When I made my last writing post about planning your publicity efforts, I got some questions about what kind of things a writer might do about publicity. So, this week I'll talk about some of the things I've done, with some tips on how to make them work. Remember that everyone's different, so what works for me may not work for other writers who write different kinds of things or who have a different personality. The other thing to remember is that it's almost impossible to know which publicity tactics actually work. You may hear from someone who lets you know how they learned about your book, but you can't know if that's the only person who bought the book because of that or if there are dozens you never heard from who found it a different way. In general, publicity is all about making something familiar enough that it sticks in the brain. Supposedly, it takes at least three exposures to something before a person remembers it, and this is all about creating that exposure. Ideally, it would make someone so excited that they'll go straight to a bookstore or online bookseller and buy the book, but realistically, it's more about making your book vaguely familiar, so that when someone is in a bookstore your book jumps out and catches the eye.

Depending on the publisher, you may have an in-house publicist who does stuff like send out review copies and set up booksignings. Unless you've got a lead title or are already a bestseller, that's about all you'll get, and you're expected to do some promotional work on your own. The bad news is that the kinds of things you can do on your own won't sell the number of books it would take to make you a bestseller, but the good news is that at the print run of a midlist author these days, even the small amount of sales you can influence will make a noticeable impact on your sales numbers.

Here are a few publicity tactics:

1) A Web site -- This is fairly essential because if you don't exist on the web, you risk looking invisible. Some unpublished writers like to get a site up with some information about themselves in case editors or agents do a search after looking at a submission, but this isn't essential. If you do put up a site before you're published, make sure it's something that wouldn't freak out a prospective editor or agent. It's a good idea to go ahead and secure the domain name that goes with the name you plan to write under, whether or not you actually build the site at this time.

When you do have a book coming out, try to have more to your web site than just the information you could find if you had the book -- the author bio and back cover copy. My experience and research has found that, aside from media, most people who seek out an author's web site have already read the book. They're looking for more information. You need information to help sell the book, but then you should try to have something extra to keep readers engaged, as well as information on the next book.

2) A blog -- This is one of those things that doesn't work for everyone. It really depends on how much you can keep up with it and whether it fits your personality. A blog can help build a community around you and your work and keep your readers informed and engaged between books, but if you're too sporadic about posting or if your posts don't give a reason to keep reading, you may see people fade away. The tone of your blog should be similar to the tone of your books because this can serve as a writing sample. It doesn't have to be identical, but it shouldn't give readers whiplash. There was an author whose blog I started reading before her first book was published, and it was so funny I was usually shaking with laughter and had tears running down my face. Then her books turned out to be serious literary works about death, suffering and injustice, and I was so disappointed. You can incorporate your blog into your web site or do it through a social networking community like LiveJournal, Facebook or MySpace. The up side of the social networking approach is that the network can allow you to build a readership before anyone would know who you are to seek out a web site blog.

3) Bookmarks -- I honestly don't know how effective these are for selling books, but I find them convenient for telling people about my books. When I meet someone, the "what do you do?" question tends to come up, and then when I say I'm a writer, the next question is "what do you write?" so it's handy to have something to give them, and you can fit more info on a bookmark than on a business card. They're also handy to have as giveaways at booksignings or to put on swag tables at conventions. I occasionally send packets of them to writing conferences to put in goody bags or to booksellers who request promo material. I put info about the whole series on my bookmarks, so they serve as a convenient reference for keeping track of the series books. I don't know if any of this has resulted in sales or if anyone actually looks at the bookmarks in conference goody bags, but I figure it falls into the category of exposure and familiarity. (If you've discovered my series due to a bookmark, I'd love to hear about it.)

4) Booksignings -- Booksignings are one of those things aspiring authors often fantasize about because they're a sure sign that you've actually made it -- you're there in a store with your book. The reality can be less exciting, especially for a first book when it's just your friends and family there. But even if no one shows up, there can be benefits to doing signings. For one thing, they order more copies of your book than they otherwise would, and they're often displayed prominently before and after the signing, so you're briefly getting the kind of store placement the big names get. At one signing I did, the store manager told me the number of copies that sold from the display before the signing, and it was more than the store would have had in stock if there hadn't been a signing, so I was ahead of the game before I even got to the store. Unfortunately, you can't stack the deck by arranging signings at absolutely every store.

