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Category : Marketing and Platforms
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Continue Reading "How Should I Spend Book Marketing Dollars?"How Should I Spend Book Marketing Dollars?
What if you had $500 to spend on book marketing?Or $5000?
How should that money be spent?
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Continue Reading "Book Marketing Ideas You Probably Haven’t Tried Yet"
Book Marketing Ideas You Probably Haven’t Tried Yet
Post to Facebook.Grow your email list.
Write a blog.
Start a podcast.
We’ve heard these book marketing recommendations a hundred times. We’re tired of them. So let’s shake things up.
In this episode, we dish on book marketing ideas that you probably haven’t tried yet. Give it a listen.
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Continue Reading "How to Run a Successful Book Launch Team (AKA Street Team)"
How to Run a Successful Book Launch Team (AKA Street Team)
Every author uses launch teams (or street teams) to promote their new books.And almost every author struggles to manage these groups.
This week, the Gatecrashers talk about how to run a successful launch team and get the results you need.
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Continue Reading "How to Use Influencers to Sell Your Book"
How to Use Influencers to Sell Your Book
Your publisher asks for your influencer list. They also want ideas for things that will excite your influencers.You panic.
You don’t know any celebrities.
You don’t have home addresses for the kings and queens of social media.
And you certainly don’t have any ideas beyond sending out a copy of your book with an unassuming, near-apologetic letter asking them to help you out but only if they have time and if they’re interested.
And so your influencer mailing ends up falling flat.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
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Continue Reading "How to Land a Book Endorsement"
How to Land a Book Endorsement
Most book endorsements come from people the author knows. But every once in awhile, you can snag one from someone you don’t know.In this episode of the Gatecrashers podcast, we discuss endorsement etiquette and how to chase after blurbs from people who are outside your immediate network.
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Continue Reading "The Difference Between Book Endorsers, Influencers, and a Launch Team"
The Difference Between Book Endorsers, Influencers, and a Launch Team
Each book launch relies on three very important groups of people:– Book Endorsers
– Influencers
– Launch Team Members (or Street Team, for those of us who grew up in the 90s)
But what are the roles of each? And how do you know which of your “people” fit where?
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Continue Reading "Marketing Your First Novel – Chats with Chip"Marketing Your First Novel – Chats with Chip
We’re bringing back some of Chip’s blog posts for both your reading pleasure and to bring some insight for authors in a constantly evolving industry. Enjoy! Feel free to comment below.
Marketing Your First Novel
I received a fascinating email from a first-time novelist the other day. She said that her very first novel is releasing, it’s with a medium-sized house, and she said, “While I’m not exactly sure what the publisher may do to market my book, I’m wondering what advice you give to the authors you represent in order to help them market their first novel.”
First, I wrote back to her and said she should simply ASK HER PUBLISHER what exactly they’re doing to help market her book. It may not be much (publishing works on the Pareto Principle, where 80% of the resources flow to 20% of the books), but she should certainly know what they are doing. So get a little clarity by asking. Are they taking out an ad in a trade magazine? Purchasing a group ad? Buying placement in front of Barnes & Noble? Sending out review copies? Offering terms to Amazon? Whatever it is (and it may not be much), it would be nice to know, so that the author doesn’t duplicate the publisher’s efforts.
Second, I suggested she simply make a list of the things SHE CAN DO to help market her book. Can she put together a blog tour? Do a launch party with friends at a local bookstore? Set up an event on Facebook? Arrange to get into her local newspaper and onto local radio stations? Every author can do SOMETHING… so what is it you can do?
We had a nice chat about this via email, then she asked me another question: “Would you be willing to show me the sort of letter you send to a first-time novelist you represent?” I thought that was a brilliant question,
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Continue Reading "How I Got 150,000 Followers in Two Years—An Interview with Heather Thompson Day"
How I Got 150,000 Followers in Two Years—An Interview with Heather Thompson Day
For years, Heather Thompson Day‘s author platform hovered around 5,000 followers. Despite numerous book releases with a small denominational press and a steady speaking schedule, she just couldn’t seem to grow her tribe. She felt stuck.And then all of a sudden, things changed.
Within two years, she hit 150,000 followers.
What changed? What did she do differently?
Listen to our conversation with Heather on the latest episode of Gatecrashers Podcast.
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Continue Reading "How Authors Can Use Social Media Analytics"
How Authors Can Use Social Media Analytics
Authors are told to write what they’re passionate about, but many times this leaves them confused. “I have so many book ideas!” many of my authors have told me. “How do I determine which one to write?”I’ve known authors to struggle with questions like should I write mystery or fantasy? Romance or women’s fiction? A book on parenting teenagers or parenting toddlers? Should I do a cookbook or a fitness book? A Bible devotional or a trade book?
Sometimes the answers to these questions can be found in the author’s online analytics.
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Continue Reading "Ask the Agent: How do I market my novel?"
Ask the Agent: How do I market my novel?
I received a fascinating email from a first-time novelist the other day. She said that her very first novel is releasing, it’s with a medium-sized house, and “While I’m not exactly sure what the publisher may do to market my book, I’m wondering what advice you give to the authors you represent in order to help them market their first novel.”
First, I wrote back to her and said she should simply ASK HER PUBLISHER what exactly they’re doing to help market her book. It may not be much (publishing works on the Pareto Principle, where 80% of the resources flow to 20% of the books), but she should certainly know what they are doing. So get a little clarity by asking. Are they taking out an ad in a trade magazine? Purchasing a group ad? Buying placement in front of Barnes & Noble? Sending out review copies? Offering terms to Amazon? Whatever it is (and it may not be much), it would be nice to know, so that the author doesn’t duplicate the publisher’s efforts.
Second, I suggested she simply make a list of the things SHE CAN DO to help market her book. Can she put together a blog tour? Do a launch party with friends at a local bookstore? Set up an event on Facebook? Arrange to get into her local newspaper and onto local radio stations? Every author can do SOMETHING… so what is it you can do?
We had a nice chat about this via email, then she asked me a question: “Would you be willing to show me the sort of letter you send to a first-time novelist you represent?” I thought that was a brilliant question, so I agreed to pull out an actual letter I’d sent to someone about marketing, and reveal it. I’ve changed some of the details to hide the author’s identity, but I hope you find this helpful…
Hi
