Are you an
author who will be releasing your novel in the future?
Would you
like to create more buzz and gain some readers for your book?
A Facebook
book release party can help you get the word out about your new release and
generate excitement for the story you created. If anything, it’s a chance for
you to build a relationship with readers and to form new friendships and
contacts. I’ve met some awesome peeps and have gain new readers and followers
with every Facebook party I’ve done.
How do you
create a book release bash on Facebook?
Here’s how .
. .
On Facebook,
to the left of your screen is an “event” icon. You need to click on it. In
the next field to the left of your screen is a “create” icon. Click on it.
Now you can type in the name of your event, the description, where, the date
and time. Invite your friends.
Banner.
What?
You need to
make a banner to advertise your party.
How in the
bloody hell do I do that?
Pizap!
What the freak
is Pizap?
Pizap is a
user friendly site where you can make banners and posters for your books. I
love their website. I suck at technology, so if I can figure out how to use it you can too.
I’ll be doing
a Facebook release party for Tangled Roots in October, so I’ll share with you a
banner I created on Pizap.
I’m not sure
if I’m going to use this one, but I wanted to give you an example of what I’m
talking about.
Anyway, I
suggest you create your event two or three weeks ahead of time, so you can get
more people to join. Ask your friends to invite theirs. Better yet, do a
giveaway on your event page, like a signed paperback copy when you reach a
certain amount of people attending the party. Keep engaging the peeps who are
going and work on more invites. Share teasers or videos. Maybe have another
person on board to help you keep the excitement rolling.
One thing
you can do beforehand is learn from other authors. Watch and take notes on how
they run their Facebook parties.
Giveaways.
What should
I giveaway? I mean, really, I’m not made of money, so how can I afford to throw
in prizes for my shindig?
Here are some ideas that won't break your pocketbook.
Giveaway an
ebook of your story. It won’t cost you a cent. Ask other authors if they will donate an ebook. Nine times out of ten, they will, because most
authors are generous and it helps get the word out about their books. You can also giveaway signed paperback copies, which readers adore. Another idea
is rack cards you can create on Vistaprint. People also love Amazon gift cards.
A five dollar gift card is reasonable.
F.Y.I. if an
author donates something to your party, make sure to do something for him or
her in return, like get more likes for his Facebook author page.
Example from
my last book release party:
(This is
what you would write in a post during your event)
Giveaway #3
For an ecopy
of Revenge From Mars by Todd Embry, like his page and tell him Rebekkah thinks
he’s sweet. (his link would go here so peeps can click on it).
Engage.
Try to get
people involve with each giveaway you post.
Make it fun!
Post a goofy picture
and say, “Caption this. You have 15 minutes.” When the time is up post:
*************CLOSED************ Then post the winner of whatever you’re giving
away. You can choose the winner in this example by which caption made you laugh
the most, or you can use Random.org. If you use Random's website, make sure the
peeps who participate chooses a number and mention it in the
post.
Example:
Giveaway #5
For a rack
card and magnet of Tangled Roots, caption this picture and choose a number
between 1-100. You have 15 minutes. I’ll be using Random.org to pick a winner.
See how the
process works?
Btw, before you
start your party, make sure you post something like, Facebook is not affiliated
or responsible for this event. Something along those lines.
I hope what
I posted helps you. I know when I started out, I didn’t have a clue what I was
doing and had to learn the ropes from other authors.
Cheers!
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Today is
Read Tuesday where tons of great books by amazing authors are discounted,
including my own.