5) Stock signings -- While you can't do booksignings at every store, you can visit stores and sign the stock they have on hand. I've heard of authors who call the stores ahead of time and arrange a visit, but I'm a big weenie about the telephone, so generally what I do is go to the store, find my books on the shelves, bring a few copies to the information desk, tell them I'm the author and ask if they'd like me to sign their stock. Then I sign them, stick in my bookmarks, and the store usually has an "autographed copy" sticker for the cover. This allows me to meet the staff of the store and bring my book to their attention. There have been times when my books weren't displayed up front on the new releases table, but once they're stickered and autographed, the staff puts them there. I've also heard from booksellers who went on to read the book once I brought it to their attention, so they became fans and then began handselling and recommending the books. I've also heard from people who saw me in the store, got curious and ended up buying books. The big chains have a handy search function on their web sites that allow you to see if your books are in stock before you go there, so you can save yourself some time. I do this locally with as many stores as I can hit around the release time, and then when I go out of town, I try to hit as many stores there as possible.

6) Conventions and conferences -- if you've got good people skills, these are a great way to build a following, depending on your genre. There are a lot of science fiction/fantasy conventions. In the romance world, it seems to focus more on writing, but there are a few fan-focused events. There are also mystery conventions. You can e-mail the programming director at a convention you want to attend with your credentials and you may get some programming slots. Make sure you meet the booksellers in the dealers' room, while you're at it.

7) Blog tours and other online outreach -- Most print publications have pulled back their book coverage to next to nothing, and if you write genre fiction or are published in paperback, you're likely to be ignored. The book review and coverage world has moved online, and there are tons of general and genre-specific book blogs. Then there are fan-oriented blogs, author blogs and topic-specific blogs. That gives you a lot of potential venues for visibility. There are formal blog circles, where the members of the group promote each others' books in a "tour" or you can approach individual bloggers about interviews, reviews or guest blogs. This can be very time consuming, but it can pay off. If you're lining this up yourself, be sure you're familiar with the blog, the blogger, the usual content and the blogger's likes/dislikes instead of making a random approach based on a Google search. It helps to be a regular reader who has made appropriate non-promotional comments in the past. Then you're part of the community instead of a publicity hound.

8) Traditional media -- see above about limited book coverage. Your chances increase with smaller venues. A major metropolitan daily newspaper or major market TV station is less likely to feature a local author without another news hook, but a suburban or small-town paper may make you the lead story. This is another case where it helps to follow the publication to see who writes the kinds of stories you might fit into. I did get featured in the major metro daily around here -- on the third book, when I'd been tracking that writer for years and knew how to approach her based on what she tended to write about.

A lot of authors love contests, but I haven't seen much benefit from them. I don't really use my mailing list because I'm paranoid about looking like a spammer, so that means I don't have much use for the addresses I collect when doing a contest. I've never made a book trailer or video, so I don't know how effective that might be. I never watch other authors' trailers, so I tend to suspect they don't do a lot of good. I haven't done a lot of advertising, but have considered looking into an online ad campaign in the future. This all goes back to what I said in my last writing post, that you need to think when planning and do something because you have a good sense that it will reach your target audience, not just because everyone's doing it or because it would be cool.

I made lots of writing progress yesterday, though I think I still need to tinker with the scenes. Odd things that I didn't plan keep happening, which is good, but it's making me feel a little out of control. Today will likely be a less productive day, as I have to go grocery shopping and have choir practice, but since I'm in the middle of a scene I've more or less written in my head, I may still be able to churn out some words. Meanwhile, the combination of vine pulling, watermelon hauling and a particularly tough ballet class means I'm moving more or less like Frankenstein today.

Today's writing topic came out of a recent convention panel I moderated. As usual, I came up with my best points in the days after the convention, so I thought I'd share them this way. The topic is self-promotion and publicity, and it's something that affects both published writers and writers who hope to become published (I refuse to use the term "pre-published" except in cases where a book has been contracted but it's not yet in print. If you think "unpublished" sounds too negative and doesn't fit in with your The Secret affirmations, use the term "aspiring."). In fact, writers who hope to become published can lay a lot of groundwork that can really help them when they do get a book out there.

