Keys to December 2010 Book Promotion

Happy Marketing
in
December 2010

December is an easy month to sell your books, but there are mountains of other books competing for attention widen your market. Stand out in the crowd. Look for unique marketing opportunities and take advantage of the Christmas buying frenzy, too.

USE HOLIDAYS TO:

• Promote Your Book, Self, Website, etc...
• As Writing Prompts (magazine publishers are attracted to unique stories and articles that's subjects are related to holidays)
• Provide holiday Related Content on your blog or website (writing prompts, contests, crafts, activities, games, lessons, short stories, articles or illustrations for writers, teachers to use in classrooms, children and parents)

Write to a Friend Month

Offer personalized stationary with a picture of your main character and address label stickers. You can use it as a contest prize or give away recipe cards at a book signing (Leave area for name and address blank.)

Cookie Cutter Week (1-7)

Have cookies in different shapes on your book signing table at a kitchen product/baking supply store. Hand out your main character’s favorite cookie recipe on cards. Take cookies, in a shape that compliments an element in your book, to a homeless shelter, orphanage, senior citizens home (make some sugar free.)

17- National Maple Syrup Day

Hold a book signing at a pancake or waffle house over the weekend or at a grocery store (coincide it with a sale of maple syrup. Interview a maple tree on your blog and enter all commenters in a drawing for a pancake house breakfast.

MONTHLY OBSERVANCES

Bingo's Birthday Month

Cooked Grasshoppers Month

Hi Neighbor Month

Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month

Learn A Foreign Language Month

National Stress Free Family Holiday Month

National Tie Month

Spiritual Literacy Month

Write to a Friend Month

WEEK LONG OBSERVANCES

Cookie Cutter Week (1-7)

National Hand Washing Awareness Week (6-12)

Tell Someone They're Doing a Good Job Week - Week Three
Gluten Free Baking (19-25)

"It's About Time!" Week (25-31)

DAILY HOLIDAY OBSERVANCES

1- Rosa Parks Day

3- National Roof-Over-Your-Head Day
7- National Fire Safety Day 1979

12- Gingerbread House Day

17- National Maple Syrup Day
18- Wear a Plunger On Your Head Day
21- National Flashlight Day

24- Sneak-A-Peek Day
26- National Candy Cane Day
28- Opposite Day
31- You're All Done Day

Fiction Writers and Their Blogs

The following guest post is by Carolyn Howard Johnson. Her book on frugal book marketing is my Bible when it comes to puzzling out what and how to promote my books. I found her article of particular interest, because I primarily write fiction. Enjoy her words of wisdom.

Fiction Writers and Their Blogs

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, poet, novelist and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally books for writers

What do fiction writers talk about on their blogs?

That question keeps coming up. From my newsletter subscribers. From my clients. When I teach.

Sure, it's harder to promote fiction on a blog (or about anything else) than nonfiction, but it's not impossible. Here are some ideas. Note that sometimes you have to make your own news.

1. Review other books, preferably ones in the same genre as yours. Ask the author to promote your review post.

2. Use the voice of your protagonist (or villain). Let him or her tell some new stories. Be sure she or he mentions your book during the rant.

3. Let your readers endorse your book. Post pictures of them and your book cover and talk about more than the book. Make it into a feature story of some interesting aspect of their lives.

4. Talk about trends in your genre. How does your book fit into them?

5. Answer reader's questions. Sometimes readers think of characters as real. Offer to expound or flesh out characters, including minor ones. You may end up using what you write as part of a sequel.

6. It seems obvious from the above but you could explore your next novel and let people weigh in with ideas.

7. Feature or link to the blogs of other authors or other review sites. Ask for reviews of your book on those same review sites.

8. Start an award. Contests are old news and often don't work well. But if you give an award once a year for a book in your genre? Well, I'm just starting to think of the possible benefits inherent with this including an opportunity to send out a media release with some real news in it, cross promotion with the winning author or authors . . .

