This month’s Shameless Self-Promotion examines creative uses of the Internet for book promotion. Speaking of examinations, I’m very pleased to welcome Sue Thurman, a writer who promotes her work as a freelance journalist with the Arizona Examiner. Sue has graciously agreed to share her experiences writing for Examiner.com and other suggestions for book promotion. Sue is the author of the children’s book Maybe We Are Flamingos and contributor to Inside Scoop: Articles about Acting and Writing by Hollywood Insiders, winner of the EPPIE award in non-fiction anthologies and an honorable mention in Foreward Magazine’s Book of the Year Awards.

Shameless Self-Promotion: What have you found to be the most effective ways to promote your books?

Sue Thurman: Prior to joining the Examiner family, I don’t think I’d found the most effective way. When an author signs with a small publisher that doesn’t offer any marketing, it’s difficult to find the best avenue. Good reviews are great, however it doesn’t always transfer into sales if you don’t already have an established audience. With my YA novel currently in progress, I’m building my audience first. A good book trailer is a very effective tool and mine was done by Kim Chatel of Blazing Trailers.

SSP: The most enjoyable?

Personal appearances to autograph books, or just meet people.

SSP: The least effective ways or biggest challenges?

Trying to get into the major chains when with a small publisher.

SSP: What has been the most surprising thing about the experience of book promotion?

I’ve learned from other authors that virtual book tours aren’t very effective.

SSP: Tell us more about your experience with the Examiner.com.
The Examiner that I write for is looking for writers all over the country. The requirement is 3-4 articles per week on a dedicated web page in their network. They provide the template, there is no cost and you do make a tiny bit of money based on how many hits you get per month.

They are doing a special referral program and if anyone is interested, send an email to: safari at safarisue dot com, and I will give you the information to sign up.

You can view my page at http://www.examiner.com/x-2174-Arizona-Family-Examiner

If you don’t see a category you like, you can suggest one and there are a wide variety of people and interests. It’s fun and since I started in January, now people are asking me to cover stories. Some of the writers have gotten national attention and appeared on several network shows. The exposure is incredible and the network is getting millions of hits per month.

SSP: How did you get started writing for the Examiner?

Depending on what I write about and I do a variety of things, the research varies. The articles don’t have to be long, so time can be pretty short. However the research takes longer, but again that depends on the subject.

We include links in articles too. I do an editorial calendar for each month so I know what local things are happening. Right now I’m seeing which articles my audience likes. So far, the top ones have been UFOs, ghosts, on the movie sets with local productions, and everything related to Twilight.

SSP: How much time do you spend and how many articles per week?

Sometimes an hour to write and post a story. Other times longer.

SSP: Do you think it’s gotten your name out there? Any sense it is leading to sales or other useful benefits?

Yes. Since joining Examiner, now people are contacting me for stories and reviews. Therefore when my next book comes out, I’ll promote it on my Examiner page, which is part of a large network that’s growing everyday.

SSP: You mentioned that you are writing a YA novel–how do you see the Examiner experience helping that?

I’m working on a YA book that will target the same audience as the Twilight series. This time I’m building the audience before the book is even submitted to an agent.

Thank you so much, Sue, for sharing your experiences with us.

Find out more about Donna George Storey and her adventures in shameless self-promotion at her blog.

Book promotion is a daunting task for a beginner, but fortunately there are generous veterans of the process like Brenna Lyons who are willing to help guide us in the first shaky steps of our journey. Brenna is a prolific, best-selling author of sci-fi and erotic romance including the Renegade series, the Night Warriors series and the Kegin series. She lectures frequently on book promotion at conferences, and her discussions on the topic are without a doubt some of the most useful and well-organized materials I’ve consulted. I’m thrilled that Brenna has agreed to an interview in conjunction with this month’s Shameless Self-Promotion column on creative uses of the Internet for book promotion.

Shameless Self-Promotion: I know you especially enjoy promoting your books as a featured author in chat rooms. What are the benefits of this form of promotion?

Brenna Lyons: All marketing is selling you first and then the books. Readers want a piece of you, personally. Even more than talking to them on mailing lists (and a less stressful environment than talking to them face-to-face), chat rooms allow the readers to get a real-time idea of what it’s like to talk to you. No long, thought-out replies as you have in e-mail, for instance. It’s more intimate and more real.

SSP: How do you arrange to be featured in a chat room? Any places that are especially friendly to erotica writers?

There are a lot of places that are friendly, but I find it’s easier to join promotion groups like IWOFA (Infinite Worlds of Fantasy Authors) or your publisher in group chats to start. Once you’ve done some “buddy chats,” built up a name with the readers there, gotten comfortable with the situation, go back and ask those venues if they ever do single author chats. Another benefit to belonging to promo groups is that they will sometimes post opportunities for single promo.

