Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Three Tips for Building Book Buzz by Meghann Whistler


As an introvert, self-promotion isn’t something that has ever come naturally to me. And yet…as a debut author, promoting my book is something I had to start thinking about back when I signed my contract last year.

Fortunately for me, I spent almost fifteen years in marketing and public relations before I decided to focus on my creative writing full-time, so I had some experience to draw on when it came time to start marketing my book.

Here are a few things I found helpful:

1.       Fish where the fish are swimming. Look for online communities where the readers of your particular genre get together. Facebook has a number of groups designed specifically for readers of Christian fiction. Join them as soon as you can so you can get to know the key players and the kinds of discussions that take place. Let people get to know you by participating in conversations that have nothing to do with your book. Send friend requests to the people you meet and start building relationships with them.

2.       Develop content that isn’t tied to your book. I see a lot of authors on social media who constantly—and continuously—post about their newest release. There’s nothing wrong with letting people know about your books, but if that’s all you’re doing, a lot of people will probably tune you out.

Instead of thinking about what you can get from your social media followers (i.e., sales), think about what you can give them. If you’re publishing posts that provide value on a regular basis, your followers will be more inclined to pay attention when you post about that upcoming release.

3.       Enlist other people to help you promote your book. Tap into other people’s spheres of influence by building a launch team, participating in giveaway promotions, and leveraging book bloggers. Your own circle of friends and acquaintance is limited, so do what you can to enlarge your reach by getting your book in front of other people’s networks.

As a first-time author without a readership base, I paid to do a Goodreads giveaway of my book, which had a number of benefits, including:
a.       Putting my book in front of thousands of people who otherwise would not have seen it. After all, nobody will buy a book they’ve never heard of!
b.       Giving me a reason to talk about the book on social media before the launch without asking people to buy it. Instead of asking for something, I was offering something of value (i.e., a chance to win).
c.       Allowing me to spotlight early reviews of the book. I put snippets from three of my early reviews right in the giveaway description on Goodreads, so everyone could see that it was getting great reviews.

I still have a lot to learn about effectively marketing a book, but these three tips have served me well so far with my first release!



As an introvert, self-promotion isn’t something that has ever come naturally to me. And yet… via @MeghannWhistler #SeriouslyWrite

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Meghann Whistler writes sweet Christian romance novels that won’t make your grandmother blush. A hopeless romantic who met her husband on a blind date, Meghann recently left her marketing career to pursue her lifelong passion of writing sweet, hopeful stories that demonstrate the power of love and grace. She loves to hear from her readers, who can reach her at:


About Falling for the Innkeeper
 
A battle for a charming Cape Cod inn…
But what happens when romance checks in?

Single mom Laura Lessoway won’t accept her mother’s plan of selling her late grandmother’s
inn without a fight. But when big-city attorney Jonathan Masters arrives to arrange an offer from his client, she’s drawn to him. And working together as he helps with repairs only brings them closer. With his career and her home on the line, can they ever find common ground?