Book Promotion: Carousel Tides
Saturday, February 6th, 2010 06:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rolanniAsyouknowBob, in November of this year, Sharon Lee will see her very first fantasy novel published by Baen. Nobody knows that they want this book, though of course, they do and they will, once its existence is made known to them. The trick is -- how to make it known. And, more importantly, how to make it known without pissing people off*.
What I'm doing here is soliciting ideas -- brainstorming if you will -- about ways to promote this novel. Ideally, these ways should be inexpensive of both (my) time and money. I know that I should probably build a website, but what sort of content would be useful to you -- yes, you! -- the reader who does want this book, and who will love it and hug it and call it Kate -- once you know about it?
What other things besides a website would be useful? What sways you as a reader, in search of new things to read? Tell all!
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*What recently pissed me off, for instance, is a recommendation I received on Goodreads, from a fellow Goodreads author -- for her book. Bad form, bad form. It might have been...not quite so annoying, if I had ever met this author or knew her from a bump on a stump. Maybe. No...probably not.
What I'm doing here is soliciting ideas -- brainstorming if you will -- about ways to promote this novel. Ideally, these ways should be inexpensive of both (my) time and money. I know that I should probably build a website, but what sort of content would be useful to you -- yes, you! -- the reader who does want this book, and who will love it and hug it and call it Kate -- once you know about it?
What other things besides a website would be useful? What sways you as a reader, in search of new things to read? Tell all!
-----
*What recently pissed me off, for instance, is a recommendation I received on Goodreads, from a fellow Goodreads author -- for her book. Bad form, bad form. It might have been...not quite so annoying, if I had ever met this author or knew her from a bump on a stump. Maybe. No...probably not.
Alternative ideas
Date: 2010-02-07 07:51 pm (UTC)Book Trailer - a little mini-video put out on Youtube, which one
can link to in reviews, press releases, etc, etc. If you put a kid
or an intern on this, it's relatively painless/costless.
Facebook - which is free - put an account out for the character and
update once a week (ish) with links to the trailer/webpage/other
stuff.
Podcast - put out the first N chapters where N is the number of
chapters required to 'hook' the reader. I have see this as
effective for Tee Morris, Pip Ballantine, JC Hutchins and PG
Holyfield. This podcast can be stashed on a website/facebook page.
Twitter - but in the character of the protagonist. Or maybe the
antagonist. Link to the book trailer/facebook/website, etc. This
is free but expensive in that you should tweet EVERY DAY. Maybe
once a day?
Get as many reviews as possible - Big Idea is good, so is Locus,
any of your friendly Cons/friends that have blogs, etc. We can
try to get it on the IndieNext list but we need the ARCs sent out
via IndieBound, I think.
ARCs - have you investigated whether it's possible to put out your
own ARCs by printing them on Lulu or something? Or is that a no-no
under your contract?
Lauretta@ConstelaltionBooks
Re: Alternative ideas
Date: 2010-02-07 08:15 pm (UTC)*wonders where to find a kid intern*
The Twitter idea is very likely a good one, but I'm not gonna. This is Me (well, OK, actually it's Kate, too, who would rather spit in your eye and dump you into the next universe over rather than tweet); I really am an introvert, and Facebook is 'way, 'way too noisy for me to put up with on a regular basis. Twitter just sounds like...hell.
Podcast also a good idea, but I'm pretty sure Baen has audio rights, so I'd have to check to see if I'd be violating contract.
Get as many reviews as possible - Big Idea is good, so is Locus, any of your friendly Cons/friends that have blogs, etc. We can try to get it on the IndieNext list but we need the ARCs sent out
via IndieBound, I think.
Can you get me the IndieBound info/contact? I can pass it on to Baen.
Printing and mailing my own ARCS is, alas, gonna be out of budget.
Re: Alternative ideas
Date: 2010-02-07 08:41 pm (UTC)who are interested in writing or journalism? Or marketing? The
opportunity for Real Work experience, even if they don't get paid
(or get paid in a book copy) might be enough.
Yeah, twitter is an acquired taste. It seems to hit the 20-60 year
olds. Facebook is a wider range. The authors I know who use them
most effectively do it in the 'voice' of the character.
Baen might be OK with the Podcast as long as it's less than or
equal to the number of chapters they release on-line.
The Baen folks should be pointed to
http://www.bookweb.org/pubpartner/resources.html
It has a FAQ and everything...
Lauretta
Re: Alternative ideas
Date: 2010-02-15 04:55 am (UTC)