
Finding your target audience
Generating reviews and media interest
Networking and developing an online presence
Promotional materials and appearances Uncover your ideal publishing path and various marketing options before you begin. Writing is your dream. Give it the best chance for success! "She gives an unbiased take on the advantages and disadvantages of traditional publishing and self-publishing and publishing paths that combine the two… It's the perfect book for those who want an overview to begin the decision-making process." - Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning series of how-to books for writers

Virtual Tours Part I

 

A virtual tour is similar to a physical book tour. The author makes a series of appearances over a set period of time. The purpose is the same—to gain exposure to a wider audience of potential readers.

 

During a physical tour, an author visits bookstores, libraries, conferences, book clubs, and other venues while doing radio or TV interviews. In a virtual tour, those stops are replaced with online articles, interviews, reviews, and promotional giveaways. Media spots become podcasts, online radio programs, and videos.

 

The greatest advantage to an online tour is the low cost. A physical tour is expensive. The price of gas, lodging, meals, and other travel expenses make physical tours much less efficient. Often the increase in book sales does not offset the cost of a physical tour. The alternative is the virtual tour, where the investment is time rather than money.

 

The ideal virtual tour is approximately two weeks in length and involves ten stops, one on each weekday. They can stretch longer, but be cautious not to burn out the followers of your tour or yourself.

 

A book tour can be set up one of three ways:

 

1. Your publisher sets up the tour for you through their network of marketing contacts. This type of tour often relies more on book reviews, but sometimes you will be required to do interviews and articles.

2. You can hire a service to set up a tour. They will match your book’s genre to the sites in their database. The downside is the cost, which ranges from $50–$2,500. You may be assigned to a site that receives very little traffic. Always ask for a list of references and previous author tours before committing to a service.

3. You can set up the tour yourself. This requires an established network of contacts online in order to be truly beneficial. It also involves more work on your part, but the tradeoff is you are in control.

 

A virtual tour should begin around your book’s release date or within a few weeks thereafter. It’s important to contact potential hosts in a timely fashion. Depending on your target sites, you (or your publisher, publicist, or tour service) need to contact hosts two to five months in advance. Large sites, online magazines, and radio shows book many months in advance. If you wait too long, they won’t have room in their schedule.

 

If relying on a service or your publicist, they will send you dates and sites as they are booked. If the host is part of a social site, make a friend request or follow them. Consider adding a link to their site from yours, especially if you are a blogger. Usually you will have little direct contact, as tour stop requested information goes through your publicist, publisher, or tour service.

 

If you are setting up the tour yourself, a pre-existing relationship is vital. Following the blogger or website for at least a month before setting up your tour gives you a chance to gather information and get to know the site owner. You want to confirm that not only does the site receive a lot of visitors, it receives a lot of comments if it’s a blog. (This shows quality interaction between blogger and followers.) Sending requests to sites that are a poor fit for your book is a waste of time. Get to know your potential hosts, whether it’s a website, podcast, online magazine, or blog. Leave comments or ask questions whenever possible. Place links to their site on your site. You’ll increase your chances of securing quality hosts this way.

 

There is a bit of legwork involved before setting up a virtual tour, but the payoff is a much more successful tour.

 

 

“Promoting a book is a lonely and uphill battle if you approach it alone. Early on, seek out authors and book marketing experts with established followers. Build relationships with them and help them promote their books and businesses. In return, most will be happy to put your book in front of their followers.”

- Tony Eldridge, author of the bestselling books, The Samson Effect, The Lottery Ticket, and Conducting Effective Twitter Contests

 

Virtual Tours Part II

You’re ready to set your dates. Now, who should you contact?

Refer back to the exercise in the chapter on Your Target Audience. Where does your target audience go online? What sites do they visit? If you are setting up a tour on your own, hopefully you’ve spent a few months cultivating relationships on these sites. You want to know which sites garner a lot of traffic and comments, and you don’t want to be a total stranger to the site owner.

What type of sites make good virtual tour hosts? Any of the following:

• Websites that feature your books’ genre
• Websites that focus on your subject matter
• Blogs that either do reviews, feature your genre, or welcome guest posts
• Other authors’ sites or blogs
• Social sites such as Facebook
• Twitter parties
• Online radio or podcasts

Send an email to the owner, web master, producer, or editor. State who you are and let them know that you have been following their site/podcast/magazine and would like to contribute as part of your virtual tour. Offer suggestions as to the content and provide your book’s details, website, and personal information.

