How To Get Massive Publicity For Your Book Without Spending A Cent

In today's guest post, Jonathan Gunson shares some great advice about how to find new readers through book bloggers.

I find it extremely encouraging that so many authors are now embracing the reality of modern publishing, and acknowledging that they are responsible for creating the buzz around their books.

Those who publish their own ebooks understand that the more publicity they can get, the more copies they will sell.

But even those looking for traditional book deals are starting to see the truth – that publishers now only pick authors who demonstrate they can help with promotion.

The problem is, most writers hide under the desk in terror at the thought of ‘marketing’, because their skill set is writing, not selling. The reality is that all writers need that elusive book publicity, but don’t want to become the literary equivalent of a used car salesman.

Nor can they afford to spend a fortune in the process.  What to do?

The Solution: Get Reviewed By High-Profile Book Bloggers

Book bloggers are high on the trust list for readers, which means they’re among the most influential connections we can make. These bloggers read a large number of books, and have an audience of readers collectively amounting to millions. Their subscribers trust their opinions and buy the books they recommend.

This makes them an incredibly powerful source for promotional help.  In fact, they can make an author famous, almost overnight sometimes. I’ll talk about that in a moment, but first, let’s look at a real life example of someone achieving incredible success from using this tactic…

Paranormal author Amanda Hocking is perhaps the most visible recipient of this ‘book blogger effect’.  She had written solidly since a teenager without stopping, but no agent or publisher would take the remotest interest in her books.

Resolute, she decided instead to self-publish the books herself on the Amazon Kindle.  But initially she only had the merest flicker of sales.

She was almost at her wits end when salvation suddenly appeared – in the form of book  bloggers.

Quoting from her site (abbreviated):

“… In May, I sold 624 books and made $362. Then in June, something truly magical happened.  I discovered book bloggers. I had no idea such people existed. These guys are my heroes. I asked several if they would be interested in reviewing my books, and most said yes, even if they didn’t generally review self-published work….   

Then something surreal started happening. My books were selling. Like, really selling.  So, thanks in large part to book bloggers, June turned into a very good month. I sold 4258 copies of all three books combined, and I made a total of $3180. In July, I sold 3532 books and made $6527.  Here’s what August looks like for me: I’ve sold 4873 books this month (as of 12:50 am). I’m estimating that I’ll make over $9000 this month….”

The 26-year-old self-published author went on to sell over 450,000 copies of her ebooks in January of 2011 alone, for between 99 cents and $2.99. She’s since sold far beyond a million books, and belongs to the Kindle Million Seller club.

Do the math. She’s now a millionaire, and it was all set in motion by the book bloggers.

The takeaway lesson from her success is obvious – get as many high-profile book bloggers as possible to review your book.  But to achieve this, you need to approach it the right way…

How To Be Reviewed By Book Bloggers

Influential book bloggers now receive so many books from new authors, they end up swamped.  If your book is just another random novel ‘on the pile’, there’s a good chance they won’t ever read it.

Becoming known to a blogger before asking for the review can therefore make a difference.  If you’re known to them, then given a choice of too many books to review, they’re more likely to choose yours.  The solution is to open up a conversation about the genre in which you both are highly interested.

I’m talking about making them aware of you, and discussing things of joint interest, not becoming their ‘best friend’. Fortunately most book bloggers I’ve come across are very nice people, and I’d go so far as to say that they are the most helpful group of people I’ve come across online.

5 Tips For Approaching Book Bloggers

1.  Find book bloggers who ‘fit’ with your genre best and have a large readership

To find out how popular the blog is, type their blog address into the ‘site info’ box at Alexa.com.  If they are in the top 100,000, then they’re reasonably popular. Top 50,000 is even better.

You also need ensure that they’re the right fit for you.  So look for bloggers who have already reviewed other books in your genre.  Also check the general tone of their reviews – do they have a tendency to treat books harshly, and is this a risk for you?

2.  Check their availablity

Look into whether they actually accept books to review, or you’ll be wasting your time otherwise.

