Self-Publishing Resources

Posted By Sue Collier on July 26, 2010

Guest blogger: Fiona Ingram

I live in South Africa and I am published in the USA. Distance has made it impossible for me to go the traditional marketing route. Online is all I have open to me. I have worked very hard to go from “Fiona Who?” to not quite “Aha, Fiona Ingram, the famous children’s author,” but to a point where I have a healthy Google profile, a nice author site, with lots of links to interviews, book reviews, articles, etc. When I began researching (as is my wont) the concept of book marketing, I still had the silly notion that as a writer, all one did was write and people would automatically rush out and get one’s books. Not at all. Nowadays, even the traditional publishers expect their authors to do their own marketing as well.

An author cannot just be an author. He or she has to be a product or a brand. Publishers are also more interested in someone who has more than just books to offer. Readers are greedy for information about the author, what inspires them, what new books are coming up, etc. Your marketing will incorporate your author online platform which leans heavily on Social Media.

The online author platform consists of: your book/s; your website; your author profile/bio; an e-zine or newsletter; a blog; a video interview (vlog); a podcast radio interview; a video preview on sites like YouTube; articles you’ve written; articles about you.

Your website is your biggest asset in your author platform. You can put up information on your book and purchasing details, as well as your press release, your bio and a good pic, your reviews, and anything written about you and your book. When you reply to people, include your website in your signature so interested parties can track you back to your site, thus creating a good stream of traffic. Been interviewed on the radio or a local television station? Ask for a copy and put these up on your site as well. The more electronic information people have available for easy access, the better. From here, you can also launch your blog or fan club, set up your Twitter and other options, and link your social network sites, such as Facebook, Myspace, Squidoo, etc, back to this. You can also launch your website on many social sites simultaneously. These create coverage and alert the industry to your presence.

Google is a fantastic tool. You can load your articles, get a Google Alert to notify you every time something comes up about you and your book, link other sites back to your own to increase your ratings and give you credibility, set up a Blogger alert, join Google’s Library page, keep track of your site’s performance with Google Analytics, and much more.

Blogging and blog tours. You can “chat” to eager readers by going on a Virtual Book Tour. Virtual book tours are a promotional tool for authors to connect with readers via book blogs. Tours usually include a minimum number of tour stops over the course of one month on a variety of blogs. Some companies offer to feature on each tour stop a photo of the book, a review, links to the author’s website and blog, and will include your purchase information. Authors who interact with tour hosts and make themselves available for guest posting, interviews, Q&A sessions with blog commenters, and who respond to comments will have the greatest success from their tour.

Book competitions. Why should you enter? It’s not so much about winning as being seen. Competitions broaden your author profile because people in the industry will read your book. Organizers also post results online to market their contests. Even if you don’t win, you may get a Best Runner-Up mention, and that’s the kind of detail you will put in your press release. You don’t have to be in print yet to enter some competitions.

Do not stop marketing. Even when your book is out there and you’ve sent off your press releases, don’t stop spreading the word! Do something every day (either online or physical) to continue your marketing thrust. Penny Sansivieri of AME says: “Remember—marketing doesn’t sell books … marketing gives you exposure and exposure sells books.”

To get something done … you have to do it yourself. You only get reviews if you ask for them; you have to make a huge effort to engage with potential readers through blogs, tours, tweets, Facebook, all the social media tools freely available at every writer’s fingertips. There is so much free information that there’s no excuse for writers to moan about not getting publicity. Author sites abound, and if you’re not sure what to do, many marketing newsletters and e-zines offer load of free information. 

* * * * *

Fiona Ingram (B.A., Hons. (Natal), M.A., (Wits)) was born and educated in South Africa. Her interest in ancient history, mystery, and legends, and her enjoyment of travel has resulted in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, the first in her exciting children’s adventure series—Chronicles of the Stone. The first book was inspired by an actual trip the author took to Egypt with her two young nephews (then aged 10 and 12).

