For the writer

When you give someone your bookmark, you’re making a connection. Even if the interested party doesn’t buy your book, and even if that person isn’t even your fan (yet) and just dropped by your table for a piece of the chocolate you have out, or perhaps the roll of shiny gold Autographed by the Author stickers sitting in front of you caught her eye, or maybe she was just walking by but you said “Hi” — even then, if you hand that person a bookmark, you’re sending her (or him) home with something with your name on it. Even better, it’s something that will get used, or at least seen again, even if just by getting tucked into a book on the nightstand’s to-read stack, or simply by looking too pretty to throw away immediately (as so many do), it might get tossed in with a pile of mail, or onto a desk, or into a purse — some place where it will be seen again.

Also, think of all the times you have met someone in line at a supermarket, or on the plane, or in a restaurant where the tables are quite close together and the kids are spilling over. When you carry some bookmarks on you, you can hand this newly-met person a bookmark. Now you know that this branded reminder of you and your book has gone home with this potential reader.

And when they visit your website they’ll already feel comfortable because it’s in the same design as the bookmark you gave them. Hopefully that comfort will carry them through clicking on your order links!

Check out some other reasons to love bookmarks!

1. It does everything a business card does, but better.
2. Remember the preschool adage: “Books are our friends”? Well, that’s still true, even now that we are all grown up. Be nice to your book. A bookmark can help.
3. They’re cheaply printed and easily changeable.
4. Bookmarks actually help you read.

©2012 Waxcreative Design Blog. All Rights Reserved.

You read by habit. Your eyes have muscle memory for what you usually read. If you’re used to Twitter, neither War and Peace nor Harry Potter will come easily. This is not because Twitter made you stupid or less intellectual (although there are those who will passionately argue that point), but because you’re in the habit of skimming and of learning all you need to know in a 140-characters-or-less glean. If you’re used to War and Peace, Twitter is going to be a challenge– but not because you’re too erudite for society! You, too, are missing some muscles.

Bookmarks are a great way to keep yourself steadily reading something you’re not used to. The bookmark underlines one line of text and all you’re responsible for is reading that line. Move it down, read the next line. You won’t skim and you won’t read so slowly that you suddenly realize you’re thinking about your laundry, or the boy in the carrel two rows over. All students should have bookmarks for this reason precisely.

Yes, we love bookmarks.

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Check out some other reasons to love bookmarks!

1. It does everything a business card does, but better.
2. Remember the preschool adage: “Books are our friends”? Well, that’s still true, even now that we are all grown up. Be nice to your book. A bookmark can help.
3. They’re cheaply printed and easily changeable.

©2012 Waxcreative Design Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Steve is a retired Little League catcher who’s also been a shoe salesman, telecom scientist, singer-songwriter, Apollo 1 computer programmer, Hollywood screenwriter, Harvard Business School MBA, investment banker, and door-to-door egg man. He lives with his wife and writes in Northern California’s wine country. He thinks he is and always will be eleven years old. Cheesie Mack Is Not a Genius or Anything, the first of a series for middle grade readers published by Random House, is his first book.

Listen:

Welcome to our podcast series: Promotional Secrets for Authors! brought to you by Waxcreative Design and Autographed By The Author stickers.

Hosted by award-winning author and professional publicity coach Elizabeth Yarnell, these podcasts connect author to author about book promotion. Please read on for a transcript.

What kinds of promotional efforts have brought you the most benefit in terms of recognition and book sales?

STEVE: Definitely school visits. I’m both an author and a performer, so when I talk with students and teachers about writing, I get animated, enthusiastically encouraging them to enter the discussion. Of course, like all authors, I talk about the creative process and do readings. But it’s never a lecture. I ask lots of questions, engaging them in discussions of character, voice, plot, and setting and challenging them to imagine. As I share tips from my career as a working writer, I get students to think and to imagine. There’s a lot of energy. I move around the room. I change the amplitude and emotion in my voice. I excite students about reading and writing.

What secrets can you share to help create successful book signing events?

STEVE: Don’t be dry and academic. Be exciting and academic. You want to be fun, but you also want impart information that sticks with them. Kids like it. Teachers appreciate it.

All readers read because the book they’re into is giving them a worthwhile return for the time they’re investing. (Can you tell I’m a business school graduate?) A book signing needs to do the same: the author must give readers something of value. If you’re signing at a table, it could be a smile, a warm or clever remark, or an anecdote. If you’re making a presentation before the book signing, be aware of the image you’re presenting—the readers came to see you—and give them something to make their coming worth it. As an example, I did stand up comedy many years ago. I’m comfortable improvising. So when I hear the inevitable question—How do you come up with your ideas?—I demonstrate with an improv. I ask for suggestions from the audience, and I draft the skeleton of a story. It’s sort of like walking a tightrope—and the audience knows and appreciates the risk I take. I’ve actually gotten a couple of good ideas doing improvs like that.