The number one thing to do before you start doing any kind of promotion or publicity activity is THINK. Don't just rush out there and do all the promotional activities you see other authors doing. What works for one author may not work for another, and what those other authors are doing may not even be effective for them. They may be doing those things just because they've seen other authors do them. The most important part of any publicity campaign is the planning. Good planning ensures that you're making the most of your resources and hitting the targets you want to hit.

First, think about who is most likely to want to read the kind of book you've written or plan to write. What are these people like? Are they male, female, or a good mix of both? How old are they? What kind of jobs would they have? Where do they live? What else might they enjoy -- other books/authors, TV shows, movies, etc.? Where do they go for information about the things they enjoy? What are their favorite web sites? How do they learn about books? Where/how do they buy their books?

If you were working on a multi-million dollar account at a major public relations or advertising firm, you'd probably commission expensive research to get the answers to these questions. Unless you're independently wealthy and are writing books for fun, you probably aren't going to be able to afford to get hard data to answer these questions in order to market your book, but you can make some reasonable guesses and assumptions.

To start with, you should probably fit into your target market. If you aren't the kind of person who'd want to read the kind of book you're writing, then why are you writing it? Think about the other things you enjoy, how you get information on those things and where you go to discuss those things. Think about how you find out about books, what influences your book purchases and where you buy books. Before you do a promotional activity, think about how you would react to that sort of thing if another author did it. Would it make you curious about the book? Would it influence your purchase decisions? Or would it annoy you and turn you off?

You can also do informal research among your friends or the members of the communities you belong to. Those people are also likely to be in your target market, if they enjoy the same kinds of things you do. Talk to these people or conduct an informal poll. Eventually you'll want to move beyond this initial cluster of people, but it's good to have a core group to focus on when you're getting started. Under that 80/20 rule, these are the 20 percent of the market that you should focus 80 percent of your efforts on.

This step alone may eliminate a lot of potential publicity activities, saving you a lot of time and money. If you find out that these people never pay attention to book ads in genre magazines, then save your money. If you learn that they don't care about entering contests to win stuff from authors or hate getting e-mail newsletters from authors, then that's something to consider.

It may also give you ideas about places where you could go to spread your message, and that's something you can start before you sell a book. You can join communities of people who share your interests and begin participating as a member. You can comment on blogs or message boards that discuss the kind of books you write. If you do this just as an ordinary person who's not selling anything, that builds you some trust for when you do want to mention that, by the way, you've got a book out there (you have to be very careful not to come across as an obnoxious self-promoter when you do this). Those same places may be good spots for ads when you have a book coming out.

Meanwhile, you should also be thinking about what you want to say to your target audiences. What is your author brand? In other words, what do you want people to think about when they think about you and your books? Are your books dark and mysterious, funny and quirky, hot and sexy, spooky, twisted, romantic, etc.? You'll want to convey that in your promotional activities. If you write dark and mysterious, you probably don't want to put cute cartoons or kitten pictures all over your web site, for example. You don't have to take this all the way -- slinking around conventions in sexy clothes if you write sexy books -- but some authors do take it pretty far, creating a public persona that goes with their writing. It's up to you and your comfort level with that kind of thing. Your author persona probably has a lot to do with the way you naturally are or, again, why are you writing something that's so unlike you, unless it's a facet of your personality that you usually keep hidden. It is, however, a good idea for most of your marketing communication to reinforce your "brand" in some way. For instance, I'm known for quirky humor in my books, so I try to use a bit of quirky humor in my blog posts and in my public persona. My branding statement is "Fairy Tales for Modern Times," which sums up the kinds of things I write, and the logo I use on my web site, bookmarks and other items captures this brand as well as a bit of the quirkiness.

But the number one message in all of this is to really think before you do something. Think about how it will reach and affect the people you want to reach, and then think about the message you're sending.

I noticed that the sf/fantasy/horror blog on the Publishers Weekly web site has been asking for names of urban fantasy authors who might be good interview subjects, and my name hasn't come up once, so it looks like there's a target market out there that I haven't reached at all. I suppose I need to think about that.

