Shining - Light - On - Your - Book - US-En PAG 10

Babelcube and Bacon Press Books
Shining Light on Your Book

Tips for introducing your book to a new market
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................1
THE BASICS ........................................................................................................................................2
FINDING READERS ONLINE .................................................................................................................2
FIRST STEPS—SOCIAL MEDIA ..............................................................................................................3
BLOGGING .........................................................................................................................................5
NEWSLETTERS ....................................................................................................................................5
NEWSPAPERS.....................................................................................................................................5
PRESS RELEASES .................................................................................................................................5
POSTING YOUR BOOK ........................................................................................................................6
FOR AUTHORS ...................................................................................................................................8
AUDIO/VIDEO ....................................................................................................................................8
BLOG TOURS ......................................................................................................................................8
PUBLISHING IN NEW LANGUAGE MARKETS ........................................................................................9
INTERVIEWS ......................................................................................................................................9
REVIEWERS ...................................................................................................................................... 10
FREE DAYS ....................................................................................................................................... 11
THE 99 CENT ALTERNATIVE............................................................................................................... 11
TRAINING AUTHORS—15+ PLACES TO PROMOTE YOUR 99 CENT EBOOK ........................................... 11
RESOURCES...................................................................................................................................... 11
BOOKS ............................................................................................................................................. 12
BOOK CLUBS .................................................................................................................................... 13
BOOK AWARDS ................................................................................................................................ 13
MARKETING MATERIALS .................................................................................................................. 13
THE BEST ADVICE ............................................................................................................................. 14
Babelcube and Bacon Press Books

Introduction
Call it marketing, discoverability, or building a platform, one of the biggest challenges you face
as a published author is finding ways to make readers aware of your book.
Whether you’re an experienced author or a beginner, introducing your book to a new market is
hard work. It may take months, even years. Some say it’s almost as hard as writing the book
itself.
The good news is there are many things you can do to make promoting your book easier and
your efforts more successful. There are hundreds of books, websites, and online communities
that provide excellent advice on marketing, promotion, publicity, and PR. We’ve winnowed
down some of that good information to a few essentials to get you started.
We hope this guide will help make promoting your book easier, more effective, and fun.
This guide is a FREE gift from:
We publish books that deserve to be read by Babelcube is easiest way to sell a book in
authors who deserve to be published. new languages.
 Small, independent publisher in Publish Your Books In Other Languages!

Washington, DC  No upfront cost
 Our list includes fiction and nonfiction by  Choose your translator. Or a team of them
new and known authors  Sell through key online retail channels with
 We also work with authors to re-issue their ease
hardback books as paperbacks and ebooks  Earn additional income from new markets
 Our team of editors and artists help us
produce beautiful books Check it out at www.babelcube.com.
Learn more at Go ahead. It is risk free. It really is!

http://www.baconpressbooks.com.
Babelcube and Bacon Press Books © 2014 1

The Basics
Once you’ve gone through the basics, you’ll have a framework to guide you in deciding how
you’ll spend your time and money to get your book the attention it deserves.
 Define your goals. Ask yourself honestly why you’ve published your book and what you
hope to achieve. What would success look like to you? Keep your expectations realistic.
 Identify your audience. Who are your ideal readers and where would you expect to find
them?
 Create a budget. You’ll need a budget that will not only see you through your book
launch, but also keep you going for the long haul. If you’re planning to include free days
as part of your marketing strategy, you’ll need to consider whether to use paid sites for
marketing during those days as well.
 Set up a timeline. You may want to stagger your promotions so they build on each
other. Or you may want to do a full-out blast. Can you tie-in to any major holidays? Any
news stories, anniversaries, major events?
 Other questions you’ll want to consider: How much time can you devote to marketing?
Do you want to pay for book reviews or rely on readers? How important is media
coverage? Is this your only book, your first of many, or your next book?
Finding Readers Online

What follows are suggested websites you can use to promote your book. Some work better for
fiction, others for nonfiction. Some are free, others charge a fee. You’ll be the best judge of
what’s right for your book.
The Sell Sheet