Please visit Fiona’s author site http://www.fionaingram.com/ for more articles on marketing. For her book site, visit http://www.secretofthesacredscarab.com/.

Category: Uncategorized, author platform, authors, blogging, book author, book promotion, books, do-it-yourself publishing, fiction, marketing, promotions, reputation, reviews, self-publishing, social media, virtual author book tour | 2 Comments »
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Posted By Sue Collier on July 7, 2010

Guest blogger: Dana Lynn Smith

This post, the third of a three-part series on building an author platform, highlights the importance of connections. Part one of this author platform series covers branding, while part two discusses reputation.

When selling your book, it’s not just what you know, it’s who you know!

To sell books in today’s marketplace, you need to be connected. Here are some examples of the type of connections that are valuable to authors in promoting their books and themselves:

 Contact Database – Clients, prospects, colleagues, friends, and family.

Opt-in Mailing List – People who have given you permission to contact them.

Influencers – Celebrities, well-known people in your field, book reviewers, media, and bloggers.

Online Networks – Connections on Facebook, Twitter and other online networks, groups and forums.

Blog Readers – People who read your blog or subscribe to the blog’s feed.

Professional Associations – Fellow association members and leaders. Serving in a leadership position enhances your visibility within the organization.

Other Groups – Alumni associations, civic and service organizations, hobby clubs, etc.

What can you do to increase your connections and leverage the connections that you have? How can you partner with others to extend your reach?

Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketing coach and author of several book marketing guides, including The Savvy Book Marketer’s Guide to Successful Social Marketing. For more tips, follow @BookMarketer on Twitter, visit Dana’s blog at www.TheSavvyBookMarketer.com, and get a copy of the Top Book Marketing Tips ebook when you sign up for her free newsletter at www.BookMarketingNewsletter.com.

Category: Uncategorized, author platform, authors, book author, book promotion, marketing, promotions, publicity, reputation | 1 Comment »
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Posted By Sue Collier on June 30, 2010

So I read a post on self-publishing over a Kidlit today. I’ve commented there, but I couldn’t resist more pontificating.

I’ll start by saying that I am not the average person who has no idea what lurks in slush. I spent many years in the trade, going through those very awful slush piles that blogger writes about. And it’s true; there is some real crap out there. And everyone does not have a book in them.

That said, this does not mean that every acquisitions editor working for a major publishing house would know slush if it came in a cup. There is plenty of junk out there that is sitting on the bookstore shelves right this second. Some of it is written by bestselling authors or celebrities, ie, the publishing companies know it will sell. To imply there is some rigorous high standard that always goes along with book publishing is untrue. It’s about money, pure and simple. For most houses, there is no loftier goal than publishing what will make money—regardless of whether it is crap or not.

I fully agree with this, from the article: “I do have to say one thing in defense of self-publishing: it is a very useful tool for people who have a niche audience or their own book sales channels. Ideally, both. Most traditional publishers may not do ‘niche’ projects (not a large enough target market to justify general trade publication).” But may I also add that traditional publishers today are also looking for authors who have a built-in platform—before they sign the contract. Because the reality is that most trads do little to promote their mid-list authors. It is primarily up to the authors themselves.

I also don’t believe that every self-published author believes The Man (as Kidlit refers to the trads) is holding them back so they must “settle” for self-publishing. There are plenty of savvy authors out there—check out indie author and publisher Zoe Winters, for instance—who realize the odds are not in their favor. It isn’t because their work isn’t “ready”; it’s simply because there are a finite number of books being published by traditional publishers. As publishing houses have gobbled one another up in recent years, there are even few opportunities to be published. It isn’t about feeding the ego by getting a “stamp of approval” from The Man for these authors; it is about sharing their message. And if you truly have something to say, wouldn’t you rather have a few people hear it rather than none?

