It’s no secret that my day job is marketing. That means I live my life looking at crazy acronyms like CTR, SEO, SEM and even more insane full words like branding, geotargeting, geofencing, re-targeting and the like. There are enough … Continue reading
I read an article the other day about self-publishing how-to, and one of the bullet points was having a beautiful cover. The article stated a very true fact: just because you’re self-publishing doesn’t mean you have to have a cover … Continue reading
Know an author who deserves some special attention? Are you an author that is looking for ways to promote your novel? The Featured Author Program may be for you! As an author I recognize what the blogging community … Continue reading
I have a degree in marketing. If you’ve followed my blog long enough you know that I am overly enthusiastic about sales, marketing and design–oh, and writing! When it comes to writing I am a panster, but when … Continue reading
It would appear that just like paperbacks are waning, so is the traditional newspaper. The newspaper isn’t dead, though–it’s found a different format–the internet. The newspaper and other media distributors are a great source for authors to advertise. The reason is simple–it’s FREE. If you write a great press release then you will get free marketing from the distributor that you have inquired with. There are some basics that are a bit obvious: make sure your grammar is correct and the press release is free of typos, you include pertinent information, and you include websites for the readers to get additional information, but how do you find out where to send your press release?
First and foremost, you will want to post your press release on your own website. This can often be forgotten when you are sending them off to a dozen or so media sources. The next thing you should do is find vendors that are in the location of your event, or if your event is online–or is simply just announcing the release of your book, vendors that will find sympathy and wish to post your information. Either way location can be quite important as far as where you are. It makes no sense for me, as a author from Connecticut, to send a press release to a vendor in California. The reason I say this is that many papers are locally run, and thus, they strongly support businesses and writers in their area. Yes, I want people in California to buy my book, but it would be a waste of time for me to send a press release to a paper that has no gain in promoting me. If you want to reach people outside of your local you can hire an agency such as PRNewsChannel or connect with bloggers who may be interested in posting your press release. As far as working with bloggers to issue press releases, I have found that asking for participation in cover reveals, book blitzes, and blog tours is much more effective because they aren’t as dry and bland. Press releases are meant to cut to the point and while a well written one is a pleasure to read, they aren’t much more than 200 words. I can’t recall the last time I saw a blogger post a press release; however, I’m quite sure that if I asked many would help. It just becomes redundant if these bloggers are also helping out with any of the other marketing events that I described.
I’ve personally had a lot of luck with press releases–I’ve had two of them printed in the local newspaper and the third one was posted on their website. I know who my local papers are, and they do try to support local authors. My first press release caught the attention of the Bulletin, and instead of just a bland press release, I was interviewed and reported on in the paper– it was an amazing experience!
As you can see press releases are very important for letting your local community know that you exist and how to find you. The press release may be intimidating, because as an author you have already written so much. You have a zillion posts for blog tours, and you already had to sum up your 50k+ book into -300 words! After all that, a press release is a little thing. The first one I wrote took me a good two hours, but with time it gets easier. You get a format that works for you and you run with it; the press release for Love Exactly took me about 15 minutes! So here are the basics:
Here is the press release for Love Exactly sent to the Bulletin and others yesterday:
FOR RELEASE ON OR WITHIN THE WEEK OF JUNE 20, 2013
Cassandra Giovanni’s highly anticipated debut into the New Adult genre, Love Exactly, will be released on June 20, 2013. Giovanni debuted onto shelves in May of 2012 with her unique take on Young Adult post-apocalyptic fiction, In Between Seasons (The Fall, #1). Later that year her Young Adult Romantic Suspense novel, Walking in the Shadows was released, and in January 2013 her first Children’s Illustrated novel, The Adventures of Skippy Von Flippy was released. Giovanni continues to blaze her path in the publishing world with her Contemporary Romance Love Exactly. The novel concentrates on the protagonist’s struggle to keep her dark past in the confines of her memory while handling a budding relationship with a famous musician who is just as reluctant to let someone in as she is. Emma Walker was a writer who’d lost herself to someone else’s anger–who had given up on ever feeling like herself again. Evan Levesque was a rock-god–the one all the woman wanted, but he’d never gotten used to the loneliness between the stage and real life. Together they will find out what it means to be in Love Exactly. A release signing will be held on June 22, 2013 at Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT from 2:30-4:30 PM. For more information please contact Bank Square Books at (860) 536-3795 or visit http://www.cgiovanni.com.
