So You’ve Written a Novel . . . How to Build an Authentic Online Community for Self-Promotion

Tyndale House Publishers are Crazy4fiction!

Guest Shaina Turner, Tyndale House Publishers

Writing a novel is hard work. Once you find that gem of an idea, there is the tricky business of actually writing. You spend months and months of your life deep in conversation with your characters, and finally you turn the last page and you’re done . . . except that’s not actually the case.

If you are a novelist in this modern world, you know that the self-promotion and marketing of your book have become nearly as important (and time-intensive) as writing the novel itself. Phew. It is certainly not easy, but I have a few tips to help you think strategically when planning book promotion online.

Whether you are a seasoned pro or a debut novelist, the key to successful self-promotion is strategic moderation.

What does this mean?

Everyone loves good news, right? Even your periphery fans will be pleased to hear about your four-star trade review, BUT what about that other endorsement you received? And the nomination for the industry award? The old adage is true in this case: it’s possible to have too much of a good thing.

I always encourage our authors to create a marketing calendar for themselves. When you think of your launch as a three-month-long adventure (prerelease, release month, and post-release), you’ll feel less inclined to spam your social media audience with all the good news at once.

In addition to setting up a schedule, content is key for continued success. In many ways, we are all consumers. So ask yourself, what content do you like and share online? That adorable puppy video (something that made you smile and connect to the sharer on a personal level)? Those helpful tips for how to get your hero out of a sticky situation (something that added value)? We all, instinctively, share content that . . .

• connects with us on a personal level: This could be something humorous, an inspiring quote, or, as my example demonstrated above, a personal interest that you share with the one who posted. 

• adds value to our lives: If you browse Pinterest, for example, you will find pages and pages of beautiful lifestyle shots, but the most popular pins walk through instructions, unpack a complicated process step-by-step, etc. Think about what you are an “expert” on. This could pertain to writing, but it could also be your grandma’s famous baked beans recipe. Authors build communities—online and in person—by sharing a little bit of themselves in the process of their book launch. 

One of the easiest traps to fall into is what I have labeled “the author overshare.” Your fans are excited for you and will be happy to see your reviews, but never forget that they join you on this journey because they love your stories and want to connect with you. Keep your content varied. If you’d like to think of it systematically, divide your monthly content up into a few categories. A few of my favorites are . . .

• Author-centric content: While not always book/reading/writing related, these posts allow your readers to get a taste of your personality, as they’re all about you, the author. Readers love to feel like they know you as an author and as a person. Since you control the content, only post things you feel comfortable sharing. Example: “Today I was writing, and the funniest thing happened. . . .”  

• Writer-centric content: These posts can appeal to your readers as behind-the-scenes glimpses of how you create your novels. They could include posts about research, your writing process, how you go about crafting ideas, etc. Great reviews, endorsements, and nominations for awards would flow into this category as well. 

• Reader-centric content: For eons, writers have heard that in order to create great literature, one must first read great literature. Readers love engaging with authors on common interests, and the easiest way to start is by talking about something you already know they like: books! Dive in and discuss the one book that changed how you thought about life and shaped you as a writer.

Every author is different, and thus every community that forms around them and their novels will have a unique set of needs, but at the end of the day, we all want to feel a sense of belonging. The most successful self-promoters understand this and work hard to create a true place of community online. This will not only build brand loyalty and lifelong fans of your writing, but it’s personally more fulfilling as an author to engage online when you can have authentic dialogue with readers.

It is not easy work, but take the leap. You may not see results right away—it will be a slow growing process—but the best way to promote your stories will be by putting in that hard work and building an online community that cannot wait to shout your good news from the social media rooftops.

Thanks for having me on today!

SHAINA TURNER enjoys working at Tyndale House Publishers as their social media expert: the Social Media and Acquisitions Editor. She takes pride in helping authors best convey their heart and message across all online platforms in addition to managing Tyndale Fiction’s social media presence, Crazy4Fiction.

