You may have heard that tying your book to a holiday can be a useful promotion strategy. Of course, that's easy if your book is obviously relates to the holiday you have in mind like 101 Christmas Stories, but what if the relationship isn't that clear? The short answer-get creative. For starters, look at your target audience and figure out what kind of reasons they might have to buy your book beyond the desire to read it themselves.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a fellow author and friend, is currently using this kind of strategy around Mother's Day for a book called She Wore Emerald Then: Reflections on Motherhood. The extra creative angle is that she and co-author Magdelena Ball are promoting the book as a substitute for Mother's Day cards. The book has thoughtful, reflective poems about moms, but they aren't super-sugary like those you find in most cards at the store. They are also offering it in paperback, as well as digital format so that people can even email a copy to Mom if that's everyone's preference.
Have you ever thought to use a book as a substitute for giving a card? I know I hadn't until I read Carolyn's press release about it, but I think it's a great idea for the right kind of book. Even if this idea won't work for your topic, hopefully you can see how the sky really is the limit when it comes to connecting your readers to your work.
BTW, if you want to get Carolyn's book for your Mom, there's still time to order if you get right on it. Visit Amazon or contact Carolyn about the digital version at hojonews@aol.com.
Good Writing & God Bless,
Cheryl Pickett
4/30/09
Book Marketing and Mother's Day
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7 comments:
Oh, wow! You remembered that I am a poet and not "just" The Frugal Book Promoter. Thank you, Dear Cheryl! I'll tweet about this!
Best,
Carolyn
Blogging at Writer's Digest 101 Best Website pick, www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
I was very close to a cousin who passed away recently, and probably closer to her daughter. I didn't send a card - Marie lingered and I was in contact with the children throughout the ordeal.
Then I got to thinking that I needed to send Rae something to honor her mother. And I sent a copy of the "She Wore Emerald Then...", not because I was the illustrator, but because it's an intense, intelligent book of poetry, which traces motherhood full circle.
She loved it.
So if someone has lost a mother recently, this is also ideal for that.
May Lattanzio
Hi Carolyn and thanks for the tweet!
May, thank you very much for taking a moment to share your story and the idea with us. I wish you and your family God's peace in your loss.
Cheryl
Thanks so much Cheryl. So many cards are cliche ridden, and expensive too -- the last one I bought was nearly $6.00. That's a lot of money for something that will probably get thrown out. That was partly the motivation for Carolyn and me. We wanted to produce something that tackled the intense and complex relationship between mothers and daughters but also something as attractive and easy to give as a card. It's great to see such wonderful support.
Hi Magdalena,
Nice to meet you, I appreciate your taking a moment to say hello. Again, I think your angle with this book shows how much thought writers need to put in beyond just the writing if they want to sell. I think writers of many genres can learn something from this idea.
Yet another great idea Carolyn. Much more original than a card.
Jo Linsdell
http://jolinsdell.tripod.com
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