By now you should have read part 1 and part 2 of our series about how to promote your book, and you’re wondering about the next step. In this article we will discuss using events in a way that is meaningful for your book’s release date. We’ll discuss online events and live events that can build your audience.
Events should do two things: (1) increase the dedication of your readers, and (2) expose your book to more people. Understand that accomplishing the first objective will lead to the accomplishment of the second.
Live events
Live events are great for deepening the relationship between your book and your readers. Creating an experience for your readers where they get to interact with you and experience firsthand your inspiration behind the book will leave a lasting impact.
Book Launch Party
If you’re self-publishing, it may be tempting to just put your book online and wait for people to start buying. You need to make your book a big deal to make big sales. Going out of your way by investing time and resources in your release party will show that your book is worth the time and money of your readers.
Two key elements of a book launch party are: (1) getting press coverage and (2) promoting it beforehand to get a big crowd there
Make sure you are the emphasis of the party. Accept that people want to know more about you and your expertise. Give some background about yourself and why you wrote the book. Check out this in-depth article about book launch parties from bookbaby.com.
Participate in events in your industry
Is your book about marketing? Find a local chapter of the American Marketing Association and get involved. Get to know the people there. Be a speaker, give a presentation or possibly be a sponsor, giving copies of your book to attendees or give them out as prizes.
Ask a friend to throw a book-release party for you
Your friends will probably be pretty jealous when they see you chasing your dreams as a passionate entrepreneur. They’ll want to get involved so they can get in on the action. Don’t hesitate to ask for their help.
Online events
Webinars, webcasts and other events can have a vast viewership that extends to an international audience.
Do a livestream of your book release
Streaming your book release out to a web audience is huge. There may be readers who want to know about your book but can’t attend your book release in person. Consider using a tool like Shindig to stream your event to as many people as possible. Send out an email to all your contacts and/or get the date posted on guest blogs.
Webinars
A webinar is essentially a seminar presented online and streamed everywhere in the world. Your industry genre most likely has some going on. Seek out the webinar hosts and get yourself featured or at least participating in the conversation. Webinars are a great opportunity to get influencers in your niche to see your book and spread it to their circles.
Online radio interviews
There are thousands of online radio stations playing constantly and countless podcasts being created every day. People listen to them! Finding relevant stations and getting air time are a great way to get exposed to people who are already in your niche.
Find relevant YouTubers and get into their videos
There are people who make a living creating YouTube videos. Their videos get millions of views a week and their ad revenue pays for their livelihood. Finding people like this in your genre and getting yourself into their videos would be an opportunity to get your name and your book’s title in the spotlight.
Amazon 5-day promotion
Amazon offers authors lots of resources for selling more of their product, one of which is a 5-day promotion. You can set a discount price and Amazon will offer it for a set time period. Use it in conjunction with your other events to entice potential readers to buy online.
Evergreen events: videos
A video about your book and your story as an author are essentially an event happening 24/7 for anyone who wants more information about your product. Make multiple videos around your book; explaining who you are, what the book is about, etc. These will be a powerful way of showcasing your product that will be constantly ready to make an impression on your potential readers.
In addition to these online tactics, remember traditional ones, like radio interviews, talk shows, news stories and television interviews. Be sure to have a good press release and media kit to best represent you.
We at Alexander’s can help you with every step of the book publishing process. We handle marketing, promotion, social media, event planning, press releases and media relations for our clients, not to mention years of experience in printing and book publishing. Contact us today to discuss how to design, promote, print and publish your book today.
