by Laura Lowell
on December 19, 2013
in Book Marketing, Book Stores, Marketing, Marketing And Sales Strategy
The Monkey’s Paw bookstore has created and is using a machine that dispenses old books. The Biblio-Mat is a coin-operated machine that allows readers to pay with a $2 coin and receive a randomly selected book. The Biblio-Mat was designed and constructed for the Monkey’s Paw by animator Craig Small.
This fun machine vibrates and make noises after being fed a coin. When the book is delivered the buyer hears the ring of an old telephone bell. What we want to know is how can our bookstores get their own copy of the Biblio-Mat? Can you think of a way to use this fun idea to market your books?
by Laura Lowell
on December 17, 2013
in Book Marketing, Marketing, Marketing And Sales Strategy
Courtesy of Indie Author Counsel we have a free book marketing checklist. Six pages long this handout includes building your expert author platform, find friends and readers with social networking, garner book reviews, take a virtual book tour, utilize Amazon’s selling tools, get the word out with free publicity and up your visibility with advertising. Download this book marketing deliciousness right now!
by Laura Lowell
on November 21, 2013
in Book, Book Marketing, Marketing And Sales Strategy
The “Author’s Quick Guide to Engaging Your Fan Base” is an e-book for Kindle written by Kristen Eckstein, the Ultimate Book Coach. From the description of the book Eckstein says “The secret to engaging your fan base is to help them, and help them profitably. By helping them invest in themselves, you’re giving them an incentive to change their world and achieve their dreams. Engaging your fan base in this way will ensure their ongoing support of you in the future. It’s the foundation to an amazing and brilliant relationship!”
This affordable e-book is just one of many written by the author to help you sell more books!
by Laura Lowell
on November 19, 2013
in Book Marketing, Marketing, Marketing And Sales Strategy
Penny C. Sansevieri of Author and CEO, Marketing Experts, Inc. discusses the ins and outs of selling your book in bulk in the article “Courting Catalogs and Bulk Sales”. What we got out of the article is that to sell your books in bulk you need to think creatively. The other issue to keep in mind is that bulk purchases can take time so be patient. To read the entire article yourself click “Courting Catalogs and Bulk Sales“.
by Laura Lowell
on September 19, 2013
in Book, Book Marketing, Book Publishing
Biblio Connection defines bibliophiles as “collectors, readers, authors and sellers”. The site was created to bring these people together and there are a number of ways authors can benefit from this wonderful celebration of books. Authors can find potential readers by talking about their books, post listings and giveaway copies to the Biblio Connection audience.
To learn more about Biblio Connection read this list of available features from their website.
- Connect – find others with a passion for books
- Enjoy – join a discussion, take a quiz or get inspired
- Find – browse the Classified Ads and enhance your book collection
- List – your book related services in the Service Provider Directory
- Meet – fellow writers, collectors, sellers, authors and readers
- Organize – schedule a book collectors/club meeting, a book fair, invite friends
- Promote – your book and brand through giveaways and article features
- Sell – your used/collectable books in the Classified Ads
- Share – tell your stories and share your knowledge
- Start – a group and discuss your favorite books or collecting experiences
- Win – free books through our sponsored book giveaways
If you have a written a book, run don’t walk over to Biblio Connection!
by Laura Lowell
on September 12, 2013
in Book Covers, Book Marketing, Book Publishing, E-Books
Thanks to a brilliant post on the Warrior Forum we got to thinking about the flexibility we have when publishing e-books for Kindle, Nook, etc. When you publish an e-book and it isn’t selling you can change the title, cover, description, etc. If something isn’t working then don’t keep doing it. That is the definition of insanity.
If you have a published e-book then consider making some changes. Here is what people on the Warrior Forum recommended changing:
- Title
- Cover
- Author Name
- Description
- Keywords
- Categories
- Price
If you would like to read the thread yourself visit The Warrior Forum.
by Laura Lowell
on September 10, 2013
in Book Marketing, E-Books, Marketing, Marketing And Sales Strategy
Addicted To E-Books offers e-book authors two ways to promote your book. If you are running a free promotion on Amazon.com or Smashwords you can submit the free promotion here. If your e-book is priced at $5.99 or less you can submit it to be featured on the home page.
The rules: you must create an account to post your book and each book can only be listed once. There are many books on the list so be patient. No Erotica or offensive material will be accepted as this is a family friendly site. Be sure to submit only books that have at least 5 reviews on Amazon.com. To submit a book to this promotion click here.
by Laura Lowell
on September 5, 2013
in Book Marketing, Book Reviews, Marketing, Marketing And Sales Strategy
Online Book Club for Readers is a site about books by book lovers. Included in the site are a discussion forum, polls, reviews and recommendations. This site offers another chance for authors to get their e-book(s) reviewed for free.
To get your e-book reviewed you’ll need to fill out a rather lengthy form but this should not bother you. Getting a fair review is the trade off. The review will be posted on the book club site but it is at the discretion of the reviewer to post it elsewhere. You should be able to use the review to add to your editorial information on your Author Central account on Amazon.com!
by Laura Lowell
on September 3, 2013
in Book Marketing, Marketing And Sales Strategy
We love a good bookmark. Who doesn’t? Bookmarks are something that we take for granted but when we don’t have one at hand we scrounge around the house to find something, anything to put between the pages of our book.
Authors should take advantage of the fact that everyone needs a bookmark, or more specifically, several bookmarks. Get custom made bookmarks that match the cover of your book and include details on where the book can be purchased. This will work for e-books too.
Before your book is even published setup your book for pre-order on your website and start giving away the bookmarks. Some ideas for spreading the word about your book:
- Ask your local librarian if you can leave a bookmarks at the checkout counter for people to pick up before they leave.
- Check with all your local bookstores and see if they will give them away with a purchase.
- Leave your bookmark inside books in the library that are in the same genre as your book.
- Leave behind a bookmark at coffee shops, restaurants or anywhere you people can sit at a table.
- Ask friends and family to pass out your bookmarks and be sure to send a bookmark to everyone who has purchased a book!
If you are struggling to get your book marketing campaigns off the ground check out Book Marketing Mojo!
by Laura Lowell
on August 30, 2013
in Book, Book Marketing, GoodReads, LibraryThing
Book giveaways are an essential part of book marketing and it’s best if you set them up before the book is even published. Our favorite two places to setup a giveaway is GoodReads and LibraryThing. GoodReads is now owned by Amazon.com and they allow giveaways only for physical books. LibraryThing is independently owned and allows giveaways for physical and e-books. It sounds strange but giving away a few books helps sales by exposing your book to more potential readers who may purchase when they don’t win. Check both of these sites out to see if they will work for your books!
