Last week I shared the first half of a list devoted to blog post topics that will let your audience know about your work in authentic and engaging ways. I will finish sharing those post ideas with you today in hopes that you’ll be able to spread the good word about your book and increase your sales without making your family and friends and social media followers want to run the other way. (Click here for Part 1)

Let’s jump back in!

Book Launch Party

One of my favorite parts about promoting my books is planning and executing the book launch party. Making my fictional piece of art an experience for others to encounter feels like literally bringing my story to life. After the party, I often write a post sharing the details and a plethora of pictures. Readers who weren’t able to attend due to conflicting schedules or distance can catch up on all the action and of course buy a book through a clearly provided link.

Behind the Scenes Facts 

Once your readers have had a chance to experience your story world and come to know your characters, give them some bonus material. Creating a list of behind the scenes facts will make your readers feel like they are getting the inside scoop, and therefore special. When others bring up your book in conversation (in the grocery store, at church, in the breakroom) they will be able to say, “Did you know…?” Word of mouth continues to be the greatest form of advertisement, and this type of blog post will keep the conversation going about your book.

Interviews

When my friend Silvia’s third installment in her YA Mythology trilogy came out, she spread the word through interviews. You can see three great examples of this type of blog post in action here, here and here. Silvia’s posts appear on a writing coach’s blog, a national children’s writing organization website and a fellow author friend’s blog. Search for guest blog post or interview opportunities that will give you and your book lots of (hopefully new!) eyes.

Extras

If you have created extra materials to go with your books, like discussion guides for book clubs or educational materials for children’s books, let the world know about them through a blog post. Rochelle Groskreutz, author of Easter Elf, and her publisher KWiL, created this adorable activity kit to go with her debut picture book. Not only is this free product value added to her story, but it is also a valuable addition to her website and will likely drive traffic in her direction.

Share Some Wisdom

Often you learn a thing or two in the process of writing a book. Write a blog post sharing that hard-earned knowledge with others and win yourself some fans and admirers in the process. These types of posts will also assert you as an expert in the field and therefore a credible and reliable source in the field. My friend Blaine did this recently when he learned a few successful tricks in the persnickety process of scanning, resizing and publishing original art when creating a picture book. He explains his process in this blog post about his book, The Leprechaun Who Lost His Luck.

And last, but not least, you can write a post like this one, full of links to previously written content, in an effort to both illustrate a point and further spread the word about your work. Best of luck as you share your stories – both the published ones and the ones behind the scenes – with your audience.

(Click here for Part 1)

Bio
Amanda Zieba is a self-proclaimed word nerd, college writing instructor and author of eight books. She also blogs weekly on all sorts of word nerd topics, is the creator of a six-week fiction writing program called Story Seedlings and presents writing workshops across the Midwest. You can connect with her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/amandazieba/ or via her website. www.amandazieba.com