Promo... What's too much? What's not enough? by Bonnie Rose Leigh
I hear so many conflicting thoughts by both readers and authors about what constitutes too much promo and what isn’t enough. I know I’m guilty of sending the same promo ad to multiple loops and I’m currently working with someone to help me change this. But as a reader, what type of promo makes you completely ignore it and what will tend to catch your eye, encouraging you to read more and to eventually buy the book if that’s what happens?
Would you rather participate in chats with the author or just go to a central place to read what he/she has out and coming soon? Although I’ve been published for a year now–Friday will mark my one year anniversary as a published author–I still find myself feeling like a small goldfish swimming in a shark infested ocean. Promoting my work, I feel, is harder and scarier than actually writing it.
So, readers and authors, what do you think about promo in general? And what would you like to see authors do more than they do now?
Thanks for having me here as a Guest Blogger. And thanks for letting me take up your time.
Bonnie Rose Leigh
Website: http://www.mybonnierose.net
Thanks everyone for all your opinions. Laura K: Please email me at bonnie@mybonnierose.net ASAP, you won a PDF or LIT copy of one one my books for the spontaneous contest I held on the 17th.
I think in the book world you have no choice but to promo promo promo. Unless you have someone doing the advertising for you and all youneed to spend time to get your name and work out there. I also sometimes post a promo on more then one loop but it helps. There might be people on that loop that are not on another.
Thank you Bonnie. 🙂
Even though you allready pulled winners, I thought I’d chime in with a word or two! Yes, I do like it when authors promo their things. I don’t mind excerpts, these tell me if I would want the story or not. Sometimes the blurb isn’t convincing enough. I do agree with one of the ladies who said they tend to read it once and ignore it on other loops.
Putting the excerpts on only selected loops can run a problem. Who is to say which loops you belong to? I can see where a cross-post is smart business sense. For a novella or short story, one excerpt is enough. I think if you have a novel, no more than 2-3 excerpts.
You could do an exclusive except within the posts that is only accessible on your blog/website. That would generate traffic and hopefully readers would take a look around on your site as well.
I LOVE contests like scavenger hunts, the latest RJ one, and stuff on websites. There are so many authors out there today and honestly I’ve met a lot of new ones over the last year or so because I won one of their ebooks first. I then went back and bought their other stuff (if I liked the freebie)!
Hope this helps. Laura
Hi Bonnie,
Just want to say ‘Thanks’ for the book. I look forward to reading it very soon.
Little lamb lost, Danette, and Karen H, email me at bonnie@mybonnierose.net with your choice of book from my available titles. Please let me know in the email if you’d like PDF or LIT. Thanks a bunch for participating on my blog today. I appreciate the feedback very much.
Happy anniversary Bonnie!
I love promo chats, guest blogs, and swag. Living in Hawaii has its disadvantages, I haven’t seen many author signings, so most of the promo I get is from the web.
Hugs, Danette
I agree with Karen and don’t mind the promo that is posted in several groups though I will only read it once. I do tend to read the excerpts/blurbs to books of authors I don’t know or books I haven’t heard about. Chats are fun but depending on amount of time I have when it is going on, etc. I may be fairly silent and just reading posts/excerpts.
What I want to see authors do more than they do now? Can’t think of anything.
Promotion is the name of the game. How in the world would we know about you if you didn’t promote yourself? The internet makes that promotion a lot easier and brings readers and authors together.
I belong to several (OK, lots) of yahoo groups and have lots of author blogs in my favorites lists. And yes, I see the same author promos on several groups, but there are so many groups, if an author didn’t do a broadcast post, she/he could very well miss a target group. But, once I’ve read a promo, I tend to skip over it in subsequent groups. It does tend to tick me off if the subject is changed; I read it and find out it is a repeat of something I read yesterday or on another group. The word ‘Contest’ always makes me stop and look.
I am pretty much of a lurker in the blogs and during the chats held by the groups. But, I read the excerpts and participate in a lot of the contests. The best way I know to acquaint myself with an author’s work is to read the posted excerpts and hopefully, win a copy of their work.
I like websites like RJ, Writerspace, Author Island, NovelTalk, etc. just to name a few because of the number of authors there. Gives me access to lots of authors I wouldn’t be able to find on my own.