The Word for Writers

Christian Book Promotion

by Michael Edwards 
09/21/15
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We are excited to hear that you are a published author. Now you need to let people know about your book and where they can find it. There are many great books that never go anywhere because of lack of promotion. Like all of us when we get started, you are like a small speck in a great ocean of books. You need to be diligent and send up some flares to attract attention.

Here are a few ideas.

1. Upgrade to Platinum if you are not already. Platinum membership gives you many upgrades, and it allows you to place up to two books in our e-book store. We do not take any percentage of your sales price. Platinum membership also includes being promoted in our newsletter and several rotating book ads on FaithWriters. We receive 250,000 to 300,000 page views per month.   Watch this video http://screencast.com/t/s1mhxd2V . For the expense it is the most advertising you will find on the internet. Our viewers are drawn to the site by reading Christian material so they are the type of people you are looking to find. http://www.faithwriters.com/finish-signup.php 

2. Give free copies of your book out in exchange for a review on Amazon and other sites your book is on. Buyers will rarely purchase a book from an unknown author who does not have an adequate number of reviews. Once your book is in our bookstore or on Amazon, place it in the Free Reads for Reviews program so you can accumulate more reviews. Here at FaithWriters, we have a wonderful program called Free Reads for Reviews. These reviews will be even more important than the paid review suggested later. We recommend at least a dozen reviews. If you know authors at FaithWriters who have published books, send them a private message and ask them to review your book in exchange for reviewing theirs.
http://ebooks.faithwriters.com/readsforreviewscurrentbooks.php

3. Post small teasers or summaries of your book in our regular articles with a link to where readers can buy your book. If it is your website, we ask that you please place a link to FaithWriters in exchange. If this is through another retailer, this is not required. Also, ask if you can be a guest blogger on a blog that is geared to your subject matter.

4. For a reasonable fee, you can place a press release to over 1,000 Christian radio, TV, and print outlets at http://www.christiannewswire.com/.  

We also have an extensive list of email addresses for Christian radio stations that we will provide to members. With this list, you can create and send out your own free press release. In this press release, we suggest you offer a free e-version copy of your book and your contact information for a radio interview. If you would like this list, let Michael know.

Put a press release in your hometown newspaper. Depending on the size of the paper, many newspapers will use this as a public interest article. Many even have forms for you to fill out for local news. Make sure it is professional and well edited.

5. If you are a Platinum or Gold member, consider submitting a devotional to us. We email the daily devotion to over 15,000 addresses and 22,000 websites.  Thousands more people view the devotionals and your potential link online. In the bio for the devotional, you may mention your book and include a link to your FaithWriters profile that should contain your photo and information about your book. See more at http://www.faithwriters.com/devotional.html .

6. If you are serious about selling, you must be on Amazon. At Amazon, make sure to take advantage of the author page you can create at Amazon Author Central. https://authorcentral.amazon.com/  If you need to place your book on Amazon, you can do this through Kindle Direct Publishing (only for e-books) https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/signin, Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/ , CreateSpace https://www.createspace.com/ , or we can refer you to someone who can help you. In order to help potential readers find your book through a search, it is important to choose the most accurate categories and best keywords for your book. If you publish through Smashwords, take advantage of the author interview option. You can write your own interview questions and answer them telling your readers anything you want them to know about you or why you write what you do. Here's a sample to fellow FaithWriter, Laurie Glass’ interview:  https://www.smashwords.com/interview/laurieglass

8. Have a website or blog, and optimize it. Use current search engine optimization practices to help people find your site. On your site, link to your social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.). Offer a free newsletter to stay in touch with your readers and potential readers so you can announce new books directly to them. However, also offer content of value to them that is not promotional. MailChimp is a good site to use and a good place to start because you can have up to 2,000 subscribers and send up to 12,000 e-mails per month free. http://mailchimp.com/

9. Have a book trailer professionally done or create one yourself to upload at YouTube and GodTube. Many computers come with the free software, Movie Maker. There are also sites you can use to make videos. Make sure to optimize your tags and description.

10. If you're an expert on a topic that you write about, consider joining SelfGrowth as an expert, or sign up at HARO - Help A Reporter Out. They send out e-mails on people/information that reporters are looking for. You can contact that reporter with what you have to offer. http://www.helpareporter.com/ (Laurie Glass was quoted in Women's Health Magazine once because of HARO.) Have business cards to give to people you connect with in person.

