Top Ten Ways to Promote Your Books Through Flyers

A flyer is an excellent, inexpensive way to promote your book. What makes one flyer so much better than another? Use these top10 tips to make your flyer stand out from the crowd.
1. Include a colored picture of your front cover.
People want to see what your book looks like. Color is great, but not always necessary. Make sure your colored book cover copies well in black and white. If you do use color, make your book cover background white with colored lettering, so you don't go through a $35 ink cartridge too fast.
2. Hook your prospective buyers with the headline in the top line of your flyer just as you do for your back cover.
Here's a few gems: Why Not Publish Yourself? Read About SEX as it Really Is! Imagine Thousands of Readers Buying your Book Next Month! Quadruple your Income in Four Months! Give your audience a reason to buy--Show those benefits.
3. Include some juicy excerpts from your book.
Prospective buyers want to see a sample of your writing, especially if it's fiction. Use an analogy or short story to illustrate your book's main point if non-fiction.
4. Include your picture with a brief biography near it.
People want to see what the author looks like. Place it on the right side of the flyer if possible.
5. Add praise from others.
Testimonials are the most significant way to market your book. The praise doesn't have to be from famous people. Use a man/woman on the street opinion. One client/author added a testimonial from a convict!
6. Put ordering information on a coupon at the flyer's bottom.
Include your book's ISBN number, Web site URL, your email, toll-free number and discount information.
7. Make it easy for your reader to buy.
Offer easy ways to buy: credit cards, checks or money orders. Include your toll-free 800 number. Many prefer a coupon they can fill out and mail or fax.
8. Give your prospective buyers all the ways to stay in touch with you.
Some people will not buy online or use a credit card. While most small business people are ready for these, it's a good idea to include your street address, e-mail, Web Site, local phone and fax number, and 800 number.
9. Carry at least 25 flyers with you in a folder at all times.
Keep them in your car, so that when you pass a place that will post them for you, they are handy. Give one to every person you meet. Remember the "law of seven." After seven exposures, you have a buyer! Flyers are better than a business card because they have more detailed information on them to help the potential buyer make a decision.
10. Use the backside of the flyer.
You really waste this space if you don't put it to use. Multiply buying results with more testimonials on the back. Include a longer excerpt from your book there.
Your flyer is a detailed extension of you and your book, and one of the least expensive ways to market your book through print. Print hundreds, even thousands, so your book buying public can easily purchase your book.

Networking Gold

Whether you’re trying to find an editor for your book, or a producer to pitch your story to, sometimes it’s all about networking. If you still have 999 of the 1,000 business cards you ordered, you’re not getting out there enough. It’s time to step out from behind that computer and strike networking gold. One of the first laws of networking is that you want to get to know the people you’re networking with. If you’re at a writers conference or networking luncheon, don’t just pass out business cards, take the time to get to know people. When you meet industry partners, jot down a few notes on the back of their business cards so you don’t lost this potentially valuable information.When you’re building your network, be generous with your help and information. The people you’re networking with will remember and appreciate your generosity. Next, you’ll want to stay on their radar screen. If I don’t regularly dialog with a particular contact, I try to send them a note or set up a lunch at least once every six months (more when I can). When you’re staying in touch with people, let them know if you’re offering a new service or product and always remember to send thank you notes whenever you get a referral from them. If your objective is to join some networking groups, remember that these are not all created equal. Some groups and events are better than others and some are just straight out time wasters. When you first start pursuing networking events, you’ll find that many are just “luncheons” meaning that a few entrepreneurs get together and hash out their difficulties/ideas/challenges over lunch. If this is what you’re after, great! But more than likely you’ll want to attend events that can sell you books, get you new business or a combination of both. Keep in mind also that some networking events cost money to join, weigh the benefits of membership before you plunk down some cash, the better organizations don’t always need to cost a lot, often you can find networking organizations that only charge a small fee at the door to cover room expenses, etc. The next thing you’ll want to look at when attending a networking meeting is supply and demand. If you’re promoting your business and looking for leads, you probably won’t want to go to a meeting where there are a number of people doing the same thing you are. Unless it’s an association (which are great too) you’ll want to look for meetings that have a good balance in attendees. The other obvious choice for writers is writers conferences. But much like networking meetings they are not all created equal. Once you determine that you want to attend a conference, start “shopping” for the right one to attend. You’ll need to find a conference that fits your writing needs right now. For example if you’re still in the throes of getting into the craft of writing, perhaps a writing retreat is more suited to your needs. If you’ve already written a book and are deciding what to do with it, then a more advanced conference will work better for you. In either case, peruse their web sites carefully. Recommendations are great but remember, attending the wrong conference can be a waste of your time and money. Spend both of these commodities wisely! Whether you’re meeting a producer for coffee, attending a networking event or going to your first writers conference there are a few tips that you’ll want to keep in mind. First, whenever you collect business cards, take a few minutes to jot down some notes on the back before proceeding onto your next prospect. You can note some of the discussion you had or what your follow up action might be. Next, you’ll want to follow up while the contact is still fresh. Especially if you’re at a writers conference or some other big event where there’s a lot of networking. There’s nothing like networking to build your business or sell books, remember that much like marketing networking is all about relationships. Building them, supporting them, and, ultimately, benefiting from them. Like anything, becoming a good networker takes time and effort, but when done correctly, it’s worth all the work you put into it because you never know, networking gold today might mean a spot on Oprah tomorrow.