From a marketing standpoint, do remember that as interesting as your book of fiction is, readers tend to be just as interested in the author. So don’t be afraid to talk about what’s happening in your life. That’s what Erma Bombeck did and we all loved her! Tie you life’s events to your writing when you can. And regardless what anyone tells you, quality is more important than frequency, especially if you’re showing off the writing skills these readers will expect to see in your book.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON’T (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo ). For a little over 2 cents a day THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER assures your book the best possible start in life. Full of nitty gritty how-tos for getting nearly free publicity, Carolyn Howard-Johnson shares her professional experience as well as practical tips gleaned from the successes of her own book campaigns. She is a former publicist for a New York PR firm and a marketing instructor for UCLA's Writers' Program.. Learn more about the author at http://carolynhoward-johnson.com or http://HowToDoItFrugally.com

Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Website: http://www.HowToDoItFrugally.com
E-mail: HoJoNews@aol.com

Award-winning author of the HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books for writers, including USA Book News' award winners
The Frugal Editor http://budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor
The Frugal Book Promoter http://www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo
The Great First Impression Book Proposal http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YG6O5U/
Love LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynhowardjohnson
Squidooing at: http://www.squidoo.com/HowToDoItFrugallyforAuthors
My iFOGO Page:http://www.ifogo.com/BRZ_AG/members/chjohnson.html
Twittering at: http://www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo
At Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carolynhowardjohnson


Blogs for Writers:http://www.SharingWithWriters.blogspot.com ,
http://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com ,
http://www.SizzlingBookFairBooths.blogspot.com ,
http://www.TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com

Now blogging on War. Peace. Tolerance and Our Soldiers at:
http://warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com

November 2010 Book Promotion

Happy Marketing
in
November 2010

The holiday season is under way. Every store is screaming BUY BUY BUY. Remember to push the benefits of your book(s). When someone gives your book they are giving the gift of humor, literacy, entertainment, a lifetime friend, hours of reading enjoyment, etc...

USE HOLIDAYS TO:

• Promote Your Book, Self, Website, etc...
• As Writing Prompts (magazine publishers are attracted to unique stories and articles that's subjects are related to holidays)
• Provide holiday Related Content on your blog or website (writing prompts, contests, crafts, activities, games, lessons, short stories, articles or illustrations for writers, teachers to use in classrooms, children and parents)

NOVEMBER EXAMPLES

Drum Month

Schedule a book signing at a music store (at a mall to insure traffic). Your main character adores drums, right? You’ll have a headache at the end of the day, but have the store play drum solos through the day. (A starving artist/author does what she must for the love of her craft.)

National Cookie Week - Week Four

Hold a book signing at a bakery, at the entrance to a grocery store. Supply the patrons with coupons for the delectable cookies (maybe your character’s favorite). Supply the bakery with a stamp of approval from your main character with your website. They can stamp each box or bag. An inexpensive stamp can be made at Vista Print.

November 10, 2010 Veteran's Day

Visit a veteran’s hospital. Offer a free promotional item to all soldiers with children. Coordinate a book signing with the giveaway. The media exposure will be worth the cost. Make buttons with your main character and a slogan tom support the soldier’s efforts.

MONTHLY OBSERVANCES

Drum Month

Family Stories Month

Latin American Month

National Run Away Prevention Month

National Stamp Collecting

Peanut Butter Lover's Month

WEEK LONG OBSERVANCES

Kids Goals Education Week - Week One
Random Acts of Kindness Week - Week Two
National Children's Book Week - Week Three
National Cookie Week - Week Four

DAILY HOLIDAY OBSERVANCES

1 - National Author's Day

7 - Hug-a-bear Day
10 - Veteran's Day

14 - National Young Reader's Day

19 - Pop Tarts Birthday 1965
22 - Slumber Party Day

25 – Thanksgiving Day

29 - Electronic Greetings Day

29 - Square Dance Day