You've poured your blood, sweat and tears into your book, and now, after countless rounds of writing, rewriting and editing, it is finally ready for market. Think your work is over? Think again. These days, whether you are a self-published or traditionally published author, you are responsible for the lion's share of the marketing. That's why Writers in the Sky offers a full menu of services to assist you in promoting your book.
Coaching
It is easy to become overwhelmed by the marketing process, especially for a first-time author. We'll help you create a marketing plan and hold you accountable to it. You don't have to go it alone!
Audio Interviews for Authors
Our writing, publishing and book marketing podcast is popular with book lovers because it gives sneak previews into new books on the market. Authors enjoy the how-to publishing information and tips on book marketing and online publicity.
Writers in the Sky offers the author podcast interview as a stand-alone service or as part of a marketing package. This allows our clients to make the most of multiple online media outlets when publicizing their book.
Please choose a marketing package from the list below or request a personalized marketing plan when you contact us. You may also create your own marketing package by mixing several of the single items listed below and get the podcast interview as a bonus.
If you choose only the podcast interview, the cost is $50. The reason we charge for the podcast interview is to cover our time in marketing the show. We post announcements on our blog, as well as in our monthly newsletter. All shows are permanently archived on our blog feed. The podcast is available on iTunes at no cost to the listeners.
Written Interviews for Authors $25
We send a list of questions for the author to answer and return to us. WITS will then craft the material into an interview style, blog-ready article that will be posted on our blog. The article can also be used to further promote the author's book in other venues.
Introduce the Author Marketing Package
At $300, the Introduce the Author Package is the best deal for new authors. It includes the following components:
- A 500-word book review that will be featured on the Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads sites, as well as our blog.
- An individual press release announcing the release of the book submitted to relevant online media outlets.
- A half-hour podcast interview that will be uploaded on the WITS podcast, which is syndicated to other podcast directories, as well as iTunes. The author gets the interview in MP3 format to use in his or her marketing campaign.
- A 500-word article containing content related to the book's material to be submitted to online article directories.
- An announcement in our writing newsletter of your guest appearance on the show.
- An announcement on our blog about your appearance on our show.
Book Review $50
One of our team members will read your book and write a fair and honest review (up to 500 words). We will post the review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads, as well as on our blog. You get Word and PDF versions of the review to use for other publicity purposes. If a book lacks literary quality or has multiple grammatical/mechanical errors, we cannot in good conscience give the book at least a four-star rating. Five-star books will be featured on our blog and in the newsletters.
Twitter Assistance
If you are a savvy marketer, you are undoubtedly aware of the impact that social media - particularly Twitter - can have on your book or business. The problem is, many people spend a lot of time hanging out on Twitter but don't get an effective return on their investment. There is an art to creating tweets that drive traffic to websites and blogs. WITS can help! We employ technology to shorten your URLs, then add hashtags and searchable words/phrases that make these marketing micro-posts easily found by your customers. The ready-to-post snippets are only $1 per tweet and come in units of twelve.
Social Media Campaigns
WITS will organize and manage a social networking campaign around your book, virtual tour, contest, or other social media blast. We will link your social networking efforts on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and other sites using HootSuite to organize and manage your online presence.
WITS will write keyword-rich, search optimized micro-posts (see Twitter assistance above) and transmit them via HootSuite. This helps drive interested customers to your website, increasing traffic and boosting search visibility. We employ technology to shorten your URLs, then add hashtags and searchable words/phrases to make these marketing micro-posts easily found by your customers.
We will write and program twelve tweets per day, which is one every other hour around the clock or one per hour hour for a twelve-hour period. Pricing is based on $1 per written tweet and 25 cents per re-tweet set up in HootSuite.
Choose from the following standard campaigns:
One week (12 tweets with 84 re-tweets) $33
Two weeks (24 tweets, 168 re-tweets) $66
Three weeks (36 tweets, 252 re-tweets) $99
Four weeks (48 tweets, 336 re-tweets) $132
A management fee of $15 applies for setting up your social marketing accounts in HootSuite. This is the only distribution channel we use.
Article Marketing $100
Article marketing is an effective way to drive targeted traffic to your blog or website. One of our team members will write a 350 to 500-word article specific to your book topic. You will receive the article as a Word document to use however you choose. We will also submit it to the following online directories: EzineArticles.com, Helium.com, ABC Article Directory.com, Pressexposure, and Articlebiz.com
Sell Sheet $35
Also called a fact sheet, the sell sheet contains the book's title, author, category, both ISBNs, publication date, price, page count, binding/book type, publisher, language, product dimensions, shipping weight, web links, and media contact information. It is used to query bookstores about placing your book on their shelves. The sell sheets used to query libraries contain different information.
One-Pager $100
A one-pager is an important part of any media kit. It contains a concise description of the author, his/her photo, a synopsis of the book and a photo of its cover, tips or story angles, and your contact information. It is formatted to be visually appealing and make a great first impression. This quick-glance reference sheet is used to garner author interviews.
Tips Sheets $100
A tips sheet is included in a marketing or media kit to show what your book is about and may include a list of topics that you are able to speak about. The tips sheet may be a list of questions and answers the gives radio show hosts an idea of how well your subject fits their listening audience. Great for sending along with your query letter when inquiring about being a guest on a talk show.
Query Letter for Radio Interviews $100
There is an established protocol and certain necessary components to be included when inquiring about being a guest on a radio show. A query letter is the cover letter that introduces an author, a book, or a business and states what you are able to offer the show's listeners.
Blogging Services
It has been proven that regularly updated blogs with material focused on a particular theme attracts more readers and potential clients. One of our team members will write keyword-optimized, content-rich text for authors who need material for a book or business blog. Average cost is $30 per 300-word post.
Online Media Kit $750
This is a full media kit in an electronic format (PDF and Word docs). The kit may be sent to online media or printed and sent along with your cover letter to request interviews and other promotion opportunities. Our previous clients have used the components both online and as physical mailers, or to have available at book signings or speaking engagements. In preparing your media kit, WITS will do the following:
- Write a cover letter introducing you and your media kit to the recipient
- Create your one-pager
- Compile a list of questions a host might ask you during an interview or make a tips sheet about your topic
- Create a fact sheet about your book
- Create a 500-word bio
- Write one media release (500 words) about your book
- Write one 500-word article about the topic of your book
- Record an author interview and provide it to you as an MP3 audio file
- Write a review for your book (which will also be featured on our blog and in our newsletter)
- Write a synopsis of your book
- List of speaking events/experience (you provide the information, we will format it to match the theme of the media kit)