What are some good ways to promote a book?

Question

I've done the usual: press releases, sent review copies, etc. I've even done the unusual by creating a "movie trailer" for the book which can be seen here: http://www.perfectlysaid.com/eyesofthepoet.html

What else can I do to promote a new book? Any advice will be appreciated.

Answer 1

There is a great book out that may help you. It is entitled: Over 75 Good Ideas for Promoting Your Book that I would recommend picking up.
http://www.amazon.com/Over-Ideas-Promoting-Your-Book/dp/096126425X

This site http://www.writing-world.com/promotion/promo1.shtml
offers a number of different ideas and has some good information you might want to check out.

http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/promote_your_book.htm is another great site that might spark some ideas.

All in all, just keep getting the word out as much as you can. The more you work at it and the more you promote, the faster the word will spread.

I wish you the best of luck and hope to see it in a bookstore sometime soon.

Answer 2

By Advertising. You can build a website to advertise the book there. Or request other websites for advertising space where you can advertise your book. And any time you visit these sites your advert will show up once in a while.

But because not everyone knows how to use the internet,
you can also make brochures on your book and go from house to house or offices to offices and distribute about 100 brochures.
Make your brochures as entertaining as possible and make sure it has a lot of information about your book. The brochure must be polished and made at the press. You will make a lot of money if many people can read the brochure and know what the books all about.

To really make your book very very popular. You must make about a million copies of your brochures and leave them in places like libraries or buses or aircrafts. And places where you are sure people can read them.

Great idea though, interesting question
and
Good luck!

EDIT:
This is the simplest way to begin and while you are about it also consider advertising in newpapers or TV also (that is if you can afford it)

Answer 3

The first thing you should do is to track down the magazines that are read by the people who will be reading your book.

But don't just send a press release to the publication. Find the editor who reviews books or who covers the subject that you've written about.
Unless your press release makes a soft landing on the desk of the person who might write about your book, it's a good bet that the wrong person will just toss your release in the garbage. So man the phones and find the name--or names--of the right individuals at those magazines.

Getting reviewed in a niché publication is well worth the effort because people who read that magazine are predisposed to buy your book.

Next tackle the major newspapers. Again, it's important to send your press release to specific individuals, rather than "editor" or no name at all. Most newspapers have editors for a variety of subjects--science, health, sports, lifestyle, travel, and so forth, so find the right person. Don't forget to send your press release to the book review editor, of course. But there are many other places in the newspaper where your book can be reviewed.

Next comes radio stations-radio talk stations to be precise. Mail (or fax) to as many as you can. That usually means purchasing a database of such stations (and their producers or hosts), or hiring somebody to type a database for you. There are several good lists of radio talk shows, including the Gale directory. While most of these directories are in the library, you will probably have to purchase one to make this work. Key in the individual's name, the station's name, and the station's fax number, then let your computer's faxing software do the work overnight. Depending on your long distance company, each station will cost about 20 cents to fax to.

Definitely contact your local television stations. Find out the name of the producer who arranges author interviews, or the reporter who covers the subject that you've written about. (If it's a novel, then look for the lifestyle reporter.) Don't forget cable television.

As you're mailing and faxing to radio stations, newspapers and magazines, pay particular attention to your local media. Writers always have a better shot at appearing in one of their local papers, or on a local station than across the state or in some other state. Most cities have a plethora of small, sometimes free, community newspapers. These papers are often hungry for material, especially if that material is for free.

What to send to the print media and radio stations? For several reasons you don't want to send your book. (The publisher should pay for the shipping of the books.) Instead, send a one or two page release that tells the recipient to call you (or a friend) to schedule an interview or receive a review copy. Pass along any requests for review copies to your publisher--they'll send them out. Whatever you do, don't tell the station to call you to schedule an interview and call the publisher for a copy of the book: The press hates making two calls. You will miss some prospects if you make them do too much work.

I haven't said anything about the national media--Oprah, A Current Affair, and similar shows. There's no question: You should contact them all. Get the name of a producer at each show (they're generalists, so it doesn't matter who) and send them all a press release. Between broadcast and cable television there are dozens of TV talk shows, so there's a very good chance that you'll end up on one of them. Be sure to include Today, Good Morning America, CNN, and other similar programs.

