Marketing: Having a Cause

As an author, having a cause or charity that you support is both noble and marketable. It’s a way to support something you believe in, and help your community. And even though I know a lot of authors will donate their royalties towards a specific cause, in most cases, it doesn’t hurt overall book sales. It’s a great way to get your name out there in different circles, to people who believe in helping the same cause. It can also help your self-esteem and make you feel good about yourself for doing the right thing.

Jim C. Hines writes in his blog about having more awareness about rape and sexual abuse issues: http://www.jimchines.com. Brenda Novak does a fundraiser for juvenile diabetes: http://www.brendanovak.com/for-the-cure-2/. Both are people who have a cause they support and donate to, who happen to be authors.

Jim had a friend who was sexually assaulted. It’s something he doesn’t want to see happen to anyone–with good reason. Sexual abuse is a huge problem in today’s world. Helping others to get educated on the subject and be more aware is very dear to his heart. He’s broadened a lot of minds, including my own, with his unique approach.

Brenda’s son was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes as a young child. As a mother myself, I understand the desire and willingness to do anything and everything to protect your child. Brenda did what any mother would do when faced with a challenge out of her control. She brainstormed. As of today, she’s raised well over $2 million towards research for a cure.

These authors are just two examples of people doing good by their writing. They’re raising awareness for a cause they believe in, and in doing so, they’re helping their community. Has their audience for their own books increased because of it? Maybe. The important thing here is that they’re doing what they can to help this world be a better place.

For myself, I have several charities I support.

Michael and Brittiany in 2007 at Red Smith SchoolMy church, the local no-kill animal shelter, and raising awareness for psoriatic arthritis, an arthritis many people still don’t know exists. It’s a disease my husband has been living with for close to twenty years, and I’m hopeful someday he’ll have a pain-free day. To learn more about this autoimmune disease, go to: https://www.psoriasis.org/psoriatic-arthritis.

So, when you’re marketing your next book, be more creative. Don’t think about the “Buy My Book” posts that need to be created for your new release. Think about who you are as a person and who you want to be. Think about those you’d like to help. Think about what you really care about in your life. Think about the needs of your family, friends, and community, and let things happen naturally.

 

Picture of Brittiany and Michael Koren © copyright 2015 by the Koren family.

Marketing Your Books To A Larger Audience

How are you marketing your books? What are you doing to grow your audience? Here’s a few tips that might get you thinking in a new direction! Good luck!

1)      Networking Your Sales Team: Every writer has a sales team. Figuring out who your best sales people are is the trick. Here’s some examples of where you might find them.

  1. Social Media friends and acquaintances
  2. Personal Family, Friends, & Co-workers
  3. Writers Organizations and Critique Groups

2)      Posting on Social Media Sites: What are you posting on Social Media sites? Buy my book? Or, this is who I am and these are my books? These examples help to market you and your books.

  1. New releases coming soon
  2. Summary of individual books
  3. Talk about links on your website
  4. Share an author bio
  5. Pictures of what you find interesting
  6. Book Covers
  7. Info on Appearances/Conferences.
  8. Character interview
  9. Tips on writing
  10. Guest writers or other professionals on your blog
  11. Links to where your books can be purchased

3)      Promoting Yourself at Community Events: Meet new people and talk about what it’s like to be a writer. Pair up with other local authors to cross-promote one another.

  1. Talk with independent book store owners & librarians (ask them to add you to their event newsletter, if they have one and willing to)
  2. Readings/book signings
  3. Presentation for the local writer’s group or book club
  4. Donate books to the book store/library
  5. Presentations/Readings at University & High School libraries or in the classroom
  6. Presentations/Readings at Senior Citizen Centers/Wellness Centers/Community Events/Church Events

4)      Use Promotional Materials that have your book title, book series, or your author name on them: Why? Because people will remember you if they’re holding something with your book title or name on it. It’s also a great way to get new readers unintentionally. Think–useful items.

  1. Book marks
  2. Bumper stickers
  3. Magnets
  4. Tote bags
  5. T-shirts
  6. Pens
  7. Coffee Mugs

5)        Mailings: Again, be creative in how you contact your fan base. If you’re sending out an e-newsletter, have tips other people would like to learn or fun facts about your books or characters.

  1. Newsletters and E-Newsletters
  2. Postcards
  3. Fan letters
  4. Mass E-mails

6) Traditional Media Marketing: Use an old idea and make it new–by promoting who you are and your book(s) locally and nationally.

  1. Interviews on: radio, television, newspaper and blogs
  2. Commercials/Ads on radio, television, newspaper, streaming radio, and billboards
  3. Live Broadcasts at an event

Of course this isn’t a complete list, but it’s a good start. Don’t be afraid to step out of the box when thinking of how to market your books. There are readers just waiting to discover your stories!