First, a couple of additions to yesterday's "how to be a good con guest" post:

Rule #9: Don't introduce yourself or start off talking on a panel by saying that you don't know why you're on that panel.
If you don't know why you're on a panel, the time to ask is as soon as you get your schedule from the convention (usually at least a couple of weeks in advance), and the person to ask is the person who's in charge of programming. You never know, there could be a method to their madness. They may want you to give the outsider viewpoint, be the voice of dissent or provide a different perspective. Someone else on the panel may have listed you among the people they want to be on panels with, and this is the only panel where your schedules line up, or this could be the only place they could put you on a panel with someone you said you wanted to be with. If you don't want to be on a panel you've been assigned, if you're uncomfortable with the subject matter or just think you don't know enough to be a decent panelist, it's okay to turn down the panel. But do this as soon as you get your schedule so the convention has time to find someone else to take your place and maybe even find something else for you to do. It's better for everyone that you don't do a panel you have no interest in because it keeps you from looking uninformed and it means the audience will get an interesting panel made up of knowledgeable speakers. That face time will not significantly make or break you, and doing a panel you aren't really suited for may do more harm than good. Besides, if you have no interest in that subject, there's a good chance that the target audience for what you write will have little interest in that subject and won't even be at that panel. If you still decide to do the panel, then for goodness sake, don't say you don't know why you're on the panel. You can be a good listener, you can smile and nod and you can even ask the other panelists questions. The moment you say you don't know why you're on a panel, you totally destroy your credibility. Why should the audience even listen to you?

To prove that I practice what I preach, I turned down a panel at Worldcon, where panel slots can be hard to come by, because I knew I'd have nothing to contribute to that panel. When it comes to programming, quality is far more important than quantity. It's better to be on one really good panel where you have something to contribute and can sound witty and intelligent than to be on a bunch of panels where you don't really have anything to say.

Corollary to Rule #9: Don't do the "I don't know why I'm on this panel" thing as a form of false modesty or a joke -- as if you're really saying there should be no doubt why you're on the panel because obviously everyone knows you're the expert on the subject. If the audience knows who you are well enough to understand why you do, in fact, belong on the panel, the joke is unnecessary, and if they don't, then it falls flat and they wonder why you didn't just tell the programming people you didn't belong on the panel. Or you look insecure, like you're fishing for compliments (as though the rest of the panelists are supposed to hurry to tell you that of course they couldn't have this panel without you). About the only time when pretending you don't know why you're on a panel might be funny would be if the panel was specifically about your work or about something you're widely known to be involved in (like if it's a panel about a TV series you write for or were otherwise involved with).

This next is probably not so much a rule as it is a tip. Because they have not yet invented the Auto-Con 9000 robot to run conventions, they are still run by human beings who are fallible. It's a good idea to check the schedule sent to you against the schedule in the program posted at the con's web site to make sure they match, and then let the con know if something doesn't match. That will decrease your chances of entirely missing a panel you were supposed to be on that wasn't on your schedule or of feeling silly when you show up for a panel your schedule says you're on that doesn't list you in the program.

Other tips:
Take time to fill out the programming questionnaire thoroughly, and let the con staff know about any scheduling limitations you have as soon as you're aware of them.

If you're in a group reading, try to treat it like a panel and arrive before it starts and stay to the end rather than coming or going while someone else is reading.

Once you get to be a bigger name, be aware that the size (and maybe enthusiasm) of your fanbase means that they may be infringing on others. You aren't necessarily responsible for the behavior of your fans, but if you notice that their efforts to follow you are being detrimental to other guests, it's nice to say something about it to encourage them to behave otherwise. That includes coming and going during readings, behavior during readings when you aren't the one reading, blocking access to other authors during autograph sessions and mobbing the table after a panel discussion so the next panel can't get started on time.

Finally, be aware that if I notice bad author behavior, there's a good chance I'll have more material to post ...

And now I must get groceries before getting down to work.

