Since Kaye Publicity doesn’t represent self-published authors, I wanted to dedicate a post to those who go that route. While all the publicity and marketing advice I post can apply to self-published titles, there are a few additional elements that are of special importance to the indie folks:

Cover is everything. The reading public is starting to pick up on the difference between self-published and traditionally published, and many covers are a dead giveaway. Don’t just hire a designer to do something cool. Study the market, both online and in bookstores, and identify the trends. Know the elements of your genre – from the imagery to the fonts used – and figure out a way to blend in and stand out at the same time. It takes a lot of skill to come up with a good cover, but if you know the market and you have a talented designer, you can make it work.

A couple examples of excellent covers in self-published works (in my humble opinion):

HOUSE OF CLOSED DOORS by Jane Steen

BECOMING QUINN by Brett Battles

Online Presence.  I’m shocked at how many independent authors don’t have a social media presence or websites that don’t show up in searches. If you self-publish, the majority (if not all) of your sales will be online. When people search your name, your book title, or even something general like “suspense novel,” you want your book and your website to pop up.

Proper tagging and genre shelving. Again, this is the sort of thing most publishers do, but when you self-publish, it’s up to you to identify what genre you fall into and how to tag it so it comes up in searches. This comes from reading similar books and doing extensive market research. You don’t want to put your book in the sci-fi section when it’s really paranormal, or tag it as a mystery when it’s really a thriller. Properly tagging and categorizing your novel will help your search engine optimization and will increase the frequency of popping up on Amazon and B&N searches.

For all the self-published authors out there, feel free to share your own words of wisdom in the comments section!

I’ve always said that for promotion to be effective, you had to approach it like a mosaic: a variety of small efforts need to come together to form the big picture. One or two tactics alone wouldn’t be enough to move the needle.

As publishing changes and the way we receive our information shifts, this concept is more important than ever. As a publicist, my primary role is to obtain media coverage. But since media coverage alone doesn’t move books, my job description begins to shift. I do more than send out review copies and schedule book tours. I consult on my clients’ social media presence. I arrange for ad buys and marketing campaigns. I send books to influencers on Twitter and Facebook and am always on the lookout for the next big thing.

Publicity alone doesn’t move books and Sean Chercover, author of THE TRINITY GAME, is the perfect example. While he was well reviewed in the National Post and a variety of online networks, I didn’t book him on the Today Show, there was no review in the New York Times, and he wasn’t a guest on Morning Edition. What we had instead was a widespread marketing/advertising campaign across many platforms. Ads played on CNN’s airport TV, a video promo was produced and played on THE TRINITY GAME Amazon page, and if you have an ad-supported Kindle, THE TRINITY GAME may have shown up as your screensaver. Dozens of bloggers posted reviews and THE TRINITY GAME was a topic of discussion across many social media platforms.

Last week, Amazon sent an email to literary agents disclosing some of their sales figures.  They reported that THE TRINITY GAME was on its way to surpassing 100k copies. If you’re not familiar with average sales figures, 100k is a damn good number, especially since the book came out only 7 weeks ago.  It wasn’t the reviews that moved the needle, or national TV appearances. It was extensive marketing, advertising, and online reviews.

Whether you’re hiring a publicist or planning on doing publicity yourself, it’s important to keep this fact in mind. Traditional media isn’t enough. In order to move books off the shelves, advertising and marketing are necessary components. This fact has prompted me to shift my role from publicist to all around PR consultant. My proposals have always included recommendations for social media and other forms of marketing, but those sections are becoming far more extensive. If you’re thinking about hiring a publicist, I urge you to find someone who’s making this shift. If you’re handling your own publicity, make sure you’re focusing on more than just review coverage and media interviews.

Infographic courtesy of Mashable.com

Five Signs You’re Not Utilizing Social Media

You haven’t posted in 48 hours or more. Social Media only works if you maintain an active presence. To maintain that presence, you should be posting to Facebook at least every other day. On Twitter, it’s necessary to post 1-2 times a day. Any less than that, you’re not going to reap the benefits.

