How to Get Publicity for Books ON and Off Line

There are numerous ways to get publicity on and off line. Here are a few that i have come up with. What other ways do you know for getting publicity for books you may have authored?

Offline Book Publicity

One of the ways that we can get publicity off line is through advertising in magazines, newspapers, signage at live events, and direct mail. In addition there are items that you the author give away “free” to potential buyers like pens, bookmarks, brochures, and of course business cards. In addition, we give away books to individuals that we want to endorse or review our books.

Another way to get publicity that has been around a long time is through press releases. With press releases, you send media personnel a package related to me and my books. It used to be that this package was sent by mail to the media, but today, it is much easier to get our information to the media. Today we can contact media via phone or email. My author press release information is on my website. After I have built a relationship with a person in the media, I give them a link to my press release information online. From there we sometimes set up for an interview.   However, it is important that as an author, I have more to offer the media than just the fact that I have written a book. When contacting the media, often finding a local angle is a good way of getting my foot in the door. For instance, I am originally from Corry, Pennsylvania and will be having a book signing at an event called Corry Fest which is occurring during the alumni weekend. In addition, I have contacted the local library about donating them one of my books. Both are press release, local interest pieces that not only are free publicity for me, but also free publicity for both events. In addition, this public appearance on this specific weekend may also open doors in other parts of the country. As important as giving my business cards would be collecting other business cards so that I can follow up with those people after I get home.

In addition to offering my business cards, I can let these people know that I have an online website where they can go to pick up a free copy of one of my smaller books in exchange for signing up for my weekly newsletter. This too will keep individuals in touch with me.

Our books themselves can be publicity for our other books. I know that in my print books, I include information concerning every other book that I wrote prior to that book’s publication. I also include information about myself and my website where there is information concerning how to contact me concerning my other services.

 

 

Online Book Publicity

As already mentioned in our offline activities, online activities can benefit publicity. We have mentioned the website where we can bring people that we have met to sign up for our newsletter in exchange for one of our books. This online newsletter then because a form of continuous publicity. This newsletter can lead to other online promotional and informational materials that we create to benefit our audience.

We can also pay for advertising online as well. Various types of Google, Facebook and Twitter all are ways to sell ads on their sites. Like offline ads, these cost money up front and are dollar for dollar, much more cost effect now days than off line advertising. Thanks to well monitored algorithms, your ads are more likely to be seen by the audience most interested in what you have to offer. However, many of us do not have the funds necessary especially in the beginning to fund enough ads to get our books visible by the right audience.

Online content can be developed in any number of ways, some of our audience will gain access to this content through our newsletters and others will gain access to our information through other channels such as articles, forums and other online sites. Some online websites offer to include information concerning books along with promotional packages for a fee while other sites allow authors to post photos of their books along with book descriptions at no fee.

Digital books, like their paperback counterparts also have included within their content information regarding previously published books and information about how to reach me through my website and email.

Getting Others Involved

It is one thing to tell people how good your books are, but it is even better when others can tell your potential audience how good your books are.

Getting others to like and share on social media is an important way of getting publicity. Your friends who read your book tell their friends who tell their friends.

Reviews, both with online or offline are another form of free publicity that a writer can solicit. Never pay for a review of your book. I have heard of Amazon taking down reviews when they discover that reviews were paid reviews.

Another way to get others involved in online publicity is by conducting blog tours. You can do this by discovering another author who has a blog who would be willing to let you talk to their audience about a specific topic that is directly or indirectly related to their topic of interest. Sometimes you can exchange blog posts. The other person can guest blog for you and you can guest blog for the other person.

In addition, e-book sellers also offer publicity and the more books you sell the more free publicity you receive from those sites. Online e-book sellers include Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple among others. If you sign up to a site called Smashwords, they will connect you not only with all of these sites but with library sites e-book as well.

Donna Brown is pastor at Faith in God Church  1 1/2 miles south of Brandsville, Missouri on Hwy 63. Sunday services are at 10 am and Wednesday night Bible Study at 6:30 pm.   As Author Cygnet Brown, she  has recently published her first nonfiction book: Simply Vegetable Gardening: Simple Organic Gardening Tips for the Beginning Gardener

She is also the author of historical fiction series The Locket Saga. which includes When God Turned His Head and Soldiers Don’t Cry, the Locket Saga Continues, and most recently, A Coward’s Solace, Book III of the Locket Saga

Her most recent publication were two booklets Help From Kelp and Using Diatomaceous Earth Around the House and Yard. Available in paperback

.For more information about Cygnet Brown and her book, check out her website at http://www.cygnetbrow.com .