Posts Tagged ‘book promotion’

Free Webinar: 5 Things You Can Do To Gain Favor With The Media

posted on by Susie

The following is a guest post from Mary Lu Saylor, a 30 year veteran in television news. On Thursday, November 13 she’s co-hosting a free webinar entitled “5 Things You Can Do To Gain Favor With the Media.”

I was asked by the folks at Ambassador International to provide a little insight for authors to promote their books.   I have a background in journalism and have been on the Mary Lu Saylorreceiving end of all sorts of information from organizations, businesses, and even publishing houses touting their latest offerings. I also am an avid reader.

Quick tips to promote your message:

  • Make connections with your local TV stations and offer to do a live interview (it really isn’t as scary as you think!) They may have a day time talk show or slots open during their morning, noon, or weekend newscasts.
  • See if your local newspaper will do a feature on you.
  • Local radio stations occasionally will feature people who are doing unique things in the community.

In your pitch to these outlets either via telephone, email, or snail mail make sure the information you provide is short and concise.   Give them the who, what, when, where, and why. Most importantly, make sure you tell them you are available.

Insight from authors

I reached out to two authors that I know and they have this advice for you:

Christian author Margaret Feinberg:

“As far as promoting books, we think it’s important for authors to know they are the plan. They are the editing plan. The marketing plan. The design plan. Everything. Authors shouldn’t think that if they sign with a traditional house everything will be taken care of. They need to be intentional about building and maintaining a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and others. They are the marketing plan. Great content is everything.”

Christian author Dwayne Morris:

“My greatest promotional tool was guest-posting on other people’s blogs. I connected with several people who have big platforms and they allowed me to speak into the lives of their audience. They also posted links to my book. (These include Michael Hyatt and Michael Nichols.) The bottom line…make connections with people and serve them and their audience. If you help enough people get what they want, you’ll eventually get what you want.”

I’m one of the presenters for an upcoming webinar “5 Things You Can Do To Gain Favor With The Media” which will give you more ideas about successfully delivering your message. Click here to sign up for the November 13 event.

I’d love to hear from you! Email me ([email protected]) for a free tip sheet with more detail on some of the items I’ve outlined above.

Featured Image Credit

44 Ways to Promote Your eBook

posted on by Hannah Jones

Looking for ways to promote your free or discounted eBook? Or perhaps you’d like to fill up your Kindle, Nook or iPad with even more budget-friendly reading material. Here is a fun list of sites that offer promotions for free, 99¢, bargain priced, and even new release eBooks. The categories are separated by websites that will list your book for free, and then those with promotional offers for a fee. Sites that have both free and paid promotions are listed in both categories.

44 ways to promote your ebook

44 ways to promote your ebook

Free Listings

These free listings do not charge a fee to promote your eBook on their website and some social media sites. They do, however, have specific submission guidelines and requirements.

1. Jungle Deals and Steals

Submission Type: Free eBook

Notes: ebooks should be submitted at least 24 hours in advance to be included in the daily freebie roundup.

 

2. EBook Friendly

Submission Type: Any eBook

Notes: Not guaranteed to be featured.

 

3. Cheap eBooks

Submission Type:  99¢ ebook

Notes: specializes in books that cost $0.99 or less and have 10+ reviews on Amazon with an average rating of 4+ stars.

 

4. BookBub

Submission Type: Free or discounted by at least 50%

Notes: Not guaranteed to be featured.

 

5. Pixel of Ink

Submission Type: Any $.99eBook

Notes: Will try to feature your book if it will be temporarily listed on sale for $.99 or less on Amazon.com in the next 30 days.

 

6. The eReader Cafe

Submission Type: $.99 ebook

Notes: Your book should be listed at $.99 for at least five days to be included in the Bargain store.

 

7. Great Books Great Deals

Submission Type: Discounted ebook

Notes: Must be $3.99 or less, have 20 or more reviews averaging 4+ stars on Amazon.

 

8. Snickslist

Submission Type: Free ebook

Notes: Amazon Kindle Freebie promotion only. Your book must be currently free on Amazon to list your book here.

 

9. Ereader News Today

Submission Type: 99¢ ebook

Notes: Your book will need to have at least 10 reviews (from Amazon US), a 4.0 star rating, be priced 99 cents and be available on Amazon.com. (Booked through July 10th)

 

10. Indie Book of the Day

Submission Type: Free Kindle Book

Notes: Please send in your submissions at least 2 days before your book goes free, priority goes to authors who notify in advance.

