Today I'm delighted to present a guest post by Peter Adler, author of Wyndano's Cloak. I asked Peter to share his tips on getting your book into bookstores and face-to-face sales.
Guerilla Market Your Book!
by Peter Adler
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| Author Peter Adler |
In this era of online book
marketing, it’s easy to forget the tried and true sales techniques of the past.
That would be a shame. The old ways are not only effective but are immensely
satisfying.
Today, I’ll focus on the direct approach, where you engage face to
face with potential customers. The ways this can happen are virtually infinite,
and are only limited by your creativity and reluctance.
The more conventional
direct approaches include making a presentation at a bookstore, setting up a
table at a convention, fair, or outdoor market; or appearing at a library show.
Less conventional direct sales techniques utilize guerilla marketing. Let’s
look at both conventional and less conventional approaches, emphasizing the
latter.
Bookstore presentations fall
into two categories:
1) A formal talk, which can include
reading an excerpt, showing a video or slide show, and even having a party. One
author I know pulls in two hundred or more children to do face painting. She gets
donations from local businesses for the food, drinks, and raffle. The events
are so well received in her community that she gets media coverage. Talk about
bringing attention to your book!
2) Setting up a table and greeting
customers as they walk into the store.
If you decide to pursue a convention, fair, or
outdoor market, but not a bookstore event, take a look at Part II anyway. The
techniques I describe will be helpful. Hands down, I’ve sold more books with
meet and greets than any other method. They’re fun, and I’ve made lasting
contacts.
For example, I’ve met librarians, teachers, and book-club members
interested in having me do a presentation. I met a book blogger who bought and
reviewed my novel,
Wyndano’s Cloak. I
admit, I was a bit terrified of what he’d say; he’d told me in no uncertain
terms that he only reads adult suspense thrillers and mysteries, and he would
tell me
exactly what he thought of my
book. Fortunately, he loved it. Not only did he post his review on his
blog,
Amazon, and
Goodreads, but
he approached me later for an interview. Then he came back a month ago and
asked me to appear at a new indie bookstore, where he coordinates events.
The best part of meet and
greets is the interaction with the customers, particularly children. Their
excitement at reading books, their excitement at meeting an author, these are
priceless. Several have written to me afterward, and as a writer, you know
there is nothing better than touching the heart of a reader. Yes, readers who find
me online can write to me too, but trust me, that live connection is deeper,
more meaningful.
Which brings me to Guerilla
Marketing.
Listen up, folks. You’ve got to walk around with your Kindle! It’s a serious conversation starter.
While
waiting for a concert to start, I was reading on my Kindle. People who haven’t seen them are curious. I ended up
demonstrating how it worked and showed the guy next to me what my book looked
like. He took down my book info. At the very least, it was exposure.
One day, I
walked into my bank with my Kindle, housed in a green velvet cover my wife made.
The teller asked if it was a Kindle, and we got to talking. I asked her what
kind of books she likes. Don’t bypass that question. It’s your way of gauging
if this person might like your book. With a bashful expression, she confessed
she liked young adult fiction and Harry
Potter. Bingo! That was my opening. I told her I wrote in that genre and
showed her Wyndano’s Cloak on my Kindle. She said that it was exactly what she loved to read. The next time I
came in, I brought a copy of the hardback. I ended up at a different window
from hers, but I held up the book. She came over and asked if she could look at
it. Her eyes were aglow when I left. Long story short, she bought it for her Kindle, loved the book, posted a review on Amazon, and loaned it to another
teller. Every time I see her, we talk books and she asks when my next book will
come out.
This being my first year in
our new house, I had no idea whether children would show up for Halloween. In the
past, they never did, but a hunch told me I better ask my neighbor. He said I
could expect three bags worth of kids. It was an hour from sundown. I
high-tailed it to the store, snagged candy, dashed back home, and started
setting up. I already had the new book cover on our wall, so people would see it
when I opened the door. I joked with my wife that it was free marketing as I
handed out treats. All of sudden she cried, “You’ve got to print copies of the new
cover and first chapter! And wear your Renaissance costume.”
Our dining room
window looks out on the front doorstep, so I set up the hardback and new cover on
bookstands there. When children and parents came to the door, they saw the
display. Free exposure! I gave out the chapter sample to the older kids, who
seemed dazzled. They asked me what I was dressed up as. I replied, “The Mage of
Aerdem,” referencing the fantasyland in the book. Everywhere else they got a
few pieces of candy. Here they got a signed chapter from an author.
If you try any of the above,
be polite, and never hard sell. Have fun. Enjoy making connections. Imagination
is our stock-in-trade. Put it to use in your marketing. The possibilities are
endless!
* * *
About the Author: A. R. Silverberry has
won a dozen awards, including Gold Medal Winner in the 2011 Benjamin Franklin
Awards for Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction; Gold Medal Winner in the 2010 Readers
Favorite Awards for Preteen Fiction; and Silver
Medal Winner 2011 in the Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book,
Children’s/Young Adult. He
lives in California, where the majestic coastline, trees, and mountains inspire
his writing. Wyndano's Cloak is his first novel. Follow him at the links
below!
A. R. Silverberry’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
Jen has
settled into a peaceful life when a terrifying event awakens old fears—of being
homeless and alone, of a danger horrible enough to destroy her family and
shatter her world forever. She is certain that Naryfel, a shadowy figure from
her past, has returned and is concentrating the full force of her hate on Jen's
family. But how will she strike? A knife in the dark? An attack from her
legions? Or with the dark arts and twisted creatures she commands with sinister
cunning. Wyndano's Cloak may be Jen's only hope. If she’s got what it takes to
use it . . .
