I'm pretty sure that independently published books aren't considered for
Nobel Prizes. They're not considered for many prizes. They're not accepted for reviews by most large, mainstream reviewers such as the NY Times or Kirkus. So how the heck does an Indie get noticed? I get asked this by a lot of indies, so I've composed a list of some of the more successful & interesting ways I've tried to get attention.
1. Internet Post-It Notes, aka: Cheezburgers
Otherwise known as social networking. You know, blogs. This is probably the best way to spread Word of Mouth Marketing (which happens to be my favorite acronym: WOMM). I ping blog aggregators and beg for favs, but more importantly I try to be interesting and active. I'm relatively new to the blogosphere, but I'm hoping this will build momentum over time.
2. Video Trailers, aka: YouTube
It's hard to make compelling video trailers about a book (which, by nature, are 2-dimensional and composed of words, not moving pictures). I've tried. A lot. I've made a total of four video trailers for Cluck, the most recent of which is highlighting some recent reviews. This is really an off-shoot of #1, above, but using video to enter a different class of online networking.
3. Audio teasers, aka: Podiobooks
So we've hit text, and video ... why not audio? I'll be releasing the first episode of the Cluck Podiobook very soon. A podiobook (podcluck? cluckcast?) is a free downloadable audiobook, distributed as a podcast. Each chapter will be released in serial. I'm aiming at quality, entertaining book-on-tape material, in an effort to get some people interested enough to buy the book. At the very least, they listen week by week and get the story for free, but that's okay. A fan is a fan ... it goes back to the WOMM thing. Here's a sample clip, which is actually from somewhere in the middle of the book:
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4. Fire Teasers, aka: Fighting Fire with Fire
Is it too over-the-top to dress up in (mostly) fireproof armor and fight for my life, just to promote my book? Absolutely not. The "feathers" are reinforced scales, which will (hopefully) be strong enough to stop the 200g pyrotechnics that will be used in the upcoming Armored Combat Suit League of New England (ACSLNE) championships. The event will be covered by the media, and if I'm wounded, the newscast of me being air-lifted to the emergency room will double as promotional footage. Didn't I tell you that being an Indie was tough?
5. Zombie Infestations, aka: Viral Marketing
There's viral marketing, and then there's really viral marketing. From a modest web site about the best zombie book ever comes a fun way to watch your corporate website shrivel up into a shambling brain-thirsty monster. It works with most sites, is harmless, and mildly entertaining ... available on www.CluckTheBook.com, of course.
6. Putting the Fun back into Funnies, aka: Interactive Sites
Having a blog isn't good enough, you need to feed the kids some candy. I've provided two fun widgets on my website: the 'bite-a-site' widget from #5, and a '
create-your-own-cartoon' cgi. The toon isn't as sophisticated as Dilbert mashups, but hey, I'm a writer. I only write code for the day job.
7. Spending the Grocery Money on Books, aka: Sending out Review Copies
It's very hard to get reviews, as an independent. Terms like "vanity publication" have created a stigma that shuns "non-traditionally published" authors. Some pretty crappy self published books have added fuel to that fire. Me? I'm lucky, I've received several
very good reviews from some excellent sources. Those sources are less well known that, say, the NY Times, but I take what I can get. This means shelling out my meager royalties, however, in the form of review copies (plus postage). It also means more WOMMy goodness.
8. Aiming Lower Than Nobel, aka: Earning Different Accolades A self published author has few friends, but there are some organizations who are willing to give the indie a chance. One is the
Independent Publisher, and another is
ForeWord Magazine. These types of contests help to add credibility to the indie pub and its respective indie author. Cluck has won an IP award and has been selected as a finalist in ForeWord, but that hasn't done a lot to improve book sales ... but then these awards wont be announced until the end of May. Regardless of any immediate impact on sales, they help when pitching yourself to potential reviewers, however - and as mentioned above in #7, reviews are important. As
Godin says: all marketers are liars, so an honest review from a third party is more valuable than all the fancy websites, widgets, movies, and podio-blogtastic goodness you can muster.
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