Not all online book promotion techniques are shiny and new. Mr. Obie Joe continues to be impressed with using discussion groups for connecting an author with a niche of readers. Our favorite are the discussion groups on Yahoo.
Navigating the search for which discussion groups match your author's book take a bit of finesse. Yahoo is a bit creaky in its filtering creativity and capability, so expect a bit of time wading through numerous groups that seem like advertisements rather than authentic conversations.
Which reminds us to remind you to make your participation authentic, too. Don't limit your participation to a jump about your book, and then gone. Engage in the conversation, start a topic, and respond.
And don't forget to include your signature line at the end of each post. Your name is the first line, your book's name the second line, and the third your web site and/or blog.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Are bookstore signings worth it?
Unless the bookstore event could garner at least 100 people in the seats, the author refused to commit to the bookstore's reading and signing.
Hmm. The quick retort would point out that unless this author was a namebrand, chances were the attendance numbers were a gamble. But the author had a point: unless the resources were there to effectively market the event and author's name, what would be the point of an event? Each player has their part to shoot for that 100+ attendance reading:
The Bookstore:
• In store promotion
• Community notification via media, newsletters, etc.
• Regular reading series that would guarantee a base audience
The Publisher:
• Dollars for co-op advertising
• Shelf ads
• Postcards for placement next to cashier
• Publicist for booking media
The Author
• Friends & family call list, invitations sent out
• E-mail invitation to every community Author interacts with
• Availability to do any media
• A spectacular performance
Recently we negotiated with a powerful bookstore in Arizona who wanted a $250 fee before booking an author's event. Mr. Obie Joe understands the fee, but wonders a need for the fee if everyone did their part.
Hmm. The quick retort would point out that unless this author was a namebrand, chances were the attendance numbers were a gamble. But the author had a point: unless the resources were there to effectively market the event and author's name, what would be the point of an event? Each player has their part to shoot for that 100+ attendance reading:
The Bookstore:
• In store promotion
• Community notification via media, newsletters, etc.
• Regular reading series that would guarantee a base audience
The Publisher:
• Dollars for co-op advertising
• Shelf ads
• Postcards for placement next to cashier
• Publicist for booking media
The Author
• Friends & family call list, invitations sent out
• E-mail invitation to every community Author interacts with
• Availability to do any media
• A spectacular performance
Recently we negotiated with a powerful bookstore in Arizona who wanted a $250 fee before booking an author's event. Mr. Obie Joe understands the fee, but wonders a need for the fee if everyone did their part.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
An hour a day
In the next few days, we'll feature an interview with Kristopher B. Jones, owner of the nation's largest search engine optimization firm, pepperjamSEARCH.com (what a memorable name: spicy and sweet). Jones made an appearance at the BookExpo, and his advice for applying standard web SEO tools to book marketing were resonant, if not always understandable, given the newness of these concepts to the book world.
We wanted to share one thing he said: "An hour a day for SEO" keeps the orders from rolling away to other sites, other authors, other pursuits. Maximizing your site and Web presence is a continual, but not too taxing task. Just make sure you keep to it.
We wanted to share one thing he said: "An hour a day for SEO" keeps the orders from rolling away to other sites, other authors, other pursuits. Maximizing your site and Web presence is a continual, but not too taxing task. Just make sure you keep to it.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
The unexpected gift of a blog
While reading Robert Gray's interview of a bookseller who blogs (www.fresheyesnow.com), Mr. Obie Joe is reminded of one of the oft-forgotten benefits of blogging: in talking, with clarity, about what you do, you start a conversation with others. Others could be customers, peers, media, and friends, all of whom have an interest in what you do and think. The impact can never be underestimated.
Gray spoke with Russ Marshalek, resident blogger for Wordsmiths Books in Decatur. Marshalek mentioned the automatic aspects of the blogs-- book reviews, news & events, etc. -- and then referred to the singular aspects. "I always enjoy it, though, when I hear from a publisher outside of the region that they've read the blog--the southeast in general, and Georgia in particular, is neglected by a lot of publishers as 'not being literary,' but it really is--and the more connected those book lovers in the region are to one another, the more of a unified voice is presented, and the more attention's drawn," he says.
And there it is: one of the gifts of blogging. Connecting with a new audience that might not have crossed paths with your book or your store is what a blog does. Don't be afraid to be completely original in your blog presentations and content. Wordsmiths was not wary of referring to their small part of Ga.; interestingly, it reinforced their current audience, and attracted national attention at the same time.
