Pre-Booth Promotion is Good for You, Good for Your Book!

Be good to your book!

Promote the West Hollywood Book Fair as if sales and good will depend on it. They do!

Here's what need to be done before the fair:

I need a copy of your book and a business card, order form or bookmark (with order information) before the book fair. Now is a good time to send them to me. They go up in a display that is available to the public the entire day. Authors who are signing will only be in the booth during your allotted signing time but their books will keep working on display where each is highlighted in a nook of its own.

Anyone who wants to send a poster of their book cover, laminated, with grommets, 14" wide and 18" to 20" long, feel free. They are a bit expensive and I'm not sure they are worth it unless you can retrieve it at the end of the day. (Some of you who participated in the LA Times/UCLA Fair sent posters and I kept those.(-: )


Disclaimer: Unless you will be there at the end of the day (6 pm ) to take your book and materials back with you, they will be donated to a library system. No books or materials (including poster) will be returned.

Reminder: Have you rewritten the media release (template) I sent to you and sent it to the press, radio and TV contacts and posted it on a free release disseminator? Find a list of those disseminators on my website at www.howtodoitfrugally.com. Click on the Resources for Writers tab at the top of the page and scroll down.

Have you sent invitations to local people from Ventura to San Diego to visit you at the booth? These can go out by USPS or by e-mail but they MUST go out for a successful fair. Think about all your lists. Holiday. College. Charity. Parents from your kids schools. Business. The names of readers you've collected from other appearances. You might even ask a few bookish friends to invited their list of local friends to come see you.

Two days before the fair, send a reminder to that list by e-mail. Mention something that is going on at the fair. You, of course, but also perhaps the seminars at the Writers' Pavilion or the children's activity area, etc.

Don't forget that we will give a free book away with each book sold while supplies last. That is an incentive. You might mention that on your invitations. Yes, Authors' Coalition is providing those but donations from you are welcome. (-:

Your Fair Media Release Template Whether You're Part of the West Hollywood Fair or Not.

This is your media release template. It is something you can use as a guideline, even if you're not part of Authors' Coalition or the West Hollywood Book Fair.

How Do I Make This Release My Own

You'll see that this release is written as if it were mine. Here are tips for utilizing the template. Those participating in the AC booth at the West Hollywood crows may adjust accordingly, but so might others:

1. You substitute your name for mine, trading it out from the list so mine is substituted for yours.
2. Insert your own bio template where mine is. Try to keep it short in best media release form and offer a link to your media kit for more information (or, if no link exists, offer to send it by attachement upon request as you see at the bottom of the release.
3. Do NOT send any release by attachment first time around. Most news outlets will not open e-mail with attachments. Also keep in mind that when you list exceptional accomplishments of a few other authors besides yourself you add credibility to your release.
4. Include your phone number (not shown here). Busy editors often cannot wait for answers by e-mail.
5. And, of course, use your OWN contact information. I can't answer questions about YOU intelligently. (-:

Or feel free to write your own media release. I am providing this template as a service only. For more precise instructions on writing media releases, varying them, getting a tad more creative, etc., refer to your copy of The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't. Or find it on Amazon.

For your own release, use you name in the headline, especially for contacts with your local press. Also mention the town you live in for releases going to your local media.

What Do YOu Do with a Release

And, no, it isn't too early to send out a release. If you do it early, you can send reminders later. Send to:

1. local media
2. all your contacts, fans, even those who have already bought your book. You wouldn't want your old fans to think you are getting lax, would you? Just tell them in an introduction to circle their calendars.
3. the Internet groups you belong to (yahoogroups.com kinds of discussion groups)
4. at least a couple of the free media release disseminators like prleap.com. Find a list on my site www.howtodoitfrugally.com. Click on the Resources for Writers link at the top of the page and scroll down to the list. I've even give you ultra-mini reviews of each of these sites. You are welcome to pay for additional services on these sites but IT IS NOT NECESSARY.
5. Post your release in your media room on your site. If you have no media room, consider getting one. In the meantime, post your most recent release(s) somewhere convenient. Or just use the material from your release to make a brief announcement. And, yes, be sure to includ the TIME you will be signing in your own releases and and on your website. That obviously doesn't work as well for a general release.

