The purpose of a blog tour is to generate interest in your book. (This is called buzz.) That interest should pay off in sales, but it won’t if you don’t capitalize on it with other promotional tools such as giveaways, well-placed author interviews, and, of course, promotion of your blog tour on Twitter, Facebook, and on your own blog and
website. Building an audience takes time, energy and planning. A blog tour is just a part of your promotional plan.
We are back Wednesday for a mini-topic chat about formatting. As writers and bloggers we can't escape formatting.
Publishers mostly agree on formats for manuscript submissions. For editing you may be asked to reformat to make your work with the editor easier for both of you. Then, your publisher re-formats your work for print and again for uploading to various e-sellers.
If you self publish the formatting falls on you. Guidelines are available but you have to change your manuscript. Strip out headers and footers and page numbers. You have to reset line spacing, Chapter Headings and indentation. You have to make certain of your page breaks. And still, your finished project may end up in the readers' hands with totally distracting artifacts.
Let's talk about formatting. Wednesday at 8PM at the Writers Chat Room.
Book Trailers - a Topic Chat
I’ve been working on my personal website. This is the year I set goals. And I am meeting them.
Let’s talk about book trailers. Do they lead to sales? Is there any way to measure sales related to book trailers or anything for that matter?
If you make your own book trailer do you know how to get permission to put music in? Where will you get your images? How long should it be? Where will you home the file?
Making my own trailer made me first hand aware of when and why I should pay someone to do the work for me.
Castelane and Kim did not compensate me for this post. This is a personal recommendation from Sally the Writer not Sally the Moderator.
A writerly topic for Wednesday's Chat
Who has a website? Is it up-to-date?
Who needs to build a website? Do you know what to include?
These three items should be in your submission packet. Leading up to and away from publication you will use your bio on your websites, blogs, press releases, and as a blog guest. You'll also need to keep your Bio up to date.
Your Blurb is your selling tool. Storefronts, Amazon, B & N and others will use your blurb to get potential readers to buy your book. You will be using this on websites, blog posts, events and press releases.
Your Excerpt is not, and shouldn't be mistaken for those several 'free' or 'look-inside' pages on various sales sites. This is less often used in blogs but who knows when someone will ask?
On Wednesday we are going to talk about creating a buzz, letting potential readers know and making sure your book, website and other sales paths are accessible.
Join us on Wednesday and Sunday as we discuss Bios, Blurbs and Excerpts. We all need them. What makes them effective? What tanks a potential sale?
Do You Have a Bio? How Old is it?
Things happen. Children are born. Jobs change. Children fly the nest. We move to new towns. We change our hair color. We age backward. We might even change our relationship status.
Life happens.
Are all of your bios up-to-date?
Even a Pen Name's bio needs a little dust blown off, now and again.
Join us, Sunday March 24th in the Chat Room at 7PM EDT
(Today's Newsletter was delayed by a deer who darted across the freeway. The driver is fine, the car... the deer... )
