At BWP, we can do as little or as much as your budget allows. If all you can afford is a press release for your book launch, that’s a piece of cake. Perhaps you want to set up radio program interviews by phone and talk about your book/project across the nation or create your own podcast, we can help with those. Email blasts, sales promotions, and book events, even virtual bookclubs are other options. BWP works with extremely talented freelance experts and we get ‘er done. Here are a few things to consider.
- WEBSITE / BLOG: A professional-looking website is key to your marketing efforts. Our web professionals can create a clean, simple and easy to use website which will include everything you’ll need to get the news about your book online: a home page, a bio page that can include your book, a “contact me” page to collect emails where visitors can “sign-up” for notifications, and a blog post with archives. You will have access to make changes. Visitors to your site, especially prospective agents and publishers, will see who you are, take notice of your credibility and realize just how serious you are. Our experienced team can build a beautiful website for you starting at $500. You set up your own hosting (we recommend GoDaddy because of their exceptional customer service and low cost) and security which has become very affordable.
- COLLECT EMAILS AND ADDRESSES: Begin collecting emails and addresses today to create your own organic list. This is your “platform” and, as #1 New York Times bestselling author (over 45 New York Times bestsellers!), Richard Paul Evans once commented, if he had begun collecting names of his readers back with his first published book, he would have millions of names today. Alas, it is one of his regrets. He does have a very large list now, but nowhere near the millions that would have been possible.
- SOCIAL NETWORKING SET UP: Get a presence on all the sites—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Good Reads, LinkedIn—all of them. If you don’t know how, we do. This will boost the visibility and “buzz” surrounding your book, to create anticipation for its release. Plus, you can use social networking to direct people to your website. Our specialists can help you with the setup and provide tips you can use to get positive feedback, encourage people to share your messages, and various “call to action” ideas. They are very good and very affordable.
- PRESS RELEASE: When you’re ready to launch, BWP can send out press releases, email blasts, direct mail pieces, and whatever you need and can afford in your budget. Tell us what your budget is, and we will come up with a plan that is effective. Set up your own MailChimp account (or whatever other one you prefer–I like MailChimp) and do it yourself. We’ll show you how.
- BLOG POSTS / SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY: With a completed book, you are ready to begin sending out blog postings and emails to prospective readers that include links to where they may purchase your book. You may even hire our social media specialists on a monthly basis to mention your book/experiences on all the popular sites. For example, if you have a new cookbook, send out your favorite new recipe on Pinterest, a wildly popular destination for women and men. Or if you’ve just traveled to Italy and the setting for your next novel is Sicily, post something about your experience there and the inspiration you received. Our blog writers can help you with crafting a message that is about you directly, but still refer indirectly to your book and its connection. Readers want to know about you. Our social media experts will help you decide how often to post, what to post, and help you with visuals—readers love photos or images of where you’ve been. Also, your book cover is always nice to fit in. If you have a holiday book, whatever holiday it is, be sure to increase your postings about a month before to ensure sales. And make them an offer they can’t refuse. Everyone loves a sale!
- PRINT MARKETING: Our design professionals can provide you with custom business cards, postcards, bookmarks, signs, posters—all the hard/paper/vinyl accouterments of advertising. Retainers start at $250 (for up to 3 hours of design time), and $100 per hour for additional time. Printing costs vary based on quantity but we have some VIP rates with our printers. Talk with our specialists and we can design a perfect print strategy for your needs and budget.
- BOOK TRAILER VIDEOS: Our video specialists can produce book trailers that are excellent quality for a very affordable price so you can post on YouTube or any other video site, as well as your own website. We can help with the script, filming, editing, and posting. We keep them short—no more than 60-90 seconds. Or do it yourself with your smartphone! We can help you with that as well.
- SHORT “TEASER” SAMPLE BOOKS / GIFT BOOKLETS: We can create the first chapter or two of your book with a fully designed front cover (the back cover can wait) that you can print on demand (perfect bound) and use as hand-out copies at events that may, or may not, pertain to selling books. Your family reunions are a perfect place to take them. Short gift card books (books that are a standard envelope size that are no more than 32 pages) cost about the same as a greeting card but have more “perceived value.” You can even do these for your family every year at Christmas, New Year’s, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc. If they catch on and friends of your friends start asking for them, with POD they can order them and you collect the royalties! Short stories DO sell—magazines buy them all the time. Send your POD version out to appropriate outlets, and they may just publish you! That’s the kind of credibility you can’t buy. Send one to your dream publisher’s lead editor. I guarantee they will open an envelope with a 16-page book inside. It will not hit the circular file. Just make sure the cover captures them—if it looks self-published, they won’t hesitate to throw it away.
- The sky‘s the limit on the variety of marketing tools we offer. We will help craft the perfect marketing strategy that matches best your book category—and fits your budget.
