Author Etiquette - Promoting Without Annoying

by Jennifer 25. August 2015 09:48

Welcome again to another edition of Author Etiquette. Apocalypse Ink Productions started this segment a few months ago and so far it’s been a great success. AIP loves authors. We wouldn’t be in this business if we didn’t; but we have seen situations blow up that could have been prevented with just a little bit of patience, communication and common sense.  Whether you are a new author or a pro, it’s sometimes handy to have a small reminder on how to handle a situation before it it gets ugly.

It’s exciting when you receive an acceptance and even more exciting when that short story or novel goes live. In order for those sales numbers to rise, it’s important that as many people as possible are aware that your book is out. It’s very tempting to make several posts about your new work on every social media site and spam your followers, but that’s not a good idea. Many people get annoyed if you are continuously promoting your new work without a break.

How do you balance the excitement but not annoy people?

There are several things you can do to help you promote your novels, short stories or other projects. Most are simple but they do take a bit of effort and planning. Some of the most popular are blog hops, book review sites and giveaways. These events are fun and often draw in more readers than you could on your own.

Blog hops and tours
Many writers have blogs of their own and are always searching for content. Most are amiable to allowing other writers to post about themes, writing styles and new works. By asking a group of authors to allow you to post on their blogs you can schedule several in a row and create your own book tour without leaving home. This is often referred to as a blot tour or blog hop. In many cases, several authors agree to post on each other’s sites. New readers are drawn in and many times you can pick up more followers and new fans. This works best when you pick authors who write within the same genre or subgenre as you do but sometimes crossing genre boundaries does work well too.

Book Reviews
Getting your book on a review site takes more work. Review sites often have large, dedicated audiences. Some readers follow reviewers religiously and consider reviews when picking up new books. It’s a great way to connect with new readers but it has drawbacks. While many reviewers are happy to have your book, they are often overwhelmed with the amount of requests for reviews. If you are lucky one out of twenty will get to your book at some point. In some cases, it could be months before you get a review.  On the other hand, even if they can’t write a review, review sites often post author reviews and guest posts so it is worth it to contact them.

Giveaways
Everyone likes winning, that’s why giveaways are very popular events. Planning a giveaway event can be as simple as having people comment on a post or as complicated as following a blog hop to gather clues for an entry. Apps such as Rafflecopter can make your life easier by collecting names and email addresses. Or you could go with simple and pull a name out of a hat. No matter what type of event you plan, make it fun and exciting. For best results, combine a blog hop or a post on a review site for a giveaway. And if possible, have several smaller prizes and one big prize.

There are other ways of promoting your work such as cross promotions with other projects, establishing a team to assist you or even hiring someone to handle promotion. All of these take time and coordination but they are successful ways of reaching more readers. No matter what direction you take, your goal is to reach people not annoy them.

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THE THIN has been released!

by Jennifer 15. August 2015 08:19

THE THIN
Cross Cutting series #1
MORE INFORMATION
Apocalypse Ink Productions | Amazon
DriveThruFiction | Barnes & Noble


Trinidad O’Laughlin is descended from Wardens—guardians bonded to a territory by magic. She shares the gift, but has no place of her own. A distress call from Indiana may give her a chance at one—if she can survive long enough to take it.

Indianapolis is afraid. Twisted creatures known as The Thin have cut into our world and are preying on its people. The city can’t fight the monsters alone and Trinidad doesn’t have much time to forge a connection strong enough to make a difference.

The race, and the fight, is on.

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THE THIN Cover Reveal

by Jennifer 6. August 2015 09:50

THE THIN, Book 1 of the Cross Cutting trilogy by Wendy Hammer to be released on August 15, 2015

Trinidad O’Laughlin is descended from Wardens—guardians bonded to a territory by magic. She shares the gift, but has no place of her own. A distress call from Indiana may give her a chance at one—if she can survive long enough to take it.

Indianapolis is afraid. Twisted creatures known as
The Thin have cut into our world and are preying on its people. The city can’t fight the monsters alone and Trinidad doesn’t have much time to forge a connection strong enough to make a difference.

The race, and the fight, is on. 


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