Resources

Promoting Your Book

Well-targeted book advertising can be a great way to maximize sales. You’ll increase your effectiveness and save money by studying which publications reach your target audience, how much they charge, and their specifications for ad production.

If you need to pay a professional to design and execute your ads, however, that may move your campaign from a good idea to beyond affordable.

Lightning Source Publisher Marketing Advertising Guide
Advertising suggestions for print-on-demand books.
http://lightningsource.com/ops/files/IngramAdvertising.pdf

Baker & Taylor Ad Guide – with pricing and specs –
http://www.btol.com/PDFs/B&T_product_marketing_guide.pdf
For help in reaching library and retail buyers; including pricing and specs.

Facebook Ads
https://www.facebook.com/business/
Driving online sales, promoting your app, raise brand awareness.

Google
https://www.google.com/ads/
Show ads on Google Search, Maps, YouTube, and beyond.

Become familiar with sites that can provide in-depth book reviews and commentary which are highly influential in book sales.

Salon
http://www.salon.com/1999/05/24/books/
Book reviews for one of the top news sources on the web.

Advertising Age
http://adage.com/section/ad-and-marketing-book-reviews/461
Known for advertising and media industry news, these are book reviews from the same great minds.

Barnes & Noble Book Review
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/review/
Current reviews from one of the biggest book retailers in the country.

For a more complete list of book review bloggers and book review media, contact Union Square Publishing.

Online social networks can connect you with similar-minded reading enthusiasts, as well as with fellow writers and industry professionals who can be great business contacts.

Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/
Free website for book lovers to view other people’s bookshelves, read and write reviews, ratings, join a discussion group, start a book club, contact an author, and even post your own writing.

Shelfari
https://www.goodreads.com/?shelfari_flash=true
Create a shelf full of books you have read or intend to read, review, tag, and rate books, join book groups, and share with others.

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/home
Social networking site for professionals, where you can view your business contacts and who they’re connected with.

LibraryThing
https://www.librarything.com/
Enter what you’re reading or your whole library—it’s an easy, library-quality catalog. LibraryThing also connects you with people who read similar works.

Twitter
https://twitter.com/
Stay hyper-connected with this micro-blogging service for friends, family, and co–workers who communicate through an exchange of quick, frequent posts.

Buzzfeed
https://www.buzzfeed.com/books
News, videos, and quizzes about current books.

Tips to Promote Your Book Online

Assign an ISBN to your print book as well as your ebook.

Complete author page on Amazon and be sure you connect it to your blog or website.

The cover of your book is your most important selling tool so be sure it’s online everywhere:
Your website
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
Goodreads
Powell’s
Books A Million
Tattered Cover
other online retailers.

Categories
Be sure your book is listed in the correct category.
This can be challenging, but you need to be certain it’s correct or librarians and retailers won’t be able to find your book.

Create digital images beyond the cover image.
For example:
put up table of contents or quotes from your book
conduct interviews with contributors
produce video trailers
have someone interview you as the author and put up a 2-3 minute video.
For graphics, use Canva.com, a free online tool for creating blog and social media images.

Do a series of podcasts, Blabs, and Facebook video broadcasts to get your name out there.

Write a blog
You can take the contents of your book and create a series of blog posts just from that.
Invite guests to post on similar topics.
This gives you a variety of voices and perspectives, and you won’t have to do all the work!

Hire a virtual book tour company who can promote your book to bloggers for you.
They’ll review the book, interview you, or ask for a guest post.

Do a Kindle bestseller campaign
This works best if you have a list of people who will buy your Kindle book on one pre-determined day for 99 cents.
There are people that will do the campaign for you.

Read blogs on similar content that are written by other people.
Become familiar with their style and offer to write a guest post for them.

Update your LinkedIn account and participate in groups that are applicable to your book’s topic.
You’ll have a natural audience who might be interested in what you have to say.
NEVER try to sell your book on LinkedIn – just listen and contribute advice to build your reputation.

Use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and other social media websites to interact with fans and offer great free content to others.
It’s a great way to create a mailing list!

Increasing Sales

Literary sites encourage reading and dialogue about books, which can be a catalyst for book sales.

Oprah’s Book Club
http://www.oprah.com/index.html
Oprah Winfrey’s highly influential online club.

African American Literature Book Club
http://aalbc.com/
Online book club devoted to promoting not just African American authors, but all kinds of books that may appeal to an African American audience – .

Book Crossing
http://www.bookcrossing.com/
Add books and track their journey from person to person, participate in book forums, and discover new books.

Crossings Book Club
http://www.crossings.com/welcome/
Monthly selections of books for Christian readers.

