You’re a writer and you want the world to know it or that
great book you just finished won’t ever get out there – oh you might convince a
few close friends and relatives to buy it, but where will it go after that? Your hard work deserves a little bit more effort.
You are the brand and each book you write is a product of
that brand. Introduce your brand to the public, specifically your potential
reading audience. Develop a slogan that will make people think of your brand
when they hear it; my slogan is “Combining Passion and Suspense”. Ask what your
general theme is when you write, don’t base it on one book, base it on the
author style – I like to write romantic stories (passion) with a generous
helping of mystery/adventure/thriller (suspense). Your slogan should be between
three to five words (approximately) and something that rolls off the tongue
easily. Choose some artwork that can also be associated with your brand and
position your slogan over it, this becomes your logo. Next time you are in a
store or browsing through a magazine, notice logos that are used to advertise
and identify specific brands. Use the logo as often as you can.
Create a media page on your author website. Include: two
author bios (one very short and one longer);a downloadable high resolution
author pic; downloadable .jpgs of your book cover(s); links to online
interviews, podcasts, and news/magazine articles about you; provide buy links
for your books; list any awards and accolades you’ve received; and provide
contact info, it’s a good idea to use a post office box address and an author-dedicated
email address. Choose the highlights from this media page and print a one-page
UNCLUTTERED hard copy media sheet which
includes your bio, author pic, list of your book(s), accolades and the URL of
both your author website and your online media page. Carry these abbreviated
media sheets with you to author signings, book discussions and other talks to
hand to any press that may attend. Note on your online media page that the
information and downloadable pics may be used with proper attribution and
REQUEST an email to inform you of any such use. The easier it is for a busy reporter
to write about you, the more possibility there is that you will receive free
publicity.
One of the best ways to spread the word about individual
books is to tie the story in to current events and news articles. When Nina
Davuluri, a young woman of Indian descent, was crowned Miss America 2014, there
was an immediate flurry of hateful comments about her ethnicity –I wrote a blog
comparing what Ms. Davruluri was experiencing and what one of my characters in
my novel Hyphema (Sudah, a woman born and raised in Pakistan) experiences; that
particular blog post received a larger number of hits than the norm. On another
occasion there was a news article about a traffic accident in the Midwest and a
priest who appeared to comfort the victims only to seemingly disappear
afterwards never to be seen again; another blog post was written about my heroine
in Karma Visited (Annie travels on an astral plane while she sleeps) and again
there was an increased volume in hits. Feel free to hijack the latest news
stories and relate them to your book(s). You can send press releases to local
media citing the comparisons as well.
As we’ve discussed before, you must maintain an active online
presence as well. This includes a detailed web-site, a blog, and social media
sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and more. It is important to
interact with other social media participants and not just post constant
advertisements telling people to read your book. Scan blogs for related themes
to your book(s) and query the blog owners to ask if they would be willing to
host you for an original blog post or interview – never assume they would host
you without asking (privately) first.
Writing Exercise: Pick up your local newspaper for the
past few days and read through the front page (or section one) news items. Are
there any articles that can relate to your story (book) or something about you?
[i.e.: an author friend of mine in her young 80s might choose an article about
seniors remaining active] Write a one or two paragraph pitch selling your story
and tying it into the news item; if you have more than one book look for an
article for each story.
Writing Prompt: Make a list of five to ten KEY WORDS you
would use to identify your work. Using this list out together catchy slogans
that you might be able to use to identify your brand.
Challenge Assignment: Go back to your local newspaper and
find the name(s) of any writer(s) that might have an interest in receiving a
press release about your book and/or any author event. If possible get accurate
contact information for the reporter (work mailing address and/or email
address). Compose a real press release about the book’s new release or a
planned author appearance, include: the headline (informative, use keywords,
brief); the lead paragraph, describe what the event or book is, this needs to
be short and grab the reader’s attention; use a second paragraph if necessary
to fill in more VITAL info like back story or tie in to local events; a summary
paragraph which lists WHAT (again), WHEN and WHERE. Be sure to date the press
release and include a name and number for press contact if they need more
information.