First, I’d like to say that WordPress has been working horribly. I got 50 emails of SPAM comments that weren’t filtered yesterday, and now, I just spent an HOUR writing a post. When I hit the “Post” button my post was blank. Wonderful. Now I have to start from scratch again. Yesterday I happened to come across a post by the Misfortune of Knowing, What Do We Want? Better Titles and Covers! When Do We Want It? NOW!. This article discussed the lengthy titles that no one will ever remember, but most importantly, the stereotypical covers that are often seen in Young Adult novels. The ones of twig-like girls, in big poofy dresses that practically devour them; not only this, these covers have no validity in the scope of the novels internal workings. AMB discussed one particular cover where the girl showcased that is sickeningly thin, has arms the circumference of a broomstick, snow white pale skin, and brown hair with blonde highlights. The novel’s main character is girl whom is described as having dark, almost black, ruddy hair and brown skin. The book’s main character is the exact opposite of the cover. Another thing to note, to those who have candidly told me that I need to eat a sandwich, is that this girl needs a big-mac with a super sized side of fries, smothered in a frosty. Why is this done when we spend so much time talking about the proliferation of eating disorders in today’s youth? It is because it’s popular and selling right now? I believe so. Publishers don’t go for what’s new and break-out, or what’s right. They grab for what’s worked in the past without any credence to the value of the cover of the book. This relates directly to my previous article, Cover Catastrophe. AMB’s thoughtful insights began my mind running over a similar stereotype that I’ve seen in the New Adult publishing world, but this time with the opposite sex. Edward Cullen could not have put it any better when he said , “Does he own a shirt?”. The theme of a shirtless young man, typically embracing a clothed female has run rampant in the New Adult publishing world. Thank goodness the young man is somewhat more realistic than that of the stick-figured girls in the Young Adult covers. The reason I say somewhat is because the young man usually displays some musculature, but only due to his innate scrawniness. They don’t really display real men–they usually aren’t that thin, nor are they completely hairless except for a bit of scruff on the face–at least this is my observation. I don’t like that ‘I have muscles because my body fat is only 5%’ look. I don’t want my man to weigh the same or less than me. I want to know that he can pick me up and wrap me in his arms without breaking. The thing that really struck out to me was the similarities to these New Adult covers and the covers of the trashy-romances New Adult is touting it is not. Those harlequin novels only have ONE difference, the men are roided to an inch of their lives. As a New Adult author I have been astonished and aggravated by the media spin that New Adult is simply smutty Young Adult. Unfortunately, I must admit that now I am starting to understand the misunderstanding that created this situation. We are putting New Adult covers on the market that look exactly to the tune of what we are saying we aren’t. Sure, the men are more boys than men, but they are still shirtless and posed in sexy positions of power over their women. My point is, we cannot begin to annihilate the stereotype that the media has driven that New Adult is Young Adult gone trashy without admitting that we are somewhat at fault for the situation. I’m not a feminist, but woman (myself included) often wonder why that other woman doesn’t leave more to the imagination–these covers are just the same, except with men. Reading is about using our imaginations, is it not? It’s about being engrossed in another world, in other characters and falling in love with them. We can use those imaginations to not only infer those steam scenes without the gaudy details, but to imagine covers that are better than what we have done. In my opinion the cover should be an important scene in the novel, or showcase the main character in a light that will help the reader–if New Adult isn’t smut then why are 95% of the covers sexual scenes? I implore my fellow New Adult authors to think about this. The only way to change the impression that the media has is to SHOW that we aren’t what they say we are. The thing that SHOWS the most on the book is the cover. Let’s leave a little to the imagination and show that sex isn’t the most important part of New Adult. Actions speak louder than words–covers speak louder than our crossed arms saying it’s not Young Adult Smut.