Barnes & Noble Book Clubs
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/tag/book-clubs/
Retail giant now has a variety of book clubs to join.

Bookspan
http://bookspan.com/
Multiple clubs.

Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/
What are people reading?

Where buyers and sellers come together and the book industry really shines!

Author101 University
http://author101.com
The Premiere Event for Publishing & Marketing Success

Book Expo America
http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/
BEA combines the largest selection of English language titles with special industry and author events and educational content to create a dynamic environment for networking, sourcing, and relationship-building.

American Library Association
http://www.ALA.org
The ALA annual conference is the largest convention in the world of librarians, educators, writers, publishers, and trustees with programs on various topics such as technology, censorship and literacy.

International Christian Retail Show
http://fp37.a2zinc.net/clients/CBA/UNITE2016/Public/MainHall.aspx?ID=292&sortMenu=1010
ICRS (formerly CBA) is the largest show in Christian retail with new products, training opportunities targeted at specific retail practices, retailers, suppliers, distributors, and industry professionals.

Religious Booksellers Trade Exhibit
http://www.rbte.org/
RBTE annual trade show for religious booksellers to find books, network, and make connections.

London Book Fair
http://www.londonbookfair.co.uk/
Global publishing community’s leading spring forum for booksellers, publishers, librarians, and book production services worldwide. It’s a trading and educational platform offering access to the world’s books, business contacts, and shared knowledge.

Frankfurt Book Fair
http://www.book-fair.com/en/
Trade exhibition for book industry with seminars, conferences, merchandise, and cultural interchange about books across national borders.

Specialty products from new age and beyond.

Book Marketing Works
http://www.bookmarketingworks.com/
for sales through book stores and non-bookstore buyers.

Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com
Union Square Publishing works with authors to ensure they become an Amazon Bestseller. Contact us for details.

Every book needs an informative ‘Tip Sheet’ – a sales tool that assists reps selling your book in highlighting to buyers the best selling points of each title. The most effective tip sheets include the information below: (* = mandatory info)

Cover Image
Title *
and subtitle
Author *
ISBN * (13 digit number)
Price *
Binding * (hardcover, paperback, CD, DVD)
BISAC Code * https://www.bisg.org/bisac/bisac-subject-codes
Page count
Publisher * (including when you’re the publisher)
Imprint
Publication Date *
Description *
Author Bio *
Author Hometown * (city, state, country)
Size (inches x inches)
Series Information
Target Market/Audience
First Print Run
Excerpt
Comparative Titles * title and author, 13 Digit ISBN – http://www.straussconsultants.com/resources/comparitive-title-guidlines
Endorsements
Casepack Quantity (how many fit in shipping box)
USPs – unique selling points
Marketing Strategy

Most buyers these days won’t consider a new title without a comparative title along with it. Buyers use the comparative title to inform them about how well books similar to your new title have done, and draw a conclusion about how much to buy. Guidelines on how to select the most effective comparative titles to maximize sales of your new titles:

Comparative titles:

· Come from the same genre as your new title, same series, or by the same author that sold well.
· Must have sold well the month before, of, or after release.
· Must be in the same price range as your new title.
· Cannot have been published more than three years before your new title.
· Should ideally be placed next to your new title in both your catalog and tip sheet.

Publishing Resources

These provide crucial book industry insider knowledge to keep you on the cutting edge.

American Book Review
http://americanbookreview.org/aboutUs.asp
Bi-monthly publication specializing in reviews of frequently neglected published works of fiction, poetry, and also literary and cultural criticism from small, regional, university, ethnic, avant-garde, and women’s presses.

Publisher’s Weekly
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
News on the goings on of the publishing industry aimed at the industry itself.

School Library Journal
http://www.slj.com/
Inside industry news about school libraries and curriculums.

Library Journal
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/
Library industry news for librarians and libraries including book reviews and collection development.

Shelf Awareness
http://www.shelf-awareness.com/
Up to the moment book industry news essential for business.

Publishers’ Lunch
http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/
Book industry insider news updates daily.

Amazon Delivers Books
https://www.amazon.com/gp/gss/browse?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Sign up for this email subscription and get notified about book bargains, the newest books, and more.

Galley Cat
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/?red=as
Daily news feed or eNewsletter on book industry and media.

Literary Partners & Associations

Affiliating with key associations lends your support to their objectives while putting you in touch with knowledgeable professionals that may become helpful information resources.

Authors’ Guild
https://www.authorsguild.org/
Supporting working writers and protecting authors’ rights.

Pen America
https://pen.org
To protect open expression and the freedom to write.

