Every up-and-coming author is looking for the same thing: a chance to reach a new audience, sell books, and ultimately become a bestselling author.
But here’s something that might surprise you. Two or more authors in the same genre can actually help one another achieve those goals. If you, for example, are a mystery writer, and you are introduced to another mystery writer, you don’t have to look at that author as competition. After all, it’s not like Coke and Pepsi; readers aren’t going to read one author’s books and decide not to read the other’s. Instead, by teaming up with other, similar writers in your genre, you can actually work together to get your books in the hands of the right people.
Here are five author marketing ideas that can help you do just that.
1. Review each other’s books. Everyone is trying to get their book reviewed. In fact, some authors are actually paying to get their book reviwed. So why not review one another’s books? If you do this, though, you have to vow to be honest. Don’t hesitate to be slightly critical. That’s what makes it a real review. Then post that review on your own site, and allow the author to post it on their site, on Amazon, etc… It’s a free review (and hopefully a good one) for both of you. Warning: Read the book and make sure you don’t hate it before volunteering to do this!
2. Share email lists. Have you built an email list of your own? Why not combine it with your colleagues’ email list and send out joint messages together. This allows your message to reach twice the audience.
3. Consider group or guest blogging. Are both of you blogging? Why not try blogging together? This can be done by creating one group blog, where two or three (or more) of you all post in the same place. Or you can, on occasion, each write one blog post for the other person’s blog. Again, this is a way to reach a new audience and combine forces.
4. Cross-promote content. Does your colleague have something interesting on his or her site? Maybe it’s a compelling blog entry, a book excerpt, a quiz, or some fast facts on his or her writing. Dedicate a blog or Facebook post to promoting his or her interesting content.
5. Plan events together. Have you thought about hosting an online chat? A book launch party? A webinar for other authors? Double your pleasure (and your attendance) by doing it together. And if you live in the same geographic area, you can think about doing book signings or library visits together as well.
All of these ideas allow authors like you to combine forces. Your fans + his or her fans = more potential readers. It’s as simple as that.
And if you are looking for an author in your genre to team up with, post a comment below. Maybe we can even play matchmaker!