Whip Up Excitement for Your Amazing New Book

January 6, 2016 by Judy Baker

Whip Up Excitement for Your Amazing New Book

You’ve done the hard work of writing your amazing book and are on the way to having it published. In anticipation of your publication date, you will want to plan a book launch party. Here are some of the reasons why:

It’s a celebration
It’s an opportunity to get publicity for your book
You can partner with a non-profit and raise money on their behalf (and get in front of their audience)
Get people talking about your book
A way to have fun
It’s a photo op (you can get lots of people holding up your book)
An excellent way to thank people who helped you get your book published
You can sell books!

The Keys To A Successful Book Launch Party

Plan ahead (3-6 months before your book is ready)
Pick a team to help you
Pick a theme
Decorations
Reserve a venue
Create a budget for your party
Plan for refreshments
Get the word out (calls, email, snail mail, social media)
Invite local media to attend
Designate someone on your team or hire someone to take photos and video at the event
Order plenty of books so you have them available for the big day
Plan to sign books (bring pens)
Be prepared to sell your book
Have fun

Make Your Launch Special

Get creative and find ways to tie your party theme to your book. This works for fiction and non-fiction. One of my friends, Patricia V. Davis, had a spectacular book launch party that featured live music, delicious chocolates and sparkling wine, a contest for the best diva costume and selected readings and stories from and about her book, The Diva Doctrine, 16 Universal Principles every Woman Needs to Know.

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Celebrate, have fun and raise awareness about your book. Give a great party and people will enjoy themselves and talk about it to their friends. They will share photos on Facebook and spread the word about your book.

A party is also a way to acknowledge yourself and your team for all the work you’ve put into publishing an amazing book.

Watch and share this 2 minute video about the positive impact you can make with a book launch party.

Have a story to share about your book launch? Include it in the comments section below.

Free Book Marketing Tip #10: Add a Media Page to Your Website

November 25, 2015 by Judy Baker

Add a Media Page to Your Website

Why You Want a Media Page

To sell more books, people need to know about you. A media page on your website is the place you can list your media exposure. If you are looking for new opportunities to connect with the media, it shows them you know how to make the news and adds to your credibility as a potential speaker, guest on a show, or as a guest blogger.

What to Include on Your Media Page

You can start with a few of these items and add to your page as you expand your coverage.

The Essentials

Your biography (short, medium and long versions)
Photos of you (professional)
Images of your book cover(s)
Fun facts about you
Book Reviews and Testimonials
Links or pdfs to media coverage
Downloadable document with all of your media information (your media kit)
How to get in touch with you
Links to your social channels

Additional Items

Links to recordings of you on air (radio, podcasts, television)
Links to guest posts on other people’s blog sites
A speaker sheet (like a product sell sheet for speakers)
Upcoming events
Sample interview topics
Sample Q&A
Quotes from media who have interviewed you
Keep it updated as you get media coverage

Update your page as you get more coverage. Go out and make some news today.

Pick a Day: Leverage National Holidays for Smart Publicity

October 18, 2015 by Judy Baker

Pick a Day: Leverage National Holidays for Smart Publicity

Created with Tagul.com

“On National Day Calendar, you will find the unique, fun and sometimes unusual designations of each calendar day.”

Check out the National Day Calendar website. There are lots of events that are well-known, some that are quirky, and I bet there is just the one that would be a perfect one for your book.

If that site doesn’t work for you, take a look at Days of the Year. This site has some of the same days listed and some that you may not have encountered on the National Day Calendar site.

According to Days of the Year, October is:

National Pizza Month
Fair Trade Month
Breast Cancer Awareness Month

So you can see, you can find a day, week or month that matches your genre.

Linking to Something Bigger is a Smart Publicity Strategy

I call it the “shopping mall” effect. When I go to a shopping mall, I’m usually there to buy something specific. But, have you noticed that on your way to your destination, something attracts you that you didn’t event know you wanted? The original purpose of your trip to the mall got you into buying range of something wonderful, but unknown to you before you saw it. Hitching your book to an event that is well-known allows you to get in front of a crowd of buyers who didn’t previously know about you. Its like the prompts on Amazon: “buyers who bought X also bought Y.” This is a brilliant way to get in front of the people you want to connect with. Go where there are crowds. Then, keep on providing fresh, quality content to gain a your own following.

Event the Big Guys Do It

If you are in a retail store, check out the seasonal displays throughout the year. You will find tie-ins to major holidays like: Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Passover, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Teacher Appreciation Day, St. Patrick’s Day and more.

There are even entire months that have a focus:

February has become the month of Go Red for Women – created to increase awareness of the symptoms of heart attacks in women

September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month (I am a survivor)

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (to remind women to get a mammogram to catch early signs of breast cancer). Ford Motor Company has an entire Warriors in Pink campaign. You can see more on their website built around this cause.

You too can use the power of a national holiday in your traditional and social media, just like the big guys. I love Halloween themed Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup ad that has fang marks on the candy.

For ideas, I recommend that you visit the National Day Calendar website to find all kinds of events that you can use to leverage your visibility and grow your audience.

NATIONAL CLEAN YOUR VIRTUAL DESKTOP DAY

The third Monday in October is “NATIONAL CLEAN YOUR VIRTUAL DESKTOP DAY.” This unofficial holiday created by the Personal Computer Museum would be a natural partner in publicity for books about technology, clutter, computers, disaster planning, virtual assisting, how to avoid a computer meltdown, best practices for safe computing, going paperless, humor (why I can’t find anything on my computer), how-to guides on computing…, and for people who service personal computers.

I know my computer could use a bit of organizing and cleansing to keep it running at top speed. Here is the day for designated for this “techno” housekeeping task.

Make Up Your Own Day

If you don’t see a day that is a perfect fit for you, make up one of your own. My friend, Jeff Rubin, created National Punctuation Day (September 24th). As a result, Jeff has appeared on national television and radio, he has also been covered in newspapers and blogs . Visit the website for more details and ways to celebrate the day. You will also find humorous grammar tips, and information about “Punctuation Playtime Products” that help teach grammar to children. Contact Jeff at Jeff@NationalPunctuationDay.com

What is Happening on Your Birthday?

I looked up my birthday and found three listings:

National Fig Newton Day
National Nothing Day
National Religious Freedom Day

My challenge to you is to create a post that ties all three of these celebrations together.