Source: http://www.adzines.com/Book-Marketing-Articles/Media-Events-for-Book-Promotion/6439

“How do I set up a media event?” – As a publisher, that’s a good question to have an answer for.

Media events and public appearances can fall into any number of categories and include any number of venues (book stores, radio interviews, television interviews, writing group speeches, presentations, chat room interviews, online book tours, public forums, and more).

A good place to identify possible media event locations is through local bookstore. Most bookstores carry event calendars or maintain a list of contact people who hold that information.

Browse the calendar listings and see if a certain book promotion fits with their plans. Sometimes it might be necessary to tailor a planned event for a particular occasion or holiday. If there is contact information available, make a note of it so you can pitch the appropriate person about your event.

Follow-up with prospective contacts who have not confirmed dates. Selling yourself and your book is a numbers game, and as any salesperson will tell you, the amount of contact is directly proportional to the amount of sales.

Be persistent without being annoying. If, after three or four attempts with a particular media contact, you are still unsuccessful move on to another prospect.

Once you secure an event, prepare it thoroughly in advance. People who attend or listen to your events are participating because the advertisement or announcement struck a chord with them, so be sure to deliver what they came to see or hear. Don’t be shy about letting them know how to order your book. After all, that’s the reason you’re involved in the event in the first place.

Promote your media event aggressively. Invite your friends and family, and if it’s within the scope of your marketing budget, advertise in the local paper. Neighborhood papers may even promote your event for free within their “Events” pages. You may even be able to tie it into a book review.

The store is sponsoring the event to attract more customers; the station is sponsoring the event to attract more listeners or viewers. Whatever the venue, it is your responsibility to attract the crowd. The venue is just that – a venue.

Brent Sampson is the President & CEO of Outskirts Press Publishing at OutskirtsPress.com and author of Publishing Gems: Insider Information for the Self-Publishing Writer. Information at http://outskirtspress.com/publishinggems

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Source: http://blog.marketingtipsforauthors.com/2011/03/working-with-bookstore-to-pull-of-great.html

today’s post, I want to share some tips that I use when I set up events at book stores, whether for me or for someone else. Hopefully, you can find something to help you when you plan your next event.

Before we get to today’s post, I want to let my DFW readers know that a great author and friend of mine is having a book signing at the Creekwalk Barnes & Nobles in Plano, TX on March 12th, 2 pm. (810 West 15th St., Suite E, Plano, 75075). If you are able, please join Pari Danian, sculpture, photographer, author & cuisine artist in celebrating the launch of her book, The Palatable Plate: Cook & Eat Like An Artist. Door prizes, raffles and book signing will make this an afternoon to cherish. I’d be grateful if you could help spread the word.

Now, on to our post…

1. Meet In Person Before The Event- If the bookstore has a community organizer who is responsible for the event, drop in a few weeks early to meet them and shake their hand. The sooner you can become a face and not a name, the better your relationship will be the closer you get to the day of the event.

2. Ask What You Can Do To Help Promote The Event- We all have our marketing ideas, but don’t neglect to tap into the wisdom of the coordinator. With his or her experience, you may learn what works with that venue that you may not have thought about before.

3. Ask If They Have Any Suggestions- Coordinators probably know their patrons well. They know what appeals to them because they have seen many authors in their venue before. Will you get more traffic with snacks? What about a give-away? The Barnes and Nobel that Pari will be at has a Starbucks close to where she will be sitting with her cookbook. The coordinator suggested that Pari bring a simple appetizer found in her book to catch some of the Starbucks visitors- very clever. You never want to underestimate the help that the bookstore can offer you.

4. Don’t Spring Any Surprises- Of course, if you have a cookbook, it might not be a good idea to bring a toaster oven and demonstrate a recipe without clearing it through the bookstore. If you have a gimmick, then it’s probably best to run it by the bookstore first. If they’re going to say “no”, you’ll want to them to do it before you arrive for the event.