I think it’s misleading to tell writers that when your manuscript is just as perfect as perfect can be, you have a very good chance of being picked up by a traditional publisher. I think that’s overly optimistic. My husband’s heavy metal band is very good—all members of the group are accomplished musicians—but the reality is that they have virtually no chance of being picked up by a major record label. They know that. But it doesn’t stop them from wanting to be heard anyway.

“I’m only interested in people who grow, learn, polish, adapt, and set their sights on the difficult goal of traditional publication. It’s hard for a reason. Not everybody gets to do it.” What about the indie music scene? Should my husband’s band not put out their own CDs because they are pining for some major label to sign them? What about indie movies? Are they any less of an achievement because they are not produced by some major film company?

“But most people who self-publish don’t have a niche book or a good marketing strategy: they want to target the mass market. They have a project that would appeal, in their opinion, to everyone and anyone. And self-publishing a book intended for a trade audience is where these would-be authors get in trouble. Because reaching a mass audience — casual readers — with a self-published fiction project is nearly impossible.” I say there are plenty of self-published authors who go into it with their eyes wide open and their expectations realistic.

It’s unfortunate that with the advent of the so-called “self-publishing companies,” such as Author Solutions and Lulu, way too many people dive right into “self-publishing.” (Incidentally, this is usually “vanity” or “subsidy” publishing, which has somehow become lumped in with true self-publishing wherein authors set up their own imprint and have their own ISBN under which to publish books.) I have a real issue with these cookie-cutter, assembly-line service providers who enable authors to publish their slush on the cheap. Would I consider publishing these books an “achievement”? Not usually. Do I consider truly self-published authors who work hard writing a good, salable manuscript; have it critiqued and edited by professionals; and have the book well-designed as having achieved something? Absolutely.

Yes, there are those who “who don’t believe what editors and agents keep telling them: their work isn’t ready”—or that their work is just bad. I say, let those people go publish with Lulu. Their book will be available on Lulu.com, where approximately zero people actually go to buy books. What I’d like to see is the true self-published authors not denigrated for what they’ve done—because it is a real accomplishment.

Traditional publishing is not exactly known for embracing change (anyone want to talk about the fact that returns are still allowed?!), but I think maybe The Man is going to have to adjust his way of thinking whether he wants to or not.

Category: POD self-publishing, authors, book author, books, do-it-yourself publishing, editing, general, promotions, self-publishing, subsidy publishing, traditional publishing, writing | 13 Comments »
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Posted By Sue Collier on June 25, 2010

When I talk with most authors, I find that writing their book isn’t the biggest challenge; marketing is. Many authors tend to be more introverted, so blatant promotion of their work makes them very uncomfortable. It’s disappointing when I see authors invest so much of themselves—emotionally and financially—into their book only to see their enthusiasm wane when they realize buyers are not flocking to the bookstores or to their website to purchase their book. They are often “stuck,” unable and unwilling to move forward.

I maintain that it isn’t the marketing authors don’t like, it’s many of the traditional tactics they think of when they hear the word “marketing.” They are uncomfortable at the thought of getting “out there” to “toot their own horn.” The best way to promote your book is to find marketing activities that capitalize on your natural talents and abilities, and that you enjoy. It’s more likely you’ll actually do these activities.

Since most authors have a natural propensity toward writing, it makes sense for them to blog. Becoming active in the blogosphere (blogging and commenting on other blogs) is a great way to interact with readers and reach out to potential readers. Yet I am still surprised at the number of authors who resist. Some are not tech savvy, so they assume they won’t be able to figure out bloggging software. Others are worried they won’t know what to write about. Blogging software today is simple to use—even for non-techies. And as far as what to write about, what about writing your next book? Nina Amir has an entire blog devoted to this very topic.