Do you have branded promotional items other than paper products?

STEVE: Not yet. But I’m thinking. Book two of the Cheesie Mack series comes out next June, so I have a bit of time.

Is there anything you always carry with you, in case you run into readers of your books?

STEVE: I always have a copy of my book (which seatmates on my last three airline flights have asked to buy from me…and I graciously oblige). And autographed-by-the-author stickers. They’re a must! I never go anywhere without them. Readers are eager to have authors sign their books. Nothing makes them happier. And if you affix an autographed-by-the-author sticker, double happier! Also, I always carry a supply of business cards…but they’re not really business cards. On one side is a small version of my book cover; on the other are links to my website and some ordering info. Most people love authors and want to know more. I give these cards out freely. Some readers use them as bookmarks.

Do you have a final tip to offer on conducting successful author promotions?

STEVE: Smile. Laugh. Be engaging. People prefer happy over somber. Let your readers and prospective readers know that you are totally loving your life as an author. If you do, I guarantee you’ll get a smile in return…and a loyal reader.

Great tips and tricks, Steve. Thanks! For all our listeners, check back here regularly to get insider secrets from bestselling authors about what promotional tools YOU can use to support yourself as an author. Or subscribe to the Promotional Secrets for Authors podcast on iTunes!

Thanks for listening, and thanks for showing off your signed books with our gold Autographed By The Author sticker… the signature sticker that makes your signed books that much more valuable on the store shelf and in a reader’s hands.

Don’t forget to check out our other recent podcasts in this series, interviews with Mia Marlowe, Rebecca K. O’Connor,  Jane Porter, and Alyson B. Stanfield. We know you have promotional secrets to share! We’ll have an easy-to-use online form ready for you soon, but in the meantime, please email us if you want to be interviewed, be featured here, and share your secrets with other authors.

©2012 Waxcreative Design Blog. All Rights Reserved.

This week we welcome Alyson B. Stanfield!

Alyson is the author of I’d Rather Be in the Studio: The Artist’s No Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion. It was first released in 2008 and was recently released as an updated and expanded edition.

Alyson is the founder of ArtBizCoach.com and ArtBizBlog.com.

Listen:

Alyson B. Stanfield

Welcome to our podcast series: Promotional Secrets for Authors! brought to you by Waxcreative Design and Autographed By The Author stickers.

Hosted by award-winning author and professional publicity coach Elizabeth Yarnell, these podcasts connect author to author about book promotion. Please read on for a transcript.

I hear you just returned from a book tour in North and South Carolina. How did that come about?

ALYSON: When the first edition came out in 2008, I knew that bookstores weren’t my primary venue. I needed to go where artists were.

Fortunately, I had a platform. I had thousands of subscribers to my weekly Art Marketing Action newsletter and even more on the Art Biz Blog. I asked if anyone wanted to host a book party. I call them parties because that’s what I wanted them to be: informal, good-time meet-and-greets.

The Carolina trip stemmed from a previously scheduled workshop in Durham, NC that I had on my calendar for nearly a year. When I thought about how nice it would be to spend more time in the area, I put a few posts on my FB page and tweeted a few times that I was looking for hosts for book parties in SC and NC. Within a couple of weeks, the book tour was filled.

Aside from the workshop in Durham, I visited six other cities and met lots of other artists along the way.

Would you do a book party anywhere you were invited?

ALYSON: I don’t really travel out of state just for a book party because that’s a little cost-prohibitive. Sometimes 10 people show up to a party and sometimes 40. I don’t make a lot of money from them.

But I do think of them as a loss-leader. Lots of artists (and potential clients) come to these book parties. They might buy a book, they might subscribe to my newsletter, or maybe become a follower on Twitter. It’s hard to attach a $ sign to the value of that personal interaction.

You’ve been doing this for a few years now. How have the book parties changed?

ALYSON: The first book party was lovely. It was at Jan Carson’s studio-gallery in Fort Collins, Colorado. But we didn’t make a plan for me to talk and people just kept coming and going. I never spoke. I just signed books and talked with people. That was a mistake. I quickly learned (and should have known) that I’d need to speak.

There were a couple of other occasions where speaking would have been awkward, but I could have (and should have) arranged them so that I could speak.

The other thing that’s changed is how they’re promoted. Many of the parties are now promoted solely through social media. I’ve also had people record radio segments, get newspaper articles, and post flyers. And I’ve created a generic postcard that I can slap a sticker on the back of and send to my peeps in the area.

