Saturday, April 2, 2011

Helping Hand for Indie and POD Writers You Know

People have asked me quite a bit during the few weeks I'm gearing up for the May 2 release of Breaking Through the Spiral Ceiling what they can do to help.  The good news, for me and all of your friends with books out, is there are several ways you can help them that are both free and not terribly time consuming.
1. Like their book on FB, Amazon, wherever else it appears.  Very fast support!
2. Go to an event for them.  Seeing a friend's face in the audience or at the signing table is very welcome.
3. OK, this takes longer.  Read the book and write a review.  Doesn't have to be literary or long.  Post it on Amazon.com or another site where the book is posted.
4. Ask the writer if she/he would love to have the book reviewed in some specific magazine or journal, then email to ask if they would accept a review from you.  If no, maybe suggest alternatives, especially if you have contacts there.
5. Make positive comments on FB encouraging others to read the book too.
6. If the author has a launch date, try to buy the book on Amazon on that day (if you can wait!)  That way, she/he has a chance to possibly say it's a best seller in its category, if lots of people buy it that day.
7.  Tell you friends to read the book.
8.  Recommend it to your community or high school library if appropriate.
When you see the author, a brief comment about the book is always appreciated!
cheers,
Laura

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice to know! I'm off to FB to like the book right now. Will try to do some of the others too. Thanks, Laura! Melissa

Anonymous said...

I guess this is one of those questions I've been too embarrassed to ask. I'm glad to have a list. BTW, it seems to me these things would be good for any author, not just INDIE and POD ones. Of course, they have to work harder at getting publicity out.
George G

S Kay Murphy said...

Yes! Those reviews on Amazon are very, very important; the more reviews, the more the book looks 'popular.' If we know anything about our culture, we know that most folks like to attach themselves to a winner. Also, you can start a discussion thread on Amazon and mention your friend's book. A discussion about "current memoirs" or "best memoirs" or "books about women scientists" would work.