There are several sites and ways to promote your book without having to pay fees, or paying $15 or less. If you're interested in learning more about promotional items, please continue reading. While none of these options are with our site, they have been discovered through many web searches or pointed out to us by our authors. In fact, we also use some of the free services and paid services listed here. If we do a promo for your book, you will be notified.
We hope that you find this information to be helpful. Please remember that while Wild Horse Press will advertise your release through groups, our MySpace page, and paid ads, your title will sell a lot better if you self-promote your work! There is a significant difference in sales of books that are self-promoted and those that aren't.
Idea #1
One of the easiest (and free) ways you can promote your book is by guest blogging. A lot of author's have blogs. You can get one for free from WordPress and several other places. Some authors will set aside a few days per month to host another author or publisher on their blog site. It's a great tool and a good way to network with other authors. One of our authors, Tamela Quijas, has a wordpress blog is always happy to host you or your book.
Idea #2
Give away free bookmarks to your friends and family, give them extras to hand out to their friends, etc. You can also see if the local used bookstores or libraries will allow you to leave a few with them to give to customers for free.
You can either make your own bookmarks and print them on cardstock, or you can order some. Your local office supply stores typically can make them. But one of our Authors found a reasonable online place called NextDayFlyers.com. An order of 100 bookmarks was less than $30 after shipping & handling.
Idea #3
Check with local bookstores to see if they will let you do a book signing (All Romance Ebooks has an e-book signing option for you to consider when you sign up for a free Author account with them - all of our titles are listed on their site). You may not generate a lot of sales from this promo item, but it will get your name out there. In addition, some Independent (Indie) Booksellers have a "local authors" section in their store. Even if they will not purchase your books directly, they may take one or two copies on consignment.
Idea #4
Create some business cards. You can print them yourself using Avery Business cards or you can get some made pretty cheap at Office Depot or a local printer. Pass them out to friends and ask them to pass some to other readers they know. If you're talking to someone and you mention you're a writer, it's nice to have a business card with your website and links to your books to hand to them.
Idea #5
Contests! One contest you can use is rather simple. Put together a small goodie bag with one signed item (like a bookmark or magnet). Have your readers email you their receipt from purchasing your title (set dates obviously). On the last day, draw the name of the winner. The goodie bag can have anything from girly items (hand lotion, nail polish, etc) to book related items (bookmarks, $5-10 gift card to a bookstore, etc). If you decide to give away an e-copy of your book as part of your contest (or blog), please limit them to one per month.
Word of mouth is the best sales tool you can use! It can come in the way of free advertising like the ideas above, or paid ones... below is a list of places that offer ad spaces on their websites.
Remember! If you decide to submit your book for review, please check with us first. We have a huge list of review sites that we submit to. It would be better to check before sending your book to a site that may already have it on their "to be reviewed" list.
This site is not only an excellent source for Romance book reviews, but they also offer some promotional options for authors. While some are fee based, some are free of charge.
They offer listings in their Directory, Author Bios, Contests, Calendar of Events, and they have a goody section. If you have bookmarks, books, or other items you wish to give away in order to drum up more sales, you can send them to:
Romance Junkies
PO Box 158,
Superior, AZ 85273
While they offer a lot of promotional items that are fee based, they also will do Author Interviews and Contests for free. We submit all of our titles to them for review.
An excellent site for romance reviews, but they also offer advertising for Authors.
Random book cover $10 for a month
Random banner ad $10 for a month
Book Trailer $10 for 1 week
They offer contests and giveaways, but you have to be a featured member (which costs) in order to use this service.
They offer reviews, but they also have various forms of Author Promos. The ones I'm listing are free, but they have some you may purchase as well.
Donate promo items for their contests
Author Interviews
Recommended Books (books you would suggest to readers)
News (book signings, upcoming releases, etc)
They offer reviews on Romance and Erotica. In addition, you may also send promotional items to them for giveaways. Visit their page for more details.
The offer free book reviews (we submit to them, so check with us before sending your book in for review), but also have paid services.
Book Cover Ad, Random Rotation, $10 per month
Book Cover Ad, Homepage & Blog, $15 per month
Banner Ad, Site Wide Rotation, $10 per month
Author Promo, $60 per year (breaks down to about $5 per month)
http://www.wewriteromance.com/
It says to contact them for other promotional offers.
A review site offering advertising options for Authors....
Book Cover Ad $7.50 per cover per month
They have additional ads available, but they cost $20-$25
Book reviews are free of charge; however, this is a site that Wild Horse Press submits to regularly - so check with us before submitting your book for review.
