Marketing outside the box

Today I have a post from Trevor Ripley, a fellow Crooked Cat Publishing author, who is sharing with us some of his marketing ideas.

Trevor is the 46 year old father of two lovely girls, Aniela aged 11 and Kazia, 14. Each night, as his girls were growing up, he created bedtime stories for them, which is how Lily Lovebug and the Unconquered Planet came to exist!

Let’s hear what Trevor has to say regarding marketing.

"It is important to say that I believe myself to be a novice at the book promotion game – however, I have some novel ideas. Working in a large hospital has brought me into contact with many charities, the largest of which has taken on one of my ideas.

In exchange for my share of the royalties, my hospital charity has agreed to promote the book across all the 5,000 hospital staff. They have also decided to exhibit the book at events such as Christmas fayres which they will be hosting and similar events. I will be present for book signings.

The hospital also promotes these events on the multitude of computer screens, both in the hospital itself and also in community sites - imagine this colourful flyer on the right showing on every screen.

This is only the beginning of our relationship - the best part being, the team of charity workers are full of ideas and have access to various resources, such as a graphical design team.

I have extended this offer to other similar charities and am negotiating how to proceed.

At this stage, my main aim is promotion and not profit and, as such, I have recently contacted a local pub who are hosting a Halloween party event. I have proposed that I attend, read a few pages, and display my book. Hopefully I will gain a few sales, the pub adds a free attraction to their event and again, a charity of their choice receives my share of the royalties.

Like every other author, I often advertise on Facebook and twitter - however, I believe social networking sites are flooded with books that are often free. I also believe that unless your network is extended into other fields, then you are only going to connect with like-minded people who are too busy with their own marketing to sit up and take notice of your efforts.

This is why I have attempted to think out of the box. I do not yet know how successful my actions will be - however, I do plan to extend into schools and other establishments."

Thank you, Trevor, for sharing your ideas with us.

For more information about Trevor, visit his page on the Crooked Cat Publishing site: TP Ripley

           

Paperback version                     E-book version

Critique Service for Writers
Flash 500 Flash Fiction Competition
Flash 500 Humour Verse Competition