Stay up-to-date on the Tyndale House Fiction Team and their authors

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Your Seekerville hostess, Pam Hillman, here. I was so excited when Shaina agreed to give Seekerville (and ME!) some tips on sharing all the great exposure on social media that comes our way during a release. Authors, please share your own tips on how you show and tell all without bombarding your fans during a book launch. Readers, I'd love for you to chime in and tell us what works for you. 

Commenters will be eligible to win any Tyndale House Publishers book, winner's choice. Print or digital in the US; Digital outside US. Here's the link to my most recent release, The Promise of Breeze Hill, but winner is free to browse and pick something else from the Tyndale website. You can't go wrong with a Tyndale book. :)

Street Teams: Your Book Launch Secret Weapon

With Guest Misty Beller

Street Team, Launch Team, Fan Club—the name varies, but the idea is still a great one!

What am I talking about, you ask?

A launch team is basically a group of readers who are ready and willing (and eager!) to get the word out on the street about an author’s books. When I think of my launch team, I think of my first readers, my inside circle, my front lines, my most enthusiastic fans.

What does a launch team do?

Members are given ARC copies and asked to read the book before release. From there, the role may vary depending on the author and team members, but the common theme and single most important job of a launch team member is to post reviews—on Amazon, Goodreads, and anywhere else the book is available! Reviews help jump-start both Amazon’s algorithms and reader confidence in a book, so I work hard to help my books gain at least twenty-five reviews within the first few weeks.

Beyond reviews, some ideas for the launch team are to:

·       Talk about the books on social media sites.

·       Blog about the books.

·       Direct people to author’s website.

·       Write a review for their local newspaper.

·       Purchase copies to give away as Christmas and birthday gifts.

·       Pin the cover and book memes to Pinterest.

·       Share favorite quotes from the book on social media.

·       Suggest the book on reading forums, like those on Goodreads.

·       Like and share the book trailer on YouTube or Vimeo.

·       Donate a copy to a local library or church library.

·       Suggest the author’s latest book to a book club.

·       And the list can go on!

Who makes a great launch team member?

Readers who have read and are excited about the author’s books, and want to share that excitement within their sphere of influence. Enthusiasm trumps all. Time availability is important, too!

Often, authors tend to lean toward asking other authors to be on their launch team. After all, only a compatriot would understand the importance of the role, right? In my experience, though, readers tend to be more enthusiastic launch team members, eagerly reading the book and posting reviews as soon as possible. While it’s certainly fine to have both, when I open my launch team to new members, I try to post the memo where my readers will see it.

So how does an author find launch team members?

I recommend having a form on your website that asks basic questions, such as what genres the potential candidate likes to read, and whether they’ve read any of your books already. You could also go one step further and ask for the link to one of the reviews they’ve posted for your books. How much or how little is your choice!

You can see an example form at my website.  When I was actively seeking to grow my team, this page was front and center on my site menu. Now, I have it tucked in as part of the ‘About’ page so it can be found by readers who are really interested.

Once you have that form in place, you can direct people there from a variety of places:

·       Call-out on social media.

·       Post the request on your blog.

·       Send an email to your list. (Another advantage of growing your reader list! Just make sure you screen respondents to find those who really want to help with your launches, not just receive free books.)

·       A note in the back of your eBooks, if you’re feeling ambitious!

What should you give your launch team in return for their help?

Free ARCs (advance reader copies) are a given.

For traditionally published authors, your publisher probably already has a standard format for distributing ARCs. Some larger publishers send paperback copies directly to those on your launch team, and only need you to provide names and addresses for each person.

Other publishers will provide you with a PDF or eBook files to distribute to your team. Still others use services like NetGalley to send out ARCs. Make sure you know what your publisher is planning and what they need from you, BEFORE you contact your launch team about a new release.

For indie authors, there are great FREE programs out there to help authors convert and distribute ARC files in formats that make it easy for your launch team members to read. Calibre is a useful (free) software to convert a Word document to mobi files (for Kindles) and epub files (for iBooks, Nook, and most other ereaders).

BookFunnel.com is a helpful resource to distribute the ereader files to your team. It makes the process to download the file onto their ereader as simple as possible, and BookFunnel’s customer service is top notch.

