Secrets I Learned from Running a Book Promotion Site

book promotion secrets courtesy pixabay girl-1076998_960_720I’m sixty days into my new position as top dog at an eBook promotion site. It’s been a ton of fun and along the way I’ve had several mini-epiphanies. I want to share them with you because I think as writers and marketers, the things I’ve learned might help you. And, if you’re like me, you might find some of this truly surprising.

1.       Readers are really, really grateful that the service is there.

I thought the whole world knew about Bookbub and ENT and whatever other book promotion site is currently flavor of the month. This is incorrect. Either they know about those other services and they want more choices, or they haven’t heard of them. I’ve received multiple emails thanking me for the service. Right after the “thank you”, the one sentence I hear over and over is “I love your books”. Continue reading “Secrets I Learned from Running a Book Promotion Site”

Newsletter Swapping Service Offers Authors a Free Way to Connect, Advertise

newsletter swap logoIf you’re an author who doesn’t have a ton of money to spend on advertising, but would like to be seen, newsletter swapping is something you might want to consider. The basic principle is simple: Author A and Author B write in similar genres and each one has a newsletter. When Author A sends out his newsletter, he includes Author B’s book and vice versa. With newsletter swapping, each author gets exposure to potential new readers while exposing their own readers to books they might enjoy.

In the past, in order to do this, two authors would tend to have to know each other, have talked about their lists, and then decide they want to swap. The first newsletter swaps I’ve done occurred this way (once I swapped with an author who has a 20k+ list). When a swap goes well, it’s great to see an uptick in sales or free downloads as a result. But the pool of most authors’ knowledge/friendships with other authors is limited.

However, a service I discovered in December is making newsletter swapping easy, providing lists of authors with similar genres and spots available in their newsletters. Continue reading “Newsletter Swapping Service Offers Authors a Free Way to Connect, Advertise”

BookBub: Tips for a Successful Submission

shaun inmonGuest Post
by Shawn Inmon

By now, I think everyone’s heard of BookBub. There are no sure things in self publishing, but a BookBub ad is pretty close. The question isn’t whether or not it’s likely to work for you – it’s, how do you get accepted by them. It can be frustrating to stand on their virtual doorstep, holding a fistful of cash, and get turned down, time after time. It’s not unusual, though. In fact, it’s so commonplace that there’s an entire thread at Kboards titled “BookBub Rejection Club,” where authors bemoan their ability to get accepted.

I don’t have any special contacts or magic juju, but I have been accepted to run seven times, and I think I’ve figured out some things that can help you get accepted. The first thing to keep in mind is this: BookBub is a business, and their primary goal is to send out an email every day that results in the most click-thrus. With that in mind, here are some things you can do: Continue reading “BookBub: Tips for a Successful Submission”

How to Buy Book Advertising & Promotion Services

nailbiting lady by MS clipartI was once there: afraid to buy book advertising. I almost forgot what that was like. Recently, in the comment thread of my article discussing What My House Taught Me About Selling Books, I was reminded how scary this industry can be. It’s extra-intimidating if you don’t have someone like Martin Crosbie to show you the ropes. I’m extremely fortunate.

So, I thought it might be nice to offer a little hand-holding and some baby steps for those of you who have yet to take the plunge into advertising their books. Here are a few easy steps to take you from Petrified Author to Seasoned Pro. Continue reading “How to Buy Book Advertising & Promotion Services”