With the publication of your book, you have every reason to be proud of yourself. You deserve a break, a time to relish in the knowledge that you are a published author. Give yourself the kudos you deserve, several pats on the back and if you’re so inclined, take a few days off to celebrate your success. Then, you’ll need to get back to work.
I know it sounds strange, but promoting your book isn’t just your publisher’s responsibility. If you think you’ve done the hard part and the publisher should be able to take it from there, you’re in for a sad awakening. The book is yours and so is the job of marketing that wonderful masterpiece you’ve written. So how exactly do you promote and market your work of art? And what happens if you’re a brand-new author and you don’t happen to have the budget needed to guarantee your book will be a best-seller? What I’m going to share with you now comes from years of experience, determination, and extremely limited funds.
This may sound like information you already have, but the Internet is an extremely useful tool when you’re looking to promote your book. Chock full of websites for writers and places to list your book, the Internet is a veritable gold mine of promotional opportunities and all it requires is the investment of your time. One of the best websites for authors is The Romance Studio. All it requires is free registration and you can post news, contests and book releases for free and you if don’t happen to have a website yet, you can’t go wrong using The Romance Studio’s services. They’re reasonable, fast and extremely easy to work with.
Most related websites are eager to hear from published authors, especially since the goal of those websites is to assist aspiring writers. Seeing the culmination of someone else’s dream can be a shot in the arm. And if you visit a website and it doesn’t appear to offer you the opportunity to post your information, ask. It never hurts to send the webmaster an e-mail and inquire about listings. I’ve found that most owners of these types of websites are open to authors and even if they don’t allow postings, they’ll know about your book and perhaps keep it in mind when they’re looking for something to read themselves.
The next outlet available online is newsletters. Many writers’ organizations and groups publish newsletters and/or ezines which include news and/or announcements for authors. Even if you’re not a member of those groups and/or organizations, it doesn’t hurt to ask if you could submit your information, especially if you’re a first time author. Again, it’s an encouraging sign for other authors when an aspiring author succeeds. It brings hope to the masses and gives you the added benefit of a rousing toot-toot of your own horn.
Then, book clubs are eager to read new books and donating one of your books to online clubs can generate income even if it’s only a few books at a time. You may want to start with smaller book clubs. They’re easy to find online and with Google, they’re plentiful. You may have to do a little research to find the appropriate person to send your request to unless you get lucky and there’s a submission form online. Either way, submit to as many clubs as you can, at least twenty, as your response rate may be low at first.
And lastly, don’t forget the importance of submitting your own press releases. PR Web, Press-World.com and PRFree.com all enable you to submit your press releases free and with the right amount of pizzazz, you just might catch a reporter’s eye. Receiving billing in any newspaper, even a local one, can generate interest and income and all the press release costs is time. You may not think you can write a press release, there are many places on the Internet which give you tips and sample releases. The guidelines are generally the same for each website I’ve listed above and with a little practice, you’ll have the newspapers eating out of your hand.
These are just some of the areas in which the Internet can be a writer’s best friend. The investment is minimal in monetary terms, but priceless when it comes to generating income. Many more areas exist for new and returning authors when promoting online and I hope you’ll expend as much time and energy promoting your masterpiece as you did writing it. After all, a book without promotion is a paperweight.
Dawn Carrington is the editor-in-chief for Vintage Romance Publishing. A multi-published author of fantasy and paranormal romance herself, she currently writes for Ellora’s Cave, Red Sage Publishing, and Samhain Publishing. She has created and taught courses for Suite 101 and currently teaches for Absolute Classes. Additionally, she is a promotional and business consultant and non-fiction writer for several online e-zines as well as print magazines and lectures frequently on the business of writing.
To learn more about Dawn or Vintage Romance Publishing, please visit http://www.dawnrachel.com or http://www.vrpublishing.com
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