by Narelle Atkins
Like many aspiring authors, I spent years dreaming about my first book sale. My dream came to fruition in February this year, when my debut book, Falling for the Farmer, was released by Love Inspired Heartsong Presents.
It’s exciting and fun to celebrate a book release. My favourite part of book promotion is interacting with readers. This includes blog visiting and social media. I did a blog chase and blog tour for Falling for the Farmer, including an ACRBA tour in early March. I blogged about my first blog tour on ICFW last month.
I researched book promotion and marketing in the months leading up to my book release. I learned what the marketing experts suggest a brand new author should consider doing for their book launch. I adapted this information to take into account a few unique factors relating to my book.
I couldn’t ignore geographical factors, which can present different challenges and opportunities for international authors. I live in Australia, and my home market is North America. I can’t contact my local Walmart store in the US and organise a book signing. I only spotted my book on a shelf in an Australian book store a few weeks ago, nearly 2 months after it released in the US. On the plus side, I’m marketing my books in North America and Australia/New Zealand, potentially reaching a larger audience.
My books are part of the Heartsong Presents category romance line. My publisher, Harlequin, sells the Love Inspired and Heartsong Presents books via their Reader Service. I was blessed to have the opportunity to write an article for the February inspirational issue of Harlequin’s Simply Books magazine that is sent to their Reader Service subscribers. There are inbuilt marketing benefits for books belonging to a known brand. I recently set up a Goodreads group with my Heartsong Presents author friends.
I currently have a six book contract, which means I’ll have a book releasing every three months from February 2014 to May 2015. My second book, The Nurse’s Perfect Match, releases next week on May 1 (ebook) and May 6 (print).
A number of books and articles that discuss book marketing and promotion seem to be based on the assumption that the author’s next book may not be available for six months or longer. This doesn’t apply in my situation, and isn’t relevant for a growing number of indie and hybrid authors who have learned there are marketing benefits to be gained by having more frequent book releases.
My economics background means that I look at book promotion from a cost-benefit perspective. If I invest X amount of time and money, what will be the tangible outcome? There are many marketing books that provide great ideas that we can try, but the outcomes appear to be hit and miss. How can authors measure whether or not they are receiving value from their marketing efforts? How can they link specific book promotion and marketing activities to book sales?
The time cost of book promotion and marketing is a huge factor that I need to consider. If I spend more time on book promotion, I have less time to write my contracted books. At the moment I’m revising and rewriting book 5 (deadline June 15), and I need to start writing Chapter 4 of book 6 ASAP (deadline September 15). I also have proposals to write for my agent as we look ahead to seek future contracts. The proposal ideas are in my head, but I need time to map out the story outlines and write the first 3 chapters and synopses.
Debut books are special, and I did more online promotion for Falling for the Farmer than I’m planning to do for The Nurse’s Perfect Match.
I’ll be posting my complete book promo schedule for The Nurse’s Perfect Match on my blog next week.
I’m kicking off my book release celebrations today with a print giveaway (worldwide, wherever The Book Depository delivers) of The Nurse’s Perfect Match. To entry the drawing, please leave a comment on this post and complete the Rafflecopter information below.
NURSE AMY WILKINS HAS COME HOME
After her marriage ends in tragedy, Amy returns to Snowgum Creek to rebuild her life. There she meets widower Ben Morton, who's not looking for romance, though his young children are eager for Amy's attention. She's given up on her dream of being a mother, but can't ignore how she's drawn to Ben's little ones, and to their handsome farmer dad.
As love kindles between Ben and Amy, she worries how she'll ever measure up to the wife he lost. And Ben is concerned about how Amy will ever truly fit into life on the farm. They could be the answer to each other's prayers—if the secret Amy is keeping doesn't tear them apart.
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Have you struggled to balance writing time with marketing and promotion? Are there any particular marketing strategies that you’ve found effective? Do you have any insights on how to quantify and measure the effectiveness of book marketing and promotion? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
NARELLE ATKINS writes contemporary inspirational romance and lives in Canberra, Australia. She sold her debut novel, set in Australia, to Harlequin's Love Inspired Heartsong Presents line in a 6-book contract.
Her debut book, Falling for the Farmer, was a February 2014 release, followed by The Nurse's Perfect Match in May 2014, The Doctor's Return in August 2014, and Her Tycoon Hero in November 2014.
Narelle blogs regularly with Australasian Christian Writers and Inspy Romance. http://australasianchristianwriters.blogspot.com/
http://www.inspyromance.com/
She is also a co-founder of the Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance (ACRBA). http://acrba.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.narelleatkins.com
Blog: http://narelleatkins.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NarelleAtkinsAuthor
Twitter: @NarelleAtkins https://twitter.com/NarelleAtkins
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Narelle, you're such an encouragement to those of us who live out of the States. You rock girl! As a nurse myself, I'd love a chance to read The Nurse's Perfect Match
ReplyDeleteHi Shirl, I'm glad my post is encouraging :) Good luck in the drawing!
DeleteCongratulations on your new books and contract!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Heidi :) I appreciate you stopping by, and good luck in the drawing!
DeleteIt has always been a bit of a dilemma for me to balance writing and book promotion, Narelle, so I'm not much help! There is another factor in it for me too in that most of the speaking I do (and I do a lot) is ministry-oriented, so I want to prepare well and say what God wants said--and that takes time. Yes, I sell my books afterwards, so it IS promotion, in one sense--but that is the lesser part of the deal for me, to be honest! I love this combination though and it works well for me.