Now, if you do a single, it’s easier to do it with several books under your belt. An hour is a long time to talk about one book. If all you’ve got is one, it might be better to do a buddy chat with a friend who is of a similar genre and temperament…or one of you is the nurturer in chat and the other needs coaxing. You never want to get into a position where you have one quiet chatter and one overbearing chatter that doesn’t coax the former out. It’s unsatisfying for the quiet chatter and for the readers in attendance.

SSP: Are there ways a beginner can prepare for a chat?

In addition to doing buddy chats to start? Sure.

Pick venues that are to your comfort level. Some chat rooms are moderated or have a strict stand-in-line-and-wait-your-turn policy about asking the author questions and/or have rules about what questions are too personal to ask. Others are no holds barred and fast-moving. I prefer the latter, but not every author does. Ask around and attend someone else’s chat in the prospective room to see how theirs runs.

Go in prepared. If you cannot type quickly, have a DOC or RTF file open with things like your blurbs in it. Most chat sites allow a small amount of copy and paste instead of typing, so break the blurbs down into a sentence or two per “copy line.” If you get flustered, have Post-It Notes around your desk with pertinent facts on them. Since so many people ask me for things like my current resume or how many releases I have in the next quarter, I tend to count it before chats and use a Post-It to keep the up-to-date numbers on hand.

Relax. Keep in mind that the readers aren’t there to jump on you. They are interested in you and/or your work. They are looking to buy new authors. They WANT to like you. So, try not to get too nervous.

Typos are expected. In fact, we jokingly call them “chatroomese,” and that’s spoken in all chats. No one expects your typing to be perfect in a chat room.

And don’t forget to promote your chat! On your site, Facebook, blog, MySpace, lists that allow a promo post for such things (but remember that it’s considered rude to promote a chat at review site A’s chat room at review site B’s list). You’ll find that there is a core readership that routinely makes all a certain chat room’s chats, but you may draw in new readers, and they like that.

SSP: Any advice on mistakes to avoid while discussing your work in a chat room?

I already said to familiarize yourself with the chat room etiquette of the room you’re in. Keep your responses to the room level. If it’s a staid room with taboo topics, don’t be too over the top. If it’s no-holds barred, you don’t have to go full bore, but you don’t have to worry about it either.

These people want to know you, but they are not your confidants. Think about a cocktail party with strangers. There are just some things you don’t want or need to tell them.

SSP: Can you tell us about one or two other favorite ways to promote your books?

One of the best (and most enjoyable) promos I do would be either free reads or writing stories for the byline (or for charity anthologies). It also tends to give me a good return on investment.

I also enjoy making banner ads (animated GIFs) and book videos. That’s my down time…an enjoyable sideline to writing.

SSP: Do you have any general words of advice for a newbie promoter?

Like anything else in book marketing, everything you do will appeal to a certain percentage of the readership. You can’t just do one thing. You want a wide variety of them, and then you want to net them together so you (for instance) use good reviews on your blog, in your signature line, your mailing list, etc.

Should chats be all you do? Of course not! That’s one facet of marketing. All told, there should be several subdivisions of online marketing…

ONLINE PRESENCE- author web site, MySpace, Facebook, Amazon Author Central, Red Room Authors, Manic Readers page, TRS page, Ning, author newsletter or newsletter list, etc.

BLOGS- Blogger, LiveJournal, Amazon, Ning, MySpace, etc.

MINI-BLOGS- Twitter, Google Wave, Facebook, etc.

GROUPS- Yahoo or Google groups, and don’t forget your tag line…not just reader loops but also author loops…don’t heavy sell it; talk about whatever they are talking about

FORUMS- depending on your genre

CHATS- I think we’ve covered that. Grinning…

INTERVIEWS- not just print ones online but also internet radio and so forth…don’t forget to use these other places…all promotion should be a web of overlapping and interlocking efforts

REVIEWS- it’s not enough to have them…use them with your other efforts

CROSS-LINKING- with other authors, publishers, on sites that keep lists of certain genres and book content

BANNER ADS- not just pay ones on review sites but also free ones on all of your online presence (blogs, pages, etc.) and cross-banner with other authors

PROMO/NETWORKING GROUPS- places like IWOFA, BroadUniverse, and Bookwormbags

CONTESTS- not just on your own site but also group contests with places like IWOFA

SPOTLIGHTS- often held for several hours or all day on Yahoo or Google groups…or for a week or month on review sites…which means having representative blurbs and excerpts, which rank high in the online return on investment scale

FREE READS- at least for short periods of time and/or short stories that tie to existing worlds you write in

WRITING SHORT STORIES/ARTICLES for magazines or charity anthologies (for the byline) and anthologies (for small payment and exposure of the byline)…small investment from you and big returns

And so forth. For the best return, authors should choose at least one or two of the possible promo types in as many of these SUBDIVISIONS as he/she is comfortable with and then make them work together in a promo web.

