Bang For Your Book - Where to Place your Baby

Ok.  You've written your book.  By some miracle or miracles, it has been published.  You thought the hard work was over.  HA.  Now you must sell it.  Your publisher wants you to market the heck out of it.  How?  How can you get it into the hands of all those kids you just know will love it and want a copy for themselves?

Here are a few places to put a copy.  I am so sorry, but I don't know who to credit for this fabulous information.  I saved a copy but the source disappeared from view.  If you made these suggestions, please please let me know so I can give you credit...you did a great job!

1. Did you write a children’s or teen interest book? Donate a copy to a local school library or to the school you went to.
2. Send a copy to your local newspaper along with a press release. Be sure to send it to the attention of the arts and variety editor or local interest section.
3. Send a copy to at least one national newspaper along with a press release. Again, to the attention of the review editor.
4. Send a copy to a literary magazine or journal.
5. Send a copy to a review site or book review blog (www.llbookreview.com is a good one).
6. Send a copy to your local independent bookstore as part of a marketing kit or press release. Bookstores love to receive advanced free copies and often give them to their employees to read and suggest to customers.
7. Find a top reviewer of books in your genre on Amazon.com and contact them, asking if they’d like a copy of your book. I’ve had several authors contact me through Amazon this way because of my previous reviews.
8. Sell copies of your book on Amazon.com or on sites like abebooks.com. Advertise them as “signed by the author.” This is an excellent way to get a fast return financially!
9. Offer free copies on your blog, on Facebook, or on Twitter as a raffle. Create fun contests for your readers.
10. In your car, book bag, or purse. You never know who you are going to run into and strike up a conversation with.
11. In a waiting room. If you find books in your doctor’s office, dentist office, at the hospital, or any other waiting room you’ve frequented, why not conveniently leave one of your own books there in the mix? You never know who will pick it up.      Think pediatrician's office. 
12. Hospital Giftshops. Most hospital gift shops have a small selection of eclectic books. This is a great chance to get your book front and center.
13. At a literary festival. Check your state for any local book festivals that might be taking place. Sign up to attend or join a group that might be attending. Or just go to the festival as a visitor and pass out copies of your book to people you strike up a conversation with.
14. Story-Time! There’s always a book being read to kids on a Saturday at a bookstore, at a preschool or in a kindergarten class, or at your local library. If you wrote a kid’s book, why not talk to the director about being a special guest and featuring your book.
15. Places frequented by your target audience. This place plays off #16 a bit, but think about it. The people who you want to read your book, who you wrote the book for, might not frequent bookstores. The point is go find your audience! Don’t wait for them to find you.
16. Community Centers. Find out if your local center has a free lending library. This is also a nice way to connect with grown-ups who loiter around while the kids are in the pool.
17. Airports, bus stations, and train stations. Most of these have a literature kiosk or reading rack.
18. Visitor centers or tourist attractions. Add a “local author” sticker to the front of your book and display it next to the other local interest books.

Now, do you have other suggestions?  Feel free to comment.  I would add just one suggestion.

If you can't afford to hand out free copies willy-nilly, consider having some postcards printed of the front of your book.  On back, add a teaser...just a little "pitch"...and your order info. or website...or what indie book stores in the area are carrying your book.  Cheap, and kids love a post card.  You can even add a QR code that can be scanned to take you right to your place of purchase.

  Again, apologies to the person who wrote these fabulous suggestions....Happy to give credit if anyone knows where it came from.  It is great info.
Have a wonderful weekend!