Gray spoke with Russ Marshalek, resident blogger for Wordsmiths Books in Decatur. Marshalek mentioned the automatic aspects of the blogs-- book reviews, news & events, etc. -- and then referred to the singular aspects. "I always enjoy it, though, when I hear from a publisher outside of the region that they've read the blog--the southeast in general, and Georgia in particular, is neglected by a lot of publishers as 'not being literary,' but it really is--and the more connected those book lovers in the region are to one another, the more of a unified voice is presented, and the more attention's drawn," he says.
And there it is: one of the gifts of blogging. Connecting with a new audience that might not have crossed paths with your book or your store is what a blog does. Don't be afraid to be completely original in your blog presentations and content. Wordsmiths was not wary of referring to their small part of Ga.; interestingly, it reinforced their current audience, and attracted national attention at the same time.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Dissecting magazines for an author's gain
In a past life, Mr. Obie Joe had a familiarity with magazine journalism. Since many authors crave magazine coverage of their talents and their books, the cane points to a how-to-read a magazine for one's advantage:
-- Flip to the masthead. Write down names of editors of departments relevant to your book, or author platform. Go through the names in both the editorial and art departments.
-- Find names of freelancers, in brief bios close to the masthead, or recognizable in the bylines. Later, you'll google their names for e-mail addresses, which can be easier to find because freelancers usually belong to groups, teach, or have own web sites.
-- Go to the departments. See the writing style -- you'll want to match that in your press release or e-mail pitch.
-- See what trends are more prevalent than others. Does the magazine emphasis fitness as a stress reducer, or a way to look younger? You'll want to match that viewpoint, too.
-- Count the words. Unless you have a remarkable author platform (are you famous, odd, or unique?), chances are your pitch will go for a short article. Count the number of words for the short pieces. About 100 words for the shorts, and 750-1000 for the longer features.
-- Flip through the pages, one by one, and see if there are other parts of the magazine for your pitch. If your book is about health, you could pitch a money story, and you could pitch a feature about a person profiled in your book.
-- Find the creative writing section. These are sections for essays on problems solved in your life, a solution you'd like to pass on, and so forth. While these essays may not promote your book specifically, these do include a short bio at the end stating your name, and the name of your book.
-- Remember, the goal is not for a book review, but for a type of article that extends the promotional reach of your book and author platform.
-- Flip to the masthead. Write down names of editors of departments relevant to your book, or author platform. Go through the names in both the editorial and art departments.
-- Find names of freelancers, in brief bios close to the masthead, or recognizable in the bylines. Later, you'll google their names for e-mail addresses, which can be easier to find because freelancers usually belong to groups, teach, or have own web sites.
-- Go to the departments. See the writing style -- you'll want to match that in your press release or e-mail pitch.
-- See what trends are more prevalent than others. Does the magazine emphasis fitness as a stress reducer, or a way to look younger? You'll want to match that viewpoint, too.
-- Count the words. Unless you have a remarkable author platform (are you famous, odd, or unique?), chances are your pitch will go for a short article. Count the number of words for the short pieces. About 100 words for the shorts, and 750-1000 for the longer features.
-- Flip through the pages, one by one, and see if there are other parts of the magazine for your pitch. If your book is about health, you could pitch a money story, and you could pitch a feature about a person profiled in your book.
-- Find the creative writing section. These are sections for essays on problems solved in your life, a solution you'd like to pass on, and so forth. While these essays may not promote your book specifically, these do include a short bio at the end stating your name, and the name of your book.
-- Remember, the goal is not for a book review, but for a type of article that extends the promotional reach of your book and author platform.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Can book marketing be too much
(in response to a New York Magazine question about the marketing efforts for his books -- including Spook Country, Pattern Recognition -- author William Gibson had an interesting observation about why we market some books with such fervor):
"Well, it's what we do now. When I was a child, the United States made its own wristwatches and cars. As we've quit manufacturing stuff, we've begun trafficking in branding, which would've been incomparable in 1910--not the thing you made but what you call it. And as generation of consumers has become more aware of marketing, so marketing has had to become quite byzantine. "
It's difficult to resist the allure of branding when promoting an author-- particularly a new author -- because that's often the best shot at boosting a book in a crowded marketplace. Positioning an author with a shorthand profile -- she's an ex-cop beauty queen or he's a father of 10 and now vampire enthusiast -- is what we book promoters do to break out of the pack.
