Welcome to week ten of the Christian Author Bootcamp! This is a ten week book promotion blitz created to help you whip your publicity plan into shape. This week your challenge is write guest posts and articles for various websites. There are thousands of blogs out there looking for fresh, free content. By giving them guest posts you’ll get publicity in return. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Welcome to week nine of the Christian Author Bootcamp! This is a ten week book promotion blitz created to help you whip your publicity plan into shape. This week your challenge is to create low cost marketing materials such as business cards, bookmarks and postcards as another way to promote your book.
We suggest checking out OvernightPrints.com for low cost marketing materials.
Welcome to week eight of the Christian Author Bootcamp! This is a ten week book promotion blitz created to help you whip your publicity plan into shape. This week your challenge is to sign up for HARO. Don’t know what HARO is? It stands for Help a Reporter Out and it’s a free way to get publicity for your book!
Sign up for a free HARO account and start receiving updates from working journalists every day.
Welcome to week five of the Christian Author Bootcamp! This is a ten week book promotion blitz created to help you whip your publicity plan into shape. This week your task is creating a speaking sheet. As an author you are most likely an expert in something. As an expert you have an opportunity to take part in speaking engagements that not only allow you to share your expertise but also to promote your book.
Remember to include a brief bio, information about your book, contact details and a few options for topics you are willing to approach. Here is an example of a speaking sheet for author Mimi K.
Welcome to week three of the Christian Author Bootcamp! This is a ten week book promotion blitz created to help you whip your publicity plan into shape. This week we’re taking on the task of writing a news release and distributing it to various media outlets. Watch the video and then find the links mentioned below.
This week we talked about writing a news release which requires thinking like a reporter. If you need a little more help with your news release check out this post I write last year about developing your story pitch.
Distribute your news release using free services like PRLog.org.
You may also choose to target Christian media using resources like the Christian Media Connect Source List.
If you’re on Twitter (and you should be after last week!) try connecting with news outlets and reporters using MediaOnTwitter.com.
On just about every site that sells books, there is an opportunity for fans (or critics) to share their opinion on a book. Amazon does it. Barnes and Noble does it. Even Google Books allows reviews. Whether it was loved or hated, the book seller wants to give readers a chance to share their opinion on a title. What does that mean for you as an author? Keep in mind some interesting statistics in the Christian marketplace. Personal recommendations are a big factor when buyers are deciding which books to buy. Seventeen percent of people buy books based on online sources including book reviews, online advertisements, email from the retailer or based on the author’s website. That’s nearly two out of five people.
The good news is reviews are free. It doesn’t cost any money to get someone to write their opinion down about your book. The hard part can be getting someone to do it. Here are some ways to generate positive reviews about your books on book selling sites:
1. Ask for them. Sounds simple enough, but most people don’t do it. Send out an email to family members and friends asking them to take a few minutes to write a review of your book on Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.
2. Tweet about it. Use social media to generate reviews. Request them on Twitter or Facebook. If you’re a fan of Christian Publishing on Facebook you could even ask other members to help you out.
3. Hold a giveway. Hold a giveaway of your book on your blog. Or ask another blogger to hold a giveaway for you. In return for receiving a copy of your book, ask the winner to post a review of the book on a book selling site. While you can’t guarantee that it will be a positive review, at least you’ll be generating talk about your book!
4. Trade reviews. Team up with other authors and swap reviews. That way everyone wins.
5. Ask your publisher for help. Your publisher likely has access to an email database of customers. Ask them to give away a few copies of your book in return for online reviews.
What are some other ways you would suggest generating online reviews? Have you knowingly generated sales based on an online review? Let us know!
Dozens, if not hundreds, of authors circulate the convention center floor during the International Christian Retail Show. Many sign copies of their latest books while others simply attend to make connections. Among those at the show are some of the most popular Christian authors of the year. Today a few of those authors made appearances at ICRS.