In addition, though online marketing has double the return (in general) that physical promo does, a little physical promo is always a good idea.

ADS- online and in magazines…get into group ads, when possible, but don’t overdo it, since research shows you need to repeat ads in the same venue upwards of 6-10 times to get the best return from it, and few people can afford that

PROMO CDS- especially if you can get into group ones with a low overhead

WEARING/CARRYING YOUR OWN PROMO GEAR- bumper stickers, t-shirts, carry the book, keychains…carry extras of small things with you…carry business cards with you

STREET TEAMS- wearing/carrying your promo gear and passing it out, wherever they are

CARD CULT- this is a fun one and very inexpensive

SIGNED BOOKPLATES- enough said…these are very popular with some readers

DODADS- pens, pins, etc. Pens are a good choice, because people are less likely to throw them away. Some people do collect signed paper promos, but they are more likely to be trashed than pens are; if people don’t keep them, they pass them along, and that’s good. Be sure to have a catchy tag line on them. Use them in group efforts like Bookwormbags. BUT…don’t just leave them places or stuff them in bills or whatever, willy nilly. Pens are about the only promo that does well when left in places where people use pens (signing checks, making out bank deposits, etc.) Most left-behind promo gets trashed.

ALL promo is cumulative. What you do, combined with what they do, combined with what other authors with the publisher do that brings people to the publisher site, benefits you…and vice versa. So, don’t be shy about passing along recommended reads of other books/authors with your publisher. Don’t be shy about passing along special events the publisher is doing, even if they don’t directly seem to benefit you. Don’t be shy about teaching the other authors how to market, if you know more than they do.

I could go on and on, but the full class I teach on this is 30 pages of notes.

SSP: Thank you so much, Brenna, for this wealth of helpful information! You can read more advice from Brenna at Broadsheet or attend one of her talks at your next writer’s conference.

Find out more about Donna George Storey and her adventures in shameless self-promotion at her blog.

I continue my series of author interviews for my “Shameless Self-Promotion” column with a kitchen table chat in the charming company of Jeremy Edwards, one of the most prolific and talented erotica authors working today. Jeremy is a frequent contributor to print venues such as Scarlet Magazine, Forum UK, The Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica, and anthologies by Cleis and Xcite, as well as numerous webzines like Clean Sheets, The Erotic Woman, and Oysters and Chocolate. His first novel, Rock My Socks Off, will be released by Xcite Books in January 2010.

As readers of my column well know, selling a novel requires a lot of self-promotion, but Jeremy already has an impressive track record of introducing his work and his “brand” of witty, smart erotic fiction to the world in creative, unexpected ways. One of Jeremy’s main tools for promotion is the Internet, the topic of this month’s column, and so he’s graciously agreed to share some of his experiences with his fellow authors. Jeremy’s example is proof positive that every writer can benefit from early self-promotion.

Shameless Self-Promotion: What have you found to be the most effective ways to promote your writing?

Jeremy Edwards: It’s sometimes hard to measure these things, of course; but one promotional opportunity I had that seemed to be particularly effective was an interview (with story excerpt) at a website whose flagship merchandise consists of sex toys. Though they also sell books–and that was the raison d’etre for their featuring an anthology I’m part of–I would speculate that their audience may include a lot of people who don’t spend as much time exploring and researching the world of erotic literature as some of us do, but who *are* interested in it when it’s presented to them. In other words, I’m thinking that doing promo in a context where you can be exposed to a number of people who haven’t already heard of you, but who are likely to dig what you do, may be especially rewarding.

My other answer, I guess, is just to do as much online promotion (the area I’m primarily familiar with, thus far) as is reasonably possible and reasonably relevant. Even in the close-knit world of
erotica-author blogland, it seems that everywhere one goes, one encounters fans and colleagues of one’s colleagues whom one hasn’t previously had the chance to perform for, despite the mere two degrees of separation. And these are just the vocal people–think of all the lurkers out there, too! Everyone with a blog or a podcast has his or her own loyal followers, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to reach at least a partially new audience wherever you go. And if you’re invited back after some time has elapsed, well why not go back? There are sure to be people who missed you the first time who catch you the next time.

Mind you, with all this talk of reaching a new audience, I’m not in any way discounting the “old audience”! On the contrary: how wonderful–and fun!–it always is when friends and colleagues show up to lend support. And, hey, even established friends and fans can sometimes use a reminder that a new book is available–and an online promotional appearance is the perfect reminder.