5. Give Plenty Of Advance Notice For Your Requests- Do you need an outlet for a computer or WiFi access? Whatever you’re planning on doing for the event, make sure you let the bookstore know what you need. Many requests are easy to accommodate if you just give them time to plan for your requests.

6. Introduce Yourself To The Booksellers- If you can find out which employees are scheduled to work during your event, stop in before the event to meet them. Tell them about you and your book and let them know how excited you are to be at their store. Just remember, they have a job to do, so be considerate with their time. You’ll be surprised at how a little visit like this will help you gain some important allies when you’re sitting at the table signing books.

7. Arrive Early- I like to arrive about 30 minutes early. That gives me plenty of time to set up and I usually have time left to browse the books. I can also press the flesh one more time with the booksellers before the show starts. Arriving early can give you a chance to make sure everything is perfect for your event.

8. Laugh And Smile A Lot- The day of the event is your day to shine. You are the star and the bookstore wants nothing more than for you to have a successful event. Nothing can help you do that more than smiling. Laughing and smiling has a way of warmly inviting customers over to meet you. If they feel that you’re there to talk to and that you’re not going to pressure them to buy your book, you’ll be surprised at how many of these people will go ahead and make the purchase. After all, it makes a consumer feel good to buy something from someone they like, right?

I hope these tips help you when you plan your next event. If you can find a way to work with the bookstore, you’ll find a powerful partner to help your event go by smoothly and successfully. You may even find yourself invited back for many more events with them in the future.

Tony Eldridge

Tony Eldridge is the author of the action/adventure book, The Samson Effect, that Clive Cussler calls a “first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure” and the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests which helps people find targeted Twitter followers. He also shares his book marketing tips with fellow authors through his blog and through his free video marketing tips for authors. You can follow him on Twitter @TonyEldridge

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Source: http://www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migration-all-articles/qp7-migration-fiction/how-to-set-up-a-preorder-event-for-your-book

Written by: Seth Harwood with Alison Janssen

Online preorder events can be an incredible success. My fellow podcasting authors Scott Sigler, JC Hutchins and Mur Lafferty have all made huge runs up the Amazon charts thanks to this kind of marketing. If you’re dedicated to building an online presence, a preorder event could be a great strategy to try. Here’s how to do it.

1. Affiliate Programs
Instead of asking bloggers and podcasters to post about your book out of kindness, offer them an affiliate code. Their readers can use it to get a discount when they buy your book, and you can give a few dollars back to the affiliate for each referral. Everyone wins!

2. Podcast Marketing
If your books are on Podiobooks.com, you can use dynamic insertion to automatically add short promos to the beginning of your online catalog of content. Since people are always going out and listening to my recorded books (I’ve used podcasting—turning my work into audio files [MP3s]—that I distribute FOR FREE via my blog, iTunes and Podiobooks.com to get my novels out and build an audience) now I can get fresh promotional content to them within these files.

Also, there are a lot of great podcasters who’ll be happy to run a promo or two for you or even have you on for an interview. (See #1 above.) I’ve even lined up live interview shows!

3. Fan Evangelism
Use Twitter and Facebook. Even if you’d rather not maintain a Facebook page or Twitter profile of your own, realize that your readers likely do participate in social media. Ask them to change their profile picture during the week of your online event. Provide easily downloadable avatars for them to use—each time a fan using your avatar sends a tweet, their tweet serves as a reminder of your online event. (For an example of how to offer free avatars, click here.)

4. Point of Sale
Make it as easy and intuitive as possible. Readers are becoming more and more confident with purchasing online, but it’s important that your point of sale works properly, and will keep buyer’s credit card information safe. PayPal is a top choice for online vending, but there are other options. If you’re not confident in your web abilities, ask around. It’s worth the investment in professional help if your point of sale is smooth and appealing.

5. Package Deals
Do you have previously published books? Would your book cover look good on a t-shirt? Don’t be shy about offering package deals as a part of your online presales event.

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Book Events That Really Sell
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