Taking It to the Mainstream

Once your book is released, how can you reach readers? Getting noticed by the mainstream audience isn't easy, and can be costly. No longer can we rely on social media sites to do the job. Facebook has cracked down on posts which include links, which means if you do post about your book, many of your friends won't even see it. Belonging to a Facebook group devoted to books appears to be a good solution, but don't be surprised if you notice the other members are also authors. Yes, authors do love to read, yet what about readers who aren't authors? Where are they hiding?

Here are some suggestions to ferret some of them out. Yes, an exchange of money is involved, but almost everything seems to fit that description these days. Perhaps one of my suggestions will work for you.

• Place an ad in a newspaper. You'll be charged by the size of the ad and what length of time you want it to run. The charge may also depend on whether or not it's running in a metropolitan paper. Local newspapers may not reach as many people, but usually cost less. If you want something to really stand out, you can pay big money for a sticker to go on the front page, or you can buy a glossy sheet which will certainly get noticed. If you're offering an e-book, you might want to consider running an ad in the electronic edition of the newspaper for an audience which already enjoys electronic reading.
• Consider running a spoken ad at a radio station. The rate will depend on whether it's a popular station or locally owned. The length of time the ad will run, as well as how many days, will also factor in on the price. You can specify whether you wish to read the ad yourself and record it for the station, or have someone from the station do the honors.

The above advertising methods don't require stringent approval, except with regard to spelling and newspaper standards. I'm still debating about whether or not to try one. The next method is iffy, but usually if you allow enough time, and offer a professional product, you might get chosen.

• You can pay an online advertising site, such as BookBub to get your book noticed. The genre will determine the rate per day. For example, if your book is free, contemporary romance is now going for $365.00, but a cozy mystery could cost you $460.00. If the contemporary romance is reduced to $1.00, you'll pay $730.00 to advertise there, and cozy mysteries reduced to $1.00 are going for $920.00 to advertise. And, the cost goes up, if your book is listed higher. The upside is, I did reach 47,000 downloads when I used them to advertise Killer Career.  

• For $25.00 you can get an online ad from Ereader News Today, which doesn't reach as many readers, but is still a big help. My freebie thriller, Two Wrongs, got 3,702 downloads, when I recently used Ereader News Today to advertise. If you'd like a copy, it's still free on Amazon and other venues.

Since both the above book advertising sites are extremely popular, you'll need to get your request in as far ahead as possible, preferably a month, although two weeks might work. Other qualifications will also apply, which are at the site's discretion. Your book could be great, but if a similar book has already been scheduled for the time requested, your book might still get rejected.

Once you've snagged some readers, you'll want them to come back for more, so make sure to put out an appealing, professional, and error-free product. Otherwise, all the advertising in the world won't snag return readers.

Have you tried any of the methods I've mentioned?

Experience the diversity and versatility of Morgan Mandel. Romantic Comedies: Her Handyman, its sequel, A Perfect Angel, standalone reality show romance; Girl of My Dreams.  Thriller: Forever Young: Blessing or Curse,its sequel: the Blessing or Curse Collection. Romantic suspense: Killer Career. Mystery:Two Wrongs. Short  and Sweet   Romance: Christmas   Carol. 
Christian Women's Fiction: Hailey's Chance: Will Baby Make 3? Twitter:@MorganMandel Websites: Morgan Mandel.Com    Morgan Does Chick Lit.Com.