When it comes to marketing our writing, we can all use new ideas. So I asked Kathy Harris:
"You know promotion well. What is one tip for marketing a book we may not have thought of?" - Sandy
Kathy: Although I’ve worked in marketing
for more than twenty-five years, I’ll be the first to tell you that I have a
lot to learn. The marketing bulls eye is a moving target, especially with the
many challenges—and opportunities—of new media. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
Pinterest, and other social networking tools have changed the face of
contemporary marketing. Still, many of the time-tested strategies can apply to
a successful campaign. One of those is cross-promotion.
A number of years ago I had the
opportunity to meet and work briefly with Kathryn Falk, the founder and CEO of Romantic Times magazine. That was 1994,
and I had a keen interest in cross-marketing music and books, a conversation
shared with Kathryn, who seemed to be as intrigued by the idea.
At that time, brick and mortar
record stores were thriving. As were the major bookstore chains. However,
neither routinely shelved the other’s products. Amazon went online the
following year, in 1995, taking that very concept (http://ti.me/bJdPLq)
to the nth degree. Even with that, almost two decades later there are still
very few books and CDs marketed together.
Cross-promotion is utilized by
Hollywood, fast food chains, and sports teams—who work together on a regular
basis. But music and literature are rarely paired, one reason I wanted to
utilize the concept when Abingdon Press released my debut novel, The Road to Mercy, last fall.
Because of limited advance
time—we’re talking only a few weeks—we weren’t able to create a multi-layered
campaign, which might have included joint in-store placement and signage,
cooperative ad buys, and mutual on-product mentions. But we did pair story and
music via a book trailer (http://bit.ly/RR4JBN),
a project conceived and produced only about three weeks prior to the release of
both the book and the CD.
Several weeks later, when
Contemporary Christian singer-songwriter, Karyn Williams, and I were able to match
up our schedules, we held a joint signing event at a Nashville area Family
Christian bookstore. Karyn signed copies of her debut CD, Only You (Inpop Records), and I signed copies of The Road to Mercy. It proved to be a
successful event, with a unique appeal to consumers—and it was a lot of fun!
As you begin to put together the
marketing plan for your next book, try to utilize cross-promotion. Music may
not be the perfect match for your book, as it was for mine (my lead male
protagonist is a Contemporary Christian Music artist). But there’s a natural
connection within your story. Find that . . . and you may very well create a
cross-promotion made in heaven.
~~~
Kathy
Harris is an author by way of a “divine detour” into the Nashville
entertainment business. Her debut Christian novel, The Road to Mercy, was released in September 2012 by Abingdon
Press. Find her online at www.kathyharrisbooks.com
or www.divinedetour.com. Follow her
on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KathyHarrisAuthor
or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DivineDetour.
