Our Guest: Jeff Bennington

In keeping with the theme of Authors Promoting Authors, I want to be sure to compose this according to the all-important mantra of promoting other writers. Seems simple enough, right?

Now, to throw in a little twist, I would like to attempt this while writing what I’ve learned about book marketing. So regardless of how this turns out, your grace and/or sympathy is much appreciated.
As a newly established writer, I have to say that blogs like APA and the literary relationships I have made these last few months have been extremely impacting on my view of marketing.

It seems that my naïve and inexperienced mind viewed marketing as an independent and self-disciplined endeavor that paid its dividends according to the amount of effort I alone dispense. Boy, was I wrong!

What I have learned about marketing is that selling books has less to do with my effort, although effort is certainly critical, and more to do with Networking. In fact, it is through networking that I have learned the few things I know about book marketing.

For starters, I’ve learned that putting other author’s names on your books is a simple and much appreciated way of promoting other authors. Why would you do that? Well, because people believe what they read, and if another author writes a positive review about your book, readers will believe that the book is good. Also, using other writers to edit and including them on the cover is another way to promote other authors.
I have experienced this first hand. Published author, Dory Maust, author of Blood Stained and the Benn Mac series liked my book Killing the Giants so much that she invited me to join her editing team with the promise of putting my name on the jacket as editor of her current project, Letters to the Savior.
I mean, Wow! That was incredibly flattering and a marketing blitz for both of us. You see, her main character in the Benn Mac series is…your not going to believe this…Jeff Bennington (that’s me). In return, I have put her name and information on the cover of Killing the Giants. You can learn more about Dory, our books, and how all that came together at www.dorymaust.com. See, that is how you network and promote other authors. It’s kind of like the old adage, what goes around comes around, or you get what you give. Not that I want to over do the cliché thing, but I think you get the point.
But wait there’s more! There are other great ways to network and market that are cheap and easy. But to keep this short, I’ll just post some links here that you can go to for free, accessible marketing. Also, never forget the value of public libraries, your alumni association, press releases, bookstores, and your local newspaper. Your contacts with these folks are absolutely invaluable. Finally, note how I use my email signature at the end of this blog. Trust me, people will look at your site just by including it in all your emails.
· Free web hosting - www.Yola.com (used to be synthasite.com)
· Free Promotional videos - www.animoto.com (look at my web page. It’s fun and easy.)
· Free networking… Facebook.com, myspace.com, & Authors Promoting Authors.
To see how I use these tools, you can friend me on Facebook or better yet, go to my webpage, www.chasingthegiants.com. Happy Networking!


Jeff Bennington
Author – Killing the Giants: The Road to Nihilism
www.chasingthegiants.com

This Guest Post is by Jeff Bennington. All Rights Reserved.

If you would like to be Our Guest on Authors Promoting Authors email: authorspromotingauthors@gmail.com