Promoting With Style

Anne Rice is a master promoter.

I am fascinated by people who move through life confidently promoting themselves and their projects. For this golden few, the prospect of walking into a room full of strangers inspires excitement and endless opportunity. Who wouldn’t want to meet them and talk to them about their latest pet project? These self-promoters exude a joy at networking that seems to be second nature.

For more introverted folk, the prospect of a cocktail party full of strangers has all the attraction of a root canal. This seems to be a common problem for writers, whose brains crave the solitude needed to create and the lack of distraction to focus. Often, the words that flow so easily onto the page trickle in conversation. Don’t fret, my friends, there is hope.

I keep track of the marketing and promotional ideas that I like in a folder. In addition, I love to peruse all sorts of blogs, and thankfully, this research is largely free. I am particularly interested in female entrepreneurs who have achieved success with intelligence and flair. One constant theme is their involvement with several charities that are close to their heart. By becoming involved in charity work they meet other like-minded people, enlarge their network, and promote themselves without seeming so obvious. It works.

Desiree Rogers, master networker. WSJ photo by Marc Hom.

I decided to utilize this philosophy recently when a close friend was conducting an Ovarian/Breast Cancer tennis tournament at my club. I asked her if she would like me to provide a themed gift basket with my book. She was touched, and enthusiastically accepted. I purchased a vintage, hand-painted tin, and filled it with all kinds of goodies that a woman would use while reading my book. Foaming bubble bath, a sexy black candle, a good bottle of wine and lots of cosmetic samples a friend of mine donated filled it out. I also had beautiful book marks made, which I placed in front of the basket on the table where it was auctioned. I wish I had taken a picture of the finished product, it was pretty and very popular. I know I sold books as a result. The proceeds, from the basket, went to a good cause. Moreover, my friend was a fantastic public relations representative, telling everyone how much she enjoyed reading my sexy book.

One of the charities I support.

This weekend I overheard a conversation in the gym about how difficult it is to get donations due to the recession. Local businesses are cutting back drastically. I waited for a lull in the conversation and asked if she would like a gift basket with a signed copy of my book. She was thrilled. In this case, the proceeds will go toward building a new rubberized running track for the local high school track team. Over a hundred people will attend the planned golf tournament and dinner. I will again have bookmarks displayed in front of the basket.

You can even take this a step further and volunteer to assist at the event. By being a good worker bee you show your dedication to the organization and have an easy topic of conversation. You will also be supporting a worthy cause, one of your choosing.

These baskets are not expensive to make. Be creative and have fun! I will be sharing other promotional ideas in future posts, so stay tuned.

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L. A. Lewandowski is a Contributing Author for Indies Unlimited and author of the novel, Born To Die – The Montauk Murders. For more information, please see the IU Bio Page and her blog: cultureandcuisineclub.com.[subscribe2]

Author: L. A. Lewandowski

Lois Lewandowski graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Political Science and French Literature. A passion for life lived well is reflected in her novels, Born to Die-The Montauk Murders, A Gourmet Demise, and My Gentleman Vampire, giving readers a glimpse into the world of the beau monde. Lois lives in Tampa, Florida. Learn more at her lifestyle blog, and her Amazon author page.

25 thoughts on “Promoting With Style”

  1. I've been able to do this a few times when local organizations have approached us (probably due to the recent newspaper article on our little publishing company, Staccato Publishing). It's too hard to tell if we can credit our sales to this but even if there are no new sales, it's for a good cause.

    1. Hi HK,

      It is sometime difficult to measure exactly how many books one might sell with this idea, but it does put the author out in public in a wonderful venue. For me it wasn't just that books sold immediately, but that the buzz afterward still continues. The charities need the help we can give them, times are tough for them, too.

      Thanks for stopping by.

    1. Troy,

      You could make the coolest 'basket'!!! Think about the stuff riders love, and always need. I would theme it to the type of bike you ride. Is there wine with a motorcycle on it, or some inside joke a fellow biker would understand? A bottle with a cool name. Maybe a framed pic of that bike fest in Miami. This is a PG site so I can't talk about it in detail. 🙂

      I know there is a famous store near Chester N.Y., my brother took my son there. It might have been a Harley Davidson shop. Ebay might have stuff, too. Good luck and thanks for your comments!

  4. This really is a great idea. I'm going to do a man's version of this. Instead of a basket, I'll use a rucksack and fill it with all sorts of festive man-things. Catfish stink bait, jock itch cream, universal remotes, Hai Karate, Magazines in plain brown wrappers, and a copy of Bad Book.

    Now THAT's a winner!

  8. Don't forget to get a picture of the table with your second basket/bookmarks this time! We'd love to see it and I'm sure it will assist us in steali… uh… adapting your ideas!

  9. Yes, yes, yes – when an author has more than one title out, especially, this makes a lot of sense. One less expensive book can be used as a promotional item for a season. This has the effect of publicizing the author's name.

    I always offer books as door prizes at concerts where my children play, and at their various gigs. It costs me less than offering a good bottle of wine, as some other parents do. And it gets my name remembered. The staff is thrilled to have a 'famous author' among the fundraisers, and the audience gets shown the cover when it is held up during the announcement – a few hundred eyes at a time.

    But this 'hamper' business of Lois's … it will work a treat during holidays. A brilliant idea. Linked to material in the book, it is something that will work well.

  10. Thanks, Rosanne!

    I'm hunting for a couple of unique containers right now, I'm making another one for a fundraiser for the families of soldiers who need to stay near the VA in Tampa while the vets receive medical care. A very worthy cause.

  11. This is a fabulous idea, and helps others to boot. When my book is done, I think I'll throw one of my teenagers in for extra measure. Never mind, that might be counterproductive. I'll just stick with the gift basket idea.

    1. Hi Jennifer!

      I think the key here is getting some enjoyment out of promoting our accomplishments, instead of looking at marketing as a drain. It is a creative and relatively low-cost way to give back, and meet lots of potential readers.

      Thanks for your kind words and definitely check back for more ideas!

  13. Lois: What a terrific idea. Thanks for sharing.

    I imagine getting lost in creating containers/baskets as a break from

    tedious editing and rewriting.

  14. Lois: great idea and timely. I just signed up for a local small business market in June. Giving away a basket to promote my books is a great idea. Thanks.

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