No one RTs or replies to your tweets and no one comments on your Facebook posts. Sometimes this is a result of the content your posting, other times, it’s the result of your following. Either way, throwing content into the ether isn’t going to result in new readers unless your audience is engaging. Think about the content your posting and if it encourages responses from your audience. I recommend looking at what other people are doing online and noticing what types of posts are receiving responses.

You don’t RT or @ reply on twitter and you don’t comment on other Facebook pages. Many authors forget the “social” aspect of social media. It’s not about getting up on a soap box and shouting your ideas to the world. It’s about engaging with your audience and having conversations with users online. Think of it as a cocktail party: you don’t have to say much to anyone person, but you do have to circulate and have conversations with the people there.

You haven’t had a steady increase in followers or likes. If you’re actively posting on your social media platforms and engaging in conversation with your audience, this should result in a steady increase in followers. If this isn’t the case, I recommend looking at the content you’re posting and asking yourself if it’s encouraging people to follow you. Are you posting content that the majority of readers would be interested in? Or is it only promotional or tidbits from your personal life?

You spend hours every day on social media. Maintaining a social media presence shouldn’t take more than an hour each day. Constantly posting, RTing, commenting, friending, and trolling the internet for followers is time consuming and unnecessary.  Spending a few minutes, a few times a day updating your social media platforms is plenty. Utilizing platforms like TweetDeck and HootSuite will help cut down on that time.

Though many authors don’t have the budget to embark on a national tour, most of us, travel for pleasure at least once or twice throughout the year. Whether you’re visiting family at the holidays or taking the kids on a summer road trip, here are a few easy ways to turn every trip into a business trip.

Visit area bookstores. No matter where you go, you can usually find at least one bookstore. Be sure to stop by, introduce yourself as an author, and offer to sign whatever stock they have on hand. If they don’t have your books in stock, don’t get offended. Just chit chat about the publishing industry, the store’s clientele, even the local sports teams. Anything to create a relationship and make yourself memorable.

Contact the local media. Depending on your personal ties to the city your visiting, being a guest on the local radio station can often be a long shot. But in media markets where they don’t have a lot of “celebrities,” it may be possible to book yourself as a guest on the local TV news program or radio show. Simply contact the producer, introduce yourself as an author, and let them know you’d love to come on as a guest while you’re in town. Contact them about 4 weeks in advance to ensure the schedule isn’t full and to give the producers enough time to review your materials.

Meet with the local book bloggers. By now, you’ve probably cultivated relationships with at least a dozen bloggers. While your relationship was built online, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t meet face to face. Whenever I travel to a city, I always look through my virtual Rolodex and see which bloggers are in the area. More often than not, they’re happy to meet for lunch or a cup of coffee.

Research. As writers, everything you do is research. Whether you’re touring historical landmarks or driving through the Rockies, everything is fodder for an upcoming novel. When you visit a new place, don’t forget to take it all in and experience the sights. You never know when inspiration will strike.

As an author, you are constantly juggling tasks. You have books to write, books to promote, and in most cases, you have a day job and a family to tend to. There’s not much room for procrastination or wasting time.

If time management is something you struggle with, here are a few tips to make the most of what little time you have:

Leave the internet.  Like most people, I check my email first thing in the morning. This usually leads to external links, email replies, or searching for an answer on Google. This leads to much time wasted. A quick check into Facebook can turn into an hour of searching, commenting, and perusing your friends’ photos. Critical time is eaten up. Allot a certain amount of time for email and online promotion, and only use that amount of time. When it’s time to write, go offline. If you have no will power, you can use programs like Freedom to actually block the internet for a set amount of time.

Schedule Social Media posts. Remembering to tweet or post to Facebook can be a hassle. It’s also very time consuming to maintain interaction all day. And like I said before, once you sign on, time can easily disappear. Instead, use programs like HootSuite or Social Oomph to schedule your posts ahead of time. That way, you can go days without even looking at your social media pages.