SSP: What have been the most enjoyable ways to promote your work?

I love all of it–basically, I’m the stage-struck type, whether it’s the relatively literal stage of a live reading or the more metaphorical platform of a radio interview or blog appearance. One of my favorite formats is the combination interview/reading/conversation with a radio host: it’s fun to go back and forth from the structured Q&A to the casual discussion to the rehearsed on-air story readings. It’s a nice blend of the prepared and the spontaneous, discourse and banter, anticipated topics and surprises.

SSP: What has been the most surprising thing about the experience of book promotion?
It’s been a delightful surprise to see how many scintillating, generous people there are out there
who are eager to use their time and bandwidth to feature erotica writers on their online turf. This has struck me even as a short-story author, i.e., someone without a book that’s “all mine” to promote (though stay tuned on that one!).

SSP: Did it change your view of your writing and the writing process?

This answer doesn’t exactly correspond to the question you asked… but the support and enthusiasm of all the people who give us time in their spotlights is one of the things that motivates me to KEEP WRITING. Because, you know, there are people who care!

SSP: How about sharing your thoughts on a few specific strategies. How about blogging?

I think that regular blogging can be immeasurably helpful to a writer’s public presence. Whether it’s in-depth essays, day-to-day life-of-the-writer reports, bulletins and book covers, random musings, recommendations, links, interviews, contests, or anything else… just putting in an appearance once a week or more, in my opinion, really gives your readers a sense of your personality; keeps them from losing track of what you’re publishing; and makes them–quite rightly–look upon you as an online friend and not only as a “body of work.”

SSP: Mailing lists/author newsletters?
It’s so easy to maintain an e-mail mailing list–especially if you draw on content you’ve already assembled for your blog. My feeling is that if there are people out there who care enough about what I’m doing to ask me to mail them updates, and who prefer to have this info sent directly to them rather than (or in addition to) visiting my blog… then I’m sure as heck going to accommodate them!

SSP: Radio interviews?
If you’re not prohibitively shy, and if scheduling and time-zone issues aren’t an obstacle, then I strongly encourage you to take advantage of offers to appear on radio shows/podcasts. There’s nothing like hearing an author’s work read in her/his own voice, and a friendly audio interview adds a nice new dimension to a reader’s image of a favorite writer.

SSP: Any other strategies you’d like to suggest?

I think creativity is a big plus in online promotional strategies, especially where it directly involves the readers. I do love conventional interviews and guest-blog essays, both as a featured writer and an interested reader … but if your host is open to something “different,” consider turning your appearance into something more novel–a game, a quiz, a character-playing session, or whatever your inventive writer’s mind can concoct. These devices (or, okay, gimmicks) can even be combined with something more sedate like an interview, so you can really have it both ways.

SSP: Thank you so much, Jeremy, for sharing your inspiring ideas with us!

Find out more about Donna George Storey and her adventures in shameless self-promotion at her blog.

This month my column on shameless self-promotion deals with strategies for getting your book reviewed. Here are two samples of cover letters I’ve used to query reviewers both by email and snail mail. The first is aimed at more mainstream/literary review sites, the second at an erotica site.

Here’s the literary version:

Dear [Book Review Editor],

I would like to inquire if you’d be interested in reviewing my novel, Amorous Woman (Neon/Orion 2008) for the [insert name here] website.

Amorous Woman is the story of an American woman’s love affair with Japan and the insights she gains into the culture in her roles as English teacher, wife, and bar hostess. Inspired by Ihara Saikaku’s 17th century Japanese classic, The Life of an Amorous Woman, the novel incorporates my doctoral research in Japanese literature at Stanford University to give a nuanced view of Japanese culture and sexual mores. Although classified as “erotica,” Amorous Woman is a thoughtful and thought-provoking treatment of inter-cultural relations that transcends the genre.

I’m appending (or enclosing) a sell sheet, bio and sample reviews below. Please let me know if you are interested in reviewing the book. I can send a hard copy of the book for review or a pdf as you prefer.

Sincerely,

Donna George Storey
[electronic signature with link to my website and book trailer]

Here’s a version I sent to erotica publications:

Dear [Editor],

I’m writing to inquire if you’d be interested in reviewing my erotic novel, Amorous Woman, which was published by Neon/Orion in the UK in late 2007 and released in the US in 2008.

Amorous Woman is the story of an American woman’s love affair with Japan and her steamy encounters with the sexy men and women she meets along the way. Lusty, wise-cracking Lydia—the modern Amorous Woman–experiences every flavor of erotic pleasure Japan has to offer from illicit encounters in hot spring baths to fantasy orgies straight from manga porn. Inspired by Ihara Saikaku’s classic 17th-century erotic novel of the pleasure quarters, Amorous Woman takes you on a journey to a Japan few tourists ever see.

