Sometimes I clue into useful writing, publishing and publicity tools late. Here are three book marketing tips I’m using now.
Booklinker
The tool I just started using in Booklinker. Instead of breaking out links by individual store, one free link boosts international sales. Make it easier for readers to connect to their home stores with one click and they’ll find our books clickety-quick.
Here’s what mine looks like:
viewauthor.at/RobertChazzChute
Canva
I have been using Canva for social media posts and more for quite a while, actually. It’s free and the user interface is friendly. However, it hadn’t occurred to me before that I could use custom sizing to make buttons for my newsletters and websites. Combine this feature with Booklinker and BOOM:
Facebook Live:
Authors and publishers are in a pay-to-play environment now. To become visible and sell books, you must advertise. The only thing better to connect with readers and the love of books is to spread your words by word of mouth and personal interaction.
Note: I still don’t recommend hanging out at bookstores and doing signings unless you already have a huge following. It was sad to see one long line of fans for Kelly Armstrong as eight forlorn and lonely unknown authors watched and waited for someone to give them a single glance. Digital interaction is much more efficient and even more fun because I don’t have to leave my house.
Facebook Live is a nice alternative to shouting your name and tossing business cards from a careening car. I’ve done plenty of podcasts so Facebook is the live video equivalent without the longterm commitments podcasts demand.
I’ll be experimenting with my first Facebook Live event tonight at 8 PM EST. I’ll let you know if I throw up from nerves. If that happens, I’ll just keep going. If the event goes well, it’s fun but if it’s an utter disaster, it could be a viral sensation. As long as it isn’t a burning sensation, I’m good.
Find me on Facebook tonight, December 19 at 8 PM EST. I’ll be the one sweating questions and doing my Joker impression.
BONUS: The Big Giveaway
Christmas comes early this year. On Friday, December 21, I’m giving away ten of my ebooks for free, no strings attached. Happy holidays! Go to Amazon on Friday and choose what you like among the following ebooks (or download them all!):
AFTER Life Inferno (my new zombie apocalypse)
Machines Dream of Metal Gods (the first book in the Robot Planet Series)
Bigger Than Jesus (The Hit Man novel that started the series)
All Empires Fall, Signals from the Apocalypse (an anthology of end-of-the-world tales)
Wallflower (my time travel novel featuring Kurt Vonnegut as a character)
Dream’s Dark Flight (a paranormal urban fantasy stand-alone novel in the Dimension War universe)
Brooklyn in the Mean Time (my autobiographical crime thriller)
Murders Among Dead Trees (my fiction anthology featuring the award winners)
Self-help for Stoners (a fiction anthology for introspection)
Do the Thing (non-fiction to help you deal with stress)
To subscribe to my newsletter and get a heads up on more giveaways and deals, join up at AllThatChazz.com.
Filed under: book marketing, publishing, book marketing tips, booklinker, canva, ebook giveaway, Facebook, facebook live, free books on amazon, free ebooks, Robert Chazz Chute