 

11. Addicted to Ebooks

Submission Type: Free ebook

Notes: Reg. price $5.99 or less and 5+ Amazon reviews

 

12. Ebooks Habit

Submission Type: Free ebook

Notes: All ebooks submitted must have 3 reviews at the time of the free promotion or they will not be considered.

 

13. It’s Write Now

Submission Type: Free ebook

Notes: Not guaranteed to be featured. (A paid guaranteed feature is posted below).

 

14. Book Praiser

Submission Type: Free or Bargain (less than $3) ebook

Notes: Asks that you like Facebook page, tweet, or subscribe to the newsletter of the site in return.

 

 15. Every Writer’s Resource

Submission Type: Any ebook

Notes: Just fill out form and submit. (Must also submit a short bio and excerpt from book)

 

16. Ignite Your Book

Submission Type: Free ebook

Notes: Only accepts eBooks that are currently available through Amazon.

 

17. Digital Book Today

Submission Type: Free ebook

Notes: 18+ Amazon reviews & 4.0+ stars  (Other free promotional opportunities listed on website) Paid promotions listed below.

 

18. Books on the Knob

Submission Type: Discounted/Limited time sale ebook

Notes: Not guaranteed to be featured.

 

19. Ebooks Addict

Submission Type: Free ebook

Notes: Not guaranteed to be featured. Book must have at least 3 positive customer reviews. (Guaranteed paid option available below).

 

20. The Writers Drawer

Submission Type: Any ebook

Notes:  The only requirement is that you submit an original piece of writing for posting, subject to approval, in one of the other sections of The Writer’s Drawer

 

21. Ereader Perks

Submission Type: Free ebook

Notes: Fill out form on website (Paid listings also available: see below).

 

22. Reading Deals

Submission Type: Any ebook

Notes: Submission not guaranteed to be featured

 

Paid Listings

The listings below offer many different features and ways to promote your eBook for a certain fee. Prices range depending on service. There are also strict submission rules and guidelines to follow.

 

1. Ebook Deal of the Day

Submission Type: Free or Regular priced ebook depending on package

Cost: $5-$10

 Notes: For the reg. price feature only accepting books primarily with ROMANCE genre and its sub-genres, or books that have a “touch of romance.”

 

2. SweetFreeBooks.com

Submission Type: Free or discounted ebooks

Cost: $5

Notes: Must be free, $.99, or a bundle at $1.99-$2.99

 

3. Gospel eBooks

Submission Type: Any Christian eBook

Cost: $50

Notes: Blackout dates: 1st of every month. The price must be $4 or less to qualify for listing.

 

4. The Vessel Project

Submission Type: Free and Discounted Christian eBooks

Cost: $75 for a one day featured status

Notes: This promotion will be a one day dedicated post for your book.

 

5.  Book Goodies

Submission Type: Bargain Priced ebook

Cost: $20 Up to 7 days Countdown Feature

Notes: Must be under $3

 

6. GoodKindles

Submission Type: Any ebook

Cost: Min. $7.95

Notes: Your book will be listed permanently on Goodkindles and our social profiles. It will be also featured in our daily newsletter.

 

 7. eReader Girl

Submission Type: Any ebook

Cost: $10

Notes: ebook will appear in the appropriate daily post (non-fiction, children’s ebooks, or Christian fiction), as well as in the daily newsletter.

 

8. Book Gorilla

Submission Type: Discounted ebooks

Cost: $100 for fiction

Notes: Must be under $3.99, at least 5 reviews and 4 star rating

 

9. Bargain Ebook Hunter

Submission Type: Free, 99¢, and Bargain priced ebooks

Cost: $15

Notes: 3 different options for promotion and requires 72 hours notice prior to book sale start.

