The Secret of Book Promotion on the Blueboard

[andracill]

The best book promotion is (almost) no promotion.

So you're published and feel that pressing need to Promote! Promote! Promote! Many publishers burden authors with promoting their books all over social media, and we definitely understand the desire to see your book succeed. But if you constantly self-promote, it often backfires. Here are some tips to spread the word about your book on the Blueboard (or elsewhere) without driving people away:

1. Use the cover of your book as your avatar.

2. Include the link to your website featuring your book in your signature line.

3. Post here (in Good News) on your book's birthday or the initial sale. The best way to encourage community support is to include a snippet of your book's journey to publication. We've all been there (or currently are there), and hearing about your triumphs and challenges along the way involves everyone. If your path was particularly long, include a link to your blog post where you more completely detail the journey.

4. Now that your book info is on our board, the best thing you can do to raise awareness of your book is to be a helpful, active member. Members don't come here to see ads; they come here for the community. As people get to know you through thoughtful posts, they'll see your amazing cover and signature links. They'll know your name and book title, which could easily lead to them buying it, suggesting it to others, or asking their library to order it if they don't have it in stock.

All in all, congratulations on your new book!

[anita-miettunen]

Thanks for posting these helpful tips. I'm a newly published author with a lot to learn, so this was a very helpful guidepost.

[Lucy Grimm]

Thanks for the valuable information! My daughter and I are just getting started publishing children's books. Sometimes we feel like we are buried under trying to figure everything out. Thanks for clearing away some of the snow from our snowdrift! 

[laura-renauld]

Thank you! Great tips.

[kenvoe]

Thanks for the tips, especially the one about showing book cover as the avatar!

[olmue]

I can't stress enough how effective and important the soft sell is. People are much more likely to take recommendations from someone they know than from a total stranger they have no reason to trust. If you are a contributing member of a community (here or elsewhere) and your book cover is quietly visible...the chances that people who "know" you will pick up your book and at least look at it when they encounter it in a bookstore or library is significant. There are countries whose entire marketing strategy is built on this trust issue.  I block out pushy self promotion. Yet if I see a book out in the wild by someone I "know" (and that includes just normal people interacting in normal conversation on the board, not just people I know in real life)--there is pretty much a 100% chance that I will pick it up. The signature tags are also super helpful if I'm interested and want to know more about a writer's books.

[Debbie Vilardi]

Yet if I see a book out in the wild by someone I "know" (and that includes just normal people interacting in normal conversation on the board, not just people I know in real life)--there is pretty much a 100% chance that I will pick it up.

This is so true. I even search for the names of online friends if I can't decide what to get at a book store. Why not support my friends. (This happens when I have a gift card from someone an I hadn't thought about what to get.)

[Mindy Alyse Weiss]

Yes! I feel this way, too. I love reading books by other Blueboarders.

It's even more exciting when we see it happen from the beginning and celebrate every milestone (the sale, cover reveal, launch) with the author/illustrator.

If someone does 'in your face' advertising, it makes me not want to pick up the book. I love chatting with other kidlit creatives on social media, but it bothers me that the second we connect, some message me a link to their book. Or worse...post their promotion on my social media page!

I can't stress enough how effective and important the soft sell is. People are much more likely to take recommendations from someone they know than from a total stranger they have no reason to trust. If you are a contributing member of a community (here or elsewhere) and your book cover is quietly visible...the chances that people who "know" you will pick up your book and at least look at it when they encounter it in a bookstore or library is significant. There are countries whose entire marketing strategy is built on this trust issue.  I block out pushy self promotion. Yet if I see a book out in the wild by someone I "know" (and that includes just normal people interacting in normal conversation on the board, not just people I know in real life)--there is pretty much a 100% chance that I will pick it up. The signature tags are also super helpful if I'm interested and want to know more about a writer's books.

[fiona-epps]

I'm very thankful for this blueboard! Reading through several posts and learning the etiquette is invaluable to me. I'm just so happy to be here as a newbie author/illustrator! Happy Wednesday everyone!