Buzz Your Book -- Easy Marketing Ideas for Books

I spent a week in New York City recently attending ThrillerFest 2011. While there, I went to several workshops and my favorite was on “Buzzing Your Book”. The presenters were very professional and full of knowledge. After providing an introduction, they asked for volunteers to stand up and tell everyone what their book was about in one sentence, then the presenter was asked a few questions, and afterward the workshop instructors brainstormed FREE ideas to market their book. I’d like to share a few with you here now.M.J. Rose, one of the instructors, told us of how she got a new puppy and started frequenting an online forum for the breed of dog she had. At the end of every post, she would put in a simple tag line (M.J. Rose, author of Lip Service). She posted a lot and after about six months time, someone on the board finally asked her what Lip Service was. When she responded, 400 books were sold overnight. Wow! That would be nice, wouldn’t it? Posting to forums is a tried and true method of getting the word out; however, don’t go in there with the intent to advertise straight out. Do it subtly, in a small signature line.

Another idea, as pertains to fiction, is to create short stories centered around each of your characters. People will get more involved with the overall book if other stories use those characters. Popular books and movies do it all the time with their fan fiction. Readers love to see their favorite characters in other settings outside the original one.

Once you have tried that, or even if you prefer not to, then let’s move on. Try picking five things from your book that catch your eye. For example, in my upcoming novel Behind the Masque, I might choose the following: University of Michigan, The Whitney Restaurant, Society of Former Special Agents of the F.B.I., Alcoholics Anonymous, art history majors. Then do a search online using those terms. Find places, organizations, forums, etc. where interest might lie in those subjects and get involved, once again subtly advertising your book.

Books don’t get sold by themselves and most of us probably can’t afford an expensive advertising budget or to hire a PR firm, so we have to find easy and cheap ways of getting the word out ourselves. It’s not as hard as one would think. If you can write, you can come up with new and exciting ways to market yourself. Good luck!

Behind the Masque

They say curiosity killed the cat; nosy reporter Angelique learns that the danger applies to her as well when she stumbles upon rich socialite Kyle Abernathy's murderous cult. She's protected by Matthew Knight, alcoholic ex-FBI agent – but will Knight's past catch up to him before he can stop the evil and powerful Abernathy?

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Masque-Shelby-Patrick/dp/1463779518/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1318731173&sr=8-4

The Face-To-Face...

How do you survive meeting an agent face-to-face? Many authors strive for representation, but normally, they do it by sending their manuscripts to unknown faces; however, I recently had the opportunity at ThrillerFest in New York to actually meet several agents across a small table. Oh my God, I thought I would die, or at least faint, before the day was through. Here are some tips that might help, if you ever find yourself in that situation.

1. Relax. An agent is just another person you want to befriend so that you can share your wonderful novel with them.

2. Know your characters and novel inside out. Be ready to wow them with knowledge of your story. If you are an expert in a field related to your book, tell them. For instance, I blew it big time when I made my main female lead an art history major. One agent asked if I had experience in art history. He assumed I maybe taught art or had some sort of degree in it. I felt foolish saying I didn't know the first thing about art. The lesson here? Write what you know. If you give your character a job or hobby and you aren't an expert in it, research it fully so that you can gain some expertise in the subject.

3. This shouldn't be an interview. I went in there pretending it was like a job interview, which had me more nervous by the second. The questions they ask should all pertain to your manuscript so you better darn well know the material beforehand. Be ready to answer any questions they might have. What's the story about? How did your character(s) get to that point? Why should I want to represent this particular book? There are hundreds of novels like yours, so have a good answer why this agent should pick yours.

4. Practice, practice, practice. Spend a great deal of time perfecting your pitch and then practice it as much as possible, weeks before you ever meet face-to-face.

Good luck!

How to Write a Chapter of a Book – What Authors Need to Know

How to Write a Chapter of a Book – What Authors Need to Know

Interview

I'm a member of BookBuzzr/Freado and they just posted an online interview with me. Check it out at:

http://www.freado.com/users/interview/26332/shelby-patrick

Enjoy!

SP

How Narcissistic Are You?

Narcissism is defined as excessive love or admiration for oneself. I took Dr. Drew's Narcissism Test at http://www.0eb.com/ and this is what I got. Go ahead and take it yourself and feel free to post your score here. Have fun!

Your score is

5

Maximum is 40. Average for Americans is 15. Highest tested celebrity is Robin Quivers, with 34.

Your score for Authority is LOW

Your score for Self-sufficiency is LOW

Your score for Superiority is LOW

Your score for Exhibitionism is LOW

Your score for Exploitativeness is LOW

Your score for Vanity is LOW

Your score for Entitlement is MEDIUM

Writer’s Digest - Science-Fiction Author John Scalzi Explains How Not to Be Boring

Writer’s Digest - Science-Fiction Author John Scalzi Explains How Not to Be Boring