Editor's Note: Before Alisa takes the reins, I can't resist plugging her book, Project: Happily Ever After, because 1) she's a talented and generous writer whom I thoroughly admire and 2) it's a brutally honest, hilariously funny look at relationships. Even if you aren't married or romantically attached, I urge you to check it out. You'll laugh, you'll cheer, you'll glean some useful tips on interpersonal communication. Below, Alisa shares some insights gleaned from her virtual book tour. By Alisa Bowman
When I was writing Project: Happily Ever After, I fantasized that a huge publisher would snatch up the book, roll out the proverbial red carpet, and give me publishing’s equivalent of the royal treatment.
Then reality hit. I was poor (relatively speaking) and I wasn’t famous. I wasn’t getting the royal treatment.
If I wanted people to find out about my book, it was up to me to make it happen. So I launched the Poor Woman’s Publicity Campaign, which included an extensive virtual book tour.
Initially, I thought a 25-site tour was a tall goal. Then I counted up the relationships I’d formed by blogging and networking. That’s when I realized I could reach that number easily. So then I shot for 50. Then I shot for 75. Then I figured I might as well go for 100. (What the heck, right?)
I now have 120 sites lined up, with more joining the tour every day. When all is said and done, the tour will reach a collective 100+ million readers. Here’s how I pulled it off.
I Got Over My Fear of Rejection
This asking for help business? It’s not my strength. I worry that I am a bother to people. I worry that I am bugging them. I worry that they are sick of hearing me talk about my book and asking them to help me sell it.
All I really want to do is sit behind my computer and type words. I don’t want to beg people to read those words. I just want them to accidentally stumble over them.
You with me? Good because I have something important to tell you. It’s this. Unless you are a hopeless spammer whose photo is hanging in the Narcissist’s Hall of Fame (not very likely if you are a professional writer), then people probably are not sick of hearing about you and your book. And if you want to wear clothes and have hot food to eat and a roof over your head and electricity to power the Goddess that is known as your computer, you need to promote those words.
These are the questions I asked myself before approaching other bloggers. These questions helped me get over my reticence of asking for help:
* Am I annoyed or negative in any way when I read a post on a blog, Facebook or discussion board asking for help? (No)
* Do I believe in my message? (Yes, which means it's selfish not to share it)
* Will this help others? (Yes, so it's selfish to keep it to myself)
* Has anyone even remotely hinted that I am nauseatingly self-promotional or that I talk about myself too much or that I might need to seek treatment for narcissism? (No, so my fears that people think this about me are probably unfounded)
* Am I practicing any of the annoying marketing techniques that I can't stand when they are targeted at me? (No)
I Paced Myself
Starting about 3 months before book release, I asked 3 to 5 bloggers a day to join the tour. I started with my good friends and then slowly worked my way out to bloggers I knew less and less well. To add bloggers to the tour, I:
• Asked friends to introduce me to other bloggers. One blogging friend single handedly brought 10 bloggers onto the tour. Another blogging friend lined up some huge name bloggers for me (including one for the Huffington Post).
• I posted on my blog that I was looking for bloggers. I also posted to various discussion groups and boards that I frequent.
• Asked bloggers who ran in the same circles with me (for instance who spoke at a conference I attended) to join the tour.
• Asked every new Twitter follower who seemed to have a blog if he or she would like a review copy of my book.
• Asked every new blogger who joined the tour to spread the word about the tour or to put me in touch with other bloggers who might want to join.
Eventually, however, I had to face facts. I had to approach bloggers cold. And unless you are a spam bot, cold emailing is hard. Check back tomorrow when Alisa shares her do's and don'ts for approaching bloggers, plus how her efforts have paid off.
Alisa Bowman is the author of Project: Happily Ever After, which tells the story of how she went from the brink of divorce to falling back in love. She is also the creator of ProjectHappilyEverAfter.com, which is a gathering spot for recovering divorce daydreamers. She will be talking about her virtual book tour during the “Renegade Book Publicity” panel at the upcoming American Society for Journalists and Authors Conference in New York on April 29th. Ed. Note: I’ll be moderating a panel about ebooks at the same conference the following day, so come soak up all our writerly wisdom!
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