I want to target an audience who has an interest in fantasy literature.
I have an official site for my novel at the following address: http://dawnhunter.webs.com/index.htm
I also have a MySpace page, which can be found at the following address: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=333196831
My main interest is definately drawing traffic to these two locations, but most dominantly the former site, where most of the important information and updates will be posted.
Self-published books do poorly online, whether at the publisher’s website or the author’s own.
Marketing a pay-to-publish book is damned difficult. Many of the avenues open to traditionally published authors are not available. Chain bookstores won’t host signings or carry copies (although they will order them for customers). Newspapers, magazines, TV, and radio don’t want your press releases and won’t do interviews. The library system won’t accept free copies. Writing- or book-related conventions won’t let you set up a sales or autograph table, don’t want you on their author panels, and forbid you giving away promotional material.
About the only marketing I’ve seen have any effect for self-published authors is active participation at forums and chats dealing with the subject of your book. Find your niche market and determine where online they hang out. Some sites may allow you to discuss your book *if someone asks about it* (but will ban you for bringing it up more than once). Some may allow a link to a point of sale in your profile, or to your blog or web-page which in turn links to a point of sale. You may be able to collect emails for an ad campaign.
You’ll sell a few more copies than you might have, but overall, like most self-published books, *regardless of quality*, total sales will probably remain below 100 copies. More often, the number hovers somewhere around 2/3 to 3/4 of your total number of friends and family members. This compares pretty unfavorably to the thousands of copies a moderately-selling book from a conventional publisher can anticipate.
I’m sorry not to be able to offer much real hope for promotion, but I figured you’d rather hear the truth than sugar-coated lies which might cause you to waste your time or money.
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Self-published books do poorly online, whether at the publisher’s website or the author’s own.
Marketing a pay-to-publish book is damned difficult. Many of the avenues open to traditionally published authors are not available. Chain bookstores won’t host signings or carry copies (although they will order them for customers). Newspapers, magazines, TV, and radio don’t want your press releases and won’t do interviews. The library system won’t accept free copies. Writing- or book-related conventions won’t let you set up a sales or autograph table, don’t want you on their author panels, and forbid you giving away promotional material.
About the only marketing I’ve seen have any effect for self-published authors is active participation at forums and chats dealing with the subject of your book. Find your niche market and determine where online they hang out. Some sites may allow you to discuss your book *if someone asks about it* (but will ban you for bringing it up more than once). Some may allow a link to a point of sale in your profile, or to your blog or web-page which in turn links to a point of sale. You may be able to collect emails for an ad campaign.
You’ll sell a few more copies than you might have, but overall, like most self-published books, *regardless of quality*, total sales will probably remain below 100 copies. More often, the number hovers somewhere around 2/3 to 3/4 of your total number of friends and family members. This compares pretty unfavorably to the thousands of copies a moderately-selling book from a conventional publisher can anticipate.
I’m sorry not to be able to offer much real hope for promotion, but I figured you’d rather hear the truth than sugar-coated lies which might cause you to waste your time or money.
References :
Since getting myself published one of the best pieces of advice I recieved was having reviewers review. There are tons of review sites and though you usually have to give the reviewer anywhere between one and five free copies (for multiple reviewers, contest giveaways and their own library) it is a small price to have them give you an otherwise freebie writeup. They could ‘not like’ your book but if you’re confident you’ve written a strong story at least half your reviews will be good. Also go back to those reviewers after they post a review for you sometimes they have interviews they post about newbies, book contest winners, popular fiction whatever the subject for the month. Ask if you could throw a short story their way for their site or that you’re willing to do an e-interview.
Also cross-blog, Advertise another author on your side or blog for a month and ask them to do the same for you.
I was so bold that a fantasy site ran a review for me and an on-line chat even though my books are contemporary romance, now that’s selling yourself.
Also remember to throw you website out there. Like me and others. Write to authors here on answers, we seem to find each other and support one another. I have linked with two other published authors through Answers thus far. I will be adding their links to my website as soon as I do my next update.
Check out the Science Fiction (and Fantasy) writers association there are plenty of links and other writers who link to their favorite sites and review sites where you can get all that information.
References :
http://www.jshawley.com
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.sfwa.org
cheap advertising for authors to thousands of literary minds… visit http://poetryblogrankings.blogspot.com/2008/09/poetic-advertising.html
It costs about 20 bucks and is effective. You can pay more to get more as well.
References :
http://poetryblogrankings.com/