‘The End’ is Really Just the Beginning

Promote Yourself and Your Novel With an Authors Blog

You will be surprised how much time you will spend selling yourself as well as your newly published novel. In today’s market, successful online book promotion goes far beyond online book-selling pages, especially in the world of independent publishing. An author blog is an excellent way to build your profile and find new audiences for your writing. Remember even big publishing houses don’t give the time and money needed for a full-on advertising campaign to first time or new authors so by publishing with an independent publisher you might actually get more help, not less.

Your blog needn’t be flashy, but it should be interesting and updated regularly. You want to draw visitors in and increase book selling opportunities.  In return you will need to join other writers and reviewers blogs to build a relationship that profits you and them.

If your novel is accepted as a Vamplit novel and you would like your own blog, we can set one up for you on either blogspot.com or wordpress.com free of charge. We will also provide banner artwork for sites that have banner exchanges as a way to promote your novel. But be prepared blogging can be almost a full-time job and is hard work.

Developing a Well Written Blog

Your author biography is a chance to let readers and reviewer get to know you. It should show why your work is important and worthy of notice.  Don’t make it too long, but include things like your creative influences, a little about yourself and why you write.

Your author biography is your chance to show people why your work is worthy of their attention. It’s your opportunity to tell readers a little about yourself, your writing experience and your creative influences.

Here are some tips on how to write a compelling author biography. Always write in third person. This professional touch enhances your credibility. In the opening sentence, state your name and if you have any qualifications or experience in the field your novel is set make sure you add this. Also if you have any affiliations with writing groups. If you are a first time author, affiliations can give you added credibility. It tells the reader that you are a committed writer working to perfect your craft and that you are knowledgeable about writing.

Vamplit Publishing’s authors have come together on Vamplit Blog but they all also have their own blogs and Facebook pages along with Twitter accounts.

Provide visitors to your blog with an easy way to preview and purchase your book. When you were writing and sending your novel out into the world you will have thought about ‘the hook’ now you want to think again. You need to hook the reader using sample chapters or examples of your writing style FREE.

Give your reader a way to contact you if you plan to sell autographed physical inventory. Remember to update your blog immediately with any changes to your contact or selling information.

Remember, as an author, you are your own product and your blog provides an opportunity to sell yourself to readers.

Virtual Book Tours

A traditional book tour is an easy, but expensive and time consuming way to connect with readers and it will be virtually impossible for most new authors to participate in. A virtual book tour can be completed at little to no cost and from the comfort of your own home. Many blogs now take part in something called a blog hop and this too will increase your readership. How you get your readers isn’t important but you need to find people who actually want to read your novel. Think about setting up a writers page on social networks like Goodreads or Facebook, both have a facility for creating your own author page, which you can add your blog posts to using a feed.  As a novelist you should be used to doing research and when you’ve finished your novel the research goes on.

If you’re asking yourself what a virtual book tour is don’t panic, it’s very simple. On a virtual book tour, an author gives an interview or guest-writes for a blog with the permission and help of the blog’s owner. A blog tour can give current readers an interesting insight into how you write and create new sales opportunities. If you’re ready to take your novel on a virtual book tour, here are a few ideas on how to get started.

Think about potential stops for your tour, there are a few things to consider that will have an effect on the sales opportunities for your novel. It is vitally important that you only target blogs that are appropriate to your work. Think about how your novel will fit in by reading through any existing reviews, posts and comments. In addition, you need to check that the blog has a readership and that it is easily found on the Internet.

Remember to ask nicely, approach blog hosts with a personal e-mail. Let them know your intentions and explains why you believe you and your novel is worthy of their blog. Make sure to include an excerpt from your novel.Many bloggers are happy to help introduce readers to new works that relate their interests, but it is up to you to establish and follow through with the readers.

Use all of your networks to get the word out: your personal blog, friends, fans, and family. Consider giving away promotional items like autographs or bookmarks for participating readers who comment on your interviews or provide personal information for your contact list. We can help with the design of such products and their production FREE.

Remember between promoting your novel and discussing issues relevant to the subject of either the novel or the blog be entertaining and informative. Check all facts you use, triple check grammar and spelling. We will always check for an author if requested.

Getting Great Reviews for Your Novel

So far Vamplit Published novels have all received good reviews and they are important for increasing sales of your novel. Reviews are a great way to enhance your credibility and give your audience confidence in your writing. Target reviewers who specialise in your novel’s genre. It is no good sending an inspirations romance novel to a site that specialises transgression fiction or zombie comics.

Once you’ve found your novels niche reviewer provide them with a brief but thorough fact sheet. What this does is make reviewing easier for the reviewer and gives them inside knowledge of motivation. Remember to keep your fact sheet to under a page and consider using graphics, like your cover image, to make your request standout. The things to remember are: A short professional biography to start, keep it short, sweet, but relevant.  You need to add a list of previous publications if you have any. Make sure you include novel information and blog details, you should also include your publisher’s details. Include your novels Title, ISBN and date of publication and an except. Finally use accurate contact information, including a working e-mail address, phone number, blog and make sure you follow any guidelines for authors a reviewer has posted on their website, blog, magazine or any other publication.

Before you approach a reviewer make sure your contact information is clear and take some time building your blog. Chances are, if your work is chosen for review, your reviewer and their readership will now want to know about you. Show them a positive face.

This is all hard work that needs commitment. The publication of your novel is not the end of the story, but the beginning. We try to provide help and support for all our writers, but only those who are willing to put in the time and effort necessary will succeed.