Every tried a sandwich board? Costume? Holiday fair? What about ways to get reviews? KDP promotions? Come learn it all! And check out the free books at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/683123 and https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/175520
4. Author Site or Blog
The top page should be attractive and easy to navigate
Keywords are also important—I write a paragraph that describes the site and put it on the page.
I also choose my site’s title and description with care.
At minimum, every writer should have a page on each book or series containing a hook, synopsis,
cover art, links to purchase, and links to reviews, articles, and interviews. You also need an About
the Author page with a contact form or email link.
Other logical things to put on your site:
Links to your Facebook , Twitter, or other social media page
Guestbook
Blog or link to Blog
Articles on related subjects to attract visitors
Bibliography of all you’ve published, with buying links.
FAQ
Recommended reading list of books in your subject area
List of upcoming conferences or author appearances
Photos, videos, or audio of you at events
Reading guide and discussion questions
Freebees related to your subject—I put links to Harry Potter games, fonts, sites, and more.
Anything to attract your target audience
5. Online Media Kit
High Resolution Book Image
High Resolution Author Photo
Author Bio
Endorsements
Sell Sheet
Reviews
Awards
Press Release
News Articles
Interview
FAQ
Synopsis
Sample Chapters
Table of Contents
Flyer
Contact Information
6. Getting Reviewed
Recommended Magazines
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/get_rev.htm
http://rambles.net
http://www.novelcritic.com/reviews/contact
http://indiereader.com
Social Media Groups
Goodreads groups— post your request for reviewers in “self promotion” groups or “author” and
“reviewer” groups
Shelfari and Librarything groups
Facebook groups, like https://www.facebook.com/groups/reviewseekers
Lists of Review Magazines
http://TheCompleteReview.com
http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Literature/Reviews/
http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/
http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net/reviewer-list.html
http://robinmizell.wordpress.com/book-reviewers/
http://karinafabian.com/index.php?name=Content&pid=28
7. Other Places to Get Reviewed
Book Review Blogs especially teen ones
Trade reviews with fellow authors
Send messages to Amazon top reviewers
9. Promoting in Person
Parties
Craft and Holiday Fairs
Conferences and Events
Regional groups like California Writers Club
Genre groups like The Society of Children’s Book Writers
and Illustrators or Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of
America
Minority groups like The Women’s National Book
Association
Bookstores and Libraries
11. Booths
Have the booth with a mermaid or
costumed superhero! Decorate
your table! Do a holiday fair!
My table spread contains coloring pages with
ice cream cones (emblazoned with my url no
less in case an artist wants to hang it on the
refrigerator), ice cream decor that function as
paperweights and conversation starters, a
scrapbook containing items from my journey,
instagrammable displays, and a whiteboard that
invites participation.
Baggies with starburst candies and a label:
These Meal Replacement Units
are 100% Adaline Approved!
Adaline, a novel by Denise Kawaii
https://kawaiitimes.com
12. Promoting Online: Amazon
Amazon to do List:
Make sure all the book’s details are correct.
Make an Amazon Author Page at Author Central.
Set up Search Inside the Book
Tag the page with the best tags in your opinion
Check the ebook’s page and tag it as well
Gather reviews and tags
Create Amazon Listmania, So You’d Like to…
Try Amazon Kindle Select Program
Check other sites like Amazon.co.uk and .eu
Amazon Author Central
Set up a profile if you haven’t at https://authorcentral.amazon.com
“Add” all your books.
Post the best snippets in “Editorial reviews” as you get them
Post an author bio, photo, book trailers, and author events.
Link the page to your twitter, website, and blog.
13. Be Bold!
Shortly after the release of Ashes, I learned that
Amazon was doing an online TV series based on
the novel The Man in the High Castle. I went back
into my description of From the Ashes and added
the following sentence: “Fans of Philip K. Dick’s
The Man in the High Castle and Robert Harris’s
Fatherland will want to read this new voice in
alternate history.” By the following week, my daily
sales for this book had gone from single digit to
double digit
14. You Need Events!
Book’s Release
KDP Free Days or Sales (ask your publisher)
Goodreads Giveaway
Holidays: Mother’s Day, Talk like a Pirate Day,
historical event, December, Cyber Monday, Superhero
Saturday, Free Comic Book Day, (#mothersday,
#FCBD)
Television season, movie release (built in hashtags)
15. Social Media Hashtags
Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr do hashtags so you can
advertise to the world. Follow me on @valeriefrankel and watch
Then ask for reposts – send messages to fan groups.
