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Yesterday, was one of those events that most authors consider a failure. It was a local book festival in our small community and few of us sold many books. Some people left early—leaving large vacant areas in the rows of booths. And many of those who stayed until the end were grumbling loudly about not having sold books.

One in particular, had been in a booth near mine. I watched him throughout the day speak with many, many parents and grandparents who expressed quite an interest in his lovely children’s books. He schmoozed with other authors. He set up a book signing at a new bookstore not too far from his home. I guess he doesn’t realize the value of exposure at events such as this.

Sure, on the spot sales are nice. But authors must get over the belief that sales are the only thing. This author got great exposure. There are people now who know about his books who didn’t before. If he had a sign-up sheet, he has names of people who are interested in his books. He made at least one good contact where he has the opportunity to get additional exposure and maybe make some sales. And this is a whole lot more action than he would have gotten had he stayed home on this rather foggy Saturday.

Yesterday, I shared some of the best ways to sell a memoir or other book with a personal touch.
I talked about how personality sells books. And this is also true for many other types of books.

Readers who hear you speak and like you are likely to want to read your novel. If you demonstrate your passion for and your credibility in the field or topic of your nonfiction book in a personal way, readers are more apt to purchase your book.

It’s for sure that if you go out and speak to a group of people who are interested in your topic or genre one evening, you will sell more books than you would if you’d stayed home and watched TV or played computer games. If you make it a habit of going out and talking to your church auxiliary group, the businessmen’s/women’s club, the Red Hat Ladies group, the historical society, seniors, teens, parents, educators, etc., you will sell more books than if you promote books only online from the coziness of your home office.

If you are an author or you’re working on a book for publication, read my book, “Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More.” It’s available in print, Kindle and audio at Amazon.com. It’s also available at most other online and downtown bookstores. Or purchase your copy here: http://www.matilijapress.com/TalkUpYourBook.html

Authors often ask me, “What’s the best way to promote a book?”

My response is always, “It depends on the author and it depends on the book.”

What does this mean? How is this helpful to authors? What it means is that there are many different ways to promote books and there are many different types of people with varying personalities, skills, aptitudes, abilities, etc. with books. And there are also many different types of audiences for the books we’re producing today.

I’ve seen people sell truckloads of books through pushy, in-your-face online marketing techniques. Some books are actually conducive to a more commercial approach. This is generally your narrow-niche, nonfiction books with a very specific audience. You promote to the audience through the few avenues available and lure them to your website, which blasts your message rather than sharing it and where the customer can make the purchase on the spot. This author might also allow advertising at his site in order to bring in additional funds. Their websites are very commercial.

If your book is of a personal nature, I suggest promoting it through more personal means. A memoir fits into this category, of course—whether it is situational, a recovery memoir, family legacy, nostalgic, personal struggle, coming of age, travel, spiritual, healing or another type of memoir. Your readers want to meet you. When you stand up in front of a group and tell your story, your audience is more apt to purchase your book than if they simply see it at a bookstore or online.

Tomorrow, I will offer my ideas for promoting other types of books. Send me your request—what type of book are you attempting to market?

In the meantime, if you want to become more familiar with the concept and the reality of public speaking, communicating with your public more successfully, locating speaking gigs, conducting more interesting interviews, getting radio/TV coverage, having more successful book signings and so much more, order your copy of my book, Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Books Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More. It’s available in print, Kindle and audio at Amazon.com.

This month, SPAWN’s creative and diligent newsletter editor is asking members for some of their most unique and unusual book promotion ideas. Since I’ve been busy, busy, busy with a 3-book editing job, I thought I’d try to multi-task. So today, I will tell you about some of the most unusual, odd, unique and, in some cases, ultimately successful book promotion ideas I’ve tried, observed or heard about. Of course, I’ll also give this information to our newsletter editor.

As you may recall, SPAWN is Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network. http://www.spawn.org Subscribe to our FREE enewsletter, SPAWNews. You’ll find lots of great information, ideas, tips and resources.

One of my favorite unusual book promotion ideas is one an author told me about. He and a friend have co-authored a fun book of humor. They like selling it on the fringes of Farmer’s Markets throughout the county. They set up a small table or TV tray outside the Farmer’s Market and sell lemonade to passersby. The lemonade sells for $10 a glass, but their thirsty customers get a free copy of their book along with it. Works for these guys and their book!

One of my friends used to travel to sell her cookbook through kitchen stores. But she also sold books when flying home as she carried her poster advertising her book on the plane with her. It caught the eye of people in the airport and on the plane and she said she always sold books to fellow passengers.

Several of my clients and colleagues have sold books in unusual settings. I am a big fan of selling books and having signings in specialty shops related to the theme of your book. This might include pet stores or spas, feed stores, flower shops/nurseries, hobby shops, coffee houses, delis, metaphysical/spiritual stores, cafés, airports—wherever your readers gather. I know authors who have sold books at cupcake bakeries, gift shops, children’s clothing/toy stores, a zoo and of course libraries and schools.

Authors who give something of value to their audiences generally sell more books. I go out and speak to my audience on publishing and book promotion. And I sell books. When I have a booth at book festivals, I do my best to respond to visitors’ questions. Where appropriate, do demonstrations. One author I know used to show how to make crème brule—the theme of her book. Another demonstrates how to make a succulent wreath—and sells books on this topic. I once put on a full-blown luau in order to promote my book on how to present a luau on the mainland.

I like to encourage book launch parties. If your book is older, have a re-launch party or a coming out party or…whatever you want to call it. All I know is that when I (and others) have had a book launch party and did a lot of publicity, sent special invitations, followed-up, etc., it has been quite successful.

If you missed the point of experiencing success through these unique or interesting book promotion suggestions, here they are simplified:

1: Go where your audience congregates and make sure they become aware of your amazing and pertinent book.

2: Get creative in your choice of venues and your presentation.

3: Give something of value to your guests/audience.

4: Be extremely ambitious in your publicity efforts in order to entice people to your activity.

For more book promotion ideas and more detail on these I’ve mentioned, order my book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. It’s at Amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio. Also at most other online and downtown bookstores.

Sign up for my online book promotion course. http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

Yesterday, I responded to a few questions posed by a SPAWN member and one of the things I told him is, “Successful book promotion means just doing more of the same things that have worked in the past and trying new things on to see if they work.”

I thought about this statement and realized that it’s probably something that many authors don’t think of. Some of us are still trying to find the magic that will catapult our marvelous books into instant success.

Here’s your lesson for today. If you are an author with a book in hand, reevaluate your marketing strategies. Which activities have resulted in book sales? Which have not? Is there a reason why some of them didn’t work out well? Did it rain at the book festival you signed up for? Did you schedule your book signing on the nicest Saturday of the year when everyone wanted to be outdoors? Did you neglect to do any publicity for your signing? Do your blogging efforts seem to be useless? Could it be because you are not backing up your blog with publicity? Are you reluctant to go out and speak to groups? Have you neglected to seek out book reviews?

Book promotion requires a whole lot more from you than just a blast of promotion out the chute. And the sooner you understand this and embrace this truth, the more success you will experience.

Of course, my “prediction” depends on the value of the product you are promoting. So if you are in the writing or research stages of your project, this is the time to start thinking about promotion. Is there an audience for your book? Where are they and what sort of promotional efforts will they respond to? This is the time to think like a businessperson—not an emotionally attached author.

In either case, this may be the right time for you to read Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. It’s available at amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio and at most online and downtown bookstores. You can also order it through my website: http://www.matilijapress.com/PromoteYourBook.html