If the thought of attending networking events or—gasp!—speaking in public leaves your mouth dry, try social media marketing. From the comfort and security of your own computer, you can interact with people—and potential readers—from all over the world. Social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, are easy for even the novice to sign up for and maneuver. When resistant authors ultimately sign up and start interacting, I hear over and over how much fun it is and how surprised they are at how many connections they are making.

If you are comfortable talking with people on the phone or face-to-face, then by all means—capitalize on your ability to schmooze. Attending events and meetings or conducting seminars and workshops can be an excellent way to build a name for yourself and promote your book—especially nonfiction.

Of course there will be some level of discomfort for nearly everyone when it comes to promoting yourself. At some point you will likely be called upon to step outside of your comfort zone if you truly want to sell books. But intersperse these activities with those at which you excel. If you focus primarily on what comes naturally to you, your book marketing plan will contain less struggle and will generate more success.

Category: authors, blogging, book author, book promotion, marketing, nonfiction, promotions, social media | 8 Comments »
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Posted By Sue Collier on June 21, 2010

Even as nontraditional publishing continues to grow—Bowker reports a whopping increase of 181 percent in 2009 over the previous year—there is still a stigma attached to self-publishing. I’ve read the articles, I’ve seen the tweets. There is still a pervasive belief that self-publishing is somehow “settling”—and probably your only option because you were rejected by all the traditional publishers.

That, of course, is nonsense. For many authors, self-publishing—independent publishing—makes the most sense creatively and financially. These are the authors who have done their homework. These are the authors who are original and creative—and who know what it takes to run a successful publishing business. The quality of their books—both the way the work is written and edited, and the way it looks physically—matches that of those put out by large traditional houses.

Potential readers pick up their books not knowing—and not caring—who the publisher is. (Do you know who Stephen King’s publisher is? Do you care?) I’ve been criticized for saying that a well-done self-published book should not be identifiable as such; apparently it’s somehow “immoral” or “misleading” to put out a quality, top-notch piece of work. Eh. Whatever.

Indie publishing is here to stay, and I hope as more authors do it “right,” any remnant stigmas ultimately fall to the wayside.

Meanwhile, though, how do you make sure your book does not scream SELF-PUBLISHED and is judged by its cover and its content? Assuming you have a unique, compelling manuscript in the first place, here are some tips:

Have your own publishing company imprint and your own ISBN prefix. Head over to Bowker and buy a set of ten numbers—or a hundred if you have more than a few titles planned. If you are truly self-publishing (ie, not going the subsidy route), your publishing company must be listed as the publisher of record. If you’ve got Outskirts or Author Solutions or others of their ilk listed, they are the publisher—and you haven’t actually self-published. (Reference the subsidy link, above.)

Get your manuscript edited by a professional. Regardless of how good a writer you are, you probably cannot effectively edit your own work. I know I can’t—and I’ve been an editor of other people’s work for more decades than I care to remember. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone back to read something I’ve written only to be shocked by some glaring error I overlooked. Self-published books have a reputation of being badly written and poorly edited; make sure yours is neither.

Hire a professional to design your book cover. There are a lot of very inexpensive self-publishing options available today, most of which offer templated cover designs. They are all pretty awful and amateurish.

I recommend most authors hire a typesetter to design and layout their book’s interiors as well. If you are pretty tech savvy and can work a program such as InDesign, however, you can probably get away with formatting the interior yourself.

Don’t expect indie publishing to be easy. But do expect it to be rewarding—especially if you do it right.

Category: POD self-publishing, business of publishing, cover design, do-it-yourself publishing, editing, interior design, self-publishing, subsidy publishing | No Comments »
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Posted By Sue Collier on June 15, 2010

Guest blogger: Scott Appleton

Note to readers: I connected with Scott on another blog and was impressed with his self-publishing success. I hope you enjoy his post–and I do think you will learn a thing or two from his determination and perseverence!

When I finished writing a fantasy manuscript, I had little to no knowledge of what it takes to get a book published—but I had the desire to learn.

