Now more than ever, with the thousands of new titles being released every
single year, it is of the utmost importance to market your book so that it stands
out among the rest.
After my book, Jew in Jail was published in November of 2010, I came up with
what I thought was a terrific and unique "hook" that I was sure would garner
some much needed attention in the highly competitive field of publishing.
First of all, I purchased a booth at BookExpo America (BEA 2011) at the Jacob
K. Javits Center in Manhattan, where I knew thousands upon thousands of agents,
publishers, and other authors would be congregating to exchange thoughts, ideas,
and simply just to pass out business cards and be seen.
So, since my book is a prison tome, I thought what better way to get noticed than
to prance around in a black and white striped jail costume!
Well, needless to say, that ploy worked exceptionally well, as people gravitated to
me while I was either walking around the convention center, or signing copies of
Jew in Jail at my booth.
As successful as an idea as that was, though, I realized that I still needed to put the
pedal to the metal and continue to promote and market my book as much as I could.
Besides, I really wasn't selling as many books as I had hoped to, although I did understand
that patience is an important virtue to have in this business.
So I wore my jail outfit when I went to hand out my business cards and bookmarks at the
criminal court building in lower Manhattan, and was lucky enough to go on a day there
was a high profile case, as there were photographers from all of the New York City daily newspapers taking pictures.
On the days I am unable to make a personal appearance at court, jail, drug treatment programs,
speaking engagements, or book signings, I can be found sitting right in front of my computer
promoting Jew in Jail over the internet via the many social media sites that are available to do so.
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Goodreads and Pinterest are the five major social media sites that
are invaluable for authors to market their books if they want to get the word out and increase sales.
Whether it's discussion groups, posting links to the radio & blog interviews you do, or announcing where you will be on any particular occasion, social media is a great tool to use.
The bottom line, then, is that if you don't have an agent - as is the case with me - or even if you do, it is imperative that you put the time in and do the work yourself.
In my case, I went from a Jew in Jail, to a Jew who refuses to fail!
So, to summarize, find a "hook" to promote your book, go out and meet your potential readers
in person whenever possible, use the internet to your advantage, and, if you come up with any new methods of promoting your book, then by all means go for it.
And don't forget to tell me what they are too!
Gary Goldstein was born on October 18, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from Long Island University in 1983 and is a selected member of Sigma Delta Chi.
Before Gary's conviction, he worked for both CBS News and Sports, and NBC Sports, as a journalist, and has also worked at other media outlets and sports production companies in the Tri-State area as well. Since his release in 2004, Gary has also been employed in the construction industry, but is now retired.
Gary is single and has no children. He enjoys reading, writing, music, working out, spending time with family and friends, dating, and going to the beach, and still resides in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York, where he is currently working on his next book project. You may contact Gary at Gman18nyc@aol.com.