I’ve included a brief bio and some excerpts from reviews for the UK release below.

Please let me know if you’d like me to send you an advance review copy of the novel in hard copy or pdf, as you prefer.

With best wishes,

Donna George Storey
[electronic signature with link to my website and book trailer]

For snail mail, I include my sell sheet and synopsis-and-bio page. For email, I include this information as well as the appropriate blurb and bio from the sell sheet (literary or erotic depending on the site).

AMOROUS WOMAN
By Donna George Storey

Neon/Orion Publishing
Price: $7.95
Category: Literary Erotica
Pages: 352
Book Type: Paper
Size: 4 1/2 x 7
ISBN: 1905619170
ISBN13: 9781905619177
U.S. Release Date: May 28, 2008

If you’re like most authors, only a portion of the review sites will request a review copy. Of those, not all will actually follow through on the review. It’s all part of the business. And always be sure to write a thank you note to any thoughtful reviewer. Not only will your mother be proud of your good manners, but you may have another book to send around soon.

Good luck with your reviews!

Find out more about Donna George Storey and her adventures in shameless self-promotion at her blog.

In the May edition of my Shameless Self-Promotion column, “Publicists, Press Kits and Other P-words,” I talk about one of the most important parts of an author’s press kit: your sell sheet for your book. In fact, even if you don’t put together a press kit, the sell sheet is an important tool in any marketing efforts. Print out a stack of hard copies to hand out to bookstores and send with review copies. You will also need to send the same information (including a jpg of your cover) by email to anyone interested in your book–reviewers, bloggers, bookstores, and interviewers.

I wanted to post an example of my sell sheet to give you some ideas for your own. I can’t duplicate the exact layout here, but I’ve listed all the basic information for your reference. By the way, it’s definitely worth it to print your sell sheet in color to show your book cover to its best advantage.

A Sample Sell Sheet:

In the upper left hand corner I placed a 2 1/2 x 1 1/2-inch color reproduction of my book cover. To the right, in parallel, I list the following information:

AMOROUS WOMAN
By Donna George Storey

Neon/Orion Publishing
Price: $7.95
Category: Literary Erotica
Pages: 352
Book Type: Paper
Size: 4 1/2 x 7
ISBN: 1905619170
ISBN13: 9781905619177
Release Date: June 2008

Below that, centered on the page, I include the following teaser:

Take an exotic, erotic journey to a Japan few tourists ever see….

Amorous Woman is the story of an American woman’s love affair with Japan and her sensual encounters with the sexy men and women she meets along the way. First-time novelist Donna George Storey, a widely published erotica writer who holds a Ph.D. in Japanese literature, challenges the boundaries of culture and genre in this modern remake of Ihara Saikaku’s classic 17th century novel of the pleasure quarters. Lusty, wise-cracking Lydia—the modern Amorous Woman–experiences every flavor of erotic pleasure Japan has to offer from illicit encounters in hot spring baths to fantasy orgies straight from manga porn. Described by critics as “rich with sensual detail, humor, and emotional complexity,” “hard to put down,” and “literary erotica at its best,” the novel will change your image of Japan—and erotica—forever.

Below this I provide contact information for the author (myself) and the publisher (or rather the assistant editor who actually deals with me and my book’s business rather than the official editor). I include a phone number, website, and email address for each. Below this I list the following:

Bookstore ordering: Available through Ingram and the Independent Publishers Group

Independent Publishers Group
814 North Franklin St.
Chicago, IL 60610
Phone: 312-337-0747
FAX: 312-337-5985
Orders Only: 800-888-4741
Orders: [email protected]

That’s all there is to a sell sheet–one page with all the most important information about your book. It’s a slim, but essential tool in your kit. Happy promoting!

Find out more about Donna George Storey and her adventures in shameless self-promotion at her blog.

As part of my column on book promotion for first-time authors on the ERWA Authors Resources page, “Shameless Self Promotion,” I’ll be posting some interviews here with writers who’ve graciously agreed to share their experience over coffee and cookies. So pull up a chair at the ERWA blog kitchen table and come chat with me and debut novelist Kirsten Menger-Anderson today.

Kirsten recently published a thought-provoking and elegant novel-in-stories entitled Doctor Olaf van Schuler’s Brain (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill), which follows the lives of twelve generations of New York City physicians who are trying to better the human condition, each in his or her own misguided way. While it’s not erotica, it kept me in its thrall with its intriguing journey through the fads of medical science over the centuries, all told in lovely prose any writer would envy. The book has received glowing reviews from the Washington Post, the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and was nominated for a Northern California Book Award. I tend to regard mainstream critics with a critical eye myself, but in this case, I’m in hearty agreement with their praise. Literary fiction should always be so fresh, relevant, and provocative.

