Marketing Plan?

I've been reading a lot about marketing so that your first sale isn't your last, and there was a good idea somewhere, I think it was www.blog.nathanbransford.com (agent Nathan Bransford) or faeriality.blogspot.com (Market My Words) where someone planned to do a road trip, going bookstore to bookstore for real quick stops signing whatever stock the store had of their novel. Apparently signed books are more likely to be picked up and less likely to be returned.

Once I sell and hopefully get into bookstores we plan on taking the kids on weekend road trips once a month until we've gone around the compass. I want to get a thousand bookmarks printed up to leave at stores also, maybe tucked into my books... anyone else hear about some good marketing ideas?

Diana
www.writingrollercoasters.blogspot.com

Thats a great idea Diana!!

Well i heard of the virtual blog book tour, (there actually people organising these for authors) basically within a space of maybe two weeks around the time of your books pub date you have your book reviewed/yourself interviewed/podcasts etc. on as many blogs/websites as humanly possible!! Maybe a place a day for two weeks so your everywhere when your book launches!

We should make a long list of all the things we plan to do, then once we publish we won't have to come up with as many ideas

I like that. I have a book on marketing which i bought off amazon - its all online marketing which i thought was brilliant (and cheaper)

the number one rule of modern book marketing = excellent up to date website!!

Definitely when i start getting published i'm going to invest in a very good one!

like this: http://www.xuni.com/

they did John Connolly's website and it looks amazing!!

I try to do one thing every week to market my books - a rules a writer friend suggested to me. Often it's just e-mailing a book blogger to offer a review copy - or making some small change or addition to my website and/or Facebook page - adding recent reviews, etc.. But I also try to keep links going with local bookshops, and also libraries, because many libraries have series of author talks, or have links with local book groups who might like an author to come along and speak.

But, to be honest, I think the difference these things can make to an author's sales are pretty marginal, compared with the marketing work the publisher does, with a professional sales and publicity team at their disposal. It's really only in the local area that profile-raising can be done successfully by the individual author, I think - and on the web.

Rosy

Those are good ideas and nothing that seems overwhelmingly hard. Even though the impact is small maybe marketing in that way can lead to some sales, maybe a few new loyal readers or something, and if not I guess there's not much lost for trying I hope I'm in a position to try out all these ideas some day!

I hope i am too!

I also know of a writer (our own Leigh Russel) did a virtual book signing, where her signiture could be virtually sent to those who wanted it for their books?

Looking at my book on marketing - its website, amazon, social networking, blogging - covers all virtual aspects.

Hi again, so I was over at Market My Words where upcoming author represented by agent Alyssa Eisner Henkin of Trident Media Group blogs, and she IS a marketer, so she has tons of ideas and advice.

Here's a really good post (it's right after her review of a show called Glee)

http://faeriality.blogspot.com/2008/12/marketing-monday-raising-your-mq-3.html

Lots to think about

What a useful link, Diana - thanks!

Rosy x