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.
(this is to replace one of the missing posts)