Front Page Book Trailer $1 per day or $5 for 7 days
Newsletter Sidebar Ad $5
Author Pages $10 for 1 month, $25 for 3 months
Book Cover Ads (Premium) $10 for 1 month, $20 for 3 months
"Stay Up Late With A Great Novel"
Night Owl Romance is a fantastic site for reviews, author chats, author interviews, contests and more. Their blog is also very active. NOR reviews around 150 books each months. They have both fee based and free promotional opportunities.
You can book yourself in as a guest blogger for free and there is free option for author chats as well.
Interviews start at $15 and include covers w/purchase links.
Book Cover spots, banners and larger advertising options are available.
Reviews are free and they have a form online for authors to fill out and submit their review requests. However, we do submit to them on a regular basis so please be sure to check with us prior to submitting a review.
Promo item donations are welcomed as long as they are small items that fit into a standard wide envelope. Items can include bookmarks, tri-fold excerpts and business cards.
Want to build your e-newsletter list? Join with NOR for a contest. They will do the whole contest for you. You just provide the prize and shipping it and NOR will provide the contest entry and give you a list of readers who entered.
http://www.NightOwlRomance.com
ARe Radio: What's Hot in Romance
All Romance eBooks selects two authors each week to feature in their one-hour radio show, What's Hot in Romance that airs live on Blog Talk Radio every Monday at 9:30 pm EST. Links to the podcast will be published in our weekly Wildfire newsletter, on our website, and provided to the author. Each of the two weekly segments will focus on a recent release in the romance genre and will consist of a 15-20 minute interview with the author followed by a 10-15 minute reading done by the author. FREE – send query to info@allromanceebooks.com
What's Hot Cover Spots
The "What's Hot" area of the All Romance eBooks home page has several spots set aside each week for paid advertising. Slots are filled on a first-come-first-serve basis. We will do our best to accommodate preferences. $15.00 per cover spot to paypal@allromanceebooks.com along with the book title, author name, your name and your preferred week.
For other promotional opportunities, visit their website at www.allromanceebooks.com.
They have many advertising options; Book covers, Book briefs, Banners, Cover ads, Spotlights, etc.
Due to the recession, this website recently reduced some of their fees, making their site more affordable to authors.
Book Briefs $5 per month, 2 month minimum
Book Cover $7 per month, 2 month minimum
Spotlights $13 per month
They do book reviews and author interviews. You can also post a contest with them! These three options are free. The paid options (the cheapest paid options) are listed below. They do have higher priced packages as well.
Page Side Book Cover Ad $18 for quarter-year
Lavendar's Corner Bookstore Link $15 for quarter-year
Page Top Banner $20 per month
For FREE they will do a banner exchange with you! You host one of their banners on your and they'll post yours on their site. They also do Book Reviews, have a forum and blog, and offer a newsletter.
They offer free book reviews along with some paid services.
Package A (pick from these)
Book Covers $3 per month
Banners $5 per month
Book Trailers $8 per month
Package B
Unlimited Covers & Banners $30 per month
It says they do some free author promos, which appears to be in the form of blogs.
We have quite a few open spaces for author blogs and the topic is up to you! Writing, politics, your favorite hobby, latest read, examining your belly button lint - write it up and email it to us at inquiries@ireadromance.com along with the date(s) you'd like to have it go live. We will try to fit you in the schedule as close to that date as possible.
Book Cover Ads/Banner Ads $5 for 2 weeks or $9 for 4 weeks
Sidebar Cover Ads $1 per week
In 2009, they are offering a program called 365 days of Romance. For $7, your book will be listed on the homepage for 1 day, then moved to the 365 Days of Romance page.
Page Turner Ads $10 per week
Book of the Week Promo $25
Bookmark Spotlight $10 per week
Author Promo $125 per month
BookReview.com is also a great place to enhance a promotional campaign. A recent BookReview.com Book of the Month moved in the Amazon.com sales rankings from number 9,987 to number 27!
Reviews are available in a searchable database format, indexed by author, title, subject and keyword.
Many of our reviewers have specific expertise in their chosen genres and some are published authors themselves.
All that we ask of you is that you send us your books to review.
Zanne Marie Gray
BookReview.com
136 Owen Road
Monona, WI 53716
voice 608-442-4475
fax 608-442-4481
toll free 888-272-SURF
Please don't send us .pdf files. Would you want to print out an entire book on your printer in order to read it? Worse yet, would you want to sit at your computer for several hours reading off the monitor? Well, neither do we.
* they prefer autographed paperback copies for review
You can send promotional items to this review site for some international exposure. They are already on our review site list so please check with us before submitting your title for review.
Veiled Secrets Reviews
PO Box 352
Browns Plains QLD 4118
Australia
Reviews YA books only! - must be in print
http://www.readersroom.com/
Email Peggy Tibbetts: peggyt@siltnet.net to request a review
An internet magazine that reviews Children's and YA ebooks only.