This is something of a follow-up to my "promoting yourself without being a jerk" post from last week, but getting a little more specific about conventions. If you write science fiction, fantasy, anything paranormal or even mystery, attending conventions is a fun way to promote yourself. By definition, people who go to conventions to talk about things they're into are people who talk about things they're into, which means they're the best people for spreading word of mouth. They're in contact with other fans, whether in the real world or online, and they're often "early adopters" who like to be among the first to discover something, so if they discover something great, they'll want to make sure everyone knows what they've discovered. Conventions give you a chance to discuss your work in formal settings like panels and readings and in informal settings like the con suite and parties. People who like you may be inclined to pick up your books, but there are also pitfalls if you don't handle yourself the right way at a convention, and negatives spread far more quickly than positives on the fandom grapevine.

So, here's a quick guide, purely from my own perspective, of how you can be the kind of convention guest who doesn't annoy people. This isn't the final word, just one opinion. And while I usually will say this isn't directed at anyone who might be reading this because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, I suspect that the people who most need to hear it don't think it applies to them, so let's just say that if you're absolutely sure this doesn't apply to you, that probably means it does (the ones it doesn't apply to are probably stressing over whether they might have ever done one of these things, even if they haven't -- and it's that kind of thinking that makes them good guests).

1) Don't be a panel hog.
I think this is rule number one and needs to be embroidered on throw pillows. Panels are like show business -- leave 'em wanting more. If the audience is intrigued by the things you said in a panel but wish you had said more, they will find you later in the lobby, bar, con suite or at a party to talk to you some more about the topic. If you hog the panel and go on and on and on, particularly if you keep the person the audience most wanted to hear from getting a word in edgewise, they'll be sick of you. Yeah, you'll have made them remember who you are, but probably not in a good way that will result in book sales. In general, each panelist should get approximately the same amount of time, but not all panelists are created equal. The more prominent panelists who are the ones the audience most likely is there to hear (bestsellers, award winners, the guest of honor, etc.) should probably get more of a chance to talk (that doesn't mean that if they're not chatty they should be forced to speak, but it does mean that the other panelists should allow them to get a word in edgewise and shouldn't butt in when audience members ask that person a direct question).

Corollary One to this rule: It's always safest to assume that you are the least prominent/important person on the panel (unless maybe you're a multiple Hugo winner, national bestseller, a Grand Master or the convention's guest of honor). Just because you haven't heard of the person, it doesn't mean that he/she doesn't have a room full of fans ready to hang on his/her every word. Even if you are more prominent, it's far better to have the audience directing questions to you because they want to hear more from you than to have the audience rolling their eyes and wishing you'd get over yourself.

Corollary Two to this rule: If you think you're the most prominent person on the panel, you probably aren't. I don't think I've ever seen someone who deserved to hog a panel or who could get away with hogging a panel actually do so. The panel hogs are almost always first-time authors, people who've had a few e-books published or people who've sold a few short stories and who think that makes them special.

In reality, panel dynamics will vary. It's up to the moderator to make sure everyone gets a chance to speak, but there will be quiet people who have little to say and people who are on a panel about their absolute favorite thing who have more to say and who are capable of being interesting while doing so. Just don't interrupt other people, don't jump in on someone else's question or turn talking until they're done, no matter how important whatever you have to say may be, and stop talking when the moderator jumps in with something to the effect of "I'd like to hear what this other person has to say about this." That's the panel equivalent of the Oscar ceremony orchestra raising the volume and it means that it's time to shut up.

2) On a panel, introduce yourself as briefly as possible while still giving the audience enough context to know who you are and why they should care what you have to say.
This goes back to that Swedish belief that the person who has to brag probably isn't any good. The more you say about yourself in an introduction, the more it looks like you're a nobody who has to give a detailed introduction before anyone will know who you are. Larry Niven can get away with introducing himself on a panel as "I'm Larry," and most of us can't do that. But reciting your entire bio with every accolade you've ever received only makes you look like you're either very pleased with yourself or very insecure. Leave that in your bio in the program book, and if people are interested in it, they'll find it. I generally stick with saying what I'm most known for, my latest book and, if applicable, any particular reason that I might be on that panel.

