With the rapidly changing dynamic of the publishing industry, the online presence of authors and their books is becoming increasingly significant. The immediacy that online sites like Facebook and Twitter, as well as blogs and book-related social networking sites like GoodReads and LibraryThing, provide for authors to publicize and sell their work is incredibly efficient. The opportunities these sites provide are growing daily and creative angles are being discovered and utilized much more frequently and with more successful results.

Twitter’s ability to create trends using the hashtag symbol, unite groups with the creation of lists and allow for direct contact between reader and author is an incredibly useful tool for book promotion. The built-in audience that author’s have to promote their work immediately through Twitter is becoming a much used resource in marketing strategies.

Publishers, publicists and authors are running contests on Twitter where people who Retweet certain postings are instantly entered to win giveaways including copies of books, bookmarks, and gift baskets of book-related items. These retweets are a great way of bringing more attention to a company or author’s specific Twitter feed and results in more followers and more exposure for the books they are promoting.

In order for Twitter to be effective as a promotional tool you must have a significant number of followers and the only way to increase your following is to post frequently, follow people and retweet posts you find interesting. Providing interesting links to articles on your Twitter feed is a great way to encourage other Twitter users to retweet your postings and bring new eyes to your profile.

Twitter parties are a relatively new strategy but are proving fruitful in both generating more followers and increasing your book’s exposure on Twitter. For example, young adult author Lisi Harrison is hosting a Twitter party for her newest release, A Tale of Two Pretties. She is cross promoting the Twitter party on her highly trafficked blog as well as through her publishers site.

Twitter is a helpful and useful platform to bring people with similar interests together and Twitter parties are simply a way for these people to interact at a specified time, thus creating a more immediate virtual connection.

Writer Rachel Aydt recently interviewed me for a piece in Publishing Perspectives on Twitter and its power to bring readers and writers together. Her article beautifully examines the changing world of publishing and the growing online community.

Follow us @KelleyandHall

At Kelley & Hall we have been actively reaching out to bloggers over the past few years. Once again, we want to make it even easier for bloggers to get involved. Let us know if you are interested in hosting any of our authors on your blog and we will gladly send you a copy of their book, information on the author and a detailed media questionnaire to use on your site. We can also arrange to have you interview the author directly.  In some cases, we can send you multiple copies for giveaways or help arrange special contests.

If you are interested in reviewing one of our authors books on your site or would like to be part of a virtual book tour, please drop us a note at jocelyn (at) kelleyandhall (dot) com.

I am going to try and use this blog as a place to disperse some pertinent information regarding strong publicity tactics. With publishing houses shrinking in staff and budgets dwindling, many authors will have to put their own time and effort into an effective campaign.

Here’s an insider tip:

MAKE YOUR PRESS RELEASE COUNT!

When faced with tight deadlines and mounting article assignments, journalists need as much information as possible at their fingertips. The press release can also spark an idea or give the journalist incentive to include your book in an article or segment they are already working on.

Here are three things a good press release should offer.

1.) What problem will your book or your expertise solve.
2.) Why are you a good authority. Why should you be called on?
3.) Explain what you would like to offer to help solve the problem or bring light to a situation.

{image of Lisa Genova courtesy of Christopher Seufert}

Congratulations to our clients, Lisa Genova and Brunonia Barry, on receiving fantastic coverage in Time Magazine this week! Genova and Barry, with our help, succeeded in overcoming the self-published stigma and securing major publishing deals. We are so happy to have been a part of it and we believe this is a hopeful sign for authors who believe in their work and want to self-publish!

This is essential for non-fiction writers but can also be applied to fiction writers, as well. One of our clients, Ad Hudler, writes about being the stay-at-home dad in two of his most recent works of fiction, HOUSEHUSBAND and MAN OF THE HOUSE. Both books deal with life in the home, whether you are taking on the role of Mr. Mom or trying to bring back your macho nature while still doing all of the household chores. Ad writes about what he knows and it comes across in his work. He is an expert on the life of the American Man/Dad and what that means to his life, his masculinity and his future. He is exploring a similar theme in both of these books and therefore creating his own specialty when it comes to fiction and viewpoint. He recently provided a book review over at GalleyCat on THE SCORE by Faye Flam. The review was a great outlet for Hudler to display his unique perspective and build a following.

The more you specialize in specific areas, the better your chances are for success in publishing.

Please feel free to let us know if you have any questions or would like us to cover any particular topic.

We are excited about bringing all of you along on this exciting journey.

-The Kelley & Hall Team

(Megan Hall, Brunonia Barry and Jocelyn Kelley)

We are just back from our exciting adventures in sunny California! Book Expo America ran this past weekend, from May 28 – June 1, at the Los Angeles Convention center. It was a fun-filled weekend packed with author signings, book releases, seminars and parties. It was great to visit with some of our clients and catch up with friends.

It was an especially exciting time for one of our clients, Brunonia Barry, who was there to celebrate the upcoming release of her debut novel, THE LACE READER (William Morrow, August 2008). We are so thrilled for her and all of the exciting adventures she has ahead of her.