Send review request to Kids E-book Reviews. (TheSavvyClick@aol.com)
http://www.thesavvyclick.com/KidReviews.htm
Kimberly Pauley reviews print or e-books with a concentration on YA/Middle Grade fiction, though picture or kid's books are accepted. Also publishes author interviews and bios.
For more details, please see:
http://www.yabookscentral.com/cfusion/index.cfm?fuseAction=home.faqs
Paranormal Romance an Urban Fantasy Romance reviews only.
Contact Info: mandischreiner@gmail.com
We currently are accepting submissions for Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, and Young Adult. We do accept Erotic Romance/Romantica submissions. We use a 5 star rating system all reviews are un-biased. We call 'em like we see 'em.
Visit the link below to complete their review request form.
http://smokinhotbooks.com/blog/review-requests/
Below are some awards that are available in different sub-genres. Your title may or may not be eligible. In some cases, the author may nominate their own work. In others, the publisher or a friend needs to nominate the work. This is merely for your information. This is not a complete list. Don't feel obligated to enter any of these.
Dream Realm Awards
Science Fiction/Fantasy elements must be present.
http://www.dream-realm-awards.net/
The Epic Awards
Any electronic book is eligible.
http://www.epicauthors.com/epicawards.html
National Book Awards
Full-length books and eBooks of fiction and general nonfiction; collections of short stories and essays by one author and collected and selected poems by one author are eligible. All books must be published in the United States.
http://www.nationalbook.org/
The Pearl
The Paranoramal Excellence Prize in Romantic Literature.
http://www.paranormalromance.org/PNRpearl.htm
This is by no means a complete list, but below are some author membership sites.
EPIC
EPIC, the Electronically Published Internet Connection, is a professional organization for published and contracted e-book and print authors. It was established to provide a strong voice for electronic publishing.
http://www.epicauthors.com/
Romance Writers United
Romance Writers United is an organization for the development of a positive community, working from the philosophy of abundance as opposed to competition. Our mission is to help bridge the gap between writers of romantic fiction, agents and editors; to support, encourage and promote our authors in the pursuit of publication. By working together, we can make a difference . . .
http://rwunited.freehostia.com/
National Association of Women Writers
The National Association of Women Writers (NAWW) was founded in 2001. We have over 3000 members worldwide. We help connect and educate our members through books, CDs, tele-events, physical chapter events and much more. Our weekly newsletter goes out to over 3,000 women writers, editors, and publishers.
http://naww.org/
Women's National Book Association
WNBA is a national organization of women and men who work with and value books. WNBA exists to promote reading and to support the role of women in the community of the book.
http://www.wnba-books.org/
What's a book trailer?
Some of you may know and some of you may be scratching your heads in confusion right about now. A book trailer is a short video clip that advertises your book. You can create it yourself or you can pay someone else to make one for you. Most new computers come with Windows Movie Maker so you should already have the software to make one. However, make you sure you use pictures that aren't copyrighted or purchase some (Crestock, CanStock, and similar places are reasonable).
Once you have your images, you are all set! Don't use music from CD's you've purchased! That's copyrighted, too! However, once your video is created, you can set up a free account with YouTube. Once you have uploaded your video, they have a wonderful program called AudioSwap and you can add music to your video for free.
Several of our authors have created videos using these very means and I'm sure they would be delighted to help you out if you simply asked. If you'd like to see samples of book trailers, click on the link on our menu called "Videos." All of the videos uploaded are book trailers our authors have sent to us.
What can I do with it?
Well, you can send it to us to post on our site. You can post it on YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook. If you do guest blogs or have your own blog, you can embed them into blogs. A lot of sites like All Romance Ebooks, Long & Short Reviews, and several other places will let you place them on their sites as ads (for a fee). You can also place them on your website!
Believe it or not, book trailers are all the rage. I actually saw one at the movie theater not too long ago (obviously not made with Windows Movie Maker) and was positively stunned. When I saw werewolves leaping across the screen, I sat on the edge of my seat to see what new movie was coming out - only to find out they were advertising a new book! Authors of all levels are using book trailers right now.
Author Interviews, Free e-book listings, and more...
Sign up for a free member account at E-books Cafe and you can have a free author interview posted with Writers Manual, a free page for each e-book you list, and a free copy of Writers Gazette.
http://ebookscafe.writergazette.com/
We promise to be fair but honest with our reviews. What does that mean for you? Well, we're going to tell it like it is, if it stinks we will say so -- nicely. If it's great, well preach it from the mountain tops. If it's above the cut, we'll offer you a spot as one of our monthly featured authors.
So, what are you waiting for? We're already clicking Send/Receive...