Me: What is your
official job title?
Nas: I
don’t know! But recently I had some cards made with “Promoting New Release Books and Authors” under my name! Our local
papers pick up my reviews for their Sunday Magazine so I needed cards. Can I
share a secret? I’m in talks with our local TV to feature my authors and their
books. Maybe interview via skype but this is all in the very stages at the
moment.
Me: How long
have you been operating a book promotion business?
Nas: I’m
fairly new at book promotions. I have a
background of Financial Management and Marketing after which I did some further
studies in Information Systems while living in Auckland NZ. Computer
Programming and Data Processing doesn’t really prepare you with proper English!
But my passion has always been reading, so when we semi-retired to Fiji, I
started reading to fill my time as there was no job available to someone with
my qualifications in my age group. Then I got into online writer’s groups and
into Harlequin community.
Actually
Wendy S Marcus first suggested to me
that I would be good at Marketing and Promoting books, using my marketing
skills with a slightly different objective.
Here I’m targeting readers. And not just online. I do it in my local bookshops
and libraries as well, by distributing authors bookmarks and cards. This is
actually a novelty here as there are readers but no authors. So our readers
don’t even know what an author signing is.
Me: What
services do you offer to authors? How do you promote a book? What mediums do
you use?
· Nas: I create Author Pages with Buy Links for books and social media
links for the author. A dedicated author page linked to my site, Romance Book Paradise, which has very
high romance reader traffic.
·
I arrange Blog
Tours to coincide with new release books for the authors. In recent times
we had many successful tours, starting with Wendy S. Marcus, Kate Walker, Christina Hollis, Helen Lacey and still ongoing are Lynne Marshall, Louisa George and Emmie Dark.
·
Then I create Author and Book Pages on Fresh Fiction, Goodreads,
Shelfari and Library Thing etc. I also make Romance Wiki page for my authors
with separate pages for their books with excerpts and linked to their websites.
·
With subsequent books I offer Banner Space
and Books Space linked to
author’s book pages/Amazon on my very high reader traffic sites.
·
Me: Why do you
think author’s benefit from hiring an outside party to do their promotion?
Nas: You
must know how hard an author works. And when they are engrossed in writing they
are often absent minded. So how can they do their marketing? And if they do
their own promotion, who will write their subsequent books? Mostly they are
under deadline to complete books. And setting up a tour is a time consuming
job. All the scheduling needed and liaising with various blogs for an author to
appear there. Authors are busy people,
they are not in contact with reader blogs as I am. Think of the tour as a Book
Signing not around the country but around the Globe- wherever your books are
sold without leaving your home or the associated expenses. Authors’ names are
‘Out There!’ by going on a virtual tour. So it’s easier on subsequent books as
well.
Me: Do you
promote e-books and self-published writers?
Nas: Yes,
recently I promoted Tracy Sumner,
who was re-releasing her Historicals as eBooks (self-publishing) and Nina Jade Singer who has an eBook out.
Me: Do you
believe that authors who connect with readers via Facebook, Twitter and other
social media are more likely to get reviews for their books?
Nas: The
most rewarding part of writing, second only to holding your books in print
should be connecting with readers. An author should connect with her readers
via social media. This interaction is which make a reader pick up a certain
authors’ book in the bookshop. And readers would say if they liked a book. So an online verbal review on social media
counts as much as a written review. Anything once written online is saved there
forever. It won’t fade. Just Google a sentence and it will come up again.
Me: What is your
Top Do and Top Don’t for authors who are being promoted?
Nas: Answer
and comment back at every commenter who reads your posts. If authors don’t
comment, it feels like these commenter’s are being snubbed. Have your
Blogger/Wordpress profile with your proper name and a photo which readers can
focus on. You can’t comment back with a cute tag such as ‘sweet babe’. No. You
have to have your author name out there.
And get the posts ready as soon as the
schedule goes up. Some blogs ask for posts early up to two weeks in advance as
they have newsletters or early promotion to do.
Me: How long
before a book comes out do you start planning an author’s book tour? How long
in advance do you need for someone to sign with you?
Nas: Eight
to six weeks in advance. Some sites are booked up to three months in advance so
we need to be prepared.
Me: Is self
promotion frowned upon?
Nas: First,
most readers recognize that authors need to market their books and promote
themselves. No one begrudges a writer who talks about her book. In fact if you
check an authors website and find nothing on their books or buy links, it is
right to question that author’s professionalism. Not only readers tolerate
marketing, we expect it! But there’s a fine line between self promotion and
self absorption. Authors are in other
authors and writers community not readers, so talking about their books comes across
as ‘Me and My Book!’ Consider this, when we, as readers say this is a new
release book so all readers out there listen. We are generating interest for
your book as readers.
Have
you heard someone say, ‘If your book is good enough, you don’t need to market
it?’ Well, this isn't the case unless your name starts with “J” and ends with “ling”!
And
don’t expect me to work wonders and shoot your book on the chart buster lists.
We must do our best and work hard. The biggest and most obvious key to selling
books is garnering exposure for the book and the author personally. The goal of
marketing is to expose your book to as many people as possible in an exciting,
cost effective and entertaining way. Guest blogging can achieve that goal.
Blogs are archived, so your posts become and often are viral, spreading from
site to site. That is LEVERAGE! You are leveraging your internet presence and
duplicating yourself with every blog stop. Your Blog Tour is working for you
even while you sleep. Try doing that at a bookstore or library signing!
Thanks
Rachael for giving me this opportunity to do a bit of self promoting! I’ll be
around to answer questions.
28 comments:
That's a really interesting insight (and good to know for when I get the call *wink*). Thanks Rach and Nas.
Hi Rachael and Nas!