Of particular interest to shameless self-promoters is the fact that Kirsten’s publisher treated her with respect and made a significant effort to publicize the book. So, believe it or not, it can be done! However, in spite of this support and excellent reviews in national publications, the author herself has still had to do a lot of work to promote the book. Here’s what Kirsten had to say about her experience:

Shameless Self-Promotion: What have you found to be the most enjoyable and/or effective ways to promote your novel (or story collection or anthologies)?

Kirsten Menger-Anderson: I like maintaining my Olaf web site, and (perhaps oddly) find this most enjoyable. I used to do a lot of web production, so it’s kind of fun to fiddle with HTML. And I can do it on my own time, when I have time, without any logistical issues. Plus, it’s really nice to have links to all the book reviews, news, etc in one place if I ever need to reference them.
Most effective? I’m not sure. I think that’s one of the things I find frustrating about promotion. It’s really hard to know how the hours I spend writing essays, blogs, etc translate into “effect” (raising awareness and/or sales). I choose to believe that everything helps.

What have been the least effective ways or biggest challenges?

Least effective? Also not sure. The biggest challenge is usually making time for x,y,z promotional activity and not feeling sad about all the other things I’d rather be doing (like working on my novel or hanging out with my family and friends). That said, I know it’s important, and I appreciate every opportunity I have to talk about my book.

What has been the most surprising thing about the experience of book promotion?

How consuming it can be. Even something simple like a brief essay takes time because I want to make sure it will reflect well on the book. I don’t want people to read my essay, etc. and walk away thinking that it isn’t well written or well thought out.

What advice would you give to a person just starting out as a published author who would like to promote their novel/stories? Is there anything you would definitely do differently if you had the chance to do it over?

I’d recommend getting a web site up (or blog–something online so people can find you if they do a search and you can position your work as you choose). Even before the book is out.

Nothing I’d definitely do differently. Not that I can think of at the moment.

What have been the benefits of using a publicist to promote your work ? The downside?

I did not hire an independent publicist. But, the publicity team at Algonquin did a lot of great work getting the book out to print and online publications that either reviewed the book or asked me to contribute a piece. They also organized a number of events and appearances. No downside.

Can you tell us about the effectiveness of any or all of the following promotional tools:
Setting up a website—did you do it yourself or hire a professional?

I did it myself. It was fun.

Blogging

I set up a blog that gets very little traffic. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it going forward.

Mailing lists/author newsletters

I set up a mailing list as well as a list on Facebook. I think Facebook is a pretty good way to get word out to a lot of people via status updates, fan pages, or groups.

Getting your book reviewed—the challenges and successes

The Algonquin publicity team did this work, so I don’t have much to say except that they did a great job sending the book out and following up.

Contests (as in submitting your work for a literary prize)

I submitted individual stories to a number of contests. Never won, but I was short listed a few times. I think that helps the book. People can see that the stories have been acknowledged and (hopefully) conclude that they might be good.

Book fairs

I went to a couple independent book seller fairs where I signed copies of my book or spoke. Talking directly to book sellers was a great opportunity to raise awareness about the book. Plus, it’s nice to meet and talk to people who love books. My publisher organized the appearances–I’m not sure what was involved with that process.

Radio interviews

Did a couple of these. I love the idea of radio–how many people might be listening.

Approaching local bookstores directly

I had mixed luck approaching bookstores directly and asking them to stock my book. However, every bookstore that had my book was willing to let me sign the copies.

Writing articles related to your book for print or online media

I didn’t write any print articles, but I did a number of guest blog posts. I have a stat counter on my web site, so I can see traffic referrals (usually very few, even from the high traffic web sites). But that doesn’t mean that people didn’t read and have an opinion about my post.

Bookstore readings

Did a few of these, all in California. Never a large audience, and sometimes just a couple people. But I think readings are nice, whatever the turn out, because your book is usually mentioned in the bookstore newsletter or website or the local newspaper and that raises awareness.

Book parties

I decided to throw a book party at my home. That was a lot of fun and a great way of celebrating the release.

Book trailers

Didn’t do an official one. I did make a small video of my phrenology head spinning around on the record player because I was a member of red room, and (if I remember right) I couldn’t post my book before it was published, but I could post a little video about it. So yes, just the head spinning with me saying that the book would be out in October. Silly, I know. Broke the record player, too.

Promoting at writing workshops or through other businesses

No. not really. Only in that I had an email sig on all my outgoing mail (business and personal). I work as a freelance technical writer.

Swag–such as postcards, bookmarks, pens, flyers, T shirts, magnets, etc. Which has been the most useful?

