Teaming up with other authors

/ Aimee Easterling

20160101freebooks

And now, on an entirely different note, I wanted to plug Patty Jensen’s FREE sci-fi and fantasy giveaway. I hope you’ll click through and check out the page since there are literally dozens of books to choose from, all of which can be downloaded free today only. The covers alone are inspiring, and I’m particularly planning on checking out the science fiction and fantasy romance section near the bottom of the page.

Why am I plugging someone else’s giveaway? Because I have a book included, of course. And this seemed like a good opportunity to talk about one of the best ways I’ve found to advertise books on the cheap — teaming up with other authors who write in your genre. Multi-author box sets (which I’ve written about previously) are one way to do this on a large scale. But smaller promos like this one can also significantly increase sales without making a dent in your budget. Other options I’ve used include recommending an author whose books are very similar to yours in your newsletter while they do the same for you. And, if you specifically write in the fields of science fiction and fantasy and want to be involved in Patty’s next giveaway, there’s a tab at the top of her promo page with more information so you can apply for the February sale.

And now I’ll open the floor to you. What’s your favorite way to cross-promote with other authors? How do you build those important social networks? Which techniques have and haven’t worked for you?

9 thoughts on “Teaming up with other authors”

  1. Hi, Aimee. I belong to two writers’ groups; both are celebrating “two-year anniversaries” this month. Our members attend “new-release parties” and cross-promote one another’s books. Both groups are well represented on social media, and we have web pages. We’ve collaborated on box sets together, sometimes donating the proceeds to charity. The camaraderie, connections, and support are most important to all of us. In one group, our motto is: “One hand helping another…caring is sharing.” In the other group, it’s “Paying it forward.” I think that about sums it up!

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  2. Thanks for sharing this, too, Aimee. I’m heading over shortly to check it all out, especially the collection your book is in, though I think I have all of yours, now. I’m afraid I can’t add anything to this topic, though, because I’ve been remiss about this, so far. I’ve been remiss about marketing, in general, I’m afraid, except for my local venues, which are too profitable and too much fun for me to NOT continue to do. But one of my resolutions this year is to work more diligently on self-marketing, and this might be a good starting point. The other resolution is better time management, so I might actually find a few hours to devote to resolution number one. 🙂

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      • It did, though it was a disappointment when it didn’t run again in 2015, due to lack of time on the part of the organisers.
        I’m hoping it will run this year, but if not, perhaps we should get together and run our own summer holiday themed promo.

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    • Impressive results, Deborah! In my groups, we’ve sprung for Kindle Fires, too, and given away quite a bit of other swag. Unlike myself, many members are multi-faceted; they make jewelry, ornaments, scarves–you name it. We’ve run events that lasted two or three days, and we’ve had a blast.

      In Crazy Lady Authors, our favorite collaboration was a collection of stories for “Love, Honor, and Hope.” We donated the money from our sales to the United States War Veteran’s PTSD Foundation.

      Authors have many wonderful opportunities to engage in joint ventures that benefit ourselves as well as other people. Let’s hear it for team spirit!

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