See my article in the April 2013 issue of the IBPA Independent. It’s actually an excerpt from my book, Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More. The article is called, “For Better Sales at Author Events.”
I also have a piece in the March issue of The Toastmaster Magazine. It’s the lead article featured on the cover, “The Benefits of Speaking Outside the Club.”
I still write articles for magazines and offer book excerpts in order to promote my books, and you should be doing this, too.
Locate magazines, ezines and newsletters that are read by your book’s audience. Study them to learn what types of material they use and what they have published recently. Read their letters-to-the-editor to find out what concerns their readers. Spend time with their submission guidelines. And begin making appropriate submissions.
How will you benefit? You will get exposure for your book. You may initiate sales and/or opportunities to reach even more potential readers through speaking engagements, radio interviews, additional articles, etc.. Readers may contact you for additional information about your expertise on the topic or other stories you’ve written for publication, etc. It is common, today, for readers to reach out to authors. They want to know more about you, have a dialog, if possible, get inside tips for writing in your genre or related to a topic of interest to them. And it’s easy for readers to reach you—or it should be.
If you are going to put yourself out there as a writer of fiction or nonfiction, you should also be easy to find and contact. It seems like a no-brainer that authors need websites and easy access to their contact information. I am still stunned when I come across an author who is present only through a LinkedIn account, for example. They may also have their books on Amazon.com. But there is no obvious way to contact them to have a dialog with them, ask about ordering their books in bulk, request a review copy, ask for a quote for a book or any other purpose that may be of benefit to the author.
Are you a published author or about to become one? Look beyond your comfort zone when it comes to getting exposure for your book and yourself. Put yourself in your readers’ shoes. Make it convenient for them to buy copies of your book and to make personal contact with you.
Order Talk Up Your Book or any of my other books at http://www.matilijapress.com Also available at amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores.