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Post by Ximena on May 29, 2014 15:40:01 GMT -5
Obviously Ruth is more of an expert on this than I am, but having on online presence, especially in social media, is vital. Encouraging people to post reviews (Amazon and Goodreads) helps visibility also. I know there are several websites that promote free or discounted books daily or weekly (some are specific to genre, others are not; can help if you have a sale and want to promote it). I don't think it's too unreasonable, price wise, to have your book featured there or on twitter (similar services exist to tweet your book). You can also try contacting websites that review books that fit your genre and offering them a comp copy, bc that gets the word out, too. I really only know books for romance or slash fiction, though, but they're definitely out there.
Those are a few things that come to mind immediately, at least from my side of the fence.
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Post by devogirl on May 30, 2014 10:22:06 GMT -5
Having a big web presence yourself makes a difference--an active website or blog, a twitter feed, facebook page, etc. I didn't want to do any of that myself, which is why I appreciate having Ruth as a publisher so much.
When my book launched, she bought a package from buythebooktours.com which was so-so. They arrange for you to make a bunch of guest posts or interviews on book blogs, and some will also review your book. Some of the blogs were great but many were unbelievably shitty, and some didn't post as they had agreed to. However even the bad ones help increase your google profile. The most helpful part of the tour was getting reviews. Most of them also reposted their reviews to Amazon and Goodreads, which were generally better written and more in-depth than the standard reader review. You should contact book blogs relevant to your genre (sci fi, or anything else you can think of) and ask if they will give you a review in exchange for a free copy.
She also sent an advance copy to Romance Times, the biggest trade journal in the romance genre, and they wrote a short review, which was awesome. You can try to contact sci fi journals but often they are only interested in reviewing new books, and you have to send them 4-6 months before publication.
Amazon has a lot of promotional tools for you as well. You can let it be free for a week or so, which will get you way more downloads and hopefully more reviews. There are book blogs that compile info and reviews on free books specifically.
Anyway there are like a million book blogs out there, way more than I realized. Start contacting them, and think as broadly as possible about your genre. If the love story is a big part of the plot, try contacting the blogs that do crossover sci fi/romance to reach a female readership.
Oh and congrats on getting it published!
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Post by Ximena on May 30, 2014 17:52:49 GMT -5
Oh, another thing I just thought of - being involved on Goodreads can help. There are a TON of groups, from the most general to the most specific. Most groups do have rules about self-promotion, but many have structured ways that you can promote your book through them. Some of the larger groups have thousands of active members, so that can be a good way to get yourself/your book noticed as well. Also, some of the bigger review blogs' writers are prominent/active goodreads members with a lot of friends, and kind of like facebook, what they read and recommend spreads virally. If your book isn't already listed on goodreads, make sure you add it, and start adding it to lists also (listopia) that it may fit under (like "Best SciFi Books Published in XXXX" or "Best Books Featuring Disabled Heroes" etc. etc.). Like groups, these can range from the super general to super specific, but a lot of readers use these to find new books to read. Plus, every time someone votes on a list, it appears in their timeline and others will see it, too. I have to run but thought I'd add those on there. If you have a blog, you can set yourself up as a Goodreads author and have your blog posts published there (or at least forwarded), which can also bring you a bit more attention. Anyway, hope that helps  ! |
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Post by ruthmadison on Jun 3, 2014 11:19:56 GMT -5
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Post by ruthmadison on Jun 3, 2014 11:23:02 GMT -5
Oh, and think about your target audience. It probably isn't devs. Think about who are the people who like to read the kind of book you've created. I'm thinking it would be survivalists, maybe zombie apocolypse enthusiasts? Figure that out and then look at where those people are and go there and engage with them!
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Post by Ximena on Jun 4, 2014 19:03:10 GMT -5
Thanks, these are all great tips! I set up a Twitter just for my books yesterday (I have a personal one, but I rarely use Twitter) and I try to remind my Facebook friends every now and then the books are still out there. I like a lot of your suggestions and will have to poke my nose around those sites to see if I can get even more exposure. What's your book twitter? I'll follow you back! (I'm @chiealeman) |
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Post by Ximena on Jun 5, 2014 17:09:17 GMT -5
Well it's not targeted superficially for devs but having a disabled "wounded hero" might appeal to some That's where listopia will be your friend. I think there are a lot of "underground" devs, or people who might never identify themselves as such but love the "wounded hero" trope. So there are several lists for those. And I'll follow you back next time I'm on that account. |
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