But before you begin, you’ll need to create a sell sheet. This sheet will have the book cover and
all the details about the book including: the ISBN/ASIN, the price, the number of pages, where
it’s for sale, a synopsis*, advance reviews or blurbs, and an author bio. You can also include an
author photo.
Once you have all the information in one place, it’s easy to fill out forms, create a press kit, and
answer questions you’ll be asked at some of the sites listed below.
*A note about your synopsis. Often sites will ask for a description of your book that’s different
from the one you’ve used for Amazon and other retailers. Some will ask for short descriptions,
others want long, creative ones. It’s a good idea to prepare several versions.
Tips for Writing an Author’s Biography

First Steps—Social Media
Social media is a great way to make connections and gain exposure, but don’t try to juggle all
the sites at once. You’ll have the most success if you concentrate on the ones that interest and
engage you. Keep in mind, social media is all about relationships, not about selling books. In
fact many sites discourage direct promotion. Once you become familiar with the different
platforms, you’ll begin to see where you’re most likely to meet your readers.
1. Create your author page on Amazon Author Central

You can be more informal with your bio, add videos, reviews, and links to other sites. Take a
look at some pages created by other authors to see what’s possible.
2. Create a website
If you already have a website, then create a landing page for your book. This page will include
information about the book, where to buy it, advance reviews, and any other information you’d
like your readers to know. If you don’t have a website, it’s a good idea to create one, even if it’s
only for your landing page.
Learn more about Building an Author's Website
3. Sign up for Goodreads

You’ll need to sign up for a regular Goodreads account before you can create an author profile,
but once you have the regular account you can go to Goodreads Author Program.
You might also want to join some of the smaller group discussions. And, Goodreads lets you run
giveaways to generate interest in your book.
4. Create a Facebook page for yourself and a fan page for your book
Some consider Facebook the best place for gaining exposure. If the idea of getting “friends” and
collecting “likes” doesn’t appeal to you, there are several Facebook groups you can join as a
way to get started.
60 Facebook Groups for Authors
Author’s Success Guild
Using Facebook to Market Your Book
5. Create a Twitter account

It takes a while to get used to the format and even longer to build a list of followers, but it’s
useful to have an account if only to follow some of the promotional sites you may choose to
use.

6. Create a LinkedIn profile
Some people find LinkedIn more useful for nonfiction books. Author and publishing groups on
LinkedIn are very good for picking up tips about writing, publishing, and marketing from
experienced pros and connecting with authors who are facing the same challenges.
7. Sign up for YouTube

If you create a book trailer, you’ll post it here. This is considered one of the top sites for book
promotion. Even if you don’t create a video yourself, you can find tutorials on almost any
subject related to publishing on YouTube.
8. Create a Google+ account

Google+ falls somewhere between Facebook and Twitter in terms of how much information
you can post. Some people claim this will be the “next big thing.” It’s easy to post and a good
place to find publishing information and author groups.
9. Join Pinterest
All visual. It’s a great place to post your book cover, quotes from your book, and reviews. It’s
also a good place to show your personality. People pin photos of travels, hobbies, and
interests—just about anything.
10. Join Instagram

Another popular photo-sharing site.
Those are considered the top sites. Five other sites you might find interesting are:
Tumblr
Tumblr makes it easy to set up a micro blog where you can post just about anything. If you
want to give blogging a try, this is a good site.
StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon lets you post directly from the web any pages you think might be of interest.
Reddit
If the topic of your book is newsworthy, you might want to take a look at this site.
And these two sites, like Goodreads, are all about books and reading.
Library Thing
Shelfari
You can link your page here to your page on Author Central.

