The Newbie Promotion Outlook
Monday, December 11, 2006
I'm a "Published Author". I have to remind myself everyday that two different publishers like my work. Cobblestone Press and Wild Rose Press have both contracted my stories and the promotional merry-go-round begins. On Saturday, I discovered that I double booked myself. Not only was I chatting at Ebook Love with Cobblestone, but I was supposed to be over at Joyfully Reviewed for WRP. I thought I got them all on the calendar, but being new at this, I didn't.Then, I'm chatting over at Ebook Love and I'm freakin' clueless. I think I did okay, but I'm not used to promoting myself or my books. It got me thinking. Do you (who are much more professional than I am) have a "plan" when you go to a promotional chat? I had my blurb for "A Taste of Christmas" and my website address. I did have that overwhelming feeling of "What the heck am I doing?"
*sigh*
I know I'll get the hang of this. It's funny. I do so much better raving about other people's writing than my own. It's not that I'm shy (stop laughing you guys!). I'm just really green.
How did you guys overcome the promotional newbie hurdles?
Posted at 6:53 AM by Jennifer McKenzie
3 Comments:
LOL The best thing to do is just be prepared. Have blurbs, excerpts and things like that already written and saved somewhere (I keep mine in an open .doc so I just have c/p them and hit send) Also have any links that you might need. Those are hard to remember all of them, especially if they are the long book links.
Know if you're going to do a giveaway ahead of time. I don't do them all the time.
It will get easier with time. A few of those chats, and you'll be able to do them blindfolded. It isn't easy to toot our own horns. But it gets better. Honestly.
I've done somewhere around a half dozen loop chats at this point, and they are almost never busy. Usually, the people posting most are the authors, not the readers.
Here's what I usually do:
- Post a short introduction message, with a bio and such.
- Post a blurb of the book I'm promoting. (I usually do this in the intro, but other people do them separately.)
- Post one or two excerpts.
- Post a giveaway contest. You can go elaborate or you can go easy. I prefer the "email me and I'll choose a person at random this evening" rather than "answer questions from the excerpt." But I'm lazy. ;)
Really... it's nothing to worry about. :)
I have my blurb, release website info, MY website info, contest info, and upcoming release stuff at the ready. I give excerpts and usually a free copy of something off my backlist.
That said, I don't push myself too hard. I get annoyed with people who come to chat with me and spend the whole time going BUY ME BUY ME, so I just chat. Post about writing, dinner, ask funny questions, etc. Make it fun.
Maybe i suck at it. I always feel like I do, but I have anyway.
Post a Comment
<< Home