 

10. Ask David

Submission Type: Books and ebooks

Cost: $15 “supporter pack”

Notes: Fee covers a 12 month period to send in an unlimited amount of books

 

11. Digital Book Today

Submission Type: Free, 99¢, Bargain priced, or Regular priced ebooks

Cost:  Ranging from $15-$90 depending on promotion

Notes: 9 different promotional offers with different submission guidelines and rules

 

12. Flurries of Words

Submission Type: Free, Bargain Priced and Newly Released ebooks

Cost: Promotional offers ranging from $3-$15

Notes: 6 promotional offers with different submission guidelines

 

13. Book Goodies

Submission Type: Free, Bargain Priced, and Regular priced ebooks

Cost: Ranging from a few free promotional offers to $10-$60 promos

Notes: Many different ways to promote your book and yourself as an author

 

14. Ebooks Habit

Submission Type: Free ebook

Cost: $10-$20

Notes: Two promotions: “Book of the Day” $20 and “Guaranteed Placement” $10. All ebooks submitted must have 3 reviews at the time of the free promotion or they will not be considered.

 

15. Ebooks Grow on Trees

Submission Type: Free, 99¢, $2.99 or less, and “Deals”

Cost: $20 one day $10 each additional day

Notes: Submit book at least 3 days in advance.

 

16. Ebooks Addict

Submission Type: Any ebook

Cost: $10

Notes: Book will be features as “Book of the Day.” Your book should have at least one review and an overall rating of at least three and a half stars or higher.

 

17. Bargain Booksy

Submission Type: Discounted eBooks $5 or less

Cost: $50

Notes: Must give 72 hour notice prior to beginning of promotional deal.

 

18. Free Booksey

Submission Type: Free eBooks

Cost: $50

Notes: Must give 72 hour notice prior to beginning of promotional deal.

 

19. It’s Write Now

Submission Type: Free and .99-$1.99 sales on eBooks

Cost: $10

Notes: Fill out form on website

 

20. Free & Discounted Books

Submission Type: Free, 99¢, and new ebooks

Cost: $45 for three days (Other promotions range $5-$50)

Notes: There are over 15 other promotional offers including: social media publicity, press releases, and giveaways

 

21. Reading Deals

Submission Type: Any ebook

Cost: $5

Notes: Guaranteed to be featured on website

 

22. Author Marketing Club

It is a shortcut website with listings to sites to promote your ebooks, some of which are listed here. It is free to register, and has many useful resources.

 

 

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Getting the Most Out of Goodreads: Linking Other Social Media Accounts

posted on by K. D. Winchester

According to Goodreads,  almost 117,000  authors have joined the Goodreads Author programs. So how do you stand out among so many? Combine your social media forces to work in your favor.

In our previous posts, you’ve learned:

Now it’s time to expand your social networking and reach out to the rest of the world. Okay, realistically, how about we just start with Facebook?

Goodreads-LogoFacebook

You may have noticed that you can sign up for Goodreads with your Facebook account. When you sign up with Facebook, or when you connect your Goodreads to Facebook afterwards, Goodreads gives you the option to auto-post your Goodreads activity directly to Facebook.

Like any app that uses Facebook, Goodreads can get a bit “over enthusiastic” about posting on your wall—and you may never even realize it. So I would suggest disabling the “auto-post” feature and just share your reviews, giveaways, etc. manually.

As a side note, having a Facebook fan page the readers can “like” gives you a platform to promote yourself. Remember our discussion about Fans vs Friends in our last post? The same applies to a Facebook fan page. You can’t keep up a personal relationship with all of your fans (you are only human after all), so a fan page gives your readers a way to keep updated on your books and author news. But, alas, I digress. This post is about Goodreads, so let’s get back to it.

Blogs

The Goodreads Author program gives you a blog when you sign up, but you may already have a blog. So Goodreads allows you to stream your blog posts from your website through your Goodreads blog; you only have to write your posts once to reach two websites. Pretty neat? I would say so.

Write reviews on your blog? Well, you can also have the book reviews that you write on Goodreads appear auto-post onto your blog. If you regularly post other book reviews on your blog, this is definitely a feature worth looking into.

goodreads widgetWidgets

A widget is a little device that you can place on the side of your blog—follow buttons, mini Twitter feeds, a book shelf from Goodreads—widgets come in all shapes and sizes. Widgets can get really complicated really fast. Fortunately, Goodreads foresaw your need and gives you several different shapes and sizes to fit the style of your blog.

By placing a Goodreads widget, or badge, on your blog, you give your readers another chance to connect with you, to go look at your profile, and, most importantly, see the books that you’ve written. Everything always points back towards your work.

