Marketing doesn't have to be Shadowed with Suspicion



I'm delighted to welcome author Ashley Dawn to my blog today with some very timely (for me) tips on book marketing. My first novel, Divide by Zero, has just come out, and so has Ashley Dawn's romantic suspense, Shadows of Suspicion, 2nd in her acclaimed Shadows series. I reviewed Shadows from the Past a while ago, and hope to read and review Shadows of Suspicion soon. Meanwhile, here are some invaluable suggestions for fellow authors from Ashley.

Marketing Tips

With so much going on with books on the internet, there are a lot of options for authors to promote their work.  I’ve used several of these…some worked and some didn’t.  For me it was trial and error type work so I thought I would share what has worked best for me:

  1. A Blog.  This can be FREE or there are some places where you pay for the blog, either way it is useful.  I have a review blog where I read and review other author’s work.  It gets my name out there and I have a page on my blog dedicated just to my books.  That way, when authors are out there promoting their book and send people to my blog, I have the possibility to have them check out my books as well.  It isn’t a guarantee but it has worked for me.
  2. Help other authors.  This one sort of goes along with the blog idea.  If you review an author’s book for them, you have made a contact that in the future (or now if you agree to do a swap with them) can do a review for you.  If you help other authors with reviews and promotion, they will help you.
  3. Facebook page.  It is a wonderful and FREE.  You can post what is going on in your writing life, upcoming releases, book covers, etc.  People click ‘like’ on your page and immediately see your feed.  You have to post on there for it to be useful but there is a whole lot of people on facebook that can be reached through this and it doesn’t tie up your personal account.
  4. Blog Tour.  On this, you set up a time frame (either by yourself or hire someone to do it) where on certain days you are on certain blogs either doing reviews, guestblogs, giveaways, excerpts…the possibilities are almost endless!  This way, you reach a completely new audience through the blogger’s followers and at the same time, you are helping them promote their blog by promoting your book!
  5. Twitter.  It works a lot like facebook only with more limited character space.  I admit I don’t utilize this one like I should but it is there as a promotion tool for us authors and once again it is FREE.  You can promote yourself, gain followers, announce release dates, or just talk about what you are working on to keep people interested.
 All 5 of these can be used together to help you market and promote your work.  Make sure to have fun with your marketing.  I know it is work and you so bad want to get all the exposure you can but remember to take time to stop and see what you are accomplishing along the way.  I hope this helps or at least gives a few ideas!

Thank you Ashley. All great ideas, and I'm looking forward to reading Shadows of Suspicion soon:

Revenge is the agenda...

"Find my sister."

Rick Reiley's words were what drove Luke to search mercilessly for Kerry. He is in a race against time to find her and will have to face more than a criminal mastermind to get close to her. He is prepared to give his life for her, but what about his heart?

"...I would like you to meet....My wife."

Those words from her enigmatic rescuer threw Kerry more than anything else that had happened to her in the last few days...and that was saying a lot! Kerry's simple life is turned upside down when she is kidnapped and dragged to the middle of nowhere by a madman. She trusts Luke with her life, but can she trust him with her heart?

As Luke fights to keep Kerry safe, the chemistry ignites and the danger gets closer.

Will God protect them while Luke tries to sort out his heart....and capture Kerry's?

Shadows sounds like a pleasingly intriguing romantic suspense with plenty of action and Christian themes. Readers can find out more about the author or find her books by following these link
 
Website:  AuthorAshleyDawn
My Blog: Ashley's Bookshelf
amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Suspicion-Shadow-Series-ebook/dp/B004Q9U59W/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1344435005&sr=1-2
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-of-suspicion-ashley-dawn/1029602981?ean=2940012221889&format=nook-book
Smashword: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/42324

Thank you so much for visiting my blog Ashley, and I wish you every success with marketing, the blog tour, and the book. Thank you again for sharing your ideas.


Comments

Stormi said…
Thanks for getting your post up early! ~Stormi, Lightning Book Promotions
September 24, 2012 at 6:40 AM
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