When promoting a book, many authors think national promotion. And that’s fine, but I also suggest authors consider solid local promotion using book clubs. While national campaigns can be effective, reaching out to a nearby audience is certainly cost-effective and, when done right, can help start word-of-mouth promotion every author covets.
The obvious appeal of a book club is that it is a prime niche target. The simple equation is that book clubs consist of people interested in books and people who like books can like your book as well as any other.
The investment is driving 15-20 minutes to where the club meets, speaking for 30 minutes, answering questions for 10-15 minutes, and then greeting members as they depart at a table filled with your books.
If 20 members attend that week’s book club session, and six buy your book, they will return to the following month’s meeting and at least two or three will talk about your book. Others will then go out and, on the recommendation of club members, purchase your book. All will tell friends outside the club, some of whom will buy your book. It doesn’t take long for 100 sales to rack up from a 90-minute investment by the author.
And, by the way, a book club in another state or another country still can have value to an author because it can easily be arranged to “appear” as a speaker to any distant club by using SKYPE, Facebook Live or other technology. Visiting a book club offers many benefits beyond sales, although generating sales should be number one. Other benefits include:
A way to better identify target audiences.
Getting new thoughts and ideas for future books
Increased understanding of what characters or plot lines were of interest to readers in your target audience.
Having an instant focus group without having to pay for one.
Meet and relate to reviewers who often are book club members.
Meet people from all different walks of life, greatly adding food to the writer’s observational brain.
Learn about new books to read. Remember Stephen King’s advice: “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.”
To find book clubs nearby do a Google search. Then, (now don’t laugh), actually go to your local library and ask the librarian! Chances are some book clubs may even meet in the library. Others will meet in private homes, but the librarian will know. In fact, the librarian will belong to local book clubs and probably would be willing to recommend you as a speaker at a club event or at the library itself. Besides the library, visit local community colleges and universities to get information on book clubs.
There are some things an author should do to make the visit worthwhile to club members so they will be invited back or invited to another club, such as:
Provide study questions in advance.
Have some great stories ready to talk about writing and the creative process.
Seek their help by asking them to review your book on Amazon, BN, Goodreads, or talk about it on Facebook or Twitter
Keep in touch. Take a picture with the group and offer to email it to them. Save the contact information and email them updates.
Bring something – bookmarks, a bottle of wine, or a batch of homemade cookies. Best of all bring free books to give away.
After you have visited all the book clubs within a 50-mile radius, you will have become an expert at promoting books using book clubs. After all, paid speakers begin by speaking free to local civic clubs and become better speakers by this training method. The same goes for authors and book clubs. These new skills will prepare you to speak at seminars, workshops, book fair conferences, etc.
One more thing. There are several celebrity book clubs promoted by Reese Witherspoon, Jimmy Fallon and Sarah Jessica Parker to name a few. Getting picked up by these are a long shot at best for most authors. So, for best results and mental satisfaction, I’d focus on the plan I’ve outlined above.
The Bottom Line: Authors, pursue book clubs to promote your book and get the local buzz going!
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
Designing an eye-catching book cover is a strategic part of the book marketing process. If someone lingers over your cover for a millisecond longer, there’s a greater likelihood they’ll be inspired to crack open the book. What then, can be done to set one book cover apart from another with the hundreds of thousands of books being published every year?
Lately the trend of animating book covers has caught on as a sleek new way to add pizazz and let books stand out. An animated image is a great way for a book to be shared, posted, and reposted, on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest. Tumblr and other social media sites thereby reaching a wider audience. Google’s expanded feature for Advanced Image Search is a good sign for authors and animators who want their work shared.
William Herr, author of From a Broken Land, described his decision to jump on the animation trend as a “shut up and take my money moment.”
Who is using Animated Book Covers?
Graphic design artist Joshua Jadon has offered GIF book covers to his clients for over three years. Joshua has designed book covers for authors of all genres including New York Times Best Selling authors. Joshua says that one in five of his clients will request an animated book cover.
So far, several renowned authors including Stephen King and J.A. Konrath have adopted the animated design. Stephen King published Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining, with a beautiful animation.
Get an Animated Book Cover
How Can Authors Get an Animated Book Cover?
William R. Herr described his decision to animate the cover of his recent novel, From a Broken Land, as, “Not something you can do yourself, at least not if it is done right, and the artists understand this. Pay well for good work, and don’t accept the sub-par.”
Unfortunately, his publisher at the time wasn’t onboard. Herr states, “Their position was that the retailers would never agree to include the covers, so why even pursue it?” After leaving his publisher for unrelated reasons Herr turned to his friend Aaron Acevedo of Pinnacle Entertainment Group, a “bootstrap tabletop gaming company.” Acevedo in turn brought in colleague Martin de Diego Sadabo to do the artwork, the combination was simply perfect.
On the other side of the spectrum is book design artist, Joshua Jadon, who has been dazzling readers for over three years with animated book covers. “My dad has always been into animation and suggested that I look into doing animated book cover designs. The idea that an eBook cover can be brought to life with a bit of custom animation in a GIF format is really amazing.”
