Carpinello's Writing Pages: book marketing

Showing posts with label book marketing. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Author Promo Suggestions & The Kid Lit Blog Hop 64.

Promotion for authors today is more than a full-time job, and it can be time-consuming and overwhelming not to mention frustrating. I'd like to share some resources that I've used in the past few months that have helped to get my writing out there and even produced sales.

One element that must be present in all marketing endeavors is the author. Authors must be participants in all marketing programs, even the authors interviewed on Carpinello's Writing Pages. Those authors who promote and reply to comments on this blog have an exceptionally high viewership compared to those who sit back and don't participate.

When Sons of the Sphinx released in October 2014, I decided to explore marketing resources outside of ones I'd used for previous books. I did consider price, first and foremost, and then looked at what other authors in similar genres were using. I also explored companies that engaged me on Twitter and on Facebook. It is not possible to tie sales directly to any one marketing tool, but my sales using all of these resources has led to increased sales—in books I wasn't specifically promoting—and in the sale of classrooms sets of Sons of the Sphinx directly from Createspace.

Here are a list of the resources I've used in 2014/2015. Many are offering specials for the fall, so check out the website/FB page. These are just suggestions, not guarantees. Remember that marketing resources only work as hard as the author. Also, marketing is not done in a vacuum. It performs best when used with multiple avenues.

My Family's Heart - Sons of the Sphinx Book Tour.
Loving the Book Launch Party - Sons of the Sphinx Release FB Party; Back-to-School special.
Tweet Your Book - On Twitter @TweeetYourBook_ - Using for all of my books.
Double Decker Books - Sons of the Sphinx Book Blast/Review Tour.
Aroma's Authors - FB promotion site for all of my books.
Mother/Daughter Book Reviews - Always one of my favorites. Used multiple times.
Facebook Ads - Targeting the correct audience is essential here.

Once again, there is no guarantee of sales with the above marketing resources. I believe, though, that it is essential for writers to share what is working for them so other authors at least have a starting point. Authors need to determine what their marketing strategy is and do the research on promotional companies before signing. Also, the above companies are just some that I have used.

And Now,

Welcome to the 64th Kid Lit Blog Hop where we continue to develop a dynamic and engaged community of children's books bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists.

On this Hop, Carpinello's Writing Pages interviews

Children's author

Gregory E. Bray

You are always more than welcome to join us by popping in a post and hopping around to meet some of your fellow Kid Lit bloggers and authors!

*** Please note that we will only be hosting 1 Kid Lit Blog Hop during the months of July and August. These will take place on the 3rd Wednesday of each month (July 15 and August 19). We will be returning to our normal schedule (the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month) beginning in September. The next Kid Lit Blog Hop will take place September 2.

Hostesses:

Mother Daughter Book Reviews

Julie Grasso, Author/ Blogger

Cheryl Carpinello, Author / Blogger

Stacking Books

BeachBoundBooks

Music Teaching and Parenting

Pragmatic Mom

Reading Authors

The Logonauts

A Book Long Enough

Spark and Pook

Happy Hopping everyone and enjoy the Hop!

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<a href="http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/category/kid-lit-blog-hops/" title="Kid Lit Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/KLBH-Button-FINAL.jpg" alt="Kid Lit Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Kid Lit Blog Hop Rules Please Read

1. Link up any Kid Lit related post in the Kid Lit Blog Hop. This can be a link to a children’s book review, a discussion about children’s literature/literacy, or a post on a recently-read children’s book or one that you love from your childhood.

* Don't link directly to your blog, it must be a specific post.*

* For Authors, we prefer you to link to your blog if you have one. Please link unique posts each time ~ no repeats please. *

* Make sure you include an image relevant to the POST (e.g., book cover), not your blog button or photo of yourself.*

* Feel free to link more than one post.*

2. Please visit AT LEAST the TWO LINKS from the Kid Lit Blog Hop directly ahead of your own and leave them some love in the form of a comment. We are trying to build a community of bloggers, readers, parents, authors, and others who are as passionate about children’s literature as we are so please CONNECT and follow any or all of the blogs that interest you!

3. If you like, grab the button above and put it somewhere on your blog, preferably the post you're linking up. If you'd prefer, you can just add a text link back to this Hop so that others can find it and check out all these great book links!

4. It would really help us get the word out about the Kid Lit Blog Hop if you would be so kind as to tweet, share, and spread the word about the Hop!

Happy Hopping!

KID LIT BLOG HOP

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

On Book Marketing and the Kid Lit Blog Hop #54

I've been told that in the days before the Internet writers spent most of their time writing. Oh sure, there were appearances at bookstores before adoring fans when authors signed books by the hundreds. Authors also went on the road visiting strange bookstores in strange cities. However, mostly authors wrote.

Even back in 2009, when Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend was published, writing still occupied most of my time. In April 2015, Guinevere will have been published six years, and in those six years, the publishing world has been upended and has yet to right itself. Changes have become a daily happening, and for writers, new challenges line up before them like kids who are offered free ice cream.

We writers must write and also become marketing gurus. Most days can be overwhelming even for the best of us. However, we must continue to soldier on and do what must be done. And so, in addition to writing, editing, and marketing our manuscripts, we must also find avenues to expose our writing to a world much wider than just a few years ago. That involves hours of exploring websites offering author marketing services and becoming adept at social media.

And that brings me to my latest marketing endeavors and possibly some new avenues for other writers to use.

1) This week a fairly new site that I discovered and joined in 2014, Author Shout, has entered the cover of Sons of the Sphinx in a cover war with four other authors' books that it represents. The prize for the top cover is free exposure on the Author Shout website and through social media as the Book of the Week. I'm excited to be offered this opportunity for showcasing Sons of the Sphinx, and I ask for your support. Voting is free and each person can vote once a day until the war ends at 8am Eastern on Sunday, Feb. 21. Here is the link: http://authorshout.com/cover-wars/.

2) I've been introduced to a new social media site: Triberr. An online friend of mine told me I needed to join, so I did. You can check out my Triberr page here. The idea is to join other tribes and start your own. Well, I've joined some, but it is pretty lonely there. I am a tribe of ONE! Any tips will be appreciated.

3) On Friday, Feb. 20, I start an online tour with Double Decker Books. The company came to my attention when I was perusing FaceBook pages. The pricing was reasonable, the package—Big Ben—offered the most complete services with reviews, spotlights, and author posts. I will be posting my schedule on Friday. Below is my tour banner.

Also, if you would like to review Sons of the Sphinx on this tour, here is the sign-up link:

http://doubledeckerbooks.blogspot.com/2015/02/sign-up-to-review-sons-of-sphinx.html

4) My webmates and I have a new Pinterest board for our combined website The Quest Books. We hope you'll take time to stop by and 'Like' us! In fact, I'm headed over there to do some pinning,

but first:

Welcome to the 54th Kid Lit Blog Hop where we continue to develop a dynamic and engaged community of children's books bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists.

On this Hop, Carpinello's Writing Pages interviews

MG/YA Christian author Christina Weigand

and

YA author Melanie Hooyenga.

You are always more than welcome to join us by popping in a post and hopping around to meet some of your fellow Kid Lit bloggers and authors! This week, we are excited to be including a Twitter Linky Party to be held in conjunction with the Kid Lit Blog Hop. These linky parties are designed to give you the opportunity to connect with and grow your network of fellow kid lit bloggers, authors, and parents through your various social media platforms. We are pleased to be welcome a new permanent KLBH host with us (you'll remember she co-hosted with us a few weeks ago!): Rebecca from A Book Long Enough, a wonderful new book blog written by a librarian and Mom of three. Big welcome Rebecca!