Gimmicks Giveaways & Socially Interacting With Strangers

So my first ever published book will be on sale soon. Which is very exciting. But on the other hand it’s very scary. What if it sells 4 copies? What if it gets bad reviews? What if it falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it get released, will the author sobbing still make a sound?

So I thought I’d take this time between fits of paranoia and rage to ask some of my author friends out there what they do that works.

  • What works?
  • Was there a gimmick involved?
  • Did you give anything away to generate interest?

I’m not sure how effective the “giveaway” could be. I pondered using the Nook pictured as a reason for people to sign up for a mailing list. Sign up for the mailing list, then one lucky member will get this fabulous gift. When in reality I’m not sure that will sell books. $200 worth of stuff may get people to sign up on a mailing list. How many will actually buy book 1 and then book 2…?

  • What social media platforms were the most successful?
  • Have you tried mailing lists?
  • If you tried mailing lists, how did you get people to sign up for it?
  • Did you pay for any advertising? If so where and did you get an ROI?
  • In what genre do you write?

I ask the genre question because I feel that’s an important part to the success. As far as where you market the book, and if you have a built in audience. There are some sites that have mostly self-help gurus and motivational speakers. While there are a lot of them that appear when somebody turns on a light, there are also people actively seeking weight loss, financial and fashion assistance.

“I need to lose 30 pounds, that book looks good”

“We have to get our finances under control, how about a book by that author…”

I don’t know if anyone wakes up one day and says “I’m feeling weird, how about a Sci Fi book about the afterlife…”

So how do you invent a reason for someone to need that book? I’ve seen sites that will read your book, and for a small fee, they’ll give you reviews that you can use for promoting the book.

So tell me…

What works:

What doesn’t work:

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