Why Should an Author get Animated?
According to Jadon, “Eye-catching book cover design is a real key to catching the attention of MORE readers and the best possible way to increase that rate of someone seeing your book is to have a cover that really stands out. GIF animations just crank things up a notch with real-time movement and effects.”
What is the Cost of an Animated Book Cover?
Less is more according to Herr. “Too much movement, and the eye gets tired. Too little, and it does not ‘pop’. Overall cost for the animation was $100.00.” All animators have their own fees, and the DIY option is always there if one is inclined to take up the task.
“Honestly creating a GIF animation can take some time depending on the difficulty of the animation and what exactly the client wants created”, states Jardon who quoted his rate for an animated GIF cover at $200 although he offers discounts if authors want a regular book cover as well.
There is also the option of creating your own. All that is required is Photoshop and the help of a Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) creating site. There are several tutorials online such as this one that can give any book a creative edge to grab attention.
The Future of Animated Covers?
While many authors and designers are catching on to this unique marketing tool, animating still appears to be in its early stages. At the moment, Amazon Kindle and most major online retailers do not support them. Nor has Amazon released any plans to feature the new designs.
However, the trend has gained some serious momentum and may become more commonplace as the book industry continues its competitive streak. As Herr put it, “Someone has to be first, and I’ll be darned if it’s going to be Steven King over me.”
The Bottom Line: With the explosion in electronic everything, getting an animated book cover will be standard in the coming years. Might just as well jump on it and do it now.
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
Have you ever attended a writers’ conference? Here’s why you may want to consider adding one to your calendar.
A writers’ conference is a think tank for authors to build on each other’s ideas and inspire new achievements in their own work. For the cost of lodging and registration, the payoff for attending a writers’ conference could be tremendous.
Attending a writers’ conference gives you a chance to pitch your book, learn about the various publishing options and meet book editors, agents, and book marketing specialists. If your book is six months or a year from being finished, you can talk to people with valuable input on shaping your book. At a writers’ conference, you’ll get all sorts of advice to help you wrap up your project when you return home.
Of course, you will want to prepare for any writers’ conference you attend by having a plan of what you want to find out and what you will do while there. I suggest you develop an ‘elevator pitch’ about your book that you can deliver in 30 seconds. Have a one-pager available with your book cover, author headshot, short 50-word synopsis, short bio, website URL, Twitter handle and your contact information. You never know who you’ll meet so be prepared for that moment!
Here are some upcoming writers’ conferences in 2019 for your consideration
Select a writers’ conference of interest to you and be prepared to enjoy the benefits of meeting other writers, acquiring knowledge you can use immediately, learn about different genres, find a new market for your book, elevate your professional effectiveness, meet editors, agents and publishers, become inspired and return home energized.
The Bottom Line: Make a commitment to attend at least one writers’ conference this year. You’ll be glad you did!
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
As a book publicist I am always on the lookout for effective ways to reach book buyers and the media. One way is to utilize a service called ProfNet. As one of its first users I’ve seen ProfNet become one of the most important ways of reaching the media in a non-intrusive way.
Here’s how it works. A reporter, freelance writer or television producer is assigned a story. Unless they know someone, who is an expert on that topic, they’ll need to find someone to interview. So, the reporter will place a query on ProfNet requesting an expert with certain qualifications and who could speak to a certain issue they are writing about. They’ll include a deadline, contact information and their media outlet.
These queries are compiled by ProfNet and are emailed out to thousands of publicists, experts, authors and other subscribers multiple times a day. I personally read just about every set of queries as they could contain a big media opportunity for my clients. On any given day there could be queries from the NY Times, Good Morning America, Women’s World Magazine, NPR and just about anybody you could think of.
I’ve landed clients in all the above-mentioned outlets and hundreds of others as well. One reason it works so well is that the media is looking for the expert rather than you or me (the publicist) pushing my client on them. In this case they actually have a story they’re working on and NEED an expert.
Who in the media uses ProfNet? Meet freelance writer Lisa Iannucci. Lisa has written many articles for consumer and trade publications including Weight Watchers, Muscle & Fitness, Parenting, Shape, ePregnancy, SkyGuide Go (American Express), American Health, USA Weekend, Parenting, New York Magazine and more. She has also written for New England Condominium, The Cooperator, Business Travel News, DDIFO (a Dunkin’ Donuts trade journal), Sports Travel and more. She is constantly on the lookout for interesting experts and authors to interview for her various freelance assignments.
Authors are perfect for Profnet because of their built-in credibility since they wrote about the subject matter covered in their book. The media likes people who have credentials and are authorities and experts.
Here are key tips to remember when responding:
1. Note the deadline. Get your response in well ahead of it.
2. Answer the question or query directly. Keep your email short and to the point. Nobody has time to read a dissertation.