Do you have any friends in the media business? You would be surprised how hungry --sometimes desperate-- reporters, television producers and radio hosts are for guests. Call your friends and let them know that you are available.

When you contact a producer, let that person know that you are available 24 hours a day. (Never turn down a show, even if it's at 2am.) Often shows receive last minute cancellations, and if the producer knows you are available, you may get a call.
Whatever else you do, you should saturate the media.


Good luck!

Answer 4

I've been to two book launches, one of which was a book to which I'd contributed a short story. Organise a book launch with complementary refreshments and publicise it well in advance. Autograph as many copies as you can. Give away a few autographed copies to anybody who might be interested. I borrowed a book from the library and emailed the author saying how impressed I was. He sent me a copy as a gift. The result was that, I've now got it for permanent reference, but I had to return the library copy. So I now quote from it, talk about it and write about it much more than if I'd only had the library copy. And in my humble opinion books will never be outdated. In 10 000 years time, if an archaeologist opens a time capsule and finds a copy of your book, they'll be able to translate it, long after everybody has forgotten the recording formats of cassettes, VCRs, CDs and flash memories.

Answer 5

Besides having a publisher, it's difficult, especially being new. Most book stores buy from well known authors, even if the new material is better. They base sales on the notoriety of the author. I would try going online to locate book clubs in the demographic area you wish to target. You can also try to sell it as an E-book. That might be a good way to start. You have great patience!!! What you're attempting to accomplish requires a great deal of work and can sometimes be frustrating. However, it's NOT IMPOSSIBLE and probably much more profitable. Good luck!! Let me know how it works out?? (360) It might help me avoid some of the outrageous publishing fees. By the way, your site is awesome!!!!

Answer 6

Do some short one day seminars. It might go over with some Elderholtels.

Do a reading at a local bookstore and brings some copies in and let them sell them and give you wholesale.

Go to some colleges and see if you can interest the English Lit teachers or Poetry teachers into letting yoiu do a 20 minute reading and verbal essay.

Do a Cable TV show. See if someone out there is already doing some type of "talk" show on cable access and see if they'll have you as a guest.

Talk with LOCAL news TV shows. See if they might be interested. Look at you Local TV shows and see who the producer is and send them a letter and see if they'll spotlight you or have you as a guest.

Send a package to Oprah

Send one to the Late Late night shows with a copy of the book.

Post notices at all the poetry groups and clubs at Yahoo.

Answer 7

Do a small party/ cocktail presenting the "movie trailer" of the book, you could also get sponsorship. In this party, you could rent some kind of house, villa, garden or something according to your story.
Also to promote with tight budget, make paper/flyers to indicate where it can be bought and separate the page you was reading..
Sign your copies at a bookstore.

Answer 8

My mother used to work at a book store. She said that a lot of authors would call the individual stores and offer to come do a signing or a reading. Many stores were happy to set up something for them. For 'big' or 'celebrity' authors, all of this was done by the publishing house, but for less well known authors (even many most people have heard of) they took the initiative to make their own arrangements.

I don't know the details on how it all works but it certainly worth a few calls. I pretty sure you will have to pay many of the costs out of your own pocket (for travel, etc).

Answer 9

well contact a local radio station mostly talk radio or a college radio station.. chances are you'll get a live on-air interview or at the least just a call out on your book...
submit it to local mag, newspapers. for a review...
make a flier and post it in book stores...
maybe even your public local tv station... Join some book clubs and submit it to the members...
send a few copies out with your information written on the back cover to random people in a phone book! yeah you might have to bit some cost but work your words and try to get it cheap!
you also can buy radio advertistments for cheap ifyou go with a small market radio station... or even school radio's
Good luck!
Mad luv

Answer 10

I watched your "movie trailer" and wanted to tell you I think it's beautifully done. I can't imagine (with the professionalism of your trailer) that you haven't already thought to check online for publishers of poetry so I won't even go there. My only thoughts would be to get statements for your jacket from other poets who have been published or newspaper writers.

Whatever it takes, I hope you're successful. I'll be looking for a copy to purchase.

Good luck.