Trouble is, such tasks make the marketing less about the quality of the book, or the resonance with certain audiences. Even J.K. Rowling became a part of this maw at the beginning of the Harry Potter promotion. So much was said about her as the single mum, scribbling the book while tapping into the heat at the corner coffee shop.
Gibson is right -- sometimes the marketing does become "quite byzantine," and becomes more about the techniques, and less about the thing actually being shouted about.
"Well, it's what we do now. When I was a child, the United States made its own wristwatches and cars. As we've quit manufacturing stuff, we've begun trafficking in branding, which would've been incomparable in 1910--not the thing you made but what you call it. And as generation of consumers has become more aware of marketing, so marketing has had to become quite byzantine. "
It's difficult to resist the allure of branding when promoting an author-- particularly a new author -- because that's often the best shot at boosting a book in a crowded marketplace. Positioning an author with a shorthand profile -- she's an ex-cop beauty queen or he's a father of 10 and now vampire enthusiast -- is what we book promoters do to break out of the pack.
Trouble is, such tasks make the marketing less about the quality of the book, or the resonance with certain audiences. Even J.K. Rowling became a part of this maw at the beginning of the Harry Potter promotion. So much was said about her as the single mum, scribbling the book while tapping into the heat at the corner coffee shop.
Gibson is right -- sometimes the marketing does become "quite byzantine," and becomes more about the techniques, and less about the thing actually being shouted about.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Red dot means go
We'll admit it: there are times we take the sheeplike approach to trying out a new book.
Going into our library's New Fiction section can feel like a drift into the market's maelstrom of trends. Look over here -- African-American mystery. Over there: teen vampire adventures. And there: the over-the-hill chick lit.
In a bookstore, we're guided by book promotions delicate (posting of the NYT Bestsellers List), and overt (40% off a B&N designated hit). There are shelf ads, "Staff Recommends" bookstand, and stand-alone tables/bookshelves to guide the buyer.
A number of librarians have cottoned to adopting a bookstore's feel to their library. Beyond the comfy chairs, Teen Lit sections, and even lattes in the lobby, these libraries have adopted some of the stealth ways bookstores push certain titles.
(excerpted from www.ckls.org/~crippel/marketing/bookstore.html )
"One librarian, Sharon Baker, discovered that merely placing a red dot on spines of books on the regular shelves with signs on the end panels saying red dots mean recommended books increased circulation of those books by 9% to 179%. Dots of different colors could represent different genres, different awards (e.g., Nebula vs. Hugo) or different sources of recommendation (e.g., Modern Library list best novels)."
As a fan of the color red romantically, Mr. Obie Joe, is impressed with a quiet, but expert, way to help readers try out titles unfamiliar to them.
Going into our library's New Fiction section can feel like a drift into the market's maelstrom of trends. Look over here -- African-American mystery. Over there: teen vampire adventures. And there: the over-the-hill chick lit.
In a bookstore, we're guided by book promotions delicate (posting of the NYT Bestsellers List), and overt (40% off a B&N designated hit). There are shelf ads, "Staff Recommends" bookstand, and stand-alone tables/bookshelves to guide the buyer.
A number of librarians have cottoned to adopting a bookstore's feel to their library. Beyond the comfy chairs, Teen Lit sections, and even lattes in the lobby, these libraries have adopted some of the stealth ways bookstores push certain titles.
(excerpted from www.ckls.org/~crippel/marketing/bookstore.html )
"One librarian, Sharon Baker, discovered that merely placing a red dot on spines of books on the regular shelves with signs on the end panels saying red dots mean recommended books increased circulation of those books by 9% to 179%. Dots of different colors could represent different genres, different awards (e.g., Nebula vs. Hugo) or different sources of recommendation (e.g., Modern Library list best novels)."
As a fan of the color red romantically, Mr. Obie Joe, is impressed with a quiet, but expert, way to help readers try out titles unfamiliar to them.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Guaranteed results
At some point in every conversation with a new client, a book publicist waits for the same question or joke: "And then we'll get on Oprah! Right? Right!"
It's a curious phenomenon, this specter of Oprah as the lottery ticket, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. An appearance on Oprah is the guaranteed book promotional tool, which is comforting in an industry where so many book promotions don't result in book sales.
Authors and publishers want results, but results and goal are one thing, guarantees another.
It is an art to manage the expectations of publishers and authors. Mr. Obie Joe advocates clarity of the cane. A promotional campaign might sell the books, and might not.