3) You have to share space as well as time on panels or multi-author readings.
It's pretty common to put a couple of books or book covers on the table in front of you so that people can see what you write. Just remember that each person on the panel should get a similar amount of space. Clipping your book cover posters all over the table, building a fortress of books around you on the table or having a mile-high stack of books that partially obscures the person sitting next to you or keeps that person from being able to show a book even spine-out is greedy and selfish. I've heard different schools of thought as to whether or not it's bad to stand the books upright. On the one hand, there are those who say it creates a barrier and on the other there are those who say it's pointless to have the books out without showing the cover. I'd say just don't hide behind the books or infringe on other people's space. If people can't see your face, lay the books down, and limit it to your most recent or maybe the one you're most famous for instead of a copy of every single thing in print that has your name in it.

4) If you're doing a reading, prepare for it.
Very few cons do single-author readings these days, except for the big names, but your schedule sent to you as a guest may not tell you who you're sharing your reading with. Always check before the con on the posted schedule to see who else is in your reading slot. Subtract about five to ten minutes from the overall time in the slot, divide that time by the number of people who are reading, then prepare something to read that fits into that amount of time. Print it out, mark it or otherwise do something to make it easy for you to find right away. Don't get to the reading and then leaf through your book to find your selection or spend part of your reading time playing "I know it's in here somewhere" on your laptop or PDA. Don't take more than your share of time so that someone else gets cut off or cut out.

5) Talk to people.
This one is hard to put into a hard-and-fast rule because personalities and convention dynamics do vary, but you're not going to get a lot of promotional value out of your attendance at a convention if you hide in your hotel room the whole time when you're not on panels or only associate with your friends. The whole idea is to meet people. However, the more time you spend on the convention circuit, the blurrier the line between "hanging out with your friends" and "mingling with the fans" becomes. You may also find yourself in particular comfort (or even safety) situations where you need a buffer zone of trusted friends because someone of the opposite sex has mistaken your general guest author friendliness for romantic interest or because you've picked up a stalker who thinks you are the ticket to his future publishing success and who wants to tell you in excruciating detail about his 1,000 page fantasy epic so you can recommend it to your editor or agent. I probably cling more to my friends than I used to because I've made more friends among the regional con crowd and this is my chance to catch up with them and because I do quite often pick up the unwelcome romantic interest and having friends around allows me to be distantly friendly without landing in an uncomfortable one-on-one situation. Whether you're doing so alone or with a few trusted friends, try to spend at least some time at every con in the con suite or lobby and try to make the rounds of the room parties. It's fine to network with other authors or publishing professionals, and one of the perks of being an author guest is the chance to hang out with bigger names as a professional peer, but try not to get too cliquish or snooty about it, like you're too good to associate with the nobodies. You still need to be available to the fans. On the flip side, it is okay to take time out occasionally to recharge, so if you're a raging introvert and need an hour of alone time so you can be at your best for socializing at evening parties, you should probably give yourself that time.

6) Have something to hand out and put on the freebie table.
Even if someone is blown away by your wit and intelligence, they may have trouble remembering which person of interest you were in the blur of a convention. It's good to have something to leave with people you meet. The old stand-by of a bookmark listing your books works, as do fliers and postcards. If you want something fancier, you can do other giveaways like pens, keychains, coasters, etc. So far, I've just gone with bookmarks. I can leave them on the freebie table for people to pick up and I can hand them out like business cards if someone I'm talking to asks what I write.

7) Remember that your appearance is part of your "brand" as an author, whether or not you put any thought into it (so you may as well put some thought into it).
You don't have to go for the full-on professional attire at a convention, but you do need to be aware that your appearance will leave an impression on people. I think what's appropriate varies depending on the nature of the con, the people who are attending and the specific event. You might not want to wear your Klingon costume or your elaborate fairy outfit when you're on a panel -- especially if that panel includes an editor you'd like to have think of you as a professional -- but you'd probably score points with some of the fans if you participated in a masquerade or costume contest. Most authors don't wear costumes for panels or programming, unless the costumes are related to or part of the programming. There aren't really any fashion rules (beyond public decency laws) for conventions, so costume-like elements often make their way into non-costume attire, and some authors wear things at conventions that they might not wear in their ordinary lives. I think it's probably going to leave a better impression if you're not too obviously "HEY! LOOK AT ME!" when participating in programming -- the visual equivalent of avoiding being a panel hog. Meanwhile, you probably don't want to come to a panel looking like you spent all night in the gaming room (even if you did). Personal hygiene is your friend.

