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Editor's note:
We apologize for not getting this to you earlier this month. However, the steps Brent outlines below can be used for any 31 day period. So get busy and get promoting!
Since March is Small Press Month, this is the month to promote yourself-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!
March 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.
March 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.
March 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.
March 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.
March 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.
March 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).
March 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.
March 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.
March 9 - If you haven't yet sent out review copies for book, now is the time.
Do a search on Google for "book reviewers."
March 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.
March 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.
March 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.
March 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.
March 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).
March 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).
March 16 - Contact all the local radio producers in your area.
March 17 - Think St. Paddy's day thoughts. Then make sure your online
Amazon.com listing is all it can be.
March 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
March 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.
March 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.
March 21 - Join a Yahoo Group or Google group devoted to small press
publishing. Find groups on MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter, too.
March 22 - Sign-up for your own account on MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter, and
LinkedIn to promote your book.
March 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!
March 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.
March 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/
March 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.
March 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.
March 29 - Submit your published book to the Google Base listings. It's free.
http://base.google.com
March 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.
March 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. Outskirts Press has helped thousands of authors realize their dreams of publishing profitably and is the third fastest-growing privately-held company in Colorado. Visit http://www.outskirtspress.com for more information.
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