How #GameofThrones Will End #audiobook #sale $1.95 #kindle sale $3.82
http://www.amazon.com/How-Game-Thrones-Will-End/dp/B00S6T5FIO/ #
GameOfThronesSeason5 #GoTSeason5 #HBO
#free #giveaway Empowered The Symbolism Feminism & Superheroism of
#WonderWoman
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/135700-empowered-the-symbolism-feminism-and
#superheroes #SuperHeroSaturday
The #Avengers Face Their Dark Sides: All the #eastereggs & analysis #FreeKindle
http://www.amazon.com/Avengers-Face-Their-Dark-Sides-ebook/dp/B00WCLEGDW …
#StarWarsDay #Maythe4thBeWithYou #kdp #AvengersAgeOfUltron
Here's a list of FIFTY #eastereggs in #Avengers #AgeOfUltron #AgeOfUltronSpoilers
https://valeriefrankel.wordpress.com/2015/05/01/30 #FreeComicBookDay #FCBD2015 #ya
16. Social Media Groups
Facebook and Google Plus do groups and fanpages –
can you find preexisting ones?
Author Promo groups
Free stuff groups
Theme groups – steampunk, fantasy, fans of __
Repost and repost:
Celebrate Avengers: Age of Ultron weekend plus Free Comic Book Day! My book The Avengers Face Their Dark
Sides: Mastering the Myth-Making behind the Marvel Superheroes will be FREE on KINDLE from TODAY-
Mon. http://www.amazon.com/Avengers-Face-T...
Ask friends to repost here too.
17. Free KDP
I earned myself 4,700 downloads during
my KDP free days (on a book with only one review).
I joined Doctor Who fan groups and self-promo
groups: Google Plus, Goodreads, Facebook, Tumblr.
On Twitter I asked top Doctor Who posters to retweet
to their fangroups…it worked!
Doctor Who: The What Where and How #free Nov 21-
25 #freekindle http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Who-
The-What-Whereebook/dp/B00GMWKBUE/ #ebook
#freeebook #DoctorWho #DoctorWho50th
18. Promoting Online: Goodreads (also
Shelfari and LibraryThing)
Make your profile
Add some friends off Facebook, email, or other social media
Add all your books with covers, tags, and detailed info
Add your book to appropriate lists like, in my case, “What to read after The Hunger
Games.”
Ask reviewers to post their reviews on Goodreads—many do anyway.
Link Goodreads to your Facebook page and “like” the book there.
Post the ebook and make the first 20% free to read
Add your video trailer to your profile page
Search for and join “self promotion” groups or “author” “like on Amazon” “Tag on
Amazon.” and “reviewer” groups and post your announcement, request for reviewers, and
any giveaways or events. Make sure to follow the directions.
Search for and join target audience groups like YA readers or horror novel fans. Post your
announcement or join in discussions.
Post a few chapters in the “Writing” section
Link your blog to the page so it shows up on Goodreads
Do a giveaway and post it to social media
Post a signing or other public event
Make a quiz on your topic
19. Branch Out…
Be a guest on Second Life
Podcast your work.
Be a guest on someone else’s podcast. Research
the web either by searching your genre on Google,
iTunes, or trying a site like Blog Talk Radio. Podcast
producers are always looking for guests. If you are a
Horror writer, email us at HorrorAddicts@gmail.com
Guest blog.
20. …Book trailers!
Book trailers have become standard
operating procedure for many publishers and
authors and, on the highest level, can rival their
movie brethren for creative engagement,
product enhancement and just plain fun.
You can go in depth about your projects,
give your audience a behind the scenes glimpse
of your creative process, interview friends and
collaborators, show the secret life of your
cats... Whatever floats your boat.
Check out your favorite author on YouTube,
or even look at my humble offerings... My
author interview program, ACTIVE VOICES
and my rambling moving review feature,
SEVEN MINUTE TAKES, both under my
YouTube Channel, jasons@criticstudio.com
21. Promoting Online: More to Try
Blog and Guest Blog
Post on Forums and Chatrooms
Many book sites will let you post a link, chapters, trailer,
and so forth, or add tags and ratings to your book.
Send free press releases
Sell copies on Ebay (keywords are everything!)
Twitter, Facebook, etc: Basically you should post book
releases, giveaways, contests, awards, promotions, happy
moments, and everything else in appropriate
groups/hashtags and on your page.
22. For these tips and more, try my free ebooks,
Free Guide to Self-Publishing and Book Promotion:
Inside Secrets from an Author Whose Self-Published Books
Sold in Thousands and Self-Promo Stories
by Valerie Estelle Frankel
at
Smashwords.com
or
Vefrankel.com