Need ideas and opinions

[CaroGirl]

I'm in this forum because I think it's busier and more widely visited than some of the promotion forums.

I just got an email from my small-press publisher who is interested in knowing how I plan to promote and sell my YA novel. I have a Facebook presence but it's a personal account. I don't have an author website.

What are the best strategies to commit to for promoting my novel, especially at this point, without a firm release date (2012) or cover?

I was thinking about offering them the following suggestions:


Create a professional Facebook author site
Create an Internet author site, possibly with a blog (yikes! what would I blog about?)
Create an early book trailer to put on those sites

Is there anything else anyone can think of that they've heard about or tried in terms of creating super early interest/buzz in their novel?

[Devil Ledbetter]

Those are good ideas, except I wouldn't start a blog unless I knew exactly what I was going to blog about and keep it focused on that. Writers blogging about writing are legion these days.

Good luck, and congratulations on getting published.

[Phaeal]

Blog about something pertinent to the novel. Or blog as the MC would, if said MC has a cool voice. That's one of the things I'll be doing.

[CaroGirl]

Those are good ideas, except I wouldn't start a blog unless I knew exactly what I was going to blog about and keep it focused on that. Writers blogging about writing are legion these days.

Good luck, and congratulations on getting published.
Exactly! If the blog were on my author site, I expect I'd be posting about the process, but that seems cliched. And if I blog about some other topic (parenting, cooking, life in a cube farm), does it belong on an author site?

I'm kind of excited to create an author site. Anyone have any favourites they want to share?

[BySharonNelson]

There are tons of author blogs out there and they do have updates about thier writing but they also have other things too. Book reviews, personal interests, links of things they have found helpful in the writing community. Check out these,
http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/
http://guidohenkel.com/
http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/

These are indie authors and their blogs have in for about their writing as well as tips and industry stuff and interviews. Just be active in the forum community and have something to say and eventually you will gather followers.

[amyashley]

I just started my blog, and for me it seemed more relevant to blog about ME than about writing. After all, the people I really want to check it out are readers rather than writers. They would be those who want to know what I'm about. I'm trying to create an image of sorts, a brand.

I would spend some time thinking of yourself and how you want to represent that as well as how it ties into your writing and how it can appeal to your readers. When you are selling to a market that isn't exactly in line with YOU, you have to think more outside the box, but it still works.

Dont focus solely on this book or you will end up re-vamping everything with the next one. Think about things in themes and simplified terms, like paranormal or shopping or environmental issues or travel or whatever it is that gets you ticking and relates to your writing and your readers.

It sounds like you have a little time to play with it and maybe do a blog tour and some interviews. You can see about getting you book reviewed on a few sites maybe... Ask if they will provide copies if you can dig up sites that do reviews.

[CaoPaux]

I'm in this forum because I think it's busier and more widely visited than some of the promotion forums.Regardless, the place for this is in Book Promotion. Moving.

[Ryan David Jahn]

I think a website is a good idea.

Blogging is a lot of work. If you think you'll enjoy it for its own sake, it's worth doing, but in my experience, Twitter takes up a lot less time, is a fun way to interact with like-minded people, and is more effective.

That said, I do enjoy blogging.

(If you should decide you don't want a blog of your own, you could still participate in comment threads on other folks' blogs, make your presence known, and when your book is nearing publication, approach various bloggers about doing some guest posts.)

I've done a couple trailers. I don't think they're worth paying for. If you get one done professionally, you will almost certainly not get enough sales from it to cover the cost.

If you don't mind spending the time, you could make your own trailer. I made this one using public-domain footage pulled from government training/informational films: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViLZl-P244Y. Not the best thing ever posted to Youtube, but it cost nothing and I'm not embarrassed by it.

And if you aren't camera shy, you could just blather a bit at the red light on your video camera and call it a trailer. My German publisher asked for something like that and was happy with what I provided.

I don't think a Facebook author page is useful unless and until you're nearing the 5000 friends mark (or have a pseudonym and want to maintain anonymity). I tend to think one of the benefits of online interactions between writers and readers is that everyone is on equal footing. It's a big virtual hangout. As soon as people must become "fans" instead of being friends, it adds distance. Feels somehow less egalitarian. Or maybe I'm insane.