A huge part of the marketing of a book is going to be the cover. It’s the first thing that the reader sees, and it’s one of the things that the advertisements of all novels are based off of. That’s why having a unique book cover is so important, yet often times unique isn’t what happens. What occurs is a cover catastrophe–book covers end up being unlike butterfly–they become twins. I believe that book covers should be like butterflies–beautiful, but no two are exactly alike. This doesn’t always happen, and the result is often a confused reader who is trying to recall if the already added that book to their TBR pile, or if it was a book they read and didn’t like, they associate that with your book even though it’s not the same novel. Then there’s an even worse result–there’s whole lists on Goodreads where readers list books that have the same or similar covers. Not only that, they rant and rave about how much it bugs them! I should say that book covers should be very different from each other, because butterflies can look similar but aren’t. It’s the same thing with book covers. The stock photograph is the same, but the font is different, or the girl has had some different clothes Photoshopped onto her, or various other things. The result is still the same–readers see it and think it’s the same book, or they immediately recognize it to be the cover of the other book as well, and then you end up on a list. Here are some links to those very lists:
These don’t include the countless threads in the countless different groups that talk about this very same thing! So why does this happen? There are a couple of reasons: the authors used the same cover designer, the designer used the same stock photograph site, the author didn’t realize that some one else already used that cover, it’s the most cost-effective choice for the author or the publisher. The funny part is, that sometimes the SAME publisher will even use the SAME cover again. I can’t understand that for the life of me, especially as an author who looks at each book as an individual. Your book is an individual and it deserves to be respected and recognized as one! It deserves to have it’s very own unique cover! So how do you get around the cover cloning that is now becoming popular in the publishing world:
You have options to avoid a cover catastrophe and they all have different price ranges, from nothing but your own time, to a lot of money to purchase a photograph so it won’t be used again, but smack in the middle is Gio Design Studios. Here comes the selfless self-promotion: Actually, I’ve noticed that our pricing is quite lower than those that use stock photography and recomposite it as a drawing or change other features in the art. Whatever route you choose, respect your book and give it the best possible cover you can–one that is as unique and beautiful as the story within. After all, it’s More Than Just A Book.
Some of those beautiful butterflies:
Learn more about Gio Design Studios custom cover designs HERE
Emma Walker was a writer who’d lost herself to someone else’s anger–who had given up on ever feeling like herself again.
Evan Levesque was a rock-god–the one all the woman wanted, but he’d never gotten used to the loneliness between the stage and real life.
With just one cup of coffee they’ll begin a journey of self-discovery at each others sides, but can Emma handle Evan’s fame while dealing with her own demons? Emma’s checkered personal past, a bad relationship that haunts the edges of her memories, threatens to make everything implode on them when Evan takes matters into his own hands.
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words…they’ll destroy my soul –Can Emma handle being put back together and facing who she’s become because of it?
GENRE: New Adult>Contemporary Romance
When he came off the plane he was wearing aviators, a black button-up, dark wash jeans and those Converse shoes that I hated on anyone but him. He lifted his sunglasses and broke into a smile as I ran into his arms. He dropped his bag and spun me around as soon as I was in his arms.
“How did you know?” he asked as he set me on the ground, his hands tangled in my hair.
“You told me what flight you were on.”
He shook his head and held my chin in his hand. “I’ve always wanted to have someone to wait for me—to spin them around and then do this.”
He pulled my chin up and tilted it until our lips touched—soft at first and then the reminder that we hadn’t kissed in two months came over us. The only thing that could pull us apart was the whistle that echoed through the terminal and then the incessant flash of cameras.
“Crap,” Evan hissed, his forehead pressed to mine with his hands on either side of my face so they couldn’t get a good picture of me. “You don’t want them to know who you are yet, do you?”
I shook my head but said with my voice shaking, “I knew the risk.”
He swallowed and then smiled. “Tilt your head down so that your hair covers your face from view.”
I did what he said and then felt his hands slip the glasses over my eyes. As I looked up his cocky half-smile made me laugh.
“They look a hell of a lot hotter on you,” he teased, throwing his duffel bag over his shoulder and wrapping his arm around my waist so that his fingers were in the front pocket of my jeans.
“I don’t think that’s possible,” I replied, breathless from the feel of his touch as my t-shirt rose, exposing the flesh of my hip to his warmth.
“It’s very possible with you,” he whispered into my ear as we made our way past the flashing cameras. “I can’t wait to see the tabloids on this one.”
“It would be much better if we did something dangerous, like locked ourselves in a public restroom.”
He looked down at me through his eyebrows. “Really? That’s not all that clean.”
“I haven’t seen you in two months,” I said, turning and stopping in front of him. “I’ve thought about you every single day. Do you know what that does to a girl? Especially when pictures of you half-naked are strewn across the internet.”