Blogging
For the past several years, authors have been advised to
start a blog as a way to build their platform. If you have the
time to write, can post consistently, and you have a topic
that will keep both you and your readers interested over
many months and years, then yes, by all means, blog. Make
it part of your website or use it instead of a website. If it’s
good, informative, and entertaining, readers will find you.
But if you’re worried it will be hard enough getting readers for your book and just as difficult to
find the time to write your next one, then hold off on blogging and spend your time elsewhere.
If you do decide to blog, be sure to create a mailing list. You can do this easily with MailChimp
or another popular program called Constant Contact. Then you can use this list to let your
readers know when you run special promotions, if you’ll be giving a reading or book signing, or
when you will be releasing your next book.
Newsletters
If you have information you want to share regularly about your book’s topic, and can gather
stories from other sources, you might want to create a newsletter. It’s a good way to stay in
touch with your readers in between books.
You can also use MailChimp or Constant Contact for creating your newsletter.
Newspapers
A newer format that is often taking the place of a newsletter is the daily online newspaper.
Paper.li
Makes it possible to gather information from across the internet on any topic you choose.
Press Releases
A press release is a great way to let the world know about your book. Especially if your book is
timely, controversial, unusual, or if you have a particular field of expertise that would be of
interest to news organizations. A good press release can generate reviews and interviews.
But the cold hard fact is that most novels, even wonderful, well-written ones, aren’t
newsworthy. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, it just means you shouldn’t expect too
much.
The cost of sending out a press release varies, depending on whether you write it yourself or
have a service write it for you and what kind of media list you want to reach.

You might want to start with:
A review of 60 free press release sites
Book Publicity, Promotion, & Marketing Resources
Then explore a few of these popular providers:
Paul Krupin—Direct Contact PR
PR Newswire
Online PR Media
Newswire Today
Open PR
PR Fire (UK)
PRWeb
Posting Your Book

These are all easy places to make your book known to the public. Some charge a fee, depending
on the type of listing you choose. Some offer special promotions for new releases. Some are
only for digital books. Don’t try to do them all, and don’t try to do them all at once. You might
want to save a few for a time when you’ve hit a lull in book sales and want to stir up some
interest.
AskDavid
You’ll need to have a Twitter account to get the full benefit.
Awesome Gang
Book Daily
Book Goodies
BookHitch
Book Jetty
Book Marketing Network

Digital Book Today
eReader Café
Fabulosity Reads
Galley Cat’s Facebook page

You can post your new book on their page
Indie Author News
Indies Unlimited
Jacket Flap
For children’s and young adult books
Kindle Boards
Kindle Book Promos
Kindle Nation Daily
Masquerade Crew
New Book Journal
Nothing Binding
Published.com
Reader’s Circle
Red Room
World Literary Café

For Authors
You may want to sign up for these author sites or organizations to engage with other authors
and readers. Again, it isn’t always about selling books. Becoming involved in the online author
community may turn out to be the best investment of your time. Even if your publisher is
working with you to promote your book, some of these sites are open only to authors.
Alliance of Independent Authors
Association of Independent Authors
Author Marketing Club
Author’s Den
Authorlink
Author Shout
Independent Author Network
Writers, Agents, and Editors Network
Audio/Video
You can find professionals online who can produce a trailer for you book. But if you want to try
it yourself for free, take a look at:
Animoto
Lets you create free 30-second videos.
If you do create videos, you can post them on Vimeo as well as on Constant Contact.
And you might want to look at:

Authors Show
Blog Talk Radio
All Talk Radio
Blog Tours
A Google search will turn up dozens of blog tours. We’re only listing three that have been
recommended. If doing a blog tour interests you, you may want to sign up even before your
book is published—many of them book six to eight weeks in advance. For some tours, you’ll be

asked to answer written interview questions, for others you’ll be offered a chance to be a guest
blogger. You might want to try a few short ones to see which kind of tour you like.
Orangeberry Book Tours
Worldwind Virtual Book Tours
XPresso Book Tours
You can find names of other tour operators on

7 Top eBook Blog Tour Sites
If the idea of being a guest blogger interests you, you might want to read through
600+ Places to Share Your Content
Publishing in New Language Markets