I think the combination of postcard (snail mail) and email/social media is powerful.

What tips could you share with other authors who might want to organize similar book parties?

ALYSON: Have a strong platform in place. I couldn’t have done this without having some followers and credibility in place.

•    Go where your audience is and at times that are convenient for them.

•    Offer to bring or pay for all of the refreshments at an event.

•    Create an online media room just for your event and tell your host or hostess about it. My media room has book reviews, images of me and the book cover, and a blurb for blogs. You can find my media room at idratherbeinthestudio.com.

•    Get someone to help you with sales.

•    Order “Square.” Square is a small device that plugs into your smart phone and allows anyone to accept credit card payments. It’s much cheaper than other credit card processors, but the only caveat is that you have to have connectivity for your phone. Find that at squareup.com

What’s the #1 benefit you receive from the book parties?

ALYSON: Energy! I get out from behind my computer and in front of artists. I always learn from their questions.

I also want to say that I will often speak to local artist organizations informally if they allow me to set up a book party. These aren’t keynotes or workshops. They’re more like Q&A sessions. But I talk a little, answer questions, and then I sell books. Win-win.

Great tips and tricks, Alyson. Thanks! For all our listeners, check back here regularly to get insider secrets from bestselling authors about what promotional tools YOU can use to support yourself as an author. Or subscribe to the Promotional Secrets for Authors podcast on iTunes!

Thanks for listening, and thanks for showing off your signed books with our gold Autographed By The Author sticker… the signature sticker that makes your signed books that much more valuable on the store shelf and in a reader’s hands.

Don’t forget to check out our other recent podcasts in this series, interviews with Mia Marlowe, Rebecca K. O’Connor, and Jane Porter. We know you have promotional secrets to share! We’ll have an easy-to-use online form ready for you soon, but in the meantime, please email us if you want to be interviewed, be featured here, and share your secrets with other authors.

©2012 Waxcreative Design Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome to our new podcast series: Promotional Secrets for Authors! brought to you by Waxcreative Design and Autographed By The Author stickers.

Hosted by award-winning author and professional publicity coach Elizabeth Yarnell, these podcasts connect author to author about book promotion.

Jane Porter

This week, we welcome Jane Porter. The bestselling author of 32 novels for Harlequin Presents and Grand Central Publishing, Jane has been a finalist for the prestigious RITA award from Romance Writers of America in 2002, 2003,  2008 and 2010. Jane’s July ‘06 release, Flirting With Forty, picked by Redbook as its Red Hot Summer Read, went back for seven printings in six weeks before being made into a December 08 Lifetime movie starring Heather Locklear. Jane’s newest release, She’s Gone Country, is in development now.  A busy mother of  three sons, Jane holds an MA in Writing from the University of San Francisco and makes her home in Bellevue, Washington where she’s working on her next novel.

Listen:

What kinds of promotional efforts have brought you the most benefit in terms of recognition and book sales?

JANE: I think having a significant web presence has been my most successful promotional effort, and I use the web to promote the Jane Porter brand, not just a book.   My goal is to drive readers to my site where they can learn about not just one book, but all 32 of my books.  I am not just promoting a new title, but the entire backlist and the Jane Porter brand.

What secrets can you share to help create successful book signing events?

JANE: Successful booksignings don’t just happen.  They’re created.  I work hard to make every event I do a true event.  But to get people out of their house requires effort and planning. You have to offer your readers something… your book, yes… but something to compete with the hectic world we’re in. Is it a girls night out?  Is it a social event?  Is it a small, intimate get together?  Is it a discussion or a party?  I focus on the type of event, and then getting folks there.  I use social media, enewsletters, and mailed event invites.  I try to follow up as well and I “reward” those that come with food and drink, or a fun discussion.  Stuffy book events just don’t draw readers.

Do you have branded promotional items other than paper products?

JANE: I use very few paper products for promo items.  Yes, I always do a bookmark and a postcard, but that’s not my giveaway.  Paper gets discarded very fast.  I’m queen of practical giveaways–nail files, mirrors, pens (love pens), letter openers, water bottles, note pads, and luggage tags.

Is there anything you always carry with you, in case you run into readers of your books?

JANE: I don’t carry items for readers on me, however, as  I’ve had pens made for every book, and I only use my own Jane Porter pens, its easy to give someone I meet one of the pens from the bottom of my purse or computer bag.  so when I do meet someone, I give them a pen, and every pen has my url on it so they can look me up later if so inclined.

Do you have a final tip to offer on building an audience?