Publicity Through Philanthropy For Writers

I am twenty three years old, have sold over four thousand copies of my first book in a matter of a month after it's release and recently been contacted for contracts with Random House and Harper Collins for two new titles. I think a good deal of my recent success is highly correlated with my Reading for Charity Contest and the attention it has drawn. I'll explain the entire background, but as pre-thought I think it first manifested itself through a combination of my looking for a good way to market my first book, while balancing out my karma a bit. A way to interweave my love of novel writing, increase my book's visibility and provide a benefit to society in some way shape or form. All of these tasks have seemed to be accomplished- although my karma could still probably use some more balancing.
What is the Reading for Charity Contest?: Over sixty organizations, a group of corporate sponsors, and a handful of volunteers are the result of the charity contest. I took my very recently published book and decided to give away a certain percentage of it's profits to charity. There was a catch though, the charity I will give my book profits to is being voted on, by the readers. So once you read my book, you can go to my webpage or find me at one of my book tours and vote for your favorite cause and the highest voted cause receives the profits (Which should be quite a bit). That was the reading for charity contests basic beginning. It's the focal point of everything else that now surrounds the contest and of course my book. The contest was than expanded on by a few different means which, furthered the accomplishment of my goals.
1) Rather than your basic book tours I turned my book tours into a way to highlight the organizations participating in the contest. I have a large stand representing all of the participating organizations with their information and donation cards. Next came along a couple of benefit events- a silent auction, a couple of benefit dinners etc... Things that were really quite easy to put together, but could have a great benefit for the charity groups I was working with. Now this may seem like a good deal of work, which it was, but the benefits for the organizations had been huge, and the benefits for me personally has been equally spectacular.
The benefits all of this had for me: I was able to get involved with over sixty non-profit organizations and use my book and contest as a way to highlight their efforts and eventually provide them with a financial benefit as well. There is no truer statement that giving is a two way street. In return for my help with the organizations the organizations did their best to help out me. I am featured with my book in over fifty non-profit newsletters, on a large number of webpages, as well as postings and fliers from the organizations. Some organizations have newsletters with readers in the ten of thousands. It is equivalent to being featured in fifty newspapers across the country that are targeted directly to the reader.
2) The book tours are not only philanthropic, but also bring in a good deal of people and create a lot of buzz. After some attention a number of companies offered to sponsor the events. I was able to receive all of my marketing material for my book and contest for free from corporate sponsors. T-shirts, fliers, book marks, posters, business cards, mail outs, coffee cups, even mousepads with my book cover on them. My entire marketing plan which is now pretty extensive costs only about five dollars a month to cover the price of my website, that is it and nothing more.
3) When you have a purpose and are providing aid you directly relate with the community you are assisting. Since the organizations I have involved are spread out throughout the entire United States it has proved to be an excellent source of publicity, from radio, to newspapers, to magazines, even a couple of upcoming television shows. It has given my book an unbelievable pr hook in a market where it is difficult to get a story in a paper just because you recently published a book..
4) In basic when people read my book they are doing more than just being entertained, each copy bought goes directly to a great cause. The readers of the book are allowed to interweave their love of reading with a greater purpose in an interactive fashion. Once again a win-win situation.
I would like to expand a bit on the reading for charity contest idea. I think there are a world of ways to further the efforts and provide the joint benefit for some organizations out there, and assist me in my publication and book marketing endeavors. As a model however it has been incredibly successful, I think there are a lot of incredibly creative ways to market a book on a low budget like I originally had and turn it into a success. Once again I will state that giving something always brings in something, and in my case, it brought in an incredible book career.