“Life is about success, not perfection…and so is marketing.” – Rob Eagar
Marketing During the Time of COVID
Many authors are turning to social media to boost their sales. Amazon sales are up for many books. So are Barnes and Noble. Bookshop.org will post your books and you can become a partner there. Use Goodreads to help put the word out, preferably with something different on every page where you post.
Some people hire publicists. I did that at the suggestion of Koehler Books, and here are some of the places my book has turned up through the efforts of Shari Stauch from Where Writers Win. You can put yours there too.
http://indiebooklounge.com/ebook/young-adult/b-lynn-goodwin/talent/?bid=1003895552
https://books2read.com/ap/nEkv03/B-Lynn-Goodwin
https://www.ereaderiq.com/dp/B08F6J5N38/talent/
Linking to various pages on different days will keep your posts fresh.
Put together a tip sheet for any bookstores that are still open, for libraries, or for potential reviewers. Include your contact information. Mine is given as an example.
Contact:
Website: https://writeradvice.com/books-by-lynn/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lgood67334
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writeradvice/
Publisher’s Author Page: https://www.koehlerbooks.com/writer/b-lynn-goodwin/
Promo Link: https://bookbuzz.net/blog/young-adult-talent-by-b-lynn-goodwin/
Purchase Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Talent-B-Lynn-Goodwin-ebook/dp/B08F6J5N38/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/talent-b-lynn-goodwin/1123331862?ean=9781646630172
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/talent-25
https://bookshop.org/books/talent-9781646630165/9781646630165
https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781646630165
There are even more promotional links on NetGalley. My publicist put the book in all these places, but it’s my job to spread the work on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube and maybe invent a dance to do on Tik-Tok. Actually I’d need to find actors for that. Teen actors. Twenty-something actors. If they’re looking for exposure, I can offer them that and a complimentary copy.
One of the most important things you can do is vary what you post. If I don’t people will scroll right past. 
Some ideas for doing that.
- Vary your pictures.
- Quote passages.
- Quote reviews.
- Reach out.
- Post interviews.
- Post the link to your book’s website. Mine, listed above, is https://writeradvice.com/books-by-lynn/
Still not getting the sales you want?
- Post on Facebook.
- Post on Twitter.
- Post on Instagram and while you are there, friend the Bookstagram people, the bookstores, and the readers.
- Write articles for people’s blogs. Vary your subjects. Relate them to the page you’re posting on as well as your book.
You can also get some book reviews (available at no charge if you review others work) at https://sandrasbookclub.blogspot.com/2020/08/submit-your-book.html
Take a look and see if it seems right for your book.
Feeling like you could do more?
- Offer promotions.
- Drop prices—but not indefinitely. There’s nothing like a deadline to boost sales.
- Post questions and offer swag for prizes.
- Draw people in to your story, and remember “There are no mistakes—only new material.
What ideas do you have for promoting YA and other fiction during the time of COVID? We’d love to hear from you. You’ll get credit for your ideas, which will be added to this article, so please check back from time to time and see what’s been added. Thanks.
Questions? Click on the Contact button and let me know.