You might consider doing a giveaway when you get some galleys in.

I think the biggest thing is simply participating in the community of which your writing is a part.

The cool thing is, you have over a year of lead-time to build up your presence.

[JoNightshade]

I read a piece of advice somewhere, can't remember where now, but it said that you need to know your strengths and then stick with them. Like, don't try to do twitter, facebook, blog, etc. etc. Pick the one that makes sense to you and go with that. Better than spreading yourself thin.

[Jettica]

Twitter is probably the best place to start, you might find from there that you do have things to blog about. It's also nice to interact, make friends and learn.

[Daddyo]

I started a blog related to my take on blues music before I wrote my novel. Since my crime novel has a strong blues element (RIVER BOTTOM BLUES), I just keep blogging about blues musicians and write my opinions on CD releases and such. I've kept my readers updated with my book's progress. In additional, I created a very basic website with pertinent information about whatever books I get published. My Facebook account is a personal one and I do Twitter. I had a Myspace account before I began my novel, but I've neglected it. Seems like a virus pops up everytime I visit that site.

[Jettica]

MySpace is so last year. :D

[JerseyGirl1962]

If you're going to do the social media thing, there's a good book out there (also in ebook form) called We Are Not Alone, by Kristen Lamb. She writes in a very down-to-earth manner, with a lot of good humor.

This is the paperback version. (http://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Not-Alone-Writers/dp/1935712187)

The Kindle version. (http://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Not-Alone-ebook/dp/B003VD1EQC/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2)

You can also go directly to her site (http://www.whodareswinspublishing.com/WANA.html) and receive it as a PDF (which is what I did).

Good luck! :)

Nancy

[PVish]

A blog is a great way to show that you can write. I once heard an agent at conference say that your blog is your column.

Blog about things that are relevant to your life—things you like and things you do. And, maybe, once in a while about your book. As someone said upstream, there are a lot of writing blogs. I read a few of them—but only ones by really successful agents, editors, and others in the publishing industry. I like reading about bloggers who are leading interesting lives and sharing parts of those lives with me.

Facebook can help drive traffic to your blog. Anytime I update my blog, I'll mention it on Facebook. (And if I blog about/post pictures of my cats, I get a lot more hits. Go figure.)

I'm small press-published. My publisher expects me to use social media and to have a website.

[Sydneyd]

You can connect it all together. When you update your blog, link it on facebook and twitter. have a link to your facebook on your blog, and vice versa. You can be evverrryyywhhheerreee

[Splendad]

Blog about what you are passionate about, or it will fail. If that's lots of stuff, blog about lots of stuff. I'm just learning about promotions now (had no idea that when I took Public Relations Writing in school that I would ever need the stuff) so I've ordered some freebies to give away (pens, magnets, bookmarks, cups, etc.), sent out my local press release with the date and the location of my first book signing, and use the Facebook Fan page (see sig) which, as Sydney said, links both ways. I also sign up to just about any medium-to-high-traffic site about reading or writing and post there (post stuff of value, of course).

Sidenote; blog well, and somebody may just offer to start paying you... (little extra income never hurt a writer, now, did it?) ;) Very best of luck to you (and keep an eye on this forum because I'm gonna review all the companies/promo items I get and I hope others will too so we can save each other some trouble).

[ianh]

The social media thing is a way to go, as it starts the ball rolling as they say..

[ResearchGuy]

. . . Is there anything else anyone can think of that they've heard about or tried in terms of creating super early interest/buzz in their novel?

Stephanie Chandler's book on platform building for Authors (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1884956823?tag=booklovers03-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1884956823&adid=0WBT4WZRTFT8H2K89Q45&) might be helpful. And see her site (http://www.stephaniechandler.com).

--Ken

[Sydneyd]

I just got an idea. You know how in movies, ones they are trying to generate pre release buzz for, they will sometimes put out the soundtrack for the movie. You could do something like that on your blog or facebook page. I know authors now that post the soundtrack they listened to while writing. Just be careful not to turn anyone away with a crappy choice :P

[Dodge]

"If I blog about some other topic (parenting, cooking, life in a cube farm), does it belong on an author site?"

I think so. If you garner fans they want to know what you do. They want to identify with you... or not. Reading about just writing by an author can get dry... especially when read by fans who don't write.