3.  Engage with them on Twitter

If you’re on Twitter, engage with them and cast opinion, and of course discuss the intrigue of genre – even argue the point if you don’t entirely agree.  The same applies to Facebook and G+.   Overall, you both have a fascination for books of this genre and the world around it , and that is the point.

4.  Canvas their ‘expert’ opinion

Ask for help on things you really do want to know about, by email, Twitter or Facebook.

5.  Engage with them on their blog

You can leave comments on their blog, again – all pertaining to things of interest in the genre, not your own book.

In sum, you gradually make yourself visible on your own terms. Taking a cynical or sycophantic approach won’t work either. There’s no point in artificially attempting to ‘be their friend’.    Instead, being yourself and conversing about the subject intelligently because you genuinely like it is the path.  Remember that bloggers are people too.  You are making yourself visible with a unique point of view and a fascination for the entire subject of the genre.

It takes time, so start early while still writing your book. Eventually, when you introduce your book for review you will not be an unfamiliar ‘door to door salesman’.  The book blogger will already be aware of who you are, and the door is more likely to open.

If you’re interested in learning more, I cover how to approach and connect with book bloggers in much more detail in Module 4 of my mini-course Twitter For Authors. As well as a detailed strategy for getting them to review your book, that Module also includes a list of recommended book bloggers and their websites.

Have you started talking to book bloggers yet?  Are you a book blogger yourself?  Please do leave a comment below.

About the Author

Jonathan Gunson has worked in publishing, and in television drama programming for more than two decades. He coaches writers in the techniques needed to get published and sell more books, including traditionally printed books and ebooks. His bestseller puzzle book The Merlin Mystery sold over 350,000 copies, and was translated into seven languages. To learn more about getting published and increasing book sales, download Jonathan's Free Guide For Authors.

Comments

[Alice Kemp]

I do appreciate this information, but it would be much more useful if you would give us the names of at least 2 or 3 of those high-profile book bloggers. Since you already know them, this would be much easier for you than for me to do a lengthy search.

Thanks so much!

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Alice, it's best to find book blogs that are a good fit for the type of book you write. Some bloggers focus on specific genres like romance, Christian or fantasy, while others review various types of fiction. Some also handle nonfiction. Here's one source for finding book review blogs: http://www.bookreviewblogs.com. Nonfiction authors should also seek out blogs that are related to the topic of their book.

[Jonathan Gunson]

Hi Alice.

Good question. Much as I would like to, I generally avoid giving out the names of fiction book bloggers because the ones I do know personally are saturated with books and have specifically asked me not to - sadly.

But I will say this: More usefully, it depends on the sub-genre of your book, or whether it's even fiction. Book bloggers don't review all types of book and most specialise to a degree. e.g. 'Historical Regency Romance'. For example one well-read blogger I will identify is http://dearauthor.com/ who covers Romance books. Others such as NYT book reviewers only review pure 'literature'.

The link provided by Dana is a good start. And I suggest also typing your sub-genre into Google to discover the precise type of book blog you want to contact.

Once you have a small list identified, one way to check how well read they are is to type the website address into http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo . That will reveal their 'traffic' ranking. Below 100,000 is good, and below 50,000 is a high traffic, well read blog.

Hope this is useful Alice, and best wishes with your writing. For any other questions, you'll find a very helpful range of articles here on Dana's blog or on mine.

Jonathan

[Susan]

Hi Johnathan,

I enjoyed your discussion about using book bloggers to promote self-published authors, but ironically it was your comment to Alice that really hit a valid point about this discussion; book bloggers are saturated with books and most are not even accepting submissions. It would seem the few places on the internet that could help indie authors are overwhelmed. This tells you exactly how fast this industry is exploding.

As a newly self-published author, my greatest obstacle is finding people to review my book. However, as an active member on Goodreads I asked readers (not necessarily bloggers) to read my book in exchange for an honest review. This is one venue that is working for me and it also allows me to have a great relationship with my readers.