Beyond ARCs, have fun with it! Here are some fun freebies to share with your team, if you have the opportunity and/or means:

·       Insider info, such as the first opportunity to see cover art for your upcoming releases.

·       Let them help name characters or choose settings.

·       I like to give my team the choice to receive either eBook or paperback copies (signed with a note to them).

·       Book swag created for your author brand, such as bookmarks, mugs printed with your book cover, etc.

·       Christmas ornaments engraved with your author or book name. Etsy.com has some creative options here!

·       Generally speaking, the more you connect with your team, the more they’ll want to promote your books.

A word of caution above, Amazon’s review requirements are strict about giving gifts in exchange for reviews, so you’ll want to be careful to avoid any language about ‘requiring reviews’ in exchange for any of the benefits received by being on your launch team.

Make it easy to share your book on social media

People are more likely to share your book when you make it easy for them! There are a couple of ways you can do this:

·       The simplest way is to create several Twitter and Facebook posts that people can copy and post to their respective accounts. (Make sure you include a buy link for your book!) You can simply include these in an email to your launch team, or paste them on a Word document you send out.

·       A more sophisticated method would be to create a share page on your website. Using a tool like sharelinkgenerator.com, you can create prewritten posts where people only need to click to post your message on any of the social media platforms you include. You can even add memes or other images for easy posting. People are more likely to share your message when you make it possible with only a click or two.

  Tips on Interacting with your Launch Team

·       Know your goals for the team and be clear up front about expectations. Do you want them to focus on reviews only, or is social media sharing important to you?

·       Send ARCs to your team at least 2-3 months before release, or as early as possible.

·       Include links for where to post reviews in your emails to your list. Don’t forget Goodreads!

·       Even if you haven’t made a big deal about your team sharing on social media, make it easy for those who choose to do so!

So now, I’d love to hear from you! As a reader, are you part of any author launch teams? What great ideas or best practices have you seen? Looking forward to hearing about your experiences! 😊

Giveaway:

Please let us know if you want to be entered. Winner's choice of either of the following: 

• All three ebooks of my latest series, Wyoming Mountain Tales (includes A Pony Express Romance, A Rocky Mountain Romance, and A Sweetwater River Romance)
• Signed paperback of my new book for writers, How to Market a Book Release (Continental US only, please)

Misty M. Beller writes Christian historical romance, and is a hybrid author of eleven novels, as well as a non-fiction book for authors, How to Market a Book Release.

With over ten years working in professional project management and marketing, Misty uses her experience in the corporate world to develop best practices in her writing and book marketing efforts. It is her passion to help other authors on this same journey.

Misty teaches courses and workshops at writers’ conferences around the U.S., educating authors on effective book marketing approaches and helping them apply that knowledge to their own books.

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9 Steps to Market a New Book Release

with guest Misty M. Beller.

I’m so excited to celebrate nine years with y’all! As you paddle furiously from unpubbed island to the shores of success, one of the important supplies you’ll need is a bit of marketing savvy to help make the most of your experiences in Published Land. I’m in the midst of releasing a new book myself, so this topic has been forefront in my mind! (If you’d like to check it out, A Pony Express Romance is available for pre-order and scheduled to release Dec. 27, 2016).  

To grow those skills (and in keeping with the theme of “9”), let’s talk about nine critical steps to successfully marketing your new release!

Note: Sometimes marketing can be a bit overwhelming, so if that’s the raft you’re rowing, I’m going to make it easier for you. I’ll put an asterisk beside the steps that are absolutely critical. The others you can pick and choose what you want to do. 

So let’s get started!

1. Announce the Book to Your Email List*:

When these folks signed up for your email list, you probably promised they would be the first to know about new releases, so keep that promise! Announce the new release to your email list first. If your book is available for pre-order, you’ll want to send a total of three emails to your list: one when the pre-order starts, another on release day, and the third a couple weeks after release. In this last email, thank them for the purchase, let them know you hope they enjoy the story and ask them to leave a review. Here is a blog post where I cover these emails in more detail. 