“I see you found those.” His voice was edged with amusement, but his face was red in embarrassment.
I pulled on the collar of his shirt before leaning up on my toes and whispering into his ear, “I need some real ones.”
“What do you need pictures of when I’m here?” he answered, his breath hot on my chin, voice seductive.
“I need you to burn the images into my mind then,” I said before gently biting his ear.
His free hand drifted down the small of my back to my rear pocket. “I thought I already had.”
“Mhmm…I need more.”
“I have to admit I kind of enjoy this.” He smirked down at me. “But teasing me like this is just cruel.”
“Does the rental car have blacked out windows?” I asked over my shoulder as I turned.
I watched his Evan’s Adam’s apple rise and fall. “I sure hope so.”
Cassandra doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character’s stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. In 2012 she became a published Young Adult author, releasing In Between Seasons (The Fall, #1) and Walking in the Shadows. In 2013 she branched out by using her artistic illustrating talents to publish her first Children’s novel, The Adventures of Skippy Von Flippy: Tales of Friendship (Skippy Tales, #1). Cassandra will also release her first New Adult novel, Just One Cup, in the Spring of 2013.
Cassandra is a freelance professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is the owner of Gio Design Studios, a photography and publication marketing company that designs covers and marketing materials for authors utilizing the company’s photography. She is currently studying to receive her associates degree in Marketing. Cassandra is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England with the other loves of her life their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.
Special thanks to bloggers who brought on other bloggers as well, specifically:
Girls Heart Books– http://lissalynnsreviews.blogspot.com/
Fangirl Hostess– http://fangirlhostess.blogspot.com/
The other great bloggers who volunteered to help:
· I Read Indie– http://twimom101bookblog.blogspot.com/
· Michelle—Facebook Pusher!
· Enthralled By Books– http://enthralledbybooks.blogspot.com/
· My Guilty Obsession– http://myguiltyobsession.blogspot.com/
· Vanessa Booke– http://www.vanessabooke.com/
· Tiffany Loves Books– http://tiffanylovesbooks.wordpress.com/
· Alicia Rivioli– http://aliciarivoli.blogspot.com/
· The Book Diaries— http://the-book-diaries.blogspot.com/
· Happy Indulgence– http://happyindulgence.wordpress.com/ (with special interview)
· Darlene Foster– http://darlenefoster.wordpress.com/
· The Paper Gardens– http://kitsuchan.com/wp/
· Anupamtimes— http://www.anupamtimes.com/2013/04/i-write-because-i-feel-that-if-i-didnt.html (with special featured interview)
· A Book Paradise— http://abookparadise.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/cover-reveal-just-one-cup-by-cassandra.html
· Reading Under the Stars– http://readingunderthestars.blogspot.co.uk/
· Dreaming Moscio– http://sweetreez.wordpress.com/
· Breath of Life– http://breathoflifebookreviews.blogspot.com/
· Maggie Thom—http://wp.me/p2ydBl-j0
· Books Books & More Books— http://theshortone08.blogspot.com/
· Chapter Break– http://chapterbreak.wordpress.com/
· A Little Bit of R & R– http://www.alittlebitofrnrreviews.com/
· Tracy’s Nook– www.tracysnook.com
· The Booklover’s Opinion– http://bookloversopinion.blogspot.com/
· Megan S Johnston– http://megansjohnston.com/
· Sweet Southern Home– http://sweetsouthernhome.net/
· All in One Place– http://kvlovesbooks.blogspot.co.uk/
· Wybear Press– http://denaliskies.wordpress.com/
· Yalle Ondarza– http://www.yalleondarza.blogspot.com/
· Bookbreath– http://kimberleyjones17.blogspot.com/
· Wandering Thoughts of a Writer– http://themusingwriter.blogspot.com/
· Anne Conley– http://www.conleycorner.blogspot.com/
· Sonya Loveday– http://sonyaloveday.wordpress.com/
· Candace Knoebel– http://candaceknoebel.wordpress.com/
· The Book Wranglers— http://www.thebookwranglers.com/?zx=5464dfa175afb001
· Book Addicts Not So Anonymous– http://bookaddictedaa.blogspot.com/
· Life from a Lefty— http://www.lifefromalefty.com/
· Drugs Called Books– http://drugscalledbooks.blogspot.co.il/
· Ramblings of a Book Junkie– http://ramblingsofabookjunkie.blogspot.com/
· Owlnestly Reviews– http://owlnestlyreviews.blogspot.com/
· Babbling of a Bookaholic– http://babblingofabookaholic.blogspot.com/
· Comfortably Read– http://www.comfortablyread.com/
· Tsk, Tsk, What to Read?– http://tsktskwhattoread2.blogspot.com/
· Breathe in Books– http://www.breatheinbooks.blogspot.com/
· Peace, Love, Books— http://readingpassion03.blogspot.com/
· Krystal’s Enchanting Reads– http://enchantingreads7.blogspot.com/
· Jessica Tornese– http://jessicatornese.com/
· Love Books? Blog Books!– http://lovebooksblogbooks.blogspot.co.uk
· Andy Toynbee— http://andrewtoynbee.wordpress.com/
AKA Selecting Your Target Market
Marketing at a book expo at my Alma Mater.
