I turned on my computer this morning and found another pitch to market my books. This time it was for an “Author Marketing Kit.” I was being offered a $1,000 package for $125 if I signed up right away. The company’s mission, they said, was to help ”authors and small publishers find affordable marketing solutions to compete with books from larger publishers.” A tear came to my eye in the face of such altruism. Then I looked at the package:
Ultimate Author Marketing Kit:
• Where and How To Promote Your Book over 130 Resources
• Book Reviewers List
• Bookseller Associations
• Top 50 Newspapers
• Other Resources Ultimate Author Marketing CD:
•Book Reviewers at Daily Newspapers Across The US
• 4,000 + media contacts at Daily Newspapers across the U.S.
• 3,000 + contacts at Weekly Newspapers across the U.S.
• Book Reviewer List in Excel and PDF format
• 1,500+ Bookstores Mailing Address and/or Email Address
• PLUS – Links To All Of The Resources In The Kit
Before anyone rushes for his or her wallet, let me advise that every piece of information listed can be found free via the library or the internet. Here are 3 lists I found within a matter of seconds.
Top 50 newspaper — http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/Top50/Top50-CurrentUS.htm
Bookseller Associations — http://www.bookweb.org/
Book Reviewers List (one of many sources) — http://www.topbookreviewers.com/authors/author_info
What these marketers don’t reveal is that possessing a list means nothing. Getting a review is hard because there’s lots of competition. Success usually involves an agent or a publisher who sends an established author’s work to a reviewers he or she knows. Unless the sender’s name is known, the email gets deleted. Cold marketing from lists is a waste of time. But there is hope. There are book bloggers who are open to new writers. http://bookblogs.ning.com/main/invitation/new?xg_source=msg_wel_network. Try your hometown newspaper, or Shelfari and Good Reads for reviews. As for larger, established sites, Midlist Review is kinder to independents and small presses than most. Send your book there.
If anyone is inclined to offer me $125 for the information I’ve provided, feel free.
(Courtesy of photobucket.com)
