Title: The Frugal Book Promoter
Subtitle: How to get nearly
free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher
Second
Edition
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Genre Nonfiction: How-to for writers
Publisher HowToDoItFrugally Publishing
ISBN 9781463743291
Genre Nonfiction: How-to for writers
Publisher HowToDoItFrugally Publishing
ISBN 9781463743291
Reviewed by Dave Menefee, originally for BookPleasures.com
Would
you spend a nickel for the best advice you could ever
receive?
If
you are a writer, spending 5¢ a page for a 395-page book packed to the seams
with the most comprehensive collection of established, helpful advice ever
compiled would be well worth the investment. In The Frugal Book Promoter, author Carolyn
Howard-Johnson details how to get nearly free publicity on your own by
partnering with your publisher. Spend the $17.95 for the huge book and get your
career on track for success. Carolyn not only shows you the way, she lights the
trail to triumph with a blazing torch.
The
book’s title may seem misleading, once you dig deeply into the thirty-two
chapters and find that Carolyn’s suggestions often hinge on either the author or
the publisher spending money on touting a tome. Don’t let this throw you. The Frugal Book Promoter does not
pretend to be a book for an author wishing to succeed on a shoestring. Instead,
Carolyn shows you how to wring the most out of your advertising, marketing, and
promotional budget. For example, staging a book signing event usually entails
purchasing books to sell, travel
expenses, signage charges, giveaway costs, buying business cards and brochures,
and laying out money on a long list of other sundry expenditures that add up to
a tidy investment gamble. Here’s where Carolyn’s expertise gleaned during years
of trial and error pays off: she reveals all the little tricks of the trade that
can spell the difference between failure and loss or an ample return on your
investment. As your mother might say, “Listen to her! She knows what she’s
talking about!”
Carolyn’s
massive set of revelations are divided into seven
sections:
- Getting
Started and Getting On With It: dealing with typical author angst.
- Plunging
In: Publicity Basics Now: all about the business of promotions
- Do-It-Yourself
and Partner Publicity: media releases, book reviews, media kits
- Promote
Your Book by Doing What You Love: extra writing opps that can fan your
flame
- You and
the Media: how to handle interviews, and using the Internet
- Well
Traveled, Oft Forgotten: wading into the world of retailing
- Onward
and Upward: stoking the stove for even more success
In
addition, the back matter contains a set of Appendices containing sample query
letters, media releases, blog entries, trade show invitations, a phone pitch
script, an autosignature for e-mails, and a tip sheet
example.
For
an experienced author who may be battle weary from years of tooting their own
horn, Carolyn’s sage recommendations will enlighten him or her to hundreds of
steps they may have missed that will prove more encouraging during their next
tour through the trenches. For the beginning author who may feel baffled and
intimidated by the mere thought of selling during a dreadful economy, Carolyn’s
clever counsel should seem like a Godsend. “This book is for authors who want
their books to soar and do not want their careers to languish,” she writes. “It
is structured so authors can select chapters that address aspects of their
marketing plan most needed at any given time.” Indeed, the book features an
extensive Index that will make looking up topics a second time a snap. This is
not a mere book to read; this is a guide to refer back to time and again—a
battle plan for victory.
If
you are an author, or if you know an author struggling over how to build buzz
for their book, The Frugal Book
Promoter outlays literally thousands of nitty-gritty how-tos for obtaining a
foothold in a niche. As the old saying goes, “When you find your niche, scratch
it!” With The Frugal Book Promoter,
you can light a fire under your ambitions, pick and choose from ideas
extensively developed and refined through endless campaigns, and match up your
pocketbook and personality with hundreds of Carolyn’s angles for
accomplishment.
~Reviewer David W. Menefee is the author of
Can't Help Falling in Love
Secret Soldier Master of Disguise
Sweet Memories
Sarah Bernhardt, Her Films, Her Recordings (Foreword by Kevin Brownlow)
Wally: The True Wallace Reid Story (Foreword by Robert Osborne)
The Rise and Fall of Lou-Tellegen
Richard Barthelmess: A Life in Pictures
The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era
The First Male Stars: Men of the Silent Era
Brothers of the Storm
"Otay!" The Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas Story (with William Thomas, Jr.)
Charlie O’Doone’s Second Chance
Margot Cranston The Voice in the Shadows
Margot Cranston The Secret of St. Laurent Lighthouse
Margot Cranston The Mystery at Loon Lake
Margot Cranston The Quest for the Jade Dragons
Falling Stars 10 Who Tried to be a Movie Star
George O'Brien: A Man's Man in Hollywood
A Craving for Travel II (with Jim Strong)
How to Write, Format, and Market a Kindlebook on a Shoestring Budget
His newly released book, Master of Disguise, is about secret soldier Isador Messing who lives up to the title of the book. Terror strikes when Hitler's SS troops arrest Messing's fiancé on the day they plan to escape Nazi occupied Berlin. Alone and stoic in the face of utter malevolence, he launches a bold, daring, and desperate plan to liberate her. Can the remarkable Mr. Messing's one-man army triumph against all odds and win in a war-torn world gone mad?
Sweet Memories
Sarah Bernhardt, Her Films, Her Recordings (Foreword by Kevin Brownlow)
Wally: The True Wallace Reid Story (Foreword by Robert Osborne)
The Rise and Fall of Lou-Tellegen
Richard Barthelmess: A Life in Pictures
The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era
The First Male Stars: Men of the Silent Era
Brothers of the Storm
"Otay!" The Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas Story (with William Thomas, Jr.)
Charlie O’Doone’s Second Chance
Margot Cranston The Voice in the Shadows
Margot Cranston The Secret of St. Laurent Lighthouse
Margot Cranston The Mystery at Loon Lake
Margot Cranston The Quest for the Jade Dragons
Falling Stars 10 Who Tried to be a Movie Star
George O'Brien: A Man's Man in Hollywood
A Craving for Travel II (with Jim Strong)
How to Write, Format, and Market a Kindlebook on a Shoestring Budget
His newly released book, Master of Disguise, is about secret soldier Isador Messing who lives up to the title of the book. Terror strikes when Hitler's SS troops arrest Messing's fiancé on the day they plan to escape Nazi occupied Berlin. Alone and stoic in the face of utter malevolence, he launches a bold, daring, and desperate plan to liberate her. Can the remarkable Mr. Messing's one-man army triumph against all odds and win in a war-torn world gone mad?
This book is also available on Kindle.
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.