In 2006 I attended the Glorietta Christian Writers Conference in New Mexico. I was 20 at the time. I reserved a time-slot with Dan Penwell of AMG Publishers. I remember three other aspiring authors at that table, all pitching their books. That month I submitted my proposed manuscript to him, and he replied that it did seem a fit for the publishing house. I was thrilled. My family and friends told me that surely the publisher would give me a contract. But I’d heard stories of novelists getting turned down by publishing houses for various reasons, and I didn’t want to get my hopes up.

For the next two years I worked back and forth with that editor. During that time I submitted a couple manuscript revisions, acquired a couple author endorsements, and picked up or bought a pile of books on publishing, editing, writing, marketing, etc. Anything to do with the publishing industry interested me and I became fascinated with the idea of someday creating my own publishing house.

Ultimately, the publisher turned down my novel. I was very disappointed, but my friends and family seemed to take it harder than I.

I decided to start my own publishing company (Flaming Pen Press) using connections I’d made in the industry, and knowledge from the books I’d studied. First I contacted a fantasy author I’d become friends with and from him obtained contact information for the first editor he’d worked with. He highly praised her work and I knew she had a reputation for being harsh on manuscripts, which is what I knew I needed to bring my manuscript to a professional, publishable level.

I had previously commissioned a fabulous piece of dragon art to be used on my book’s cover, and I got a recommendation for a cover designer who could create a cover that would show off that art.

At that time I was under the impression the cover designer would also lay out the book interior. However, the designer informed me this was not the case, but he did know an excellent typesetter. So one contact led me to the next and I ended up outsourcing my book’s edits, cover design, typesetting, and art to a fabulous group of individuals.

With all the necessary files in hand I bought the ISBN and barcode, and set up my book with Lightning Source. Unlike other Print On Demand (POD) companies, they did not offer publishing services and they were owned by Ingram. Companies such as Lulu and Book Surge charged for “publishing packages” making them little more than subsidy publishers—and the quality of their books was below industry standards. I also needed to do a combination of offset printing and POD.

On March 30, 2009, I released Swords of the Six and held signings in bookstores and libraries in my home state of Connecticut. POD printed to order for Amazon orders, bookstores, and libraries. But my offset print run of 1,500 books served me well in hand-to-hand selling. As sales grew I quit my hourly job to pursue promoting and selling my book. People eagerly grabbed it up and my fan base grew rapidly. My wife and I embarked on a five-month book tour. We hit stores, libraries, and schools in thirteen states from New Hampshire to Indiana, Georgia, and North Carolina. In one year we sold over 3,000 books!

During my travels I was invited by AMG Publishers to meet with them again concerning my proposed book series. They had heard how I took the initiative, published my book, and made it a success. On my way through Tennessee I met with the editors and proposed a three-book-series. A week later they offered me three book contract, which I ultimately accepted. My first novel is going out of print (from my company) and end of this year will be re-released by AMG Publishers, with the second novel to follow in spring 2011.

This has been a long journey. I’ve been working on my series for six years now and the results were hard-earned. I am now in the process of growing my publishing company (Flaming Pen Press) and in September 2010 we are releasing another debut author’s novel, Kestrel’s Midnight Song. My goal is to launch first-time authors to success and then sell them off to larger publishers—and we will.

For more information about Scott and his books, visit his blog and website.

Category: book author, books, business of publishing | 2 Comments »
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Posted By Sue Collier on June 7, 2010

Category: The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing, author platform, authors, book author, book promotion, books, business of publishing, general, promotions, self-publishing, social media, subsidy publishing, writing | 3 Comments »
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Posted By Sue Collier on June 4, 2010

 Part 2 of a 3-part article

 Guest blogger: Dana Lynn Smith

Your author platform determines your reach and influence in the market. Part one of this author platform series discusses the importance of branding. Today’s post covers building a reputation.