2. Post the Book*: 

We’re not talking social media yet. In step two, you want to make sure that book is added on all the websites where readers are looking. Add the book cover, blurb, and buy links to your author website. Make sure you have an Amazon Author Page and your new book is linked to it (no, this doesn’t happen automatically). The same with Bookbub. (You do have a Bookbub Author Page, right?) Add the book to Goodreads, ACFW’s Fiction Finder, etc. And if you have any indie published books, make sure you add links to the new book in the back matter of your existing inventory.  

3. Prep your Launch Team*: 

Send advance reader copies to them a couple months before release, if possible. I also like to send out the links where they should post reviews as soon as those are live. You can send out the Goodreads link right away, then send out the other links when the review option is live (usually on release day). 

4. Announce on Social Media*:

Now is the time to share with the world! Make sure you include the buy links so people can get in on the fun.

5. Schedule Blog Tour: 

If you plan to do interviews or guests posts on blogs, you’ll want to schedule these several months in advance. Guest blogging can be time-consuming, so make sure you choose blogs geared toward your target reader. 

6. Submit for Critical Reviews:

This is another step that needs to begin early, often four to six months before release. If you’re traditionally published, your publisher will likely handle this piece for you. However, indies get to do the legwork on their own. Some of the bigger review sites include Booklife, RT Reviews, and Kirkus Reviews. 

7. Schedule Paid Ads:

Again, if you’re traditionally published, you’ll want to discuss this with the publisher’s marketing team to make sure you’re clear about what they’re doing and what they’re willing to pay for. My favorite paid ads for pre-orders are Facebook Ads. After release, I submit for a feature with EreaderNewsToday.com as soon as the book has ten reviews. Then when the book hits 25 reviews or more, I start requesting a feature with Bookbub.com. There are lots of other ad sites out there—some more effective than others—but these are my personal favorites. 

8. Schedule any Appearances or Parties: 

If you plan to host a release party, either in person or on social media, or book signings, now’s the time to get them lined up!

9. Document Each Step and the Results*:

Even if you think there’s no way you could possibly forget the details of this launch, I promise you will! Create a document (in Excel, Word, a spiral-bound notebook—anything!) and write down EVERYTHING you did to market this new release. Then record the results of each activity. What step had a lot of impact, either in book sales or recognition? What was a waste of time or money? What do you wish you’d done differently? Record it all! This is called a post-mortem and will be so helpful to you next time! 


Although the marketing possibilities are endless, these are the core focus areas. And as you gain experience releasing new books, you’ll find some of these bring you more value than others. So let’s hear from you! What are your favorite ways to market a new book release? And readers, how do you typically find out about new releases from favorite or new authors?

Join the conversation for a chance to win the first three books in my Mountain Dreams Series.  (Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.)

I’m giving these away so you don’t have to wait until the end of December for my new release, A Pony Express Romance, but you can take a peek at it here!

Additionally, I have a free Book Launch Marketing Checklist that you can download here.

Misty M. Beller writes Christian historical romance and is the author of the Mountain Dreams Series and the Texas Rancher Trilogy.

She was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. Growing up, her family was close, and they continue to keep that priority today. Misty has worked over a decade in the corporate world, focusing her efforts in project management, business leadership, and marketing, and now loves to apply those same skills in her writing life.  spends treasured days with her husband and two daughters. In the midst of it all, her husband and daughters keep her both grounded and crazy.

Misty loves to connect through her website, marketing blog for authors, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

A Pony Express Romance

After growing up as an orphan, Josiah English wants nothing more than to have his own ranch and raise Arabian horses. Riding for the Pony Express seems like the ticket to his dream. And when he meets the stationmaster’s beautiful sister, it seems he may be within reach of the happy life he craves.

Mara Reid is thrilled to finally meet the man of her dreams, and the fact that they both want to raise horses in the Sweetwater River valley seems like confirmation straight from God. 

But when the Express shuts down and Mara's family home is in peril, the danger looming over Mara's life may not be half as destructive as that threatening her heart.