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31 Self-Publishing Tips for Small Press Month (March) by Brent Sampson
Since March is Small Press Month,
this is the month to promote your self-published book! With that in
mind, here are 31 ways you can market & promote your book
during Small Press Month, one for each day of March. Time to get
started!
Mar 1 - If you do not have enough author's copies on hand, contact your
publisher and order more so they arrive in enough time to pursue these
other tips throughout the month. Every day represents a new opportunity
and you always want to have books on-hand.
Mar 2 - Contact other independent published authors in your area
(through local associations you may belong to) and combine your
resources to fully exploit the opportunities during this month. There's
a lot to do, and four hands are better than two. The Internet is full
of sites, forums, and chat rooms where authors congregate.
Mar 3 - Contact your local bookstores and suggest they offer discounts
on Small Press books. Bring in your book and offer it to them at a
higher discount than usual to get them started. Show them the rest of
this calendar as a way of indicating your commitment to making Small
Press Month successful for them. Remember, always pitch with WIIFM in
mind. "What's in it for me?" That's what the bookstore retailer is
thinking. Answer that question for him, then offer to leave a free copy
of your book along with a sales sheet.
Mar 4 - Contact your local newspapers and inform them of Small Press
Month (in case they don't know about it). Suggest they write a small
article or events calendar for Small Press events in the area. Tell
them you will be sending them a press release on the 5th.
Mar 5 - Send a press release to the local media (newspapers, radio,
television) mentioning Small Press Month and your independently
published book. (If you secured some events, mention them in the
release. This also demonstrates to the media that you can commit to a
delivery and follow-thru, which will increase their confidence in
relying upon you in the future.
Mar 6 - Follow-up on your press release from yesterday with the local
media via telephone. Reiterate Small Press Month, your planned events
in the community, and your book. Offer to compose a review that they
can use as a foundation. (Less work for them).
Mar 7 - If you haven't yet published your book, today is the day to
start. "Top 10 Self Publishing Firms" by Stacie Vander Pol is a good
resource to start with.
Mar 8 - Contact your local libraries and suggest they feature Small
Press titles, including yours. Offer to leave a free copy with them,
along with a sales sheet.
Mar 9 - If you haven't yet sent out review copies for book, now is the
time. Do a search on Google for "book reviewers."
Mar 10 - Contact local schools in your area and tell them about Small
Press Month. Mention that you are a local published author and offer to
speak to their assembly about how to accomplish their dreams of being
published. This is particularly effective if you have a children's book
you can then sell after the assembly.
Mar 11 - Contact local universities and colleges. Same concept as
yesterday -- promote yourself and your book by sharing your knowledge
of how to write a book and get it published. Sell copies of your book
in the back of the room.
Mar 12 - Schedule a seminar or tele-seminar on "How to Write and
Publish a Book" and offer a "Small Press Month" discount on the
registration fee. Send out a local news release about your class.
Mar 13 - Contact other sales channels outside of the bookstore that may
be likely to sell your book. This may include websites related to your
book's topic, gift stores, hardware stores, grocery stores, boutiques,
etc. Look at your book and ask yourself where your readers may be
shopping.
Mar 14 - Contact local art studios, design boutiques, or other small
independent businesses in your area. Give them the opportunity to share
in co-op on some advertising initiatives (plus, if applicable, offer to
conduct some events in their venues).
Mar 15 - Join with other independently published authors and arrange a
co-op advertisement in the local media, using any dollars secured from
local businesses you spoke with on the 14th. In addition to simply
promoting your book, promote your upcoming events, so people show up at
them. The other authors can join in the events, which may lead the
bookstores to be more interested in scheduling it (even on such short
notice).
Mar 16 - Contact all the local radio producers in your area.
Mar 17 - Think St. Paddy's day thoughts. Then make sure your online
Amazon.com listing is all it can be.
Mar 18 - Contact the major newspapers about Small Press Month. They're
likely to write up something if enough authors contact them (or they
may already have articles/calendars planned) and you will want to be
among the piles of information they have received:
THE NEW YORK TIMES: 229 W 43rd Street, New York NY 10036-3959 (212)
556-1234
USA TODAY: 1000 Wilson Blvd, Arlington VA 22209-3901 (703) 276-3400 and
535 Madison Avenue, 20th Fl, New York NY 10022-4212 (212) 715-5410
WALL STREET JOURNAL: 200 Liberty Street, New York NY 10281-1003 (212)
416-2000
WASHINGTON POST: 1150 15th Street NW, Washington DC 20071-0002 (202)
334-6000
Mar 19 - Contact your local community center and inform them of Small
Press Month. If you have gathered a band of local authors, this will be
more affective. Schedule an impromptu event, celebrating Small Press
books.
Mar 20 - This may be the month to switch independent publishers if you
have published elsewhere. Is your retail price too high? Is your profit
too low? Is your author's copy price too high? Compare and save.
Mar 21 - Join a Yahoo Group or Google group devoted to small press
publishing. Find groups on MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter, too.
Mar 22 - Sign-up for your own account on MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter,
and LinkedIn to promote your book.
Mar 23 - Contact the Learning Annex (or similarly themed Adult
Education Program) in your area and offer to teach a class on the
subject of your book. As a published author, you are qualified to teach
on your subject since you are an expert. Your book may even be required
reading for each student!
Mar 24 - Start writing online reviews on Amazon. Write reviews for
every book you have ever read. Mention that you are the author of your
book at the bottom of each posted review. If people like the writing
style of your review, they may investigate your book, especially if you
write reviews for books within the same genre as yours.
Mar 25 - Contact the public libraries in each state and mention your
involvement with Small Press Month. Send them information about your
book. Here's a link that will get you started:
http://www.publiclibraries.com/
Mar 26 - Start preparing for April (National Poetry Month), especially
if you have a volume of poetry you have published.
Mar 27 - Help other writers you know get published. Share the positive
experiences you had with your publisher.
Mar 28 - Start a blog and keep it active and up-to-date. Register it
with blog directories so others start reading it and participating.
There are many blog programs to help you get started. Conduct a search
on Google for the one that works for you.
Mar 29 - Submit your published book to the Google Base listings. It's
free. http://base.google.com
Mar 30 - Publish a "Large Print" edition of your book. With the world's
demographics growing older, "large print" editions are becoming more
and more popular. Featuring 14 or 16 point fonts, these editions appeal
to the aging community because they are easier to read. You've already
written the book, now re-publish a new "Large Print" edition to
increase your revenue and double the effectiveness of your marketing
initiatives.
Mar 31 - Take a breath. It's been a busy, productive month.
About the Author
Brent Sampson is the best-selling and award-winning author of "Sell Your Book on Amazon," "Self-Publishing Simplified," and "Adventures in Publishing." As the president & CEO of Outskirts Press, Brent offers full-service self-publishing services to authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and powerful way to publish and distribute their books worldwide. Visit http://www.outskirtspress.com for more information.
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