The Savvy Book Marketer

Blog Ideas for Fiction Authors

In today's guest post, I'm delighted to have marketing expert Cathy Stucker share her creative blogging ideas for fiction authors.

You have heard that you should have a blog, but you may have no idea what you should blog about. Do your readers want to know what you had for lunch (probably not) or your opinions on some political issue (even less likely)? Although your blog does not always have to be about you and your books, here are some ideas that can keep you writing great blog posts and selling more books.

Your Events

Let your friends and fans know what you are doing and where they can meet you in person. Do posts about:

• Upcoming Events - When and where will you be reading from your latest book? How can they attend your book launch party or order autographed copies of the book?

• What Happened at Your Last Event - After the event, tell what happened. Was there a big crowd? Include pictures of you reading from your book, autographing books for fans, and everyone having a great time.

How to Market Children's Books in Schools

I am thrilled to have successful children's book author Melissa Williams share her expertise in this guest post.

Children’s authors are always looking for ways to get their books into the hands of their audience . . . the children! Advocates for literacy hold the key to every door in this business, so naturally school visits are the number one way to reach your young readers and sell children's books. When developing your marketing strategy, don’t forget the obvious, your “think outside the box” attitude and always plan ahead. When doing your research, librarians, teachers, and principals should become your best friends. You should be working and collaborating with them before your book even goes to print.

Build Your Visibility

To establish your credibility and visibility to market children's books, start by joining organizations and attending literary conferences. Present yourself to teachers and librarians at local and national library conferences by becoming a speaker. While at these events, share a booth with other local authors and be available for networking, questions, and feedback. While starting to build your credibility as a public speaker, offer free author school visits as often as possible. You can even start with readings at your local library and bookstores for practice.

How to Schedule School Visits

Organize your visit to meet the needs of the school. Many teachers and librarians will not follow through with an author visit if it becomes more trouble than what it is worth. Have a plan. Remember their schedules are full, and they must allow time for you to come. Give them day and time options, clear and precise details, the grades you specialize in, equipment needs, and the number of groups you are willing to work with.

What Novelists Can Learn About Marketing from Nonfiction Authors

In today's guest post, novelist and marketing expert Angela Wilson shares her expertise in marketing fiction.

It's easier for nonfiction authors to establish a successful marketing campaign than their fiction counterparts.

Fiction authors drown in over-saturated genres, while nonfiction authors have very targeted niches they serve. Speaking engagements are easier to come by for nonfiction authors, who are established "experts" because of publication. If you want to stand out from others competing for attention in your genre, then consider borrowing a few tricks from your counterparts:

Create a definitive niche for yourself by targeting a smaller market share. Here is an example: Instead of targeting every reader in the paranormal romance genre, search for those who enjoy the types of paranormal you write (vampires, werewolves, witches, etc.). Build on this smaller audience until it is solid, then branch out to other readers in the genre.


Fabulous Children's Book Website

Take a look at this clever website for Iggy the Iguana, by Melissa Williams. Although this site is designed for children, authors of all genre could learn a thing or two here.

Created by the author and graphic designer Matthew Landry, the website is designed to engage children with its charming graphics, sound effects, sample chapter, and bios of the characters in the book.

Melissa offers an Iggy eZine and a special page for teachers, and extends her brand (and revenue) by selling cute Iggy t-shirts and an Iggy doll. Her marketing plan also includes sponsoring contests for kids, doing book tour appearances in schools, and selling at craft shows.

How to Write Blog Posts When You Are Blogging to Market a Novel

In today's guest post, Phyllis Zimbler Miller shares some terrific ideas on blogging for fiction authors.

Publishing a non-fiction book will usually make it easy for you to write a blog dedicated to your book. The non-fiction subject of your book and related topics can provide ample blogging material.

For example, if you wrote a book on cooking low-fat diets, you could post one low-fat recipe a day along with insider tips to ensure the recipe turns out well. Or if you wrote a book on new social media platforms, you could write each post about one new social media platform and probably never run out of new posts.

The problem of writing ongoing book blog posts really presents itself to fiction writers. If you've written a romance novel or a mystery novel, what are you going to write about in your blog posts?

With a little imagination (and you are a fiction writer, aren't you?) you can come up with interesting posts for your book's blog. Let's look at some examples:

You write a novel that takes place in 1970 during the Vietnam War. Because the Vietnam War plays an important role in the novel, you could write posts about historical events that took place during that era or historical events that led to that era. And you could write about the military today fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan and about military families back home. There's no need to mention your book in every post; the overall context of the blog is about your book.