Comments on: AUTHOR PROMOTION

By: Erastes

Erastes — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:17:07 +0000

I don’t produce much promo stuff because, living in the UK I don’t have the opportunity to give things away very often. However, I blog a lot…

I’ve just been told that we can’t use my cover image on Cafe Press items as it’s not covered in the Licence of the picture, so I wonder if a good few people are bending the rules?

By: Once upon a mellow noon » Linkage

Once upon a mellow noon » Linkage — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:41:14 +0000

[...] Good question – author promotion: what works for you and what doesn’t? [...]

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 22:01:30 +0000

Great topic!

A good blurb does more to get me to buy a book than any promo stuff, with the exception of galleys.

Postcards are great if I receive them in the mail. I personally don’t pick them up at conferences–they go straight to the trash when I get back to me hotel room. But several authors and publishers I know send me postcards and–maybe because I know them–this causes me to buy the books.

Bookmarks. Same as postcards.

Book Trailers. I made one once, when it was required by an event venue and then it went up on the web site for the book. I know this definitely sold more books, but it was a $40 cloth regional history book. For a mass market paperback, well, you’d have to sell a whole lotta books to earn out the expense.

Web sites and blogs are my favorite promo things, from a reader’s point of view. I love reading exceprts online, seeing what’s coming, and reading author blogs.

By: Fedora

Fedora — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:59:29 +0000

Hi, Laurie! Late to everything today! Great post, and I do agree that I enjoy author blogs that are done well; some of my favorites are group blogs which help take a bit of the pressure off a single person who might end up feeling spread too thin with writing and more writing and self-promo-ing…

Pens and notepads are great, and bookmarks I can always use. Magnets and buttons are less useful to me. Thongs? Seriously?? Yikes…

By: Laurie

Laurie — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 01:39:39 +0000

So many great comments today! It appears that most of us agree that regardless of what promo materials we might receive or see, we still rely on word of mouth and/or blurbs and excerpts to make our book choices.

I appreciate all of you taking the time to share your thoughts! Thank you.

By: Kaleen

Kaleen — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:44:19 +0000

Hi Laurie
I also love the pens and notepads. I carry the smaller pads in my purse and they are perfect for quick notes to myself.

By: Jodi

Jodi — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 22:36:25 +0000

I agree with the promo. I seriously have a box full of cover flats, bookmarks, and magents. I don’t know what to do with all of it!
I love pens and notepads/sticky notes as I use them constantly. I laughed at my DH the other day. He lost his pen that he kept in his wallet, so he grabbed one out of the drawer and didn’t look at it. He was a little amused that it was from a romance author. He found his other one real quick!
I also love tote bags. I’m always using one to carry stuff around. My mom and I trade them when we give stuff to each other every other day.

By: limecello

limecello — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:47:54 +0000

Maybe I just didn’t know about it, but I think author promos have exploded in the past 2-3 years. And I’m all for it!
The first three+ years I began reading romances, I had absolutely no promotional items/SWAG. Only when I started checking the internet for author websites to find out about new & upcoming books did I get swag.
I really love the book giveaways. LOVE them. I learn about so many new authors that way. And I’m in professional school, so I can’t really afford books, so the giveaways are super appreciated.
As to giveaways I’m not as big a fan of … coverflats. I, just, don’t really like them. I know some people do, but I’d … really rather have nothing at all. Save the tree, let it live, and keep the prizes to books. Coverflats don’t do anything for me, and if there is a book up for grabs, it’s almost a let down. After all, they say second place is the first loser :-X.

By: Teresa Noelle Roberts

Teresa Noelle Roberts — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:38:19 +0000

As the co-author who made thongs and boxes along with Dayle, I have to say we didn’t necessarily expect anyone to wear them, just talk about those wild erotic romance authors who had promo thongs. (The t-shirts were a great idea–especially after my luggage got stuck in Pittsburgh last RWA while I went on Dallas.)

I sometimes keep pens and pretty bookmarks and always keep Post-Its, but I can’t say they’ve influenced me to buy a book.

By: Kristin Lawrence

Kristin Lawrence — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:36:36 +0000

Promotion is something I’m just getting into, so it’s great to hear what other people think. Thanks for opening the conversation!

My guess is, although I don’t have a lot of evidence to back it up, that word of mouth is always the best way to get readers. I can’t imagine buying a book from seeing a pen or a magnet (although the pen could be very useful). But if I read on a blog I trust that a book is great or hear it from a friend, it means something.

Do others think reviews generate readers? I’ve read things from some authors that say they don’t.