This week we are going to continue on with the second of the five part series on your book marketing plan. This week’s focus is on market segmentation or selecting your target market. Now, this may appear easy for a book. It’s simple because genres usually easily fit into a “target market”, unfortunately with all things book marketing related, it’s not really as easy as it sounds. The great part about this is the fact that your genre isn’t restrictive based on who you’ve written it for because there are a lot of, say, adults who love Young Adult literature; this expands your market share! Yes, that means more profits–we hope!
Selecting your target market means you need to consider whom you wrote your book for and what marketing strategies appeal to that particular target. You are taking a homogeneous market and dividing it up into more reasonable target areas. There are several simple ways that regular marketers concentrate on market segmentation:
- Geographic Segmentation: Your market will be divided up by the areas in which your clientele live such as states, countries, regions, etc.
- Demographic Segmentation: Your market will be divided up by socioeconomic factors such as age, sex, education, income, occupation, etc.
- Psychographic Segmentation: Your market will be divided up by lifestyle, personalities, attitudes, values, interests, etc.
- Behavioral Segmentation: Your market will be divided up by the buying behaviors that a certain group exhibits consumption, usage, desired benefits, etc.
Now, how do each of these segments apply to you and your book marketing plan:
Now, onto the example with my newest novel, Just One Cup:
I will use demographic, pyschographic and behavioral segmentation to obtain a select market of readers:
My demographic is New Adults in the age range of 17+. The market is mainly 17-35, but there will be others attracted. The novel is a Contemporary romance so I will be looking to attract a mostly female demographic, and as far as pyschographic, the sub-genre will attract those with a personality that has an interest in love stories, stories of rising above your past, and becoming a better person. The buying behavior of those reading New Adults seems to be e-books, so the novel should be available on as many e-book platforms as possible. I do not want to miss out on the portion of the population that still craves the smell and feel of paper–so I will also have a paperback available. The paperback will also act as a good incentive for giveaways and promotions.
Now that we know our market segmentation we can concentrate on the ways that we will attract these important readers in Part 3.
Book marketing is a trial and error sort of business, but in my experience, most marketing is. You have to find what works for not only you, but for your target market–for your novel and your goals. The whole idea can be daunting, especially for those authors who claim hermacy is a huge benefit of being a writer. I’m not a hermit–I’m pretty sure all of you know that by now. Marketing is all about being bold, taking necessary risks, falling on your butt and getting back up again. It’s about determination and drive, and it’s anything but simple. There are some ‘essentials’ that I think can work for most every author, and that should/will be essential to every author if they wish to be successful. Yes, you need a marketing plan (PART 2 coming this Saturday), but we can be even more simple than that. A marketing plan can be overwhelming for a new author just entering the business, and while I implore that it’s very important–there are more basic things you should do. Just four simple steps:
Oh, and never ever respond to someone’s review of your book, or tell your friend to respond to a review of your book that wasn’t fully to your liking. You might want to, but what you might do is alienate a potential reader of your other novels–a potential word of mouth promoter. Some negative publicity is always good anyways–not every reader will love your style, or all of your books, but they might love some of them. They might even enjoy watching you grow as a writer, BUT if you respond to their thoughts you will never get that chance. You will line yourself up for some very bad promotion via word of mouth.
cgiovanniwrites.wordpress.com 