Why limit your books to one language market? Historically
publishing in additional languages was complex and
expensive. With Babelcube this is no longer the case. (For
transparency, we are Babelcube.)
Babelcube
Babelcube is the easiest way to sell a book in new
languages. Authors team up with translators. The translated
books are sold through many channels. Most books are only
in one language due to the upfront cost of translation.
Babelcube removes this barrier. Translators are paid via a
share of royalties—creating a true partnership.
Take your books global at Babelcube.
Interviews
Some of the sites already listed give you the opportunity to sign up for an author interview.
Also look at:
Digital Book Today Author Interviews
MorgEn Bailey’s Author Interviews

Reviewers
Reviews sell books. Especially if they’re thoughtful and well-written. You can’t and shouldn’t
count on family and friends, instead explore some of the sites listed here. Some are free, others
charge substantial fees.
Amazon’s Top Reviewers

Find the ones who have reviewed books similar to yours and contact them. Wait to be asked
before sending a copy of the book.
Book Review Broker

Offers an interesting approach to getting reviews. Unfortunately they don’t serve all genres.
Blue Ink Review
Choice Review Online
Foreword Reviews
IndieReader.com
Kirkus
Midwest Book Review
Publisher’s Weekly—PW Select
Readers’ Favorite
Self-Publishing Review
You can also find lists of reviewers at:
101 Best Blogs for Book Reviews
Book Blogger Directory
Book Blogs
The Indie Reviewer List
Step-by-Step Self-Publishing Reviewer List

Free Days
Some authors offer their book for free for short periods of
time to boost awareness and readers. Many sites allow you to
sell your book for free. At Amazon, if you sign up for KDP
Select, you have the option of offering your ebook for free for
5 days out 90.
The two sites that produce the best results when offering
your book for free are:
BookBub
EReader News Today
There’s almost a whole industry set up to help you promote your free book. Several sites have
gathered listings of places where you can promote your giveaway. Here are just a few:
Author Marketing Club Submit Your Book (for members)
Author Marketing Club Paid Promotion (for members)
Authorpreneur Magazine - 72 Places to promote your kindle book when it’s free
Ebook Booster
Free & Discounted Books
Indies Unlimited
Kate Tilton’s List of Free Book Sites
Training Authors—47 Places to submit your free KDP promotion
The 99 Cent Alternative

Some authors are choosing to run 99 cent promotions instead of free days. A good place to
start finding sites where you can promote your 99 cent book is:
Training Authors—15+ Places to Promote Your 99 Cent eBook
Resources
These sites offer tips on all stages of book marketing and promotion. There are hundreds more.
These will get you started exploring.

28 Blogs Every Writer Should Read
52 Great Blogs for Self-Publishers
Book Coaching
Book Marketing and Book Promotion
Build Book Buzz
Florence Osmund - Helpful Links
KBoards
Para Publishing
Publetariat
Social Media Examiner
The Book Designer
The Creative Penn
The Kindle Book Review—Author Resources
The Savvy Book Marketer
Training Authors
Books
Again, there’s a wealth of information available. These are just a few to get you started.
Author Publicity Pack by Shelley Hitz and Heather Hart
Be Your Own Best Publicist byJessica Kleiman
Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers by Shel Horowitz
Guerilla Marketing for Writers by Jay Conrad Levenson, Rick Frishman, Michael Larsen
How to Market a Book by Joanna Penn
Social Media 101 by Chris Brogan

Book Clubs
Connecting with book clubs is a great way to get readers and reviewers for your book. Google
“book clubs” to find out more about them on the web, or search for “book clubs” on Twitter
and Facebook.
Book Club Reading List
Book Awards
Winning book awards can be another useful way to get work out about your book. Most charge
a fee. Be sure to check the dates for qualifying.
Book Awards for Self-Published Authors
Book Award and Author Award Programs
Beyond Social Media—Book Signings, Readings, Author Talks

If you’re affiliated with any clubs, organizations, writers’ groups or art centers, they may be
willing to offer you a reading.
Marketing Materials
Some authors like to have bookmarks or postcards made with the cover of
their book and sales information. They’re easy to carry around and hand out.
Some create business cards with their book cover on one side.
VistaPrint is a good place to begin. They often offer discounts.
Your e-mail signature

This may be the easiest marketing trick. Make sure your signature includes a link to your book,
your website, and/or your author page.
Fiverr
If you’re not familiar with Fiverr, take some time to explore the site. You can find people to help
you market and promote your book on Facebook and Twitter, build website banners, write your
synopsis, design your business cards, or do just about anything you need. For five dollars.

