Creative Marketing Ideas

Melissa Pearl - Dec AdMarketing doesn’t have to suck. It can be interesting and fun.

I don’t know many authors who love marketing. I, for one, would rather spend my time writing and editing. I wish the books would just market themselves. Unfortunately they don’t and this year I decided to have an attitude check and come at marketing from a different angle.

Now, before I launch into this post, I just want to share that my best marketing strategy so far has been to make the first book in my series FREE and then run a Bookbub ad. I have two full-length novel trilogies and I have used this strategy for both of them. It’s paid off big time and given my rankings an awesome boost, therefore giving me that extra exposure that’s so vitally important. Continue reading “Creative Marketing Ideas”

What is Teen Read Week, and How Can We Make the Most of It?

I had never heard of Teen Read Week before the lovely K. S. Brooks pointed it out to me. We have similar things in New Zealand, but on a much smaller scale. I once spoke at a local library during an event like this and it was awesome to chat with a bunch of teens about stories to do with their age group. They really got into it and asked the best questions.

As a reader, you’re always more likely to buy an authors book if you’ve had personal contact with them. Teen Read Week just might be your chance.

So – what is Teen Read Week? Continue reading “What is Teen Read Week, and How Can We Make the Most of It?”

The Power of a Crew

Being an indie author can be a very lonely endeavour and I have very quickly learned how important it is to work with other authors.

Since joining a few key Facebook groups, I have noticed chatter about my books increase. It has been so cool to help each other out. Promoting is made easier as they all tell their followers about your stuff and you return the favour. Your audience is instantly mutliplied with very little effort on your part. Promoting another author’s work is a privilege for me and to have them promote mine is an extra bonus. There is power in working together.

We don’t have big publishing companies promoting us. We don’t have bookstores stocking our novels and putting up mammoth posters and advertising. What we do have is the power of mutual promotion. Continue reading “The Power of a Crew”

Give It Away with Rafflecopter

One of the tools in the promotional arsenal of an author (and also companies, websites, and many other organizations) is a giveaway. People love a chance to win free stuff. Many authors do book giveaways on Goodreads which has some positives (lots of people become aware of your book and add it to their to-be-read list), but some downsides as well. Goodreads only allows paper books to be given away, which has financial implications, not only the cost of the book, but shipping costs that could easily get out of hand if you don’t limit entrants to readers from your home country. By using a 100% off coupon code on Smashwords or emailing an ebook file directly to winners it is possible for an author to do a giveaway of ebooks outside of Goodreads at no cost or, if they prefer, at low cost using their promotional dollars for other prizes (Amazon gift cards or some kind of book swag). Continue reading “Give It Away with Rafflecopter”