Your author reputation is a factor of how well known you are, what you are known for, and how credible you are. Consider these questions:

-Do you have a degree, special training or extensive experience in the topic that you’re writing about and/or in the craft of writing?

-Do you have (or can you obtain) a professional certification in your area of expertise?

-What awards or other recognition have you received?

-What kind of media experience do you have?

-How many people do you reach each month through speaking or interviews?

-How many people read your blog?

-How many articles have you written and posted or published in the past month?

-How well known are you and how much name recognition do you have?

-What leadership positions do you hold?

-Why should people listen to you or read your books?

Nonfiction authors can gain a reputation as an expert in their topic through such activities as writing books and articles, speaking and teaching, appearing on talk shows, being quoted in other people’s articles, and writing the foreword for other books.

Fiction authors may become known for their writing style and their expertise in writing in a specific genre (such as children’s, sci-fi, romance, or mystery) or for their niche within a particular genre (vampire stories, romantic adventure).

Your reputation and author platform can be enhanced by winning awards, receiving excellent book reviews, and getting testimonials and endorsements from celebrities and experts in your field.

What can you do to boost your author reputation and expert status and increase the number of people you reach? How can you highlight your credentials in your marketing materials?

Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketing coach and author of several book marketing guides, including The Savvy Book Marketer’s Guide to Successful Social Marketing. For more tips, follow @BookMarketer on Twitter, visit Dana’s blog at www.TheSavvyBookMarketer.com, and get a copy of the Top Book Marketing Tips ebook when you sign up for her free newsletter at www.BookMarketingNewsletter.com.

Category: author platform, book author, book promotion | 1 Comment »
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Posted By Sue Collier on May 28, 2010

When I first read this article by Garrison Keillor, I kind of chuckled to myself—I mean, how seriously can I take the opinion of modern publishing from the dude who hales from the (albeit fictitious) “little town that time forgot and the decades cannot improve.” Obviously, he would prefer that the publishing world stay just as trapped in the past as Lake Wobegon. Initially, I thought it was kind of an interesting—and sad—perspective from someone who was successful in the old school model of publishing.

But the more I thought about it, the more annoyed I got. His condescending and disparaging view of “self-publishers” started to tick me off. First and foremost, the “self-publishers” to which he is referring are really authors who are going the vanity press route. And those pay-to-publish authors have been mostly scorned from the very beginning. Clearly, Keillor does not understand the traditional self-publishing model, wherein authors start up their own imprint and spend quite a bit of time and money to make sure the book they produce is top notch. These authors often hire companies that provide author services (note that this is quite different from pay-to-publish) to ensure their manuscripts are well edited and their books well designed. (Shameless plug opp: Yes, services such as Self-Publishing Resources.)

Second, he is clearly assuming that all self-published authors go that route because they were not “good enough” for the trads. Nope. There are many good reasons to self-publish, including maintaining creative control, making more money (yup, making more money), and producing the book more quickly, to name a few. And heck—you’re going to have to market and promote your own book anyway (the trads won’t do it for you!)…you might as well be in charge of the whole process and pocket all of the profits from your efforts.

Is a manuscript better just because you “mailed it to a New York publisher in a big manila envelope with actual postage stamps on it”? Because you typed it on a typewriter? Because you enjoy an “aura of martyrdom”?  All that sounds kind of romantic, but the past is the past.

I do agree that there is a lot of crap out there right now, but most of it falls within the subsidy press category. Once people begin to understand the difference between vanity publishing and independent publishing, I think (I hope!) that will begin to change and we will see more thoughtfully produced books. As more and more book review sites begin to cater to self-published authors (whether they are pay to publish or truly self-published), even if they are not the New York Times, I believe honest reviews will start to separate the wheat from the chaff. One thing I do know: Self-publishing is not going anywhere. Neither is the Internet. Or the cell phone. Or the microwave.

And does anyone else find it pretty ironic and kind of hilarious that Keillor’s article is surrounded by ads about self-publishing??!!