Twitter

You can also connect your Goodreads updates to Twitter. Goodreads will auto-post (auto-tweet?) your Goodreads activities—reviews, books read, etc.—straight to Twitter.  Again, this gives your readers another chance to connect with you and be exposed to your work.

All of these social avenues may seem overwhelming, but don’t worry! You don’t have to do them all. Just start with the social media accounts that you have. Don’t have a blog but love Twitter? Then start with Twitter. Every little step towards marketing yourself well is a step in the right direction.

Hopefully these past few weeks have helped you get your feet wet in the world of Goodreads self-promotion. If you have any other questions, please leave a comment below or contact us Twitter @AmbassadorIntl

Getting the Most Out of Goodreads: The Dos and Don’ts of Interacting with Readers

posted on by K. D. Winchester

Remember those 25 million readers using the social media platform Goodreads we talked about earlier? Now that you’ve joined the Goodreads Author program and have learned to get your books out there, it’s time to discuss interacting with those readers—just not all of them at once.

Update Your Profile

Think of your Goodreads profile as your introduction to your readers. You want to give them the basics—where you live, if you have pets, kids, etc.—but you also want to seem like a fun and interesting person. Avoid just giving a list of facts about yourself. Instead, present your bio in a unique way that tells the reader just as much about yourself as the facts you give.

Also, update your picture and give your personality a “face.” Try to use the same picture that you use on the back of your most recent book and other social media profiles. This cuts down on the confusion, especially if there is another writer out there with your name.

Goodreads Joanie BruceFans vs. Friends

A fan is a person who follows you and wants to receive updates, similar to “liking” a page on Facebook. A friend is a person that you have gotten to know personally, whether online or in “real life,” like Facebook friends. You want more fans than friends. Since you have a limited amount of time to invest, you can only keep up so many relationships. But a fan doesn’t ask you to feed her dog while she’s gone or to be her bridesmaid. They just like your books and want to know more about them and more about you.

Most authors provide a way just for fans to contact them, maybe a special email or mailing address. This way, you can interact with your fans, but don’t feel obligated to attend so many weddings.

Goodreads Mississippi NightsDon’t Comment on Reviews

Yes, it may be a struggle. You worked on your book for so long and want to thank that reader for their kind words, but resist the temptation. An author needs to keep a low-key presence on review boards, which includes bad reviews too. Every book gets some bad reviews, but don’t retaliate. Instead, respond with silent grace. These reviews, and your reactions, are public for anyone and everyone to see. One bad reaction from an author can cause a reader (or readers) to hate that author’s work for a lifetime.

By keeping your presence off review boards, you give readers the opportunity to review without fear of author reaction. These reviews are more honest and usually encourage readers to review your book even more.

On rare occasions, if a particular positive review knocks you off your feet, and you are in awe, filled with thankfulness, I would suggest sending that reader a one-on-one message. It’s private, so you stay out of the public eye, but you  can also show appreciation for that excellent review.

Don’t Join Groups Just to Promote Your Book

Think of it like going to a book club meeting, and Jane Smith comes up and says, “Hi! I’m Jane. Here’s my new book!” Every time you try to suggest that she actually talk about that month’s book, she just keeps chattering away about her own work. Narcissistic, right?

So as an author, when you join a group, follow the rules and discuss with them. Eventually, you may have a chance to talk about what you are working on, but be delicate. You don’t want to be just another Jane Smith.

 

Well, there you have it. The basics of author and reader interactions. If you have any additional questions not answered here, please comment below or contact us on Twitter @AmbassadorIntl. And don’t forget to check out the giveaway Ambassador is currently running on Goodreads. Enter to win one of five copies of Willing to Die by John Muntean:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Willing to Die by John Muntean

Willing to Die

by John Muntean

Giveaway ends July 23, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Next week, we’ll give you some tips and tricks for using Goodreads with your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Until then, enjoy your new knowledge of Goodreads!

Getting the Most Out of Goodreads: Aiding Authors in Shameless Self-promotion

posted on by K. D. Winchester

Since its launch in 2007, Goodreads has grown to over 25 million users discussing, sharing, and reading over 750 million books. That’s a lot of people who could be buying your book. But where to start?

Why Goodreads?