Business cards. That’s all I made, but they have been useful.

Any other strategies you’d like to suggest?

I think you’ve covered it!

Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Kirsten. It always helps to know what’s worked for other authors.

Find out more about Donna George Storey and her adventures in shameless self-promotion at her blog.

It’s hard to believe another month has gone by and we’re ready to discuss more tips on shameless self-promotion for writers! In my column this month I focus on one of the most important ways to reach potential readers of your book in our Internet age: your website or blog-site (which is like a website but not as expensive).

As I was researching this month’s column, I got to chatting with Lisabet Sarai, who will be well-known to fans of ERWA as the provocatively-clad Erotic Lure tour guide. Lisabet’s smart and very sexy short fiction can be found in numerous anthologies and she’s a prolific master of the erotic novel as well. Her classic debut novel Raw Silk, which takes place in sultry Thailand, was an inspiration for my own first novel set in the far east. Her latest release is the erotic thriller, Exposure.

Lisabet has recently redesigned her website to accommodate her ever-growing list of publications, and she agreed to share some of her insights into the process with the Shameless Self-Promotion Badge Squad.

SSP: I know you recently redesigned your site. Did you have particular goals for the new site?

LS: I implemented my original site back in 2000, after the first publication of my first novel (it’s now on its third publisher!), using a WSIWYG tool called NetObjects Fusion. Over time, it grew to over 80 pages of static HTML. Generally, I got positive feedback about the site content, but I decided that I needed a new site for a variety of reasons.

1. The tool I was using had bugs that were causing me increasing frustration. It also produced only frames-based designs, which had started to look very old-fashioned. Furthermore, for every page I created, it generated a new header graphic. Both the frames and the superfluous graphics multiplied the number of files I had to manage and increased the amount of disk space my site consumed.

2. The site had grown so large that it was unfocused. I wanted to start from scratch, reorganizing to provide easier navigation and a clearer structure. I’ve moved into the epublishing and the romance worlds in the last few years, and I felt that my site was not especially effective as a vehicle for marketing. I wanted to make it easy and fast for visitors to find and buy my books.

Aside from simplicity and focus, my main goal for the site was fast and simple update. Things change so fast now, compared to eight years ago! I have new publishing credits every month or two. I run contests. I add free stories. I publish my newsletter as a page on my site. I needed to be able to create new pages or modify existing pages really quickly.

Finally, I wanted to give my readers a bit of a sense of who I am. This was the main goal of my original site (not, at the time, promotion. I had the crazy idea that the publisher would do the promotion LOL!), and I carried much of the personal content (with updates) over to the new site.

I know basic HTML – not fancy formatting or graphic design, but the core ideas and markup elements. So I decided to ask a professional web designer to create the graphics and layout for two templates – for the front page and inner pages. Then I took over, adding the body content, which was all pretty simple.

This has worked incredibly well. I can add a new page in minutes. All I do is copy a close existing page, and update the content. I have separate pages for books that have been published versus those that are coming soon, with parallel formats. On release day, all I need to do is select and cut the section from the “coming soon” page and paste it into my current pubs page, then upload the pages to my web host.

What features do you appreciate in another author’s website?

The features that I appreciate in another author’s site are the same ones I have sought in my own:

–Simple, clean design and layout. I hate animated gifs, flashy graphics, embedded videos, music… I’m a writer! I feel that an author’s site should focus on words. (I will be the first to admit, I am quite old-fashioned. I use MySpace, but most MySpace profile pages make me nauseous!)

–Easy navigation

–Ease of reading. Please spare me the purple text of the black background, the huge or the tiny fonts, the thousands of text colors!

–Browser independence

–Good content, of course. An author’s website should allow you to get a sense of his or her style and preferred subject matter.

Have the contests you’ve sponsored on your site been helpful for promotion?

I’m really not sure. My main goal with my contests is to get more people into my notification network – on my Yahoo list and/or my mailing list. I also try to reply personally to contest entrants in order to establish a personal connection. Another writer commented on a publisher’s list that you have to build your readership one person at a time. That’s my intent with contests. I don’t really expect them to translate directly into sales.

I will say that my new site makes the mechanics of contests much easier – because of the ease of update.

Any advice you have for newbies in designing a website for promotional purposes?

Oh, lots!

–Keep it simple – graphically and in terms of navigation

–Make it easy for your visitors to find information about your books, to read excerpts and buy the books

–Consult a professional about the graphic design unless you happen to have skills in that area

–Test on multiple browsers and with multiple screen resolutions

–Remember that not everyone has a fast Internet connection, even now. Big or numerous graphics take time to download.

–Use a variant of your pen name as your domain, if at all possible.

–Weigh carefully the costs and benefits of having someone else responsible for your updates. If you depend on someone else, you will not have the same flexibility and freedom.

