TIPS for PROMOTING YOUR BOOK
Autograph copies of your books to leave at
bookstores. You can obtain "AUTOGRAPHED COPY" gold stickers
from www.ebookisle.com/inventory/Loft/accessories.htm#Autograph.
Prepare a card saying "These books signed by
the author" for bookstores to tape above where your
autographed copies are shelved.
© © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © Cervantes' Don Quixote is the second most-published book in the world (the most published is The Bible). It was also the first novel to be made into a film. Scholars credit Cervantes for inventing the "buddy" theme, where two people of contrasting and appearance and personality pair up. This provides an opportunity for both comic and dramatic conflicts, as well as growth for both characters as they learn from each other. These characters were almost always men, until the 20th century and "Thelma & Louise". The saying that "the pot calls the kettle black" originated in Cervantes' sprawling novel, and is the source for the name Simon Teakettle. MEWSINGS/MUSINGS contains a short poem, called "Quixote," which is printed on the page in the shape of a teapot.
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Despite the wide computerization of library
catalogs, librarians tend to still be paper-based. They worry about
e-mail spam and viruses, so employ sophisticated systems that will
quickly screen out messages from anyone they don't know. For this
reason attempts to reach libraries via e-mail is futile. Instead,
consider postal mail, perhaps combining your efforts in a co-op
mailing with other authors. See:
CANADIAN
LIBRARIES DATABASE
More than 90 Canadian Libraries with purchasing
power, covering all provinces and territories, available in both
database format (EXCEL) and in Word, with addresses in block
format so you can print labels immediately. See full
description by clicking above. Only $25.
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Think carefully about how you want buyers to pay for your books, if you sell them in person or from your website. It helps to price your books so that you don't have to make change when you sell them at speaking engagements or other events. Two of my books cost $18 each (Five Fast Steps to BETTER Writing and Five Fast Steps to Low-Cost Publicity), and MEWSINGS/MUSINGS sells for $15. This means I always bring a change purse containing $5 bills and $2 coins. At least I don't have to carry nickels or pennies! I accept cheques/checks from people I know, and by mail. If a cheque/check from a stranger arrives without a postal address, I always ask the person to add that information, along with their telephone number and e-mail. Most credit cards charge a transaction fee of 15 cents, plus 2.5% of the total, so you have to be doing a sufficient volume of business in order to justify this. PayPal is another option, but they also charge a small fee, and I'm wary of that service because I receive so much spam marked as coming from PayPal or referring to PayPal transactions.
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Create a Media Room on your website. For an excellent example of this, see Rick Becker's site: http://www.campusbliss.com/MediaRoomThe.html. I mentored Rick through the production and marketing of his book, Empowering College Women.
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Plan promotional activities to hook into special
days and events. Chase's Calendar of Events, published by McGraw Hill
Professional: www.chases.com
A less expensive alternative is On This Date, by
Sandy Whiteley.
Some examples of special days and weeks:
January - National Book Month