Free Marketing. Two magical words that every author loves to hear. In the world of shameless self-promotion, authors have a steep job ahead of them, so a little free marketing can go a long way. Social media websites, like Twitter and Facebook, make promoting more simple, but Goodreads specifically focuses on making an author’s life easier.

The Author ProgGoodreads-Logoram

Goodreads created a program just for you, the author. Besides being a popular information hub for obsessive bibliophiles and casual readers alike, Goodreads treats authors like a VIPs, giving them special tools geared towards helping them sell their books. These tools and features are part of the Goodreads Author Program.

The Author Program allows you to

  • Hold giveaways
  • Blog and let your readers the latest news
  • Start a featured author group for yourself so readers can discuss your books
  • Upload videos
  • Edit your books’ information and upload covers etc.

These special privileges, and a few others, help you communicate with your readers and create a following. The more people that know about your books, the better your books will sell.

How to jsign Upoin:

  • Sign up or Sign in. If you don’t already have an account, you can sign up through Facebook , or you can sign up with just your email. If you already have an account, make sure you’re signed in.
  • Search for your book. The author program is for authors who have already been published or are currently being published. Once you have found your book, click on the author name (yours), and you should be taken to the author page.
  • Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Click on the “is this you?” link and join as a Goodreads Author.

Over the next few weeks, we will discuss:

  • How to better promote your books using the Goodreads Author Program
  • How to use Goodreads with Twitter and Facebook
  • Author and Reader Interaction: The Do’s and Don’t’s

In the mean time, look around on Goodreads, become friends with Ambassador International and enjoy your new VIP status–you’re a Goodreads Author.

Beyond the Manuscript: Building Your Fan Base (week 3)

posted on by tlowry

Beyond the ManuscriptOver the span of six weeks Ambassador COO Tim Lowry will be sharing a series he calls “Beyond the Manuscript.” Whether you’re a new or seasoned author we hope you’ll find this material helpful:

This week we’re going to take a look at building your fan base as you write. If you have followed the steps previously laid out you should have your social home bases in place, now you have to put them into action.

Start by connecting! Seems obvious however some people feel that by just having an online profile followers will just drop into place without any work. You will want to reach out to friends, family, and fellow writers inviting them to connect with you, invite your contacts across from your personal page to your fan page. Friend, Like, Follow, join Circles. Think of how you network at a business or social gathering. This is exactly the same thing you’re just doing it online.

Once connected:

Bring your fans on the journey with you. If you are a fiction writer this can be as easy as teasing excerpts, or inviting followers to share feedback on characters or a part of the story you’re having trouble developing. This involvement lets fans feel like they are part of the action.

Guest blog, share about your writing experience, the highs and lows, the search for an agent or publisher, perhaps you want to take a little extra time to build added content for sharing outside your book. This could be creating sub-stories for characters outside of the main storyline or creating interviews and back stories with the fictional characters. This all allows readers to build a connection. Be sure your activities connect back to your home base, your website. Include your link everywhere you can.

We’ve briefly mentioned promo videos over the last two weeks. A promo video can be as simple as a still graphic displaying the book title and you reading a gripping excerpt in the background for 90 seconds or a more developed video such as the trailer for A Time To Heal below that showcases the title beautifully.

Any readers that frequent our site or social media may have seen us promoting Google+ Hangouts with our authors. This is one of the biggest tools that Google+ offers that is set apart from the other social media sites and personally I think it is brilliant! If you’ve never taken part in a Google+ Hangout or seen one you can follow this link to see a recent Google+ Hangout we did in partnership with our friends at Gospelebooks.net to promote Peter Hubbard’s latest title Love Into Light. With the right partnerships and pre-marketing a Google+ Hangout can bring you many new followers and sales of your book.

In putting the above tips into practice you will see your fan base grow. It is important to keep your posts frequent but they don’t need to be all about you or your book. A good balance is 70/30, 70% interaction and sharing material not related to your book, 30% promotion and selling of your material. Be aware of your time on social media, I’ve heard frequently from authors that hours just melt away once they get on Facebook. If you’re working on a deadline for publication be wise with your time online. Use tools like Hootsuite to efficiently schedule your posts across all your social media platforms.

Next week we’re going to be looking at developing your product launch plan. Your launch plan will help you put all your tools to work.

What is your biggest struggle with using social media? Have you found anything that works for you?