The content of each stop depends on the site, but here are some suggestions:

Articles or essays – For an online magazine website, the focus is rarely your actual book. For blogs and similar sites, they may want to know about your writing and publishing process. Make suggestions but be open to specific requests. After all, it is that person’s site. They know what appeals to their readers.

Interviews – Any site is a potential interview host. Some have standard questions. Some may want a review copy first. Others are open to suggestions. If you are familiar with the site, you’ll know what to expect. Be cautious of sites that feature really long interviews, as readers either often skim or skip these altogether.

Reviews – Online reviewers might work with you and post a review for your tour on a certain date. Sometimes reviews can be in addition to either a guest post or an interview.

Giveaways – This can also be combined with any of the first three suggestions. Getting your book into the hands of early readers can create strong word-of-mouth recommendations. Work with your publisher on giveaways. Often giving away swag or gift cards is better than giving away the actual book, as you want people to buy the book.

Twitter parties – These last one to two hours and use a specific hash tag (#). The party host starts the discussion using the hash tag and others join in the conversation. Participants will ask you questions and make comments, retweeting your replies and other information. Often there is a giveaway involved.

Facebook Parties - Similar to a Twitter party. One friend “hosts” you on their page and people stop by to comment or it’s held on your author page.

Online radio and podcasts – These are often taped in advance and broadcast at a set date and time. Ranging from ten minutes to one hour, they usually involve a series of questions. The focus can be your book, your book’s subject matter, your publishing journey, or other relevant topic.

One-day promotional blast – This is suitable for all sites and platforms. It involves as many connections on a given platform or social site to send out news about your book at one time. These blasts can be book information only or other fun elements such as giveaways or blogfests that encourage participation. The release date of your book is best for this type of event.

Treasure hunts – These involve those following your blog to visit multiple sites to solve the mystery in hope of winning your book or a prize package.

Once dates are set, post a list of your virtual tour stops everywhere possible. Announce each new stop as it occurs and be prepared to spend time online answering questions and comments. People enjoy the interaction of a virtual tour, so make sure you are available.

As tour hosts request article topics and send you interview questions, complete these in an orderly fashion. (Punctuality is your friend.) Send your article/completed interview along with a short bio, your full book information, links to your sites, purchase links, and JPEG’s of you and/or your book cover. You can also send one or two key reviews or the HTML code or link to your book trailer. Always ask if the host requires anything else. Better to send too much than not enough. Remember to thank...

Table of contents

• Introduction
• Some Industry Facts
• Ghostwriting and Co-Authors
• Finding Your Genre
• Target Audience, Benefits, and Filling a Need
• Originality
• Editing
• Beyond the Book
• Preparing for the Next Step
• Traditional Publishing Defined
• Categories of Publishers
• Pros and Cons of Traditional Publishing
• Going the Traditional Route
• Research Your Targets
• Meeting Publishers and Agents
• Composing a Proper Submission
• Requests and Contracts
• Subsidy Presses
• True Self-Publishing
• Self-Publishing Research
• Business Structure
• Business Setup
• Websites and Blogs
• Key Online Resources
• Bowker
• The Different Formats
• Interior Design
• The Copyright Page
• Cover Art and Exterior Formatting
• EBook Formatting
• After the Book is Formatted
• Offset or POD?
• Selecting a Printer
• Wholesalers and Distributors
• Submitting to Print Wholesalers and Distributors
• Library Distribution
• EBook Distribution
• Bookstores and Other Retail
• Online Opportunities
• Returns
• Promotions
• Writing and Preparing
• People Skills
• Public Speaking
• Your Target Audience
• The Timing of Your Book’s Release
• A Timeline and a Budget
• Branding and the Pitch/Synopsis/Logline
• Developing Contacts
• Websites and Blogs
• Community Sites, Forums, and Groups
• The Media
• Retail Outlets
• Libraries
• Online
• Reviewers
• Other Contacts
• Materials Needed
• Reviews
• Reviews - What to Send
• Where to Send Review Copies
• What to Expect From Reviews
• Your Online Presence
• Develop a Website
• Website Content
• Newsletters
• Blogs
• Online Communities
• Forums and Groups
• Bookseller Sites
• Search Engines and Tags
• Book Sites
• Virtual Tours Part I
• Virtual Tours Part II
• Book Trailers
• Articles
• The Media
• Finding Media Outlets and the Media Kit
• Media Release and Distribution
• PR Agents and Advertising
• Book Signings
• Festivals and Other Opportunities
• Speaking and Consulting
• Contests and Achievements
• Ongoing