Category: POD self-publishing, authors, book author, book reviews, book shepherding, books, do-it-yourself publishing, promotions, publicity, self-publishing, subsidy publishing, traditional publishing, vanity publishing, writing | 4 Comments »
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Posted By Sue Collier on May 28, 2010

Let’s face it: Unless you are a celebrity, traveling the country and hitting up bookstore after bookstore for signings is probably not going to sell many books. You’ll more than likely spend way more for travel than you’ll make in book sales. Enter the virtual age. From the comfort of your own home or office, you can set up a virtual author book tour and reap real rewards from this effective—and inexpensive!—marketing tool.

So what is a virtual author book tour? Basically it involves visiting—virtually, of course—a group of websites for a period of time. The visits can take several different forms: interviews, guest posts, book reviews, book excerpts, and so on. (You can read more here in an interview I did with Penny Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., and author of Red Hot Internet Publicity.) The sites usually range from blogs, websites, online radio stations, and social networking sites. The purpose is to increase an author’s online exposure, drive additional traffic to his or her website, increase search engine rankings, and hopefully sell more books.

It’s not difficult to set up a virtual tour, but it will take some research, planning, and followup. You can do it yourself–or you can hire a company to do it for you. We’ve been setting up tours for authors for the past year or so, and we’ve learned a lot as far as what is needed to make a book tour successful.

I consider the first two items on the list to be essential; we have found it is much more difficult to set up a successful tour with authors who are not active online and who do not wish to blog regularly. I believe it is far less beneficial to the hosts as well, to host these types of authors, and they are less apt to agree to an appearance. And frankly, I don’t blame them!) 

• Be an active blogger who not only blogs regularly but who comments on others’ blogs. Make yourself known in the “blogosphere.”
• Be active in social media sites (we recommend Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter). You don’t necessarily have to have 10,000 Twitter followers, but you should be networking on these sites, providing valuable content where appropriate, and building your following. 
• Have a capture system on your website (and I’m assuming you have one that highlights your book or that has a page about your book) so you can collect email addresses and build your list. Provide those who sign up with something of value—such as a free report or subscription to your newsletter.
• Have a call to action on your website instructing visitors to purchase your book, such as “Buy your copy today!”
• Develop a list of potential hosts based on sites your target market hangs out on. If you’re an active blogger in your genre already, chances are you’ve got a list of sites you check regularly. Find others. Concentrate on those who get a fair amount of traffic.
• Be familiar with the sites you plan to approach so you can avoid those that would not be appropriate. Send a personal inquiry, letting them know you’ve been following their site and emphasizing why your appearance there would benefit their readers/listeners. Include a link to your website where they can read more details about your book, your author bio, and other pertinent links. Indicate the date ranges of your tour; plan ahead as some sites are booked well in advance. You probably won’t want to book more than one or two appearances per day.
• Respond immediately to replies, sending a review copy of the book promptly when it is requested. Confirm the details—date, type of appearance, and topic desired.
• Keep track of where you will be appearing and when. (We use an Excel spreadsheet.) Follow up with your host a couple weeks before your appearance. Make sure they have everything they need from you, including a photo of you and your book as well as your bio.
• Once you start getting appearances scheduled for your virtual tour, start letting your friends and fans on Twitter and Facebook know about it. Be sure to include details—including links—on your website, blog, and newsletter.
• The day of your appearance, make sure to visit the website or blog regularly, answering questions and responding to comments. If your appearance involves a live podcast, be ready for questions.
• Follow up with all your hosts afterward and be sure to thank them.

We love virtual author book tours. It’s a great way for authors to increase exposure, gain new fans, and sell more books. Hosts too benefit by gathering additional visitors to their sites. And there is no chance for jetlag!

Category: authors, book author, book promotion, books, marketing, promotions, publicity, social media, virtual author book tour | 6 Comments »
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