10 Independence Day book marketing tips for independently publishing authors
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Happy 4th of July weekend! Here’s a special gift for all of our SBMs* – an extremely rare Saturday post, in honor of the big holiday weekend. This is a list of 10 book marketing tips directly related to the 4th of July holiday. I realize that many of these are probably arriving too late for you to implement this holiday, but there are still two things you can do with them: (1) keep them on hand for next year, and (2) decide NOW what you can apply to the NEXT HOLIDAY … the next major one being Halloween, a full four months from now.
This list is a radical departure from the norm for this blog, where we’ve been examining one tip per post in depth. Our plan is to walk you through every facet of a crafting a successful book marketing campaign from scratch. So if you go back to the first post and read in order, you’ll notice a logical progression. Nevertheless, each post also stands on its own.
Certain tips on this list will receive expansion in future posts – but some are pretty self-explanatory. Remember, the ideas here are just suggestions. The goal is to have you try them out and see what works. Even better, though, would be to use this list as a jumping off point, getting really creative and coming up with your own unique book marketing strategies!
Have a wonderful July 4th holiday!
- Get out that digital camera for your own holiday celebration. Your readers want to CONNECT with you. You don’t have to take them on a detailed tour of your home or interview every relative at the family picnic … but giving them a glimpse of your life so they can feel closer to you will go a long way toward building rapport and a lifelong fan.
- Purchase or dust off your banner, head to the dollar store for an Uncle Sam hat, and get yourself a spot in your local Independence Day parade. If vendor booths are available, you’ll probably be the only author there!
- Host your own Independence Day event. Sponsor a pancake breakfast at a local restaurant or do a holiday book signing at the flag shop.
- Drape your car with red,white, and blue bunting and a big sign with your book title and Web site on it. Don’t be afraid to BE memorable!
- Make sure to carry business cards and/or postcards with you at all times so that you can hand them out when you meet new people or leave them behind at coffeehouses and shops that allow it.
- Give away free flags at your book signings. This tip doesn’t have to be limited to July 4th. Find flags for all the holidays – or for whatever the theme of your book is. Put your Web site on it somewhere, so it serves as an ongoing reminder of how to find you.
- Use www.GotPrint.com to send holiday postcards to those on your list for whom you have mailing addresses. Don’t have many mailing addresses? We’ll talk in a future post about ways to gather those little pieces of gold.
- Use your blog or social media sites to give away a couple free copies of your book to celebrate the holiday. Throw in a couple 4th of July bookmarks with your Web site and contact info.
- Write an article for your community newspaper, tying your book to local Independence Day traditions. You may have put on your creative thinking cap, but as an SBM, I know you can do it! (Note – most small monthly papers have about a 2-month lead time, meaning that’s how far in advance of publishing they need to receive the article.)
- The 4th of July is all about picnics and comfort food. Come up with a dozen of your favorite recipes (if they’re related to your book, all the better) and put together a little pamphlet or eBook to give away for free via your Web site, blog, or social media platforms. Write a media release about the recipe book giveaway.
See you Monday!
MARCIE
*Savvy Book Marketer
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Marcie Brock, Book Marketing Maven 