3. Google the reporter or the publication if you are not aware of them. Get every edge you can as you’ll be competing against others who want the coverage too.
4. Remember Radio likes “sounds.” Television likes a “visual.” Online services like links and Print likes everything! So, cater to the medium in your response.
5. Put “ProfNet Query” in the subject line
I pitched one of my authors to a ‘major consumer magazine’ about her Hollywood makeup book as they were looking for the latest in Blush/Luminizers/Contouring/Makeup. Another author of mine wrote a book about Type 2 Diabetes and was quoted extensively in a highly regarded association publication with two million readers because the ProfNet query asked for tips about Type 2 Diabetes and insurance.
On another occasion, I responded to a ProfNet query from the New York Times who was desperately looking for someone to comment about a financial issue at 6pm on a Friday night. Got that one too!
The Bottom Line: Authors, put ProfNet into your marketing mix. By proactively promoting your book to the media you can become the Go-To-Expert on your topic. Do it today!
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
If you want to sell your book to Hollywood, it’ll help to think like Hollywood producers and directors. Since everybody is so busy these days, you’ll have to boil down your book to a quick pitch that answers the question: What is your book about?
Your logline should SELL the story, not tell the story.
Think about it, do you have a one-sentence summation of your book to tell others? Do you have the main elements of the story composed together? If not, you need a logline.
A logline is a one or two sentence description that boils down the essential dramatic narrative in as succinct a manner as possible, says James Burbidge on Raindance.org
According to John Robert Marlow, author of Make Your Story a Movie: Adapting Your Book or Idea for Hollywood, “If you want to turn your book into a movie then understand that the people who represent and purchase books and screenplays are incredibly busy. They need a way to decide which stories are worth a closer look, and which are not—without actually taking the time to read those stories. This is where the logline comes into play.”
Hollywood Logline, Sell Your Book to Hollywood
Here’s an example of a good logline for a book from the author resource website WildSound.ca.
“The Last Thing She Did” is a romantic comedy in which a ditsy writer struggles to overcome her reliance on a dead friend’s advice in order to meet a deadline.
According to Michelle Mclean, Romance and Nonfiction author, the elements of your logline should consist of Characters, Conflict, Distinction, Setting, and Action.
“A logline is a brief description of the plot of your story, which involves an emotional hook and a twist of irony. A logline organizes a story in the briefest form possible while retaining the strongest emotional effect,” said Jen Grisanti, author of Story Line: Finding Gold in Your Life Story.
“A good use for the logline is the pitch. This handy, dandy quick summary of your story is very useful in persuading agents, editors, and even your dentist that you’ve hit on a ‘wow’ premise that simply MUST be written. Better yet, if it’s already written, then it MUST be read,” said David Macinnis Gill, author and teacher.
“The logline is just as important as a creative tool as it is as a vehicle to spark an interest of others,” said Noam Kroll of Indiewire, an award-winning Los Angeles based filmmaker, and founder of the boutique production company Creative Rebellion.
“You do not need to condense your entire book into one sentence, but you do need to give enough information that the agent/editor/ curious acquaintance you are addressing gets the gist of your book, and is interested enough to want more,” said Michelle Mclean.
One author’s logline gained the interest of several producers and production companies as well as a major agent. “Sometimes the logline comes to me in the middle of writing a book and other times it’s the last thing I do. Whenever inspiration strikes, I capture the words immediately,” says Tricia Stewart Shiu author of the Moa Series, a Young Adult Science Fiction Fantasy. “Writing a logline is, essentially, communicating with gut instincts the core essence of a story. When you’re done, it should ring like a bell,” adds Shiu.
“Another use for a logline is you. A novel is a big thing. It’s difficult to hold the whole story in your mind, especially when you’ve finished a first draft and are still giddy from the flow of creative juices. Writing a logline helps you define—for yourself—the essential elements of the plot. It will also let you know immediately if major components of the plot are missing. This prevents episodic plots that are a string of (interesting and exciting) events that lack a complete story spine,” added David Macinnis Gill.
While writing your logline make sure it is brief. According to Wildsound.ca, brevity is an absolute necessity of creating a good logline, as well as choosing your focus carefully. It is important to choose the focus of your logline because it is the selling point of your book. You need to draw the readers in with action, the plot twists and turns, anything that will grab their attention and interest for more.
Your logline can also be brought to life by an actor through Wildsound.ca who’ll post it to their YouTube Channel, which draws thousands of viewers daily. They claim that agents and producers check the site for new content. It’s worth a look. https://www.wildsound.ca/
The Bottom Line: Creating a logline is an integral part of being able to convey to others what your book is about in a quick concise manner. Master this whether your book is going to Hollywood or not.
Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few.
If so, tell us a little about your book. What is the title? Do you have a publisher? What is the publish date? How many pages is your book? What is the cost? Do you have web site? What is your specific goal I.E., to make money, raise awareness, get the attention of an agent or publisher, sell the story to a movie or TV studio or something else?
Submit the form below with this information and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!