We want to thank Brenna Lyons for offering This series in support of Small Press Month. Her experience as a senior editor, President of EPICauthors, and a 20 book (in print) published author is invaluable for our authors.
Book Marketing 101
By Brenna Lyons
http://www.brennalyons.com/ http://www.myspace.com/brennalyons
e-Zines and Print Magazines-
Advertising in e-magazines
How does the price stack up?- This is akin to the idea of checking out web site investments. It might sound like a good deal to have a quarter page ad for $30, but if only 200 people are going to see it, it's not a good deal. Find out what the readership is and weigh it against your cost before deciding.
How prominent is the venue?- The example I just made assumed a small venue, but what about the larger ones? E-mail newsletters or e-publications of major venues may go out to 100,000 people. They are also well-respected. Placing an e-ad in (for instance) Writers' Digest online is a much more solid move than placing one in Joe's Writer's World...I hope no one actually HAS that publication name. It's also a lot more expensive, but the number of people reading it (not to mention the established name of the company by association) may make the Writers' Digest e-ad a much better investment.
Oh, and don't let the name be your only clue. You don't know until you look into the publication. I'd never heard of Spinetinglers, before a publisher of mine sent our anthology to ST for a review. It was featured in their monthly newsletter...to 65,000 readers...and ultimately won their "Book of the Year." Can't beat that...for the price of a review copy.
A viable alternative to reach readers when the print version of a venue is out of your price range- Major publications like Writers' Digest can easily run you into the thousands to place an ad in the print version. Few of us have thousands to invest in advertising, and ads really only work when you can repeat them several times, according to marketing studies (the latest I've seen...at least 6 times and at least every two months). However, placing an ad in the e-version or on the publication site is usually a fraction of the price, and it's something you may be able to repeat. If it's still too expensive, you can consider doing a group ad for your publisher or a group of authors.
Look for the backdoor- It's a given that none of us are going to get a review from LOCUS anytime soon...well, maybe Piers Anthony or Don Callander. Not all of us can afford to buy an ad just to get an Romantic Times review or to buy an ad in Writers' Digest. However, you still might be able to get a mention of your book in these venues.
LOCUS, like many magazines, has a column for books received. For the cost of a single copy of your book, sent for review, and postage, you will get mention of a book release in the magazine. LOCUS is one of the magazines that people are known to read cover to cover. Readers told ME my book was in that column. I didn't see it first.
Write an article for Writers' Digest or another major venue. That gets you a byline. Use it to your best advantage. Sometimes, it also gets you cash, and that's the bonus plan.
Sometimes, the direct route isn't what you want or need.
Don't just focus on industry magazines. I've made sales for bylines I've gotten in parenting newsletters and Wiccan press. Go for it. Let the readers find you.
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