11. Submit your book to be reviewed and possibly promoted by Christian Book Marketing.  They offer discounted rates to our members.  They also offer a whole host of other book promotion ideas. Make sure to tell them you are a FaithWriters member because Platinum members receive a 25% discount, Gold members receive 15% and Silver receives 5%. http://cbmfaithwritersmemberdiscounts.blogspot.com/

12. For free exposure, submit the first chapter of your book to http://www.bookdaily.com/ .

13. Donate a book to your local church library. This will allow more people to see it. You can donate it in memory or honor of someone special. On the inside, jot down where readers can purchase the book if they'd like a copy for themselves.

14. Buy books at cost, and then offer to donate one dollar (or more if you choose) for each book sold. For example, if your book is a children’s book, donate the money to your church’s camp fund, Sunday school or Vacation Bible School funds.  (Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom)I still made a slight profit and donated $100 to help a child go to camp. Because most companies offer discounted shipping fees if you order in bulk, take advantage of that opportunity. You can then sell the books yourself while still paying for the costs, making a profit, and donating a portion of the proceeds for less than people can buy from the publishing company or from Amazon.

15. Call your local public libraries and ask if you can have a book-reading event. Bring books to sell and sign. Offer to donate a couple of books to your library in exchange for their hospitality or ask a librarian to consider putting your book on the shelf in exchange for you volunteering at the library.

16. Small local bookstores are often willing to promote a local author. It never hurts to call and ask. Most will ask for a small percentage of each book you sell. It helps to bring foot traffic into the store as well, and often people will buy other books too. If the store does agree to an event, make sure, if you read a section of your book to the audience, that it is appropriate for that group. Offer some kind of a workshop or offer to educate the audience. That way the crowd does not feel pressured, yet it still brings positive attention to your book.

17. It's vital to know your intended audience. Don't think your book is right for everyone. Once you know who is most likely to read your books, target your audience. If you write children's books, call local schools or summer recreation programs and ask if you can read your book to the age-appropriate classes. Offer signed books for the audience to buy. You could give a book away as a door prize too. If your book is geared towards Christian women, call the local churches and ask if you can speak at the women's meeting. Likewise, if it is geared to men or couples, many churches hold monthly men or couple groups. The important thing is to know your audience, and then go where your readers congregate. Colleges are another great place to ask if you can do a reading. If you've written more than one book, bring as many titles that are appropriate for that audience.

18. Local radio and television stations, especially in small towns, might be interested in interviewing local authors. It never hurts to ask.

19. Local community groups such as the Lions Club, The Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, volunteer fire stations, and the Rotary Club often do community projects. Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom sold her picture book to the local Rotary Club. They purchased twenty-five books for their annual event. The members go into the local schools and read the classes stories. They wanted to support a local author so they bought the books to leave in each classroom. Often these groups have fundraisers, so you could offer to donate your book or sell at a reduced cost for books other than children's books.

20. Ask your local doctor, dentist, and optician shop–any place that has a waiting room if you could leave a copy of your book for their clients. Inside the book, you could include a rear-off sheet that states where people can buy your book.

21. Local hospitals and nursing homes often have libraries. You could ask to visit patients and read your book to them. Remember to bring along extras in case someone wants to buy one.

22. Hospital gift shops are another great place to ask if you can sell your book there. Auxiliary groups run many gift shops. You could either sell them a few books for a reduced price or ask if they would sell it for a commission. They would receive a small profit, and a book is a wonderful gift for someone sick.

23. Be aware of your competition. If you’ve read a good book about your subject or genre, consider asking authors if you can include their books in a suggested book list. Likewise, ask others if they would consider adding your book to their suggested booklists.

24. Organize a blog tour. Don’t think of a blog event or a book signing as a selling spree. The chances are you will be disappointed. Instead, use these opportunities to let the public know your book is available. Marketing your book is an opportunity to meet people and build relationships. Research any venue before you approach them. Know what their purpose is and what you can offer them. You will look foolish if you have a Christian book and try to market it in an adult bookstore. For more information about this read this article from Writer’s Digest: http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/the-diy-book-tour-how-to-organize-a-book-tour-yourself

25. Join Goodreads.  Here's a link to information about their author program. http://www.goodreads.com/author/program  If you're publishing a paperback, you can do a book give-away.

26. Join Authors and Experts. Even with a free account, the media members of the site will be notified when you join. http://www.authorsandexperts.com/

27. Browse Fiverr to see if someone there has exposure to your target audience. Fiverr is a site where people offer a variety of services, many for just 5.00. Some will post about your book on their popular blogs or social media outlets. https://www.fiverr.com/

28. Create a PowerPoint presentation and upload it to SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/

29. Submit e-books to e-book listing sites. You can offer to give your e-books away on Amazon for free or for a discount. Here's an example of a site like this. http://christianbookreaders.com/submit-your-free-books/

Think outside of the box. We wish you the greatest success with your book marketing. Thanks for your membership and support.