American Comparative Literature Association
http://www.acla.org/
ACLA – Society for scholars whose work involves several literatures and cultures as well as the premises of cross-cultural literary study.

American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/
ALA – Oldest and largest library association in the world, with the mission to promote highest quality library and information services and public access to information; offers professional services and publications to members and nonmembers.

Publisher Associations

Being part of, or simply keeping up with the goings-on of these organizations can provide great networking and educational benefits for your company.

Independent Book Publishers’ Association (IBPA) – trade association of independent publishers that serves book, audio, and video publishers located in the U.S. and around the world – http://www.ibpa-online.org/ .

Association of Publishers for Special Sales (APSS) – http://community.bookapss.org/ .

Publishers Advertising and Marketing Association (PAMA) offers professional events for the opportunity to meet publishing’s most prominent leaders, network and share innovative marketing ideas with peers, and gain insights into the book industry – http://pama-ny.org/who-we-are/ .

National Association of Indpendent Publishers’ Representatives (PAIPR) – Trade association for commission sales reps, booksellers and publishers – http://www.naipr.org/Home.html .

American Booksellers Association (ABA) – National trade association for independent booksellers offering education, services and products, advocacy, and relevant business information – http://www.bookweb.org/ .

Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) – Trade association for the Christian Retail Channel, serving the interests and meeting the needs of member Christian stores – http://cbaonline.org/ .

Christian Small Publishers’ Assocation (CSPA) – started to represent, promote, and support the small publisher in the Christian marketplace – http://www.christianpublishers.net/ .

New York Center for Independent Publishing (NYCIP – formerly Small Press Center) – Sponsors year-round public programs to promote independent presses and authors – http://www.nycip.org/

Nonprofit literacy organizations and charities promote books to eager readers nationally and internationally. Working with them can help you expand your target audience.

Better World Books
http://www.betterworldbooks.com/
capitalizes on the value of the book to fund and support literacy initiatives – .

Reading is Fundamental
http://www.rif.org/
Oldest and largest children’s and family nonprofit literacy organization in the U.S.; delivers free books and literacy resources to those who need them.

Silent Images
http://silentimages.org/
Images seeks to educate others and tell the stories of persecuted people around the world through journalistic photography, video, and writing.
The book Voices of Sudan by David Johnson is a leading resource in their educational efforts.

These sites are great one-stop-shops for useful book industry information, web tools, and publisher sales software downloads.

IndieBound
http://www.indiebound.org/
Group of independent bookseller websites and e-commerce arm of American Booksellers Association’s Book Sense program. – .

EarlyWord
http://www.earlyword.com/
Brings the best thinking on the art of selecting books and buying for demand, to benefit the collection development of public libraries.

Publisher Alley
http://www.puballey.com/pages/PubAlleyLogin.aspx
Online tool for in-depth analysis of book sales through Baker & Taylor, YBP Library Services, Lindsay & Croft, and Majors Book Company.

ISBN Agency (U.S.)
http://www.isbn.org/
Bowker is ISBN Agency for the United States, responsible for assigning ISBNs as well as providing information and advice on the uses of the ISBN system to publishers and the publishing industry. This is the source for your 13-digit ISBN converter number.

NetGalley
https://s2.netgalley.com/
provides centralized ARC, digital press kit and catalog services, as well as a place to connect and collaborate with others in the industry.

LegalZoom
http://www.legalzoom.com/
Created by attorneys, site helps you to get common legal documentation like incorporation, trademark, LLC, and copyright from home or office.

What’s Next Blog
http://www.whatsnextblog.com/
Founded by B.L Ochman, renown marketing strategist, influential blogger, author, and speaker, this site is dedicated to bringing you the best information on marketing, brand building, and improving blog traffic.

Wikipedia
https://www.wikipedia.org/
Online encyclopedia added to and edited by its users.

Online tools for small publishers and authors to produce books efficiently.

Ingram Lightning Source promises to reduce overhead, increase market exposure with access to the world’s largest distribution channel, improve inventory control, provide profitability on every book, complete fulfillment services, and minimize returns – https://www.lightningsource.com/

Create Space – (Formerly BookSurge) Owned by Amazon, was creating to give opportunities for authors to publish their work while retaining content rights and sales profits. It offers complete publishing, inventory-free fulfillment, and online distribution services for independent publishing – https://www.createspace.com/

OverDrive provides infrastructure for distributing digital content through local libraries. Publishers, libraries, schools, and retailers can use it to maximize their presences in the digital world to securely manage, protect, and lend or sell digital audiobooks, eBooks, music, and videos – https://www.overdrive.com/ .