If you’ve not heard it said that the difficult and time-consuming aspect of publishing a book occurs after it’s been written and sent to market, it’s true. Book marketing can be challenging and daunting, especially for authors with few followers. As an update, here are some of the marketing angles that we’ve pursued with our latest book, Wheels of Wisdom: Life Lessons for the Restless Spirit.
Interviews
Yesterday, I interviewed with Rabbi Eric Walker on his show, “Revealing the Truth.” What a privilege! The Rabbi interviews several authors daily and streams his show live from the web and on World Net Daily. You can watch an archive of my interview on the Igniting a Nation Youtube channel. A Jew who converted to Christianity in midlife, the Reverend Rabbi’s interviews are more substantive than most you will see.
Last month, I was interviewed by Steve Repak, an author, a podcaster, and the host of “Your Money God’s Way.” Steve has been interviewed on major television in the past to share his wisdom on money matters.
Articles
My posts to the Open Road Press website in the recent past have been primarily announcements about our book. I’ve repositioned new “blog content” onto websites with a larger following than we have. For example, CBN.com rates among the highest Christian websites for traffic. Founded many years ago by Pat Robertson, the Christian Broadcasting Network still produces content for the airwaves in select markets but also offers many resources on its website. You will find links to the articles that I’ve posted there at the bottom of my author webpage.
In addition to CBN.com, I’ve written for Ruby Magazine, the Southern Writers “Suite T” blog, and other publications that chose not to run the content. We operate in a very competitive space. Debbie succeeded at placing an article in a publication of Guideposts some time ago.
Seminars
For those who want to learn more about bicycle touring, I prepared a seminar entitled “Touring by Bicycle.” I’ve presented it at two local libraries. Last fall, I spoke on book marketing at the Heartprint Writers Group at Grace Chapel. I attend this group regularly and shared from the marketing school of hard knocks with fellow creatives. Here’s the slideshow. Speaking events such as these usually come with the opportunity to pitch the speaker’s books in the back of the room. All bets are off, however, on how many will sell!
Selling at live events
Debbie and I have pitched our books at several local events and other venues in the past year. Our stops included three outdoor festivals in downtown Franklin, the Tour de Nash bicycling event, the Franklin Art Scene, and Shop the Station at a local church. McKay Books is an author-friendly regional used bookstore chain. We held signings at McKay Books in both Nashville and Chattanooga. We’ll be sharing booth space with other local authors at the Southern Festival of Books in October, which is the largest book festival in the area and draws famous authors from afar.
Book awards
If you’ve followed this blog recently, you already realize that Wheels of Wisdom has earned several books awards. If not, it’s garnered three first-place awards (in Inspiration, Devotional, and Christian Nonfiction) and collected some other honors. These accolades have provided the fuel to power some of the other marketing ideas that I’ve just shared with you. We’re grateful for the encouragement and opportunities these awards have brought our way.
Advertising
Beyond these initiatives, we’ve advertised in a variety of places – online, in catalogs, even on radio – and targeted different audiences – book buyers, librarians, bicyclists, devotional readers, among others. With so many options, it’s difficult to know which investments will pay dividends. We’re still trying to figure that out!
Feel free to read and share any of the content I’ve linked you to above. Book marketing is an endless and often thankless task, but one made easier when others help spread the word. We welcome your support!
If I can be of any service to your group or organization, please do not hesitate to ask. And Happy Flag Day!
