Reader Flora Morris Brown offered up a cool infographic (below) from her own site at coloryourlifepublished.com. A fun way to continue the author marketing brainstorm on ways we can market our work beyond the book store.
Says Flora, “Indie publishers could never count on bookstores to showcase our books and stimulate sales, and it’s more apparent than ever that we must be creative and assertive in getting our books in front of our buyers/readers.”
Other great comments/ideas that came out of our initial Out of the Box Book Marketing article so far have included:
Nametags
From author Kathie Hightower: “One simple thing we can all do is make a name tag out of our book covers. I size them and add my name at the bottom, then laminate. Wear them to booksignings but other networking events too. My current books are for the military market, 1001 Things to Love About Military Life, and Military Spouse Journey: Discover the Possibilities & Live Your Dreams. I wear the bookmarks all day. People will ask about them and I say, ‘Oh, I forgot I still had that on… I just came from a book signing.’ Starts a conversation that wouldn’t happen otherwise.”
Reader Involvement
From BQB Publishing marketing director Julie Breedlove: “We also like interactive activities at a signing table. Maybe it’s a game or puzzle, something that people want to do related to your book. For adults, that could be a riddle you have to solve for a free prize. For kids, maybe a coloring sheet from a page in the book. We love outside the box thinking…”
Dressing the Part
From author Lynda Deniger: “Definitely, dress up as your characters. I wear shrimper garb, complete with white shrimp boots and captain’s hat. The kids love it and it brings some authenticity to my performance. I actually perform the books, bringing the children into part of the scenario. They get so enthusiastic sometimes it’s hard to stay in control. Interaction with the children is the best part. Check out the website at saltyseasandfriends.com for a short video rendition of my performance.”
And author Gary Goldstein says, “I also dress the part for my book, Jew in Jail by wearing a black & white prison outfit when I go speak on promotional tours or book signings!”
Read all the insightful comments HERE, and feel free to share your own ideas!
Thanks for the mention, Shari. Great idea with the nametags too, Kathie! I created a giant nametag to wear at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards featuring FOUR of our award-winning book covers. Names are important, but an eye-catching cover is far more memorable. 🙂 We have authors that do the gift-basket idea as a people magnet. Also, several of our children’s authors are best at thinking outside of the bookstores. They often work with local schools to join PTA meetings or open house events. Kids gyms and daycares are good places for them too. We love the bookstores, but there are so many other possibilities that are often a better fit for an author’s target audience. Happy selling!
Absolutely – book stores are the trunk, but lots and lots of branches out there! Thanks for weighing in!