M E D I A R E L E A S E

Contact: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
E-mail: HoJoNews@aol.com

For Immediate Release

New Books Launched at West Hollywood Fair

Carolyn Howard-Johnson will introduce and sign her newly-released The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success at the West Hollywood Book Festival on Sunday, September 30, 2007 from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M at the West Hollywood Park, 647 N San Vicente Blvd.West Hollywood, CA 90069. Look for the Authors' Coalition and Red Engine Press booth.

Carolyn will also present "Reach for Your Dream: Prepare for Publication the Professional Way" at the fair's writers pavilion at 1 pm.

Other authors signing are Carol Wood, Janet Goliger, Christine Alexanians, Kevin Gerard, Margaret Danielak, Erica Stux, Leora Krygier, Walter Brasch, Jay Bern, Sona Ovasapyan, Michael Wallach, Nance Rosen ,and Carol J. Amato. Featured books include everything from nonfiction to poetry to genre fiction.

Howard-Johnson is also the author of This Is the Place, Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, and Tracings, a chapbook of poetry. All are multi award-winners. She is an instructor for UCLA Extension's Writers' Program and has shared her expertise on publishing and writing at venues like San Diego State's world renowned Writers' Conference and Call to Arts! EXPO. She was recently awarded Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment by the California Legislature.

Learn more about Howard-Johnson at http://carolynhoward-johnson.com and www.howtodoitfrugally.com

More information on the West Hollywood Book Festival may be found at. http://www.westhollywoodbookfair.org/ Both the fair and the presentations are f r @ @ to the public

For a schedule of author signing times go to http://www.authorscoalition.blogspot.com .

Learn more about Authors' Coalition at http://www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com

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Support material available on request

How do Book Fairs Stack Up? Q&A A La Ann Landers

Question: I have so many expenses and so little money. Do you think [a book fair] would be a good investment or should I save my money for mailing, like to libraries or indie bookstores?

Carolyn's Answer: Try, as THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER suggests, not to use your money for promotion that can be done as well or even almost as well online. Use Google to the max. Glean the e-mail addresses from indie bookstores and libraries and send out your releases (both the release about your book's release and about your author-appearance at this--or any other--fair) by e-mail.

Question: Also, I get a better discount on my first order of books than thereafter and I was thinking I should buy as many as possible [with the money I have available].

Carolyn Answers: Buying books at a greater discount works pretty well but not if it leaves you without the funds you need for other important promotion. Promotion first. You won't sell the books you buy if you don't promote.

Question: There are also so may places to spend money in marketing -- like buying adwords and keywords.

Carolyn Answers: You can do something similar to Adwords without spending money. It's only similar but will work until you have some cash flow going for your book. Use the features on Amazon. The keywords feature. The help search feature. Listmania. So You'd Like Tos... Amazon is where readers hang out anyway. So read the chapters on that in your THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER and spend some time exploring the Amazon possibilities.

Question: Where do you think the book fair stands among all these things?

Carolyn Answers: That's a tough question. I do know that book fairs only work as well as you work them. That is true of any kind of promotion, professional organization, etc. Unless you're going to get that media release written and disseminated using the list on the Resources for Writers page my site, unless you're going to use your list serve groups (like our private savvygang@yahoogroups.com (a group of those who have taken my classes at UCLA) to let people know you'll be at the fair, unless you send your friends and contacts invitations to tell them you'll be there, etc. etc., it won't work at all. I've seen authors who do all these things, do really, really well (maybe sell 20 or 30 books and make important contacts to boot!). People who don't are lucky to sell 2 books. it's all about promoton, truly.

So, the choice is yours but I wouldn't be spending money to do by mail what you can do free by e-mail! (-: That's for sure!

Carolyn Howard-Johnson
www.howtodoitfrugally.com
www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.comwww.authorscoalition.blogspot.com
www.thenewbookrreview.blogspot.com

Questions Submitted by Alexa Wolf, author