I truly believe in the current market, self-published authors need to be patient. Stop looking at where you sit on Amazon's most read list or set the goal of becoming an overnight sensation. Find some readers who enjoy your genre and get them to post a review. Once you have a few star ratings behind you, maybe then you can entice some reluctant book bloggers to give your novel a try. But at the very least, enjoy your craft and give yourself a pat on the back for every book sold. If your book is good, it will catch on eventually.

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Susan, thanks so much for your note. You make several great points. It's true that many popular book bloggers are overwhelmed with submissions. In my book, How to Get Your Book Reviewed, I talk about developing relationships with bloggers and increasing the odds of getting reviewed or featured. I also point out that it's okay to submit review copies to some blogs with low traffic - there is less competition and the blogger will probably post a review on Amazon, which has value for you.

Your advice to be patient is also important. It takes time to build a following and ramp up book sales, but if you have a good marketing plan and take action every day or week toward your goals, it will pay off over time.

[Jonathan Gunson]

Susan. I agree with what you say. Especially about writers needing 'patience'.

I suspect this is why many authors 'shout' their book titles on Twitter for example. They want instant results. But the truth is that being an author is a CAREER in all senses. It is a marathon, not a sprint, and this includes the promotional platform the author creates around their books. All of it is a steady, long-term build.

The truth is that fiction promotion is driven by word of mouth, so if your work is good enough, then (just as you say) once discovered, word will spread. This means that an author's main promotional task, since publishers don't do this anymore, is to ignite some initial sales where possible so that the book begins finds its audience, who will then spread the word.

Other factors come into play of course. A series will do far better than a one-off piece of genre fiction, because each book cross promotes the other.

Overall, being a writer is a lifetime commitment - a vocation. So let's sit by the window at our desks. Frame an idea. Write a word... and suddenly, we have the beginning of something grand.

[tracie orsi]

Hello. Thank you for this information. I found your article from Penny Sansevieri's page feed on Facebook. I met Penny at the Unicorn Writer's Conference last year and she gave me great advice which led me to publish my own cookbook. I've owned a restaurant in Belmar, New Jersey for 20 years and have wanted to write a book for almost that long. I finally put one together and Penny helped me find a company to print it for me. I haven't done much in the way of marketing as of yet although I've had my first book signing at a local bookstore which was a success. I also spoke at a literary seminar selling books there as well. After the new year I will start my marketing plan. I sell quite a few books at the restaurant at a steady pace and think I am ready to get my name out to the world! Thanks for your advice and I suppose getting my book on Amazon.com is a good start? I'm sending out copies to local press and magazines for review and then on from there. Your article helped me on another level. Thank You! The title of my book by the way is "Sittin' Bayou Makes Hot!" My restaurant is Cajun/Creole so it is a fitting title, wouldn't you say? Sincerely, Tracie Orsi www.ragincajunnj.net

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Tracie, I'm glad you enjoyed this article. Your restaurant is an ideal place to sell your cookbooks, but to reach a wider audience I do recommend getting the book on Amazon and developing a marketing plan to get the word out. You can learn about marketing plans at http://www.CreateYourBookMarketingPlan.com. Please let me know if you'd like some one-on-one coaching, and good luck with the book!

[MegmacPR]

It's an excellent article, but it does overlook a few salient points. First, many authors fail to get the proper jump on their own PR. To engage bloggers in advance of requesting reviews is, as Jonathan notes, essential. If you're not going to use a publicist with blogger connections, than you have to take the time to build direct relationships. But building a relationship with that blogger can take several weeks or even months, and often authors fail to factor that into their promotional timeline. Second is the fact that, even with tons of research, many authors have trouble locating the right bloggers for their genre, or they fail to consider going "off-the-book-blog" in much the same way smart book PRs need to often look off-the-book-page for traditional media opportunities for their clients. Sometimes working the expert angle can get you as far (and sometimes further) than the author angle does. And finally, sadly in this ever increasing age of self-publishing, many bloggers clearly state in their review policies that they will not consider a self-published submission. There are of course always exceptions to the rule, but it's really important that authors check out the review submission guidelines to start with to avoid potential disappointment and conflict.

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Megmac, thanks for sharing these insights into working with bloggers and book reviewers.