book promotion | Cathy C. Hall Writes

We have a Georgia Center for the Book in my home state and it happens to make its home base down the road from me, in the Decatur library.

I love the Georgia Center for the Book because…well, it’s a center. FOR THE BOOK.

Anyway, last week, they announced their 2015 books for adults and children, books that all Georgians should read. (And I’m not gonna lie. Folks outside of Georgia will probably love these books, too.) Many of the authors were there to receive awards and I was there because many of those authors are friends of mine and members of SCBWI. After the ceremony, they had a book-signing (they had a book sale, too) but I refrained from buying books. I have a wee bit of a problem, buying books, but still, I wanted to support these wonderful authors. What to do, what to do?

I have a couple strategies to support authors I love (besides buying the book), and I thought I’d pass ’em along to you:

Go to your local library and check to see if the book is on the shelf. If it’s not, request the book. When enough people request a book, a library takes notice (and maybe orders the book!).
If you do find the book at the library, check it out and read it. If you use social media, talk about the book. (And make sure you include the author’s name along with the book title so the author can see your support.) Authors often are uncomfortable with self-promotion, but when you do it, it’s golden!
Leave a book review on Goodreads or Amazon. It doesn’t have to be a 5-star review (in fact, too many five-star reviews is not a good thing) and it doesn’t have to be a mini-book. Short and sweet is just fine. You will make an author’s day, leaving a nice review.

How about you? What do you do when you love a book but can’t afford to buy it?

And you know what else? I’ll bet you have a Center for the Book in your home state. Why not take a little road trip and check out what they’re doing for the authors you know and love? (And if you’re an author in your state’s Center for the Book, let me know. I’d love to support ALL my author friends!)

Oh my word, my brain is still conference-buzzing but I have a wonderful opportunity for you so I can’t wait for my head (and other body parts–don’t ask) to get back to normal.

Writer friend, T. K. Read, is offering her book, 100 SMALL FIRES TO MAKE YOUR BOOK SALES BLAZE, absolutely FREE, now through Wednesday! And here’s just a small part of the blurb:

A How to Guide and Marketing Plan for selling your book, Kindle book or eBook…includes sample budgets and time-lines with strategies to make your blog tours sizzle, your rankings rise and your book sales soar. This book differs from other “How To” marketing tomes in its action oriented content. Not only do we give you an overview of the latest marketing trends including Content Marketing, Antic Advertising and Gamification, we also provide 100 Small Fires – concrete and creative ideas you can use to market your book AND three marketing plans, covering all sized budgets with timelines for taking specific actions.

Now, I don’t want you thinking that these are tips that only kidlit writers can use. They’re gems for any writer–any age group, any genre–and they’re invaluable whether your book is coming out in a couple months or a couple years (or even if your book is filed away in your brain, still waiting to be written).

AND, T.K. is getting ready to update the book. So she’d love to hear from you if you have any marketing ideas to share.

So go get your free ebook and burn it up out there!

Wait! Hold on! Figuratively speaking, I mean!

Ugh. My head hurts. More about the conference later, grasshopper.