ReplyDeleteI think the secret is to find what works for us and what we enjoy doing--and how God wants us to go about the whole thing. I do find in-store book signings boost book sales, to some degree at least, and also help with networking. And Facebook is great at getting the word out there re new releases, as is using my quite large email distribution list. Blogging helps as well, but, in the end, I'd say word of mouth ie people personally recommending my books and recommending me as a speaker is probably what works best.
Hi Jo-Anne, Your comments are very helpful! I appreciate the opportunity to learn from your experiences. I agree, a speaking ministry adds a different dynamic. Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool that reflects the quality and perceived value of the book content.
DeleteHi Narelle
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on next week's launch. Fiona, my wife, is currently working through Falling for the Farmer and is enjoying it very much.
I haven't been very good at the marketing game but from my observations the best form of marketing is to keep delivering new material to readers. And when it comes to that you're obviously going to be doing that over the next couple of years at least.
Hi Ian, Thanks for your congrats. I'm glad Fiona is enjoying reading Falling for the Farmer :) Regular book releases definitely help, and hopefully they'll keep the author's name fresh in the reader's mind.
DeleteI love the cover and the blurb for your book, Narelle. It sounds like a very moving story.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder you're up on all the marketing/promo with your background in economics. But you deliver the goods and that's the point. All that important stuff doesn't amount to much if you didn't have a good story. Congratulations on all you've accomplished, Aussie gal!
I so agree, Rita! I so enjoy an inspirational romance set in Australia! There are really too few of them for me.
DeleteHi Rita, I agree, book promotion and marketing is pointless if the product doesn't deliver. Thanks for your encouraging words :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an impressive contract! And intimidating. I commend you for tackling it in such a systematic way. Writing and marketing teaches us we are capable of doing a lot more than we thought!
ReplyDeleteHi Sara, yes, in God's strength we can do amazing things. I've learned to break everything down into smaller tasks, and methodically work through my lists. It's less intimidating to do things this way, lol.
DeleteI was so fortunate to have my friend Narelle send me an e-book preview copy of her second book as well as an unexpected copy of that Falling For the Farmer. frst book. Thank you so much for such good reads, Narelle, I feel very honoured to have them and believe me they are not to be missed! However, I had pre-ordered my copy of Falling For the Farmer as soon as I could at Koorong before it was released in February but only received notification this week it has arrived in our local shop. This must mean close to 12 weeks after it was released in February in the US? And one concern of mine way back with my US Barbour publisher was how soon I should start trying to promote my books when they were not available here in the shops. Of course, now days with the internet and e-books it is different but I think still something for writers to be ware of. Perhaps one good thing is we do have more weeks to get the word out but I do have concerns about interested readers not going to the trouble to pre-order and perhaps then not nuying when it does.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the typos above - shouldn't write here when it's time for bed!
DeleteHi Mary, I visited my local Koorong store today in Fyshwick, and we've organised my first book signing for Falling for the Farmer on May 10 (the day before Mother's Day).
DeleteThe time delay is tricky. Koorong's loyal customers will wait for the books to arrive in-store. My Aussie readers who are anxious to get hold of my next book may prefer to buy the ebook, or a print copy from overseas eg. The Book Depository that will arrive within 2 weeks of the US release date.
This means I'll be promoting The Nurse's Perfect Match book release online at the same time I'm promoting Falling for the Farmer in-person.
Congrats on your book release! How exciting, they look great
ReplyDeleteHi Kim, Thanks for stopping by :) Good luck in the drawing!
DeleteWith all your writing projects, Narelle, I'm sure you need to find the balance between writing and marketing. Thanks for the tips and incentive to keep going.
ReplyDeleteHi writerjan, I'm glad you found my post encouraging :) Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteNarelle - your book sounds intriguing. I, too, write for Heartsong and have discovered the challenge of marketing one book while writing others. What a time juggle! But I love it.
ReplyDeleteHi Davalynn, I agree, we're blessed to have the opportunity to write contracted books while our previous books are releasing. Thanks for stopping by :)
ReplyDeleteHow exciting for you Narelle. I'm sure it will do well. I think all writers struggle with the extra things required that eat into writing time. You seem to have found ways to do it effectively.
ReplyDeleteHi Dale, It's definitely a juggling act. The challenge for me is to stay on top of my writing schedule while doing book promo. I'm still learning how to do this in a balanced way.
DeleteWow, all that to do and you're still taking time to pass on your wisdom. Thanks. Whenever I begin to feel the writer's journey is potentially overwhelming, I remind myself that it is all about moving forward, one step at a time. What a bonus it is to be able to track the footsteps of people like yourself who are successfully negotiating the journey. All the best with all those future books and sales.
ReplyDeleteHi Cathie, I'm glad you found my post encouraging. One step at a time is the way to move forward. Thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteI'm so excited for you and your book releases! Congratulations! It really is hard to find that balance. I think what I've learned is that I can't do everything, and can't let myself feel guilty about that. I want to write the best novels possible, and market to the best of my ability, but sometimes that means saying no. It also means looking at what is working and finding the best way to spend my time which of course, is limited. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa, Thanks for your wise advice :)
ReplyDeleteWow a book every three months! Yay for dreams coming true in a big way :)
ReplyDelete