  For Authors
This week: Edited by: darkin
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"The secret of good writing is to say an old thing in a new way or to say a new thing in an old way." -Richard Harding Davis
My name is Darkin and I'll be your guest host for this issue of For Authors.
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Marketing and Promoting Tips for the Self-Published Author
Writers decide to self-publish for a variety of reasons. Whatever their reason, they all have one thing in common. For the most part the writer is responsible for their own marketing.
Some self-publishing companies help with marketing of the product line. They have a web site where the books for sale are displayed. Some publishers go a little further. But for the most part, the marketing and promotion of the book is up to the author to handle.
While writers know a lot about writing, most are not marketing and promoting experts. We know how to make a scene come alive, but when it comes to getting people to buy our books, we are at a loss.
Any writer can help promote their book and bring in more sales. After all, it is our baby and we want the world to love it, right? Before you start a marketing and promotion place there is one thing to remember. Marketing is going to cost some money, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune. Most of these suggestions can be done by you, using your own computer and printer.
Create a Web Site for Your Book
Web site hosting is fairly inexpensive these days. There are even free hosting web sites, where the author can set up a web page to highlight their book for no or little cost. Whether you go with a pay site or a free one, the site will have instructions on how to publish and promote your web page for maximum exposure.
Offer Autographed Copies
Most self-publishers give their authors the ability to purchase copies at a reduced rate. Take them up on it. If you've set up a web page, advertise that you will sign any book purchased off your web site.
Advertising
Bookmarks, flyers, and brochures are all great ways to get your book's existence out. Libraries and coffee shops are great places to leave a stack of bookmarks or flyers. Make sure you have your contact information clearly printed so customers can buy your book.
Local Book Fairs
Book fairs are a great place to get the word out about your new book. Consider renting a small space to display and sell autographed copies of your book. And be sure to give away freebies to the people who pass by.
Offer an Author's Newsletter
Create a newsletter to keep fans informed of your works, coming books, and any events you will be attending. Make the newsletter reflect your writing personality. If you write romances, make it romantic. If you write horror, make it scary. Check with your web site host to see if they have a ready-made customer database.
Libraries
Donate copies of your book to libraries. Getting your book on the shelves will get it into the hands of potential customers. If they love the book they will want their own copy. And they will tell their friends about that wonderful book they read.
The Media
Send copies of your book to local newspaper reviewers. While the large presses probably won't be willing to review an unknown writer, the smaller newspapers might. Always enclose a return envelope with enough postage to return your book and a note asking they do so should they not be willing to review it.
Radio and Television
Contact your local radio stations to ask if they do interviews with local authors. Offer to send a copy of your book to them for the disk jockeys to read before you are interviewed. Likewise, check into your local public access television shows. Many like to have local authors on their shows.
Coffee House Readings
Many coffee houses have open mike nights where local authors can come and read their work. Go to those events and read excerpts from your book. Be sure to bring copies of your book you can sell and sign. Also bring some freebies to give out. Even if a customer isn't ready to buy a book now, that could change.
These are only some of the things you can do to help promote and market your book to potential buyers. With some work you can get your book out there where potential fans can find it.
Thank you for taking the time to read. Happy Writing!
darkin
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Here are some items I've found while traveling the highways and byways of Writing.Com!
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Thank you for allowing me into your e-mail boxes for this week's issue. I had a wonderful time writing this issue and would love to hear what you think about it. Here is some feedback I received from my last newsletter.
darkin
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My apologies to Emma  and dizzyduck who both pointed out that the sentence I used as an example "The James' like the ballet" was not a pluralization, but a possessive sentence. You are most right! Thank you for pointing that out. The correct sentence would be "The Jameses like the ballet."
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Ðungeon Щarden  commented You almost never put a comma before 'and' in a list. The only exception is when 'and' appears more then once.
Unfortunately, I can't find that rule in either of my reference books. Both "Write Tight" by Jan Venolia and "The Little, Brown Compact Handbook" by Jane E Aaron say roughly the same thing about lists and commas: "Some writers omit the comma before the coordinating conjunction in a series {Breakfast consisted of coffee, eggs and kippers). But the final comma is never wrong, and it always helps the reader see the last two items as separate." -- taken directly from "The Little, Brown Compact Handbook" by Jane E Aaron
Please let me know which punctuation handbook you are using so I can get a copy
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For Authors: December 05, 2007 Issue [#2100]
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