Comments on: Thoughts on Self-Promotion

By: WriterBeware

WriterBeware — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:33:34 +0000

Getting books into libraries–like getting books into physical bookstores–is marketing, not promotion, and it’s something that your publisher will take care of if you’re commercially published. This is another way in which self-promotion issues differ: if you’re self-published, you must not only self-promote, you must do the publisher’s tasks as well.

By: Morva Shepley

Morva Shepley — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:42:11 +0000

A good one is to make sure copies of the book are in the local libraries so that readers become familiar with your name and may even start to feel they see it around so often you must be worth a try.

These days, libraries may also have opportunities for authors to speak, either about the book, the genre, or aspects of publishing such as self-promotion.

By: Dario

Dario — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:13:28 +0000

Excellent post, Victoria, and timely for me, as I’m right now looking at this issue in connection with marketing an anthology. I think you nailed all the key points.

By: Glenn Lewis Gillette

Glenn Lewis Gillette — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:17:58 +0000

Ah, this blog software strips out those target=’_blank’ properties. Quell fromage!

By: Glenn Lewis Gillette

Glenn Lewis Gillette — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:16:44 +0000

However, I do agree with your assessment, Victoria. I bought Steve "Plug Your Book!" when Ronnie Seagren, coming off the publication of "Seventh Daughter", recommended it. Amazon.com then did its fine job by recommending "Get Known before the Book Deal" (by Christina Katz) and "The Author's Guide to Building an Online Platform" (by Stephanie Chandler). All these books push the same sort of efforts, as hinted at by the Washington Post and you. The proof of this cyber-pudding, though, is "left up to the student", to mix metaphors. What to do? How much to do? No way to tell till you try. BTW, come hear my reading Friday evening at MileHiCon 41 October 23, 24 and 25th, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency - Tech Center, Denver, CO.

By: Glenn Lewis Gillette

Glenn Lewis Gillette — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:00:47 +0000

Your links, e.g., to "one example", do violate a basic rule of Internet marketing: never take the visitor off your site with a link. You can include " target='_blank'" in the tag to open another browser window, so the visitor stays with you while consulting your reference.

By: Stuart Clark

Stuart Clark — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:10:27 +0000

A great post Victoria. What I find interesting in this new world of online promotion is as well as a whole host of promotional “do’s”, there are a bunch of promotional “dont’s” aswell. Self promotion online seems to be somewhat of an art form. There’s a thin line between self promoting and becoming an irritating spammer. The latter of which can do you more harm than good.

By: The Great Geek Manual » Geek Media Round-Up: October 6, 2009

The Great Geek Manual » Geek Media Round-Up: October 6, 2009 — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:25:53 +0000

[...] Strauss shares a few Thoughts on Self-Promotion and Searching for Publishers on the [...]

By: Kristan

Kristan — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:57:12 +0000

Great post. And I had to laugh at the ending:

“And never forget that the basis of all self-promotion is something very simple, and infinitely complex: a good book. There really is no substitute.”