This edition of Writer’s Tips is a compilation from a Marketing Series Sally Cronin has been running at her Smorgasbord Invitation.  Below you’ll find some very useful tips for marketing your books using Twitter, Facebook, Radio Podcasting, Local Media, and getting your work into local bookshops!

 

 

Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Book Marketing – Getting yourself noticed locally – Media and Bookshops – Sally Cronin

 

Sending out press releases to your local press and radio.

There are certainly a couple of things to consider when marketing your book, and one of those is cost.  Most self-publishing companies are not going to do your marketing for you.  You can pay quite a bit of money to a PR firm to compose and send out press releases to their contacts, and if you feel you will get a return on your money, then it is probably the most effective way to go.  They will compose your release and then direct it to specific contacts in the media who would be most interested in your genre or books in general. And, because they are a recognised PR firm they are likely to get it as far as the journalist in question.

Unfortunately today, unless you have a high profile name – either author or celebrity, your press release about your book, that you send in your own name, is unlikely to get past first base.  Short of changing your name by deed poll to J.K. Rowling, you are going to have to make sure that both the subject line of your email and the title of your book intrigues.

How can they find out more about you?

These days it is important to have created some form of digital footprint so that if you peak someone in the media’s interest, they have access to information about you and your book before they consider contacting you.

I suggest that you use the usual social media – including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter as well as your own website or webpage. . . . continue reading

Source: Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Book Marketing – Getting yourself noticed locally – Media and Bookshops – Sally Cronin | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

 

Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Book Marketing – Radio or Podcast Interviews – Grab the opportunity by Sally Cronin

 

This week a look at how you can prepare for you interview on radio and next week on camera.

Wonderful news, your hard work in promoting your new book on social media and locally has paid off and you get the call or email. An invitation to do an interview on a radio station, television show or author promoting podcast.

Getting an interview on a radio show or an established author podcast is gold dust for an author and as such requires you to take a deep breath and celebrate. Millions of Indies out there would love the opportunity to get their voice heard about their work so give this serious thought.

Following sending out your press releases you hopefully will get some response from the media with a view to interviewing you about your book. . .continue reading

Source: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/10/12/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-book-marketing-radio-or-podcast-interviews-grab-the-opportunity-by-sally-cronin/comment-page-1/#comment-222263

 

Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Book Marketing – Online Watering Holes for Authors – Facebook, Exclusive Watering Holes, and LinkedIn by Sally Cronin

 

This week I am going to Facebook in relation to book marketing and also the benefits of joining an exclusive watering hole on social media platforms.

This is not intended to be the definitive guide to Facebook, but just some suggestions to new authors who are getting started. I am sure that those of you with established pages find them successful for your marketing needs, and am only sharing my own experiences.

When I first joined Facebook ten years ago it was to keep in touch with friends from work and places we had lived. It was a simpler time, and people chatted about their everyday lives and you shared as much or as little as you wanted to.

Over the years it has become increasingly more complicated, especially if you are a blogger and author looking to market your books and blog without creating a page and being constantly hassled to upgrade, pay to advertise etc.. . . continue reading

Source: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/09/28/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-book-marketing-online-watering-holes-for-authors-facebook-exclusive-watering-holes-by-sally-cronin/

 

Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Book Marketing – Online Watering Holes for Authors – Twitter – Step by step guide set up for authors – Sally Cronin.

 

Twitter – New look and and step by step guide to Book Marketing useful functions.

The look and  functionality of Twitter has changed recently, and I have to say that I am not a fan (as yet). It is now designed for mobile devices and whilst there are a couple of useful upgrades, for someone starting an account (and some of us who have been using it for 7 years) it is over complicated for what you want to use it for.

However, as a watering hole, for your blog and certainly your books it is a useful platform to establish yourself on. There are some useful marketing features, including paid advertisements, but there is a great deal of free functionality that you can take of advantage of first. To be honest I don’t use all the bells and whistles as I do everything manually, but do find it helpful to use some of their basic marketing options.

I will work my way through the new interface with some of the key elements that you need to focus on as an author with books to market. . .continue reading

Source: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/09/21/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-book-marketing-online-watering-holes-for-authors-twitter-step-by-step-set-up-for-authors-sally-cronin/

 

Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Book Marketing for Authors – Preparing for an interview on Camera – Sally Cronin | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

 

Preparing for an interview on camera.

In the last few years I have been very lucky to interview some fascinating people on camera. Mainly live shows that as profile interviews have lasted 30 minutes or so. These included: – astronauts from NASA – a former First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy – Doctor Allison Cronin of the Monkey World rescue centre – Charles Tobias, President of Pusser’s Rum. Also successful authors and those writers just beginning their careers.

Some had been media trained for their particular job, but for many it was their first experience of being live in front of a camera.

Today there are a number of options available for online interviews that are filmed with YouTube and other platforms offering access to millions of viewers. Many thankfully only show the guest from the waist up without the long shots that show a magnitude of sins! But as with the radio and podcast interview, the opportunity to talk about your book, even for a few minutes is too good to pass up.

I do suggest that you get a couple of radio interviews under your belt first as it will boost your confidence before facing a camera. I went to the extreme to get my nerve up. I applied to The Weakest Link in the UK and was accepted as a contestant. I managed to make it to the 6^th round and was voted off… Tactically of course!!

Paying attention to visual details

Whether you are facing the several cameras of a major network programme or a one to one interview with one camera, you still need to pay attention to visual details.

In my last blog, I covered the radio interview which can be daunting enough. . . continue reading

 

 

You can find all these helpful posts on marketing for authors iSally has shared from her book Media Training – The Manual