JANE: Just as I don’t expect a booksigning to just happen, I don’t expect readers to just find me.  I try to find them, go to them, and I’m always looking for ways to introduce new readers to my books and themes.

Great tips and tricks, Jane. Thanks! For all our listeners, check back here regularly to get insider secrets from bestselling authors about what promotional tools YOU can use to support yourself as an author. Or subscribe to the Promotional Secrets for Authors podcast on iTunes!

Thanks for listening, and thanks for showing off your signed books with our gold Autographed By The Author sticker… the signature sticker that makes your signed books that much more valuable on the store shelf and in a reader’s hands.

Don’t forget to check out our first two podcasts in this series, interviews with Mia Marlowe and Rebecca K. O’Connor. And next week, look forward to Julia Quinn. We know you have promotional secrets to share! We’ll have an easy-to-use online form ready for you soon, but in the meantime, please email us if you want to be interviewed, be featured here, and share your secrets with other authors.

©2012 Waxcreative Design Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome to the latest podcast in our series Promotional Secrets for Authors! brought to you by Waxcreative Design and Autographed By The Author stickers and hosted by award-winning author and professional publicity coach Elizabeth Yarnell. These podcasts connect author-to-author about book promotion.

This week, we have Rebecca K. O’Connor. Rebecca is an animal trainer, a conservationist and the author of ten books including the best-selling “A Parrot for Life: Raising and Training the Perfect Parrot Companion”, a romance novel “Falcon’s Return” and  most recently “Lift” an award-winning memoir about the first year training a young peregrine falcon.

Listen:

Rebecca K. O'Connor

What kinds of promotional efforts have brought you the most benefit in terms of recognition and book sales?

REBECCA: Social media like Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and even Flickr have made it possible to have an ongoing conversation with “friends”. I enjoy doing book signings and events, but have found it is the people who interact with me frequently who have built a friendship and are most likely to purchase my books and continue to purchase my books. Even more importantly they promote them!

What secrets can you share to help create successful book signing events?

REBECCA: Serve wine. Have snacks. Make everyone laugh.

Do you have branded promotional items other than paper products?

REBECCA: When I do presentations I always bring product that has my parrot and falconry art and my website address on them. Notebooks, note cards and gift cards add color to my book table and give people who already have my books something else to purchase.

Is there anything you always carry with you, in case you run into readers of your books?

REBECCA: I actually always have a box of books in my truck as well as some postcards. I try to seize any opportunity to sell a book while the person sitting next to me at the hotel bar or at a party is still thinking about it. Technology has made it so simple to sell products. For example Square is an excellent inexpensive application and credit card reader for your Droid or iphone. Don’t go nuts. You don’t have to force your books on everyone you meet, but don’t miss an opportunity to put your book in someone’s hands.

Do you have a final tip to offer on building an audience?

REBECCA: Remember that you are always promoting and should always be having fun with it. Share great links that are helpful, interesting and be giving to your followers. And share a little of your life too. I’ve built an audience online not by telling them what I had for breakfast or how long I got stuck in traffic, but by trying to notice the poignant, funny and strange moments of my day. And now I find that I am constantly looking for what makes my day a wonderful one in tweet-sized bites. It’s good for your writing, great for your attitude and enjoyable for your audience.

Great tips and tricks, Rebecca. Thanks! For all our listeners, check back here regularly to get insider secrets from bestselling authors about what promotional tools YOU can use to support yourself as an author. Or subscribe to the Promotional Secrets for Authors podcast on iTunes!

Thanks for listening, and thanks for showing off your signed books with our gold Autographed By The Author sticker… the signature sticker that makes your signed books that much more valuable on the store shelf and in a reader’s hands.

If you missed last week’s podcast, don’t forget to check out Mia Marlowe’s interview. We know you have promotional secrets to share! We’ll have an easy-to-use online form ready for you soon, but in the meantime, please email us if you want to be interviewed, be featured here, and share your secrets with other authors.

©2012 Waxcreative Design Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Hosted by award-winning author and professional publicity coach Elizabeth Yarnell, these podcasts connect author to author about book promotion.

Mia Marlowe

This week, we have Mia Marlowe (one of Waxcreative’s newest launches). Mia Marlowe is a lucky girl and she knows it. Both her real life hero husband and her terrier treat her like a princess. No wonder she writes sensual historical romance with a sparkle of magic.

Listen:

What kinds of promotional efforts have brought you the most benefit in terms of recognition and book sales?

MIA: If I knew what really worked, I’d be answering this question from a beach house on Maui. However, the best way I’ve found to connect with readers has been through my blog and social networking. I attend the Romantic Times Convention and RWA National each year and so many people have introduced themselves to me by telling me they are my friend on Facebook or Twitter or that they regularly follow my blog. We have an instant connection.