The Best Advice
1. The best way to market your book is to start writing your next one. Once readers discover
an author they like, they want to read more.
2. Do what you enjoy most. If you don’t like Facebook, try Goodreads. If you don’t like social
media, try to line up readings. If you’d rather interact with readers directly, create a blog,
and/or develop a mailing list. You’re most likely to follow through when you’re comfortable
with your approach.
3. Don’t rush and don’t get discouraged. In this new publishing landscape, with several
hundred thousand books being published each year, it may take some time to get
discovered. That’s the bad news. The good news is that you’re not fighting for shelf space,
and your book won’t go out of print. Sooner or later, your readers will find you.
We wish you and your book lots of success!
Cheers,
The teams at Bacon Press Books and Babelcube
We publish books that deserve to be read by Babelcube is easiest way to sell a book in
authors who deserve to be published. new languages.
 Small, independent publisher in Publish Your Books In Other Languages!

Washington, DC  No upfront cost
 Our list includes fiction and nonfiction by  Choose your translator. Or a team of them
new and known authors  Sell through key online retail channels with
 We also work with authors to re-issue their ease
hardback books as paperbacks and ebooks  Earn additional income from new markets
 Our team of editors and artists help us
produce beautiful books Check it out at www.babelcube.com.
Learn more at Go ahead. It is risk free. It really is!

http://www.baconpressbooks.com.

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Babelcube and Bacon Press Books

Shining Light on Your Book

Babelcube and Bacon Press Books

This guide is a FREE gift from:

 Small, independent publisher in Publish Your Books In Other Languages!

Learn more at Go ahead. It is risk free. It really is!

Babelcube and Bacon Press Books © 2014 1

Finding Readers Online

The Sell Sheet

Tips for Writing an Author’s Biography

Babelcube and Bacon Press Books © 2014 2

1. Create your author page on Amazon Author Central

3. Sign up for Goodreads

60 Facebook Groups for Authors

Author’s Success Guild

Using Facebook to Market Your Book

5. Create a Twitter account

Babelcube and Bacon Press Books © 2014 3

7. Sign up for YouTube

8. Create a Google+ account

10. Join Instagram

Babelcube and Bacon Press Books © 2014 4

Babelcube and Bacon Press Books © 2014 5

Book Publicity, Promotion, & Marketing Resources

Then explore a few of these popular providers:

Paul Krupin—Direct Contact PR

Posting Your Book

Book Marketing Network

Babelcube and Bacon Press Books © 2014 6

Galley Cat’s Facebook page

Indie Author News

Kindle Book Promos

Kindle Nation Daily

New Book Journal

World Literary Café

Babelcube and Bacon Press Books © 2014 7

Alliance of Independent Authors

Association of Independent Authors

Author Marketing Club

Independent Author Network

Writers, Agents, and Editors Network

And you might want to look at:

Blog Talk Radio

All Talk Radio

Babelcube and Bacon Press Books © 2014 8

Orangeberry Book Tours

Worldwind Virtual Book Tours

XPresso Book Tours

You can find names of other tour operators on

Publishing in New Language Markets

Take your books global at Babelcube.

Digital Book Today Author Interviews

MorgEn Bailey’s Author Interviews

Babelcube and Bacon Press Books © 2014 9

Amazon’s Top Reviewers

Book Review Broker

Blue Ink Review

Choice Review Online

Midwest Book Review

Publisher’s Weekly—PW Select

You can also find lists of reviewers at:

101 Best Blogs for Book Reviews

Book Blogger Directory