Because you are an, yet, unheard of author out there you need to get people's attention. Especially when it comes to your very first book. A great way to do this, hold a contest. Now, unless you have money on the side, try to think FREE prizes. What is a great FREE prize? What about copy of your book, or rather an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy)?
Most publishers out there, though not all - so you are aware, send the author ARC's of their books. They can come in a number of different formats and are for you to give away. Now, note how many copies your publisher says you can give away and try to keep it under that number. No, they can't track the copies and figure out you gave everyone in your family, all sixty of them, a copy of it - that we know of. But you also want people to buy your book so just handing it out willy-nilly is not good for your bottom line. The ARC's are also good for review sites, you can upload them to their sites and get a review done of your book.
Two things here, don't ever put up a book on a review site before it's actually out. We say this for a few reasons, but the big one is - your publisher will shit on your head if they find out you put up an ARC for review a week before the release. At least those we know would. They are very, very particular about this, don't argue, just nod your head and go with it. Second thing, do not give your ARC's away (contest or otherwise) until the day before it's to be released without getting your publishers okay on that.
You can hold your contest in any number of ways, whatever is easiest for you. We have used Rafflecopter on Facebook a number of times and found it extremely useful. But whatever method you go with on whatever site you do it, ensure you read the Terms and Conditions of the site about announcing winners (putting up names) - or contact their customer service people. Some sites, like Facebook, are pretty strict about such things so approach with caution but don't let it deter you from have fun doing it.
And that's it for tonight's post - let's chat again soon.
The Moderator
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