You know I wouldn't be able to manage a blog tour without your help, Nas. You've been a dream, and you tailored my wishes for how many blogs I thought I could handle a week etc.
Even though I've been writing medical romance for Mills & Boon since 2006,I am a debut HarlequinSpecial Edition author, so discoverability is key. I feel you've helped me a great deal.
Listen up authors!
Some good advice there, Nas. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Anita!
Thanks so much for reading along and for your comment! My fingers are crossed for you to get that 'Call' fast!
Hello Lynne!
You were super to work with. You're so advanced in sending your posts that all the early promotion is done for your book.
The Blog Tour helped- sure but I feel the pages I created for your book on various sites gave more exposure for COURTING HOS FAVORITE NURSE and AN INDISCRETION!
Wishing you all the best!
Hi Fiona,
Thanks for reading along and being always so supportive of me!
Rach - thanks for inviting Nas on to your blog - I found her Q&A fascinating.
Nas - thanks for all your insights, I found your replies very informative. I totally agree that a writer needs to write. But promotion is really important. Having help in doing this seems to be a very good idea.
Hello Joanne!
Thanks for you lovely comment! But Rachael asked some insightful questions which I had to answer.
I'm just trying to help out but at the same time as one author pointed out, I do need to pay the bills!
Thank you Rachael for asking me over today and for these questions!
Hi Nas and Rach!
I chose to do the blog tour with Nas for a couple of reasons. My first book was coming out and I didn't have a very visible online profile and needed help with that. I also wanted to use the time I had for promotion effectively. Romance Book Promotions knew which blogs to target to get to my potential audience. Plus, I was working through revisions on my third contracted book and didn't have the time to do the 'leg' work.
Working with Nas was a great experience and one I would recommend for both new an established authors. We are working in an ever evolving business, the trick is to evolve with it.
Great post :)
Hi Nas and Rachael!
I didn't know Nas did all of these as well. I just thought she reviewed books only.
SO much information on this post. Thanks for sharing Nas, and thank you Rachael for spotlighting Nas.
Hi Rachel! Hi Nas!
Great interview - and such fun to see Nas in the spotlight for a change!
Nas is a complete wonder- she has organized a blog tour for me and taken out all the hard work. It's an absolute pleasure to work with her...I just have to show up at the right place at the right time and everything else is planned, run and sorted for me by Nas!
Not only that but she's created a gazillion pages for me on all the important reader sites and directs traffic to wherever I am...and she answers all my technophobe questions! I'd highly recommend Nas to anyone thinking of undertaking promotion.
Nas, you're a star!! Thank you x
Hi Helen,
Thanks for your glowing recommendations!
It was lovely to work with you too.
Hello Laura!
Thanks for reading along!
Hi Louisa,
It's so wonderful to work with you too!
Yes, those pages do more wonder as they are there for anyone who Googles you or your book. The internet never sleeps and we do need to move forward with these online presence.
Thanks for your recommendation!
Hi Nas,
I've known you since the beginning. I've watched you go from strength to strength and build your business from the ground up. You have done a spectacular job setting up your Blog Tour Site. I never even knew they existed until you mentioned it to me! I'm very proud of you for all you've achieved and I'm also proud to call you my friend :)
Rach, thanks for having Nas as your special guest. A great interview and some very insightful answers.
Hugs to both of you
Hi Serena,
You've always been supportive of me, my friend and was the one person who pushed me to take this leap right from the beginning.
Friends, Serena would Google links and email them to me for information!
Thank you Serena for all your support and help!
Hi everyone - thanks for stopping by!! Having done about 10 blog posts for the release of One Perfect Night (all organised by moi) I LOVE the idea of hiring someone to do the hard work :)
Hi Nas!
You know I'm a fan! You have done so much to increase my presence on the web. LOVE my romance wiki pages. Thanks for everything.
And as far as Rachel's question about author's self-promoting, readers will only take so much of an author talking about herself before they tune you out. In some places, like Goodreads, it is frowned upon except in certain groups. On Twitter a person once tweeted something like: Dear Author, I am more likely to buy your book if someone other than you recommends it. That's why it's good to have someone like Nas working on your behalf.
Hi Wendy,
Thank you so much for believing in me and starting me on this journey. Like I said in the post above that it was Wendy, who saw this potential in me to market books.
Lol! I used to market real estate! And do financial management for the real estate business. Which I still do part time!
Hi Nas and Rachael!
I couldn't agree more with the comments that others have left about Nas's helpfulness and the need for a proper, planned approach to marketing and promotion. As a newbie author, I still have a day job too, and I couldn't possibly have managed all the blog spots and web pages necessary to do a good job of getting "Cassie's Grand Plan" out there for readers without Nas's help. Having said that, there are a few pages out there that need me to go comment, so I'd better run off and do that now! ;)
A very interesting post. Lots of information here.
Hi Emmie,
Thank you so much for your lovely comment and for believing in me that I would be able to market your debut book!
Taking CASSIE'S GRAND PLAN out there for you is my objective at the moment.
Likewise for ONE MONTH TO BECOME A MUM for Louisa George and COURTING HIS FAVORITE NURSE for Lynne Marshall.
Then I'm also doing for THE NURSE'S NOT -SO- SECRET SCANDAL for Wendy S Marcus. Though it is Wendy's third title, she still wanted me to market and create pages for it 'Out There!'
I've been creating Banners for all of you!
Thank you Maria for coming along to read this post!
Hi Nas ( and waving to Rachael!)
Thank you for sharing your wise words on marketing!
Nas, thanks for sharing your wisdom with all of us hardworking authors. You truly are a marvel.
Hello Kandy!
Thank you for coming along to read this post!
Hi Christine,
Thank you for your lovely comment!
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