What secrets can you share to help create successful book signing events?

MIA: My most successful signings have been held in conjunction with speaking engagements. If I speak for a writers or readers group and then lead them to the bookstore, I usually sell out. Organizing a signing with other authors also helps because we all benefit from the pre-signing promo we do individually. Staging readings and offering gift baskets helps create a party atmosphere readers enjoy.

Do you have branded promotional items other than paper products?

MIA: No. I’ve never bought a book based on a branded potato chip clip or bit of bling, so I haven’t invested in any.

Is there anything you always carry with you, in case you run into readers of your books?

MIA: I always carry collectible Romance Trading Card of Touch of a Thief. These are fun little cards that display my lovely cover on one side and my hot hero on the other. It can double as a bookmark or for readers who prefer ebooks, it serves as a physical record of my book in their cyber library.

Do you have a final tip to offer on conducting successful author promotions?

MIA: Find a type of promo that you enjoy. You’ll be more likely to do it consistently which is what’s needed for any kind of promo. I love blogging and social networking because it gives me a chance to hear from readers. That’s why I invested in my new website. It’s my cyber-home, my public face on the web and I’m very pleased to offer a place for my readers to learn more about me and my books and connect with me.   However much I enjoy chatting with readers online, I have no way to measure the effectiveness of this sort of promo and I need to be sure blogging, FB and tweeting doesn’t cut too deeply into my writing time. The best promotion an author can do is write the best book she possibly can. That’s my main focus.

Great tips and tricks, Mia. Thanks! For all our listeners, check back here regularly to get insider secrets from bestselling authors about what promotional tools YOU can use to support yourself as an author. Or subscribe to the Promotional Secrets for Authors podcast on iTunes!

Thanks for listening, and thanks for showing off your signed books with our gold Autographed By The Author sticker… the signature sticker that makes your signed books that much more valuable on the store shelf and in a reader’s hands.

We know you have promotional secrets to share! We’ll have an easy-to-use online form ready for you soon, but in the meantime, please email us if you want to be interviewed, be featured here, and share your secrets with other authors.

©2012 Waxcreative Design Blog. All Rights Reserved.

For the writer: They’re cheaply printed and easily changeable.

I love when we can take a backside to a bookmark and add to an author’s growing backlist. We highlight your new book on the front and then merely work on an existing design for the back.

And of course, with a fantastic front, usually simple color changes are all it takes to accommodate a new cover and achieve a fresh look.

When good design is applied in this respect, a bookmark series is born! Fantastic for loyal fans as keepsakes, and oh-so-good looking at booksignings.

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Also check out Reason #2:

This one is is more of a plea for all readers: Please don’t hurt your book!Remember the preschool adage: “Books are our friends”? Well, that’s still true, even now that we are all grown up. Be nice to your book. A bookmark can help.

A bookmark is always better than folding the corner of the page. Don’t hurt the page.

And Reason #1!

©2012 Waxcreative Design Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Remember the preschool adage: “Books are our friends”? Well, that’s still true, even now that we are all grown up. Be nice to your book. A bookmark can help.

My daughter's favorite bookmark. She also has one that is penguin-themed.

A bookmark is always better than folding the corner of the page. Don’t hurt the page.

A book that is left on the side table open, face down is suffering a strained spine. If this is a book you don’t care about then big deal, right? But why are you wasting your time on a book you don’t care about? I think you care. Please treat it nicely — it’s giving you so much pleasure.

And if you take the above points and group them under a Good Parenting umbrella, you can instill a feeling of respect for books (and by extension: reading). And if teaching kids to be nice to books in turn fosters respect for books… well, there’s only good in that.

Don’t miss why We Love Bookmarks: Reason #1…

And yes, we design bookmarks, too.

©2012 Waxcreative Design Blog. All Rights Reserved.

1) When you, the author, meet someone at random — whether at a booksigning, on a plane, in a store, or socially: “Oh, what do you write?” You want to be able to offer a leave-behind — something to reinforce to that person that they were interested in you, and look, here is your book. A business card doesn’t contain info about your latest book release (unless you are updating your business card that often, in which case, um, yeah — we want your business, for sure!)

2) A business card contains your personal information. And really, besides your website address, do you really want to give this random person any more info?

3) Handing a business card in this instance is inappropriate. This person is not a colleague — he/she is a potential reader. (Unless this person is a colleague, in which case you need a business card, too.)

We have lots of reasons bookmarks are good business. Stay tuned.

(And yes, we do design bookmarks. Thanks.)

©2012 Waxcreative Design Blog. All Rights Reserved.