A huge amount of editorials on the issues in Leslie Bennett's book about the politics of stay at home mothers made the book's title familiar, but familiarity did not translate into book sales. As in the algorithm: advance + promotion budget = book sales.
Mr. Obie Joe has to remind those seated that book sales are only one component of why any one of us does promotion. Keep your book sales goals reasonable, and your other goals (building a fan base, creating momentum for secondary career) large and creative.
Sure, Oprah sells books for SOME authors, but not ALL authors.
It's a curious phenomenon, this specter of Oprah as the lottery ticket, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. An appearance on Oprah is the guaranteed book promotional tool, which is comforting in an industry where so many book promotions don't result in book sales.
Authors and publishers want results, but results and goal are one thing, guarantees another.
It is an art to manage the expectations of publishers and authors. Mr. Obie Joe advocates clarity of the cane. A promotional campaign might sell the books, and might not.
A huge amount of editorials on the issues in Leslie Bennett's book about the politics of stay at home mothers made the book's title familiar, but familiarity did not translate into book sales. As in the algorithm: advance + promotion budget = book sales.
Mr. Obie Joe has to remind those seated that book sales are only one component of why any one of us does promotion. Keep your book sales goals reasonable, and your other goals (building a fan base, creating momentum for secondary career) large and creative.
Sure, Oprah sells books for SOME authors, but not ALL authors.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Readers and myspace users
Social networking sites -- myspace, facebook, livejournal -- intrigue us as a place for marketing books. Except....has anyone taken a deep look as to how prolific users of these sites find the books they read? Do they read more or less than the average population?
We ask this because we're still sorting out the worth of starting a myspace page for our authors. Is a myspace page just a formality-- mark your territory -- but not a necessity in marketing your book online?
We still maintain the greatest attractant is a really well written, often updated, and sharp looking web site or blog for a book.
We ask this because we're still sorting out the worth of starting a myspace page for our authors. Is a myspace page just a formality-- mark your territory -- but not a necessity in marketing your book online?
We still maintain the greatest attractant is a really well written, often updated, and sharp looking web site or blog for a book.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Eleanor Roosevelt's calling cards
Before he became president, Franklin Roosevelt moved to DC to begin his political career. As expected of an ambitious man's wife, Eleanor Roosevelt began to establish the social network to bolster his career. She visited the homes of the wives of other important men, and if they were not home, would leave a calling card. The process was torturous for her. Yet, years later, she was grateful for the experience, as it developed a second persona able to glide through these interactions to her advantage.
Have you developed your calling card to create your online social network?
Some basics: create a profile on a social networking site -- myspace, livejournal, facebook. Just a profile, with minimal updating and interaction, will significantly increase your placement in the search engines. Why should amazon.com be the top search result for your book, or your name?
Plus, it will tamp down any negative reviews of your book (in the top 20 of Google results)...something else the newbie Mrs. Roosevelt must have figured out as well.
Have you developed your calling card to create your online social network?
Some basics: create a profile on a social networking site -- myspace, livejournal, facebook. Just a profile, with minimal updating and interaction, will significantly increase your placement in the search engines. Why should amazon.com be the top search result for your book, or your name?
Plus, it will tamp down any negative reviews of your book (in the top 20 of Google results)...something else the newbie Mrs. Roosevelt must have figured out as well.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Should authors blog?
Why blog?
Especially when you've racked up several dozen bestsellers, as the seven authors on Squwak Radio have (www.squawkradio.com). These authors have sales, critical recognition, a fan base, and backing by major publishers.
Well, because blogging creates a community. An author does it for her own list, of course, but it also folds the author into a larger literary community.
Mr. Obie Joe loves their quote:
"To create intimacy between readers and authors. Booksellers have said that no particular advertising technique seems to give a book "legs" or send it up the bestseller lists because only the magic word-of-mouth influences sales. What better way to make sure readers know that our new books just hit the shelves than to create a community that stays with us, even when we don't have new releases?"
Especially when you've racked up several dozen bestsellers, as the seven authors on Squwak Radio have (www.squawkradio.com). These authors have sales, critical recognition, a fan base, and backing by major publishers.
Well, because blogging creates a community. An author does it for her own list, of course, but it also folds the author into a larger literary community.
Mr. Obie Joe loves their quote:
"To create intimacy between readers and authors. Booksellers have said that no particular advertising technique seems to give a book "legs" or send it up the bestseller lists because only the magic word-of-mouth influences sales. What better way to make sure readers know that our new books just hit the shelves than to create a community that stays with us, even when we don't have new releases?"
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