Thanks so much for sharing this helpful information, Lisabet!

Find out more about Donna George Storey and her adventures in shameless self-promotion at her blog.

This month my column on shameless self-promotion for newbies focuses on creating pitches for your book and yourself with the aim of making both of you irresistible to readers. I mentioned that I have a variety of these teasers in my files to suit many different audiences, and I wanted to share a few samples that are too long to include in the column in the hope that it will be a helpful reference for other writers.

I’ll start with the paragraph I use on my sell sheet. This is the one-page piece of paper with all of the basic information about the book I send with my press kit or as a stand-alone. Here’s what I use for erotica markets:

Take an exotic, erotic journey to a Japan few tourists ever see….

Amorous Woman is the story of an American woman’s love affair with Japan and her sensual encounters with the sexy men and women she meets along the way. First-time novelist Donna George Storey, a widely published erotica writer who holds a Ph.D. in Japanese literature, challenges the boundaries of culture and genre in this modern remake of Ihara Saikaku’s classic 17th century novel of the pleasure quarters. Lusty, wise-cracking Lydia—the modern Amorous Woman–experiences every flavor of erotic pleasure Japan has to offer from illicit encounters in hot spring baths to fantasy orgies straight from manga porn. Described by critics as “rich with sensual detail, humor, and emotional complexity,” “hard to put down,” and “literary erotica at its best,” the novel will change your image of Japan—and erotica—forever.

For the literary targets, I replace the third sentence in the blurb with this:

“Perceptive, wise-cracking Lydia—the modern Amorous Woman—delves beneath the surface of Japanese society in her roles as English teacher, wife, bar hostess, and the mistress of a wealthy man.”

For my bio, I have this for the erotica markets:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Donna George Storey has taught English in Japan and Japanese at Stanford and U.C. Berkeley. She is a graduate of Princeton, has a Ph.D. in Japanese literature from Stanford and has published over ninety stories in numerous journals and anthologies including Scarlet Magazine, Best American Erotica 2006 and the past five annual volumes of Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica and Best Women’s Erotica. Her work has been translated into Italian and received special mention in Pushcart Prize Stories 2004. She currently writes a column, “Cooking up a Storey,” for the Erotica Readers and Writers Association about her favorite topics— delicious sex, well-crafted food, and mind-blowing writing. Amorous Woman is her first novel. Read more at www.DonnaGeorgeStorey.com.

For the literary queries, I add in Prairie Schooner, Gettysburg Review, Fourth Genre, Wine Spectator and “she is also the author of Child of Darkness: Yôko and Other Stories by Furui Yoshikichi, a translation with critical commentaries (Ann Arbor: Center for Japanese Studies, 1997).”

Almost makes me sound respectable, doesn’t it?

Here are some samples of pitches I use in cover letters. The first for an erotically-inclined audience:

Amorous Woman is the semi-autobiographical tale of an American woman’s love affair with Japan. The heroine’s steamy, yet thought-provoking adventures include romps in love hotels, hot springs trysts, working as a bar hostess and sometime prostitute and encounters with lesbian manga porn artists. Based on a 17th century Japanese erotic classic, the story combines the frank and witty treatment of female sexuality in “Sex and the City” with the elegant exoticism of Memoirs of a Geisha.
This is what I send to more mainstream venues:

Amorous Woman was published by Orion in the UK as part of their Neon line of literary erotica and was released in the US in May 2008. The novel was inspired by Ihara Saikaku’s 17th century Japanese erotic classic, The Life of an Amorous Woman. Intrigued by Saikaku’s picaresque, but emotionally complex tale, I decided to translate it into the modern story of an American woman’s experiences in Japan during its economic “bubble.”

Finally, I wanted to share a bio that was tweaked by professional publicist Lauren Cerand during an online workshop on Innovative Publicity Basics I took in the summer of 2008:

DONNA GEORGE STOREY (donnageorgestorey.com) used to spend her time doing things like graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton and getting a Ph.D. from Stanford in Japanese literature. Now she writes award-winning erotic stories and has just published a steamy novel,
Amorous Woman, that will take you on a trip to a Japan few tourists ever see. Don’t miss her monthly musings on sex, food and writing at her blog, Cooking up a Storey.

To be honest, I don’t use this. It sounds too stuck-up to me, but it’s the way a professional pitches me, which is an interesting reference point. But maybe I should use it. What do you think?

Well, I think that’s more than enough of me–feel free to share your own pitches, observations or questions here. The feedback and support of other writers has been the shining bright spot in the promotion experience and I hope to do my small part to keep us connected. Happy promoting!

Find out more about Donna George Storey and her adventures in shameless self-promotion at her blog.