Creative Marketing for Authors on a Budget

On this day before Thanksgiving, I'm pleased to welcome today's guest star Julie Joyce, Executive Producer and Host of Cancer Free Radio and Book Tour Radio.

Julie's company, Dynamic Publishing Company, maintains various websites to help authors with book marketing. Julie is also the author of books on cancer prevention and family safety.

I met Julie through one of the other hats she wears, as owner of KindlePost, a blog with which you may be familiar if you are an indie author who promotes. Julie was kind enough to feature each of my romance novels in the last couple of months.

Suffice it to say that this girl knows quite a lot about marketing. Here she is with some great insights just for SlingWords readers.

Creative Marketing for Authors on a Budget
by Julie Joyce

The Publishing Industry today is such an exciting arena. No longer must stories and ideas be stifled by the constraints of the past. You no longer need an agent, a printer, an established Publishing House or connections to have your author dreams realized. You truly can, even on a really small budget, become a published author with a book for sale on Amazon to prove it. That's the good news!

Of course, for so many New Age authors the same age-old problem exists. How do you promote your book, so readers will find you? This is often where the author's dream hits a brick wall. And this issue is universal to the publishing industry. Even books released by big name publishing firms face the monumental task of launching an effective marketing effort to sustain a book's success.

However, just as there are so many amazing opportunities for the new and independent author to become officially published, there are also many new, amazing and creative methods to market one's books. The most important thing for a new author to realize is that all authors must assume the responsibility for mapping out a marketing strategy. Authors who have marketing budget challenges can compensate by using extra doses of creativity to connect with interested readers.

Here are 7 creative low budget marketing ideas to help you "spread the word" about your books:

1 - You absolutely must have an author website that has links to order your book, an "about you" page, links to all of your social networking pages, and an email list sign up box. You must give any visitor the opportunity to stay connected to you by joining your list. You can give a sample chapter, audio of you reading a chapter, or some other ebook as a "reward" for signing up. You can easily find a free website/blog host and email list host.

2 - Use a free conferencing service to create a sample reading of your work. You can then use the mp3 file as a reward for your subscribers. You can also send out free press releases to promote your free sample reading.

3 - You can host a monthly reading as a virtual event. You can use a free conferencing service to allow guests to call in and hear your reading and interact with you. You can promote this event for free with free press releases and by promoting on special event calendars online and in print newspapers.

4 - Become a talk show guest. There are thousands of podcast programs that are always looking for guests. Fiction and Non-Fiction authors will both find a volume of programs that would be interested in your expertise or subject matter. Do an online search of podcast directories, search their subject listings and find the programs that match your material.

5- Launch your own podcast. This is especially effective for non-fiction authors who write about a specific subject. You can invite experts in your field to be guests on your program, while creating valuable content for your target audience. Your book will be an ever present option for your audience. This also enhances your credibility. Fiction authors can produce a program that features other authors in their genre. This will build an audience that likes you and likes your genre. You are sure to have a built in market for your work.

6 - Network. Network. Network. Even if you are a shy writer and the thought of a networking event makes you cringe, you can do this. Remember, this is a New Age where author blogs, author groups, author clubs, and other online author forums provide unlimited opportunities to share ideas, make new friends, cross-promote and find the help you need to share your work.

7 - Promote your book around the world without leaving home. The New Age author now has the opportunity to launch a global virtual book tour from the comforts of home. Do a search for bloggers who interview authors and do book reviews. Email them to inquire if they would like to receive a review copy and if they are interested in interviewing/featuring you. You can send a PDF sample of your book by email at no cost to you. Be sure to preview the blogs you approach to be sure that the genre, subject matter etc. makes you a good fit for the blogger.

This is just a small sampling of how you can launch a really creative marketing effort at virtually no cost other than your time and effort. New Age authors not only have a level playing field in the publishing arena but also in the book marketing arena. The more you are willing to explore creative marketing techniques the more likely you are to find a warm and embracing audience for your work.

Takeaway Truth

Thank you, Julie, for taking the time to visit. Readers, if you have any questions, the Comment Line is open.