Today, I'm pleased to introduce Jon Reisfeld, author of The Last Way Station. Read further for his take on Online Book Marketing. Tomorrow I will also feature his book trailer and an audio reading of a passage in his book as well as a giveaway. Stay tuned!!!
Guest Blog by Jon Reisfeld
Taking
Online Book Marketing to the Next Level with the Launch of The
Last Way Station
Mega Book Tour
Years ago, as a reporter for Baltimore
Magazine, I learned an important lesson about the positive role
'critical mass' sometimes plays in business. I was interviewing the
upbeat owner of a prominent downtown art gallery, who had just told
me how "delighted" she was that several new art galleries
had recently opened up nearby, in the city's tony Charles Street
neighborhood.
I raised an eyebrow. "Aren't they
your competitors?"
"Not really," she said. "We
all specialize in different niches. More importantly, their presence
adds to the neighborhood's overall draw as an art-buying destination.
We are finally approaching critical mass!"
In other words, the presence of just
one or two art galleries in the neighborhood was not sufficient to
"register" with passersby. But if half-a-dozen or more
galleries suddenly set up shop in the space of a few blocks, they
could redefine the entire area as an "art district." In
short order, the theory goes, chic bistros, trendy tapas bars and
sophisticated coffee shops also would take root, completing the
area's transformation by deepening its art-shopping ambience and
appeal.
Applying "Strength in Numbers"
to Online Book Marketing
Recently, I wondered, 'could the
principle of 'critical mass' do the same thing for online book
marketing that it once did for the art galleries of downtown
Baltimore? Could it help self-published/indie authors, with limited
marketing funds, achieve greater visibility and enhanced sales?
To find out, on January 4th, I launched
"The Last Way Station Mega Book Tour and Indie-Author Showcase"
a 60-day book marketing group "experiment." The Mega Book
Tour and Showcase scraps the traditional "lone-ranger"
book-marketing mode favored by authors and publishers -- and often
achieves limited visibility -- and replaces it with a large-scale
team effort.
Instead of focusing on a single author,
the Mega Book Tour book blogger events will frequently feature
multiple authors, who will participate in panel discussions,
roundtables, reader challenges and much more.
The Indie Author Showcase
Meanwhile, the Tour's website houses an
Indie Author Showcase, dedicated to highlighting the talents,
contributions and books from as many as 60 up-and-coming indie
authors. My company, Marketing Advisory Group, LLC, is sponsoring the
event at no cost to the authors, except for costs associated with
supplying a few ebook and paperback giveaways.). Numerous links
connect site visitors to the authors' websites, blogs, sample book
chapters, Goodreads profiles, and their books' Amazon.com sell pages.
Readers can even use the site's comment fields to start one-on-one
dialogs with the authors about their featured books. (Notice: Neither
Jon Reisfeld nor Marketing Advisory Group, LLC are an Amazon.com
affiliates. They earn NO AFFILIATE FEES associated with the sale of
books purchased on Amazon.com through the tour site's links.)
How the Tour Got Its Name
The Mega Book Tour coincides with, and,
in part, promotes, the launch of my novelette, "The Last Way
Station." That's why its formal name mentions my book. By
working together to promote the tour, participating authors and
bloggers, can benefit from exposure to a pooled audience that
potentially includes every contact in their collective social
networks.
The Sweepstakes
To create excitement, The Mega Book
Tour also is sponsoring a sweepstakes that offers a Kindle-Fire as
Grand Prize. Everyone who applies gets one free Sweepstakes entry,
but participants can earn extra chances by: promoting the Tour on
Twitter or Facebook and by purchasing featured books or writing and
posting reviews. (For more information, click here.) Site goes live
on Tuesday, January 10th). [link to site:
http://www.reisfeldgroup.com/lastwaystation_megabooktour/ ]
Why Promote Indie Authors?
Unlike traditionally published authors,
who must write books with an eye to "mass appeal," Indie
authors can write books that target smaller, niche audiences. This
extra freedom allows them to produce more creative and varied,
off-beat offerings. They often price their books lower than
mainstream authors, offering the public a better value. Indie authors
are highly accessible and interested in engaging with, and responding
to, readers.
Indie Authors also face added marketing
hurdles. Many book bloggers and editorial outlets will not review
Indie Author books, or accept ebooks as review copies. Many online
reader communities and book retailer sites frown upon, or sharply
limit, opportunities for self-published authors to self-promote. At
the same time, many of these sites establish policies that favor
coverage for mainstream authors over self-published ones.
The book bloggers involved in "The
Last Way Station Mega Book Tour and Indie Author Showcase"
support indie authors. So please attend the book tour events,
promote the book stops and book bloggers to your networks and help us
give Indie Authors the added visibility they deserve.
