word of mouth
The 2009 Indies Choice Book Awards, and What Indie Buzz Can Do for You
March 6, 2009
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In case you missed the announcement, the voting for the 2009 Indies Choice Book Awards has begun. Put on by the American Booksellers Association, this is an opportunity for all of the independent bookstores to vote on what they think are the best books of the year, as well as induct their top 3 picture books into the Hall of Fame.
As authors, this is a perfect opportunity to remember the important role independent book stores can play in the success of a book. Get to know the people running the independent stores. They would not own a bookstore if they did not love books, and the authors who write them. These booksellers want to know you, as evidenced by the category for "Most Engaging Author." The feedback they give is instant, and if there is enough support for you or your message, you might be amazed at how quickly word can spread about your book.
Consider Sara Gruen and her book Water for Elephants. Sara made herself and her advance copies available to the independents right from the beginning, during trade shows and mailings. The response was so positive her advance copies had to be printed three different times to keep up with demand from stores and big-media reviewers. This led to a huge increase in print run for the final book, and close to two million copies of the book have been sold to date. Her success was due largely to the immensely positive response from the independent bookselling community.
Having your book carried in the larger stores is very important for any author, but it is nice to see the effect the independent stores and old-fashioned word-of-mouth can have on the book industry. While you might not be able to vote in the ABA poll, it is fun to imagine who you might vote for if given the chance . . . or even what your book's title might look like on next year's ballot.
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Buzz About Buzz Marketing Reaches Nauseous New Heights
April 19, 2006
by GreenleafBookGroup
What’s all the buzz about? Hopefully it’s your book, and it probably is—if your book happens to be about buzz. “Buzz,” or “word-of-mouth marketing” as it is now defined, has become all the rage in book marketing. Publicity is SO yesterday—so 2005. Today’s book marketers are focused on word-of-mouth promotion campaigns to blast books onto bestseller lists, break sales records, and build loyal fan bases for authors.
If by some miracle you haven’t been smothered by the hype surrounding word-of-mouth marketing, here’s the skinny:
“Buzz” or “word-of-mouth” marketing is the exchange between people about a product, place, service, or company. For example, a friend tells you about a great new restaurant she went to last night and recommends you try it. Since your tastes are similar, you are more likely to go on her recommendation than you are to trust the ad you saw in the local paper for the same restaurant.
At one time or another we have all “buzzed” about something to people we know—and sometimes to people we’ve just met. Book marketers have picked up on this, and now all big promotion plans include buzz marketing strategies.
Ready to accept that brown is the new black and buzz is the new Oprah, but not sure where to start or what to do?
The key is to begin at a grassroots level and enlist people you know to pass the word and make an impact.
- Start a seeding campaign. Send out your book to friends and contacts who would like the subject matter, and offer incentives for them to buy copies for others.
- Speak up. Book speaking gigs with every organization you’re involved with and any group that could benefit from your message.
- Use the Internet! Establish an online presence. Start a blog, or advertise on other book or subject-related blogs and websites.
- Send an email blast to your database introducing your book. If you don’t have a database, start one by developing a weekly email newsletter and building a subscription base on your website or at speaking and networking events.
- Look into buzz marketing companies that can help you develop your campaign, such as bzzagent.com. (In the case of this particular company, you need deep pockets for their services and we have heard mixed reviews on their results, but it may be worth exploring.)
Has the recent buzz hype been a bit overwhelming? You bet. In fact, in the tradition of “Bennifer” and “Brangelina,” we even considered dubbing the hooplah “Buzzarketing” or “Muzz.” But, ultimately, we came to respect the power of word-of-mouth marketing and appreciate that at least when our industry over-hypes a trend, it’s something that is smart and effective.
TIP: You don’t have to be a marketing expert to start your buzz campaign. If you need a little extra help or some good ideas, we highly recommend reading The Anatomy of Buzz by Emanuel Rosen. Rosen’s book offers strategies for creating and sustaining word-of-mouth campaigns. Another good one is Buzz Marketing by Mark Hughes, the founder of bzzagent.com.
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