Author Karen Kingsbury
Bestselling author Karen Kingsbury signed copies of one of her latest books at the Zondervan booth. This was Kingsbury’s second signing of ICRS.
Authors Alex and Stephen Kendrick
Hundreds of people lined up to get a signed copy of bestselling book, The Love Dare written by brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick. The book was published by B&H.
Last week we asked what you thought about the fact that Kate Gosselin has a book coming out this fall from Christian publisher Zondervan. The book, called “Love is in the Mix”, is described on Zondervan’s website as an “inside look at one of America’s most famous close-knit families.” Although the publisher’s description of “Love is in the Mix” still shows a November of 2009 release date, Zondervan’s CEO is quoted in the New York Post as saying that date may change. Maureen “Moe” Girkins, CEO of Zondervan, says they plan to “work with Kate to reassess the schedule for her next book.”
According to the comments we’ve received, many people feel the book should be shelved indefinitely. Both of the previous Kate Gosselin books that Zondervan published were bestsellers.
On the latest episode of Jon and Kate Plus 8, the couple admitted they were splitting up. TLC announced that on June 22, the couple had filed for divorce, exactly ten years and ten days after they said “I do.” Christian publishing house Zondervan published two books by Kate Gosselin, Multiple Blessings and Eight Little Faces. A third book, Love is in the Mix, is schedule for release this fall. This is the description of Love is in the Mix:
If you enjoyed Multiple Blessings and Eight Little Faces, you won’t want to miss this inside look at one of America’s most famous close-knit families. Kate Gosselin shares recipes, traditions, photos, and more that will inspire you to make your family time more memorable and meaningful.
Christian publisher Zondervan, has received many negative comments about their involvement with the Gosselin family on the company’s blog. Many of the comments include requests to get the family help along with promises to never buy one of the Gosselin’s books. Others claim the company is deleting unflattering comments about Kate Gosselin and Zondervan.
The latest developments in the Gosselin’s marriage beg the question, what should Zondervan do? We have asked Zondervan for a statement, but so far we have not heard a response. What do you think?
Christian author Adam Blumer recently held a book launch. It wasn’t at a local coffee shop or bookstore– it was on Facebook. According to his blog, nearly 150 people turned out and here’s what Adam wrote about the event:
Here’s a big thank you to many who attended my online book release party yesterday! I was pleasantly surprised when 147 of you participated and entered the book drawing. You wrote such kind words of encouragement. Thank you! Sorry we ran out of salsa, and my assistant who was supposed to buy more cake ran off with it.
It sounds like Adam and his Facebook visitors had a great time celebrating the release of Meaningful Suspense. So here’s how you can create a book launch party on Facebook:
1. Create a Facebook Page. As long as you already have a Facebook account, you can create a fan page. Put your name or your book’s name in the title so people can easily search for it. Here are some guidelines to follow when setting up a Facebook Fan Page.
2. Pick a Time. You can either set up your book launch like Adam did with a specific date, or you can make it more general. Either way, encourage your fans to visit your page often to stay up-to-date about book signings and events.
3. Promote your Fan Page. Send messages to your Facebook friends and encourage them to become your fan. Ask them to recruit more fans for you. You can also use paid advertising to get the word out about your event.
4. Put a Badge on Your Blog. Facebook makes promoting your fan page easy by creating badges. This will let visitors to your blog know about your Facebook page. You can learn how to create a badge for your Page from the ‘Promotion Guidelines’ link. This can be found under the communications section when you are editing your Page.
5. Host a Giveaway. Encourage visitors to stop by your Facebook Page by holding a giveaway like Adam did. Promote the giveaway on your blog as well.
6. Communicate with Your Fans. As long as you don’t go over 5000 fans, you can easily communicate with the entire group and keep the up-to-date about events and happenings surrounding your book. The update will appear in their Facebook inbox.
Are you planning a Facebook book launch party? Or have you held one in the past? Tell us about it!
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