Denise Turney’s Tips on Breaking into Book Clubs
Denise is the author of several books including Love Pour Over Me, Love Has Many Faces, Long Walk Up, Portia and other novels. I was recently on her radio show Off the Shelf talking about my novel What Goes Around Comes Around. In my post How to Prepare for a Book Interview I go over some tips on how to make the most of your interview. I love checking out Denise’s posts on self publishing and writing on her Youtube channel and I often visit her site and view her videos to improve my publishing techniques. Denise was kind enough to share some tips about getting into book clubs.
Book clubs are an important way for writers to reach readers hat would most be interested in their books. Please read below to learn more about her. As an established author Denise shared some tips on how to get into book clubs and why they are important for writers.
(Q) How do you find book clubs that have potential readers for your book?
(Denise Turney)AALBC.com, Mosaic.com and similar sites list book clubs. Book clubs are also active on social media sites. I look for book clubs that read books that appeal to my books’ target audience.
(Q)What is the best way to get featured in a book club?
(Denise Turney)You can pay for a book club feature, especially if the book club has a newsletter. Some book clubs also have forms that you can fill out to request to be featured. As with any marketing, it may pay to build a relationship with the book club president. After the club president gets to know you, it may be easier to get that person’s ear.
(Q)What are the advantages of getting in a book club?
(Denise Turney)Getting in a book club is a great way to introduce your books to a large number of readers. It saves time. It builds relationships. You also might be invited to attend a book club meeting in person.
(Q)Are book clubs a way to get reviews for your website and Amazon?
(Denise Turney)You certainly could ask book club members to write reviews for your books. Another good takeaway is to post positive feedback from book clubs at your website. You could add this information on your website testimonial page.
(Q)What are some other ways to get book reviews?
(Denise Turney)You can pay for book reviews with organizations like Kirkus Book Reviews. Local newspapers (the small community papers) are other good places to get book reviews.
(Q)How can readers use social media to drive book sales?
(Denise Turney)For me, the best way to generate book sales on social media is to pay for ads. Examples of this include boosting social media posts and creating ads that direct people to my Amazon.com books pages. Publishing book links to social media sites and being active on social media to build relationships are other good steps authors can take.
(Q)What your recommendation to advertise for promoting your book?
(Denise Turney)(Social, Youtube, Facebook, Advertisements, Book Fairs, others) – I’ve had the best success with Facebook regarding social media book ads. As with all marketing, the key is to build relationships with readers. Just as your family and friends buy your books simply because they know you. So too can other people as you use social media, etc. to introduce yourself and your books and start communicating (not just selling) and building relationships.
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