In today’s article author and writing coach Charles Jacobs discusses the concept of getting creative about your book promotion activities. At The Author Platform (to be released January 2009 - email me at info@authorsonthenet.com to find out more) we walk authors through the steps of creating a strategic online presence. There are 8 modules to this program and the 8th module is titled, “Inventing Your Strategy,” a concept Mr. Jacobs talks about in his article.

You see, the more and more I research the art of book promotion, once the basic tactics are implemented, what often separates the successful authors from the not-so successful authors is how creative or “inventive” they become. Here’s Charles article and he gives some great insight into some creative tactics we can use to get ahead of the pack.

Book Promotion - Thinking Beyond the Box
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Charles_Jacobs]Charles Jacobs

Hundreds of articles have been written to guide authors on ways to promote their books. There’s no question that the techniques they cover-press releases, radio broadcasts, writing articles, book signings and more-are key ingredients of an effective promo campaign.

But that’s no longer enough if you want your book to rise above the more than 400,000 new titles that reach the market each year in today’s fiercely competitive publishing arena. More and more people have begun writing in their retirement. Books by foreign authors are flooding the market. Many schools and colleges are now emphasizing writing skills. That means you’ve got to think about crawling out of the box and finding new ways to distinguish yourself.

It isn’t easy to be special, but it can be done with a little ingenuity and some hard work. To start your creative juices flowing, I’d like to share several approaches that have contributed greatly to the success of my latest book The Writer Within You.

Best Book Awards

When my latest work was first published last October (2007), I puzzled over how to continue the promotional impact of its introduction and convince both the industry and consumers of its worth without spending the thousands of bucks I didn’t have. I was lucky enough to have my book accepted by the prestigious Writer’s Digest Book Club.

I then set aside a modest piece of my rather slim promo budget to enter book contests, hoping to capture at least one award that I could feature on my front cover.

USABookNews answered my hopes. I spent some extra money to have my book distributors hand paste gold award winner labels on the cover, and rather quickly saw an upsurge in my sales. That tickled me enough to invest in additional contests in the belief that more is merrier, and the book would stand out even further from the pack if it could claim a variety of awards.

The results have surprised even me. The Writer Within You has now been included on seven Best Books of the Year listings and has captured two medals. We are busy trying hard to translate those honors into sales. And we seem to be succeeding.

Indie Booksellers
We authors talk a lot about indie publishers, but we tend to overlook the resurgence of the independent bookstore and the popularity of “Indie Bound,” the new program spearheaded by the American Booksellers Association to promote book buying at local indie stores.

All by chance I learned that NAIBA (New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association) was holding its semi-annual conference in New Jersey, not too far from my home. Previously unaware of this group’s existence, a little homework convinced me to show my book at a very attractive fee at the conference.

In addition to introducing The Writer Within You directly to store owners and managers eager to find new titles to sell, I discovered that NAIBA was only one of nine regional associations of indies across the country. And all of them were eager to hear about new titles and new selling tools and promotions to help them ring their registers. Book sellers and authors share the same goal: increasing the number of books sold.

Creative Alerts
That led me to discover SIBA (Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance). This unique group operates a monthly e-mail program that reaches 2,400 indie retailers in the nine regions I spoke of above. For $50, the “Creative Alerts” program allows you to submit a 250-word description of your book and any promotion you sponsor. For another $50, you are entitled to place a photo of your book cover next to the text.

Excited by the possibilities, I devised a holiday promotion “The Perfect Gift for Grandma and Grandpa.” There were three ingredients to the promotion. 1 - Finding a meaningful present for these older folks is always difficult. 2 - The Gallup Poll reports that 81% of mature American adults long to write a book. 3 - My new book was geared to retirees and seniors who wanted to write. It was a perfect match, and I listed it in “Creative Alerts.”

Within two days of the e-mailing, I began to receive requests from bookstores in states as far distant as California, some of whom had not even considered stocking the book before.

Unconventional Appearances
As I write this article, I think of my appearance tomorrow in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, the once exclusively religious community that has now become a mecca for folks of all stripes because of its charm and its beautiful beach. Just imagine a completely unconventional book signing on the sidewalk of this unique community, sponsored by a gift shop that combines books with aromatherapy and other “beautiful body” products. All of this happening with an antique car show underway on the street.

I mention that only to impress you with the endless possibilities of increasing sales of your books. Speaking at libraries is wonderful. Appearances before organizations and signings in bookstores can be lucrative too. But don’t limit yourself to just the standard venues. Think beyond the box.

For example, retirement, the subject of my book, is a reality for every working man and woman. That opens the door to speaking before business and profession groups. And it adds the logical possibility of stretching the talk to demonstrate how writing articles and how-to books can help to build the profits of a business or practice. It works; I’ve done it.

So break out of the box. Call upon your imagination and your creativity, and make you and your books special in myriad ways that that lie far beyond my imagination. No one knows your potential market better than you do. Reach out and tap it all.

If you need support jumpstarting your writing, help is available from author Charles Jacobs’ coaching program (contact [mailto:charles@retirement-writing.com]charles@retirement-writing.com) or by reading his latest book The Writer Within You, a seven-time Best Books of the Year award winner. It is discount-priced on the web site http://www.retireandwrite.com . Also available at Amazon, B&N, Borders and independent bookstores.

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