Be Realistic. As authors, you’re constantly being asked for favors. Whether it’s blurbing a published author’s book or offering advice on an aspiring author’s critique letter, you’re always being asked for help. And, most of the time, you want to give it. But it’s necessary to be realistic with your time. I meet lots of aspiring authors, many of whom I like and think they show a lot of potential. I would love to read their manuscript and offer advice on which agents to query. But realistically, I can’t. I have almost 50 unpublished manuscripts sitting in a folder, waiting to be read. I’m not sure I will ever get to them. Offer assistance when you can, but be realistic about what you’re able to give.

Never Hurts to Ask. How many times are you asked for a meeting or an interview smack dab in the middle of your writing time? And more times than not, you sigh and agree. When your publisher asks for a conference call or a reporter asks for an interview, don’t be afraid to ask for the time you want. Booking these types or appointments at the very beginning or very end of the day will leave you with a chunk of time to dedicate to your writing.

Authors, feel free to share your own time management tips in the comments section!

Has it been that long?

Authors ask me for advice all the time. They want to know if they should invest in advertising, try their hand at blogging, print up bookmarks or postcards. They want to know what works and what doesn’t, and I try to address that on this blog.

But before you ask me whether or not you should try a certain promotional effort, here are a few questions you should ask yourself:

Goals:

• What is the purpose of trying this promotional effort? What are you trying to accomplish?
• Is this effort the best way to accomplish that goal?
• What other things are you doing to accomplish your goals? Does this promotional effort enhance what you’re already doing?

Cost/Benefit:

• What are the costs for this promotional effort? How many books would you have to sell to recoup those costs?
• Will your promotional effort create a snowball effect (more media, readers tell their friends, etc.)?
• Is there a more cost-efficient way to achieve the same goals?

Time Commitment:

• How much time is involved with this promotional effort? How much time would this take away from your writing?
• Will this promotional effort take time away from other publicity/promotion? Will it hinder your ability to meet your writing deadlines and the demands of social media, email, etc.?
• Is there a less time consuming way to achieve the same goals?

Once you answer these questions, you’ll have a good idea whether or not to move forward with any type of marketing or publicity campaign, even without a publicist!

Think your book appeals to women, particularly parents? Here are a few blogs to add to your outreach list and reasons why these bloggers are so important:

Courtesy of Mashable

When it comes to hiring a publicist, budget is always an issue. Unfortunately, book advances aren’t what they used to be and not everyone can afford to bring on the outside help. So what do you do if you have a shoestring budget but still need help with publicity?

First off, I’m not a fan of trying to nickel and dime the publicist. I equate “small” or “bare bones” campaign as taking a 3-day trip to Europe. Sure, you save some money, but at that point, you might as well not go. If you can’t afford to take on a publicist for the recommended services, then skip it. Use your money elsewhere.

As a business owner, I try to delegate as much work as possible, but that’s only effective if I have the funds. If you don’t have the budget to hire out, then anything you’re able to do yourself should be your responsibility. Don’t hire a publicist to create a Facebook ad or schedule a bookstore event if you’re perfectly capable of doing that yourself. Let them handle the media; it’s what they do best.

Lastly, you should know that while you often get what you pay for, in publicity, that isn’t necessarily the case. Personally, my rates are very middle of the road. There are publicists who charge half of what I do and others who charge close to double. In terms of effectiveness and talent, there’s a good chance we’d deliver similar results. Don’t hire someone based on price; hire based on their track record and whether or not you think they’re a good fit for the project.

No matter what your financial situation is, it’s important to look at your career realistically. If you don’t have the time to handle publicity and promotion yourself, you need to hire someone. If you can’t afford a publicist, then a part time assistant or intern may be the solution. In any case, publicity and promotion falls under the author’s job description. Regardless of budget, it needs to get done. Take a step back and be honest with yourself. Do what you can, and hire someone do to what you can’t.