8) Stick to the schedule.
This should go without saying, but apparently it doesn't. If you have been scheduled for something at the convention, you need to be there. If something comes up that will keep you from being there, let the convention staff know as soon as possible. It's also probably a good idea to let your panel moderator know directly if you're not going to make a panel so the panel won't be sitting around waiting for you to show up before they start. Stick to your appointed time so you don't run over into anyone else's time. That includes autograph sessions, and that includes set-up and tear-down time if you do an elaborate display for an autographing. The next person on the schedule should be able to sit down and start signing at the very beginning of his/her signing time, which means your stuff needs to be cleared out by then. Failing to follow this rule is rude to not only the next author, but also to that author's fans, who may be waiting for the start of that autograph session. And, let's face it, unless you're the big-name guest of honor who has a long line, you're probably not going to stay busy the whole hour, and anyone who's going to come see you will likely have done so by the time you reach the 50-minute mark.

In light of yesterday's post about networking, I thought I ought to talk about a specific subset of networking: book promotion, or how to promote yourself and your books using networking tactics without being a jerk. The following is based on what works for me in my own promotions and what works for and annoys me as a reader. I probably err on the side of caution, as I'm a very reserved person and I spent much of my career doing public relations for Ericsson. The Swedes are very leery of marketing. In fact, they have an underlying suspicion (with a colorful Swedish idiom about it that I don't quite recall) that anyone who promotes themselves too much probably isn't very good because if whatever they did was any good, it would speak for itself and wouldn't need all that promotion. Yeah, that was a fun job doing public relations for people with that attitude. While that belief isn't entirely true because people have to know about you in the first place to discover if your work is any good, there is some truth to it, and the spate of publishing scams means there are a lot of desperate authors out there trying to hawk books out of the trunk of their car after their "publisher" made them buy a bunch of copies, so I think there's perhaps a suspicion in the marketplace that anyone who seems to be working too hard may be one of those people. Meanwhile, these days even the legitimate publishers are more or less outsourcing promotion to the authors themselves, except for the big stars who get promo budgets. How do you strike a balance and find ways of promoting your work without turning people off?

Here is the Gospel of Shanna. Your mileage may vary.

1) Your address book should not be your promotional list. Set up a newsletter list, Yahoo list or some other method for sending out promotional notices and let people sign up for it themselves. Do not just put people's addresses on that list unless they've asked you to. You can use your address book once, and that is to notify people about how to sign up for your promotional list. Sending all your promotional notices to everyone in your address book or subscribing your entire address book to your promo list is a good way to piss people off, and the more remote your relationship, the more likely they are to be annoyed. I've found myself on the mailing list of someone who once wrote to me and to whom I responded, and that is the extent of our relationship. That tends to generate a "what the huh?" reaction when I get a newsletter or promotional mailing rather than a "ooh, new book" reaction.

2) Don't spam mailing lists. If you're posting to a mailing list, you're already hitting multiple people with one message, so it won't kill you to write a message specifically for each list instead of just sending out one blanket e-mail and copying a bunch of lists. That allows you to target your message specifically to that group. You should have different information for people you actually know in real life who are local, aspiring writers, published authors, readers of various genres, fan groups, social groups, etc. You'll get far better results with a targeted message, plus, if someone is in multiple groups with you, they won't get repeats of the same message and will get slightly different information each time. Of course, you should only post promotional messages if the group's rules allow it, and you should actually participate in the group beyond posting promo messages.

3) Take it easy when promoting your blog. Someone must have written an article about this as a great idea because lately every writing-related mailing list I'm on has become little more than a listing of "I blogged about this topic today" posts, either promoting the author's own blog or her participation at a group blog. Stop. It. Please. I've withdrawn from a lot of lists I used to enjoy because of this practice. I especially find it annoying if the list is discussing a topic and someone's response is to say "I blogged about this today" with a link, and that's all that's in the message. The discussion group exists to, ya know, discuss, not drive traffic to your blog. In fact, the attempt to drive traffic to your blog may even be counterproductive. I'm probably not going to follow the link to the blog, but I would have read what you had to say if you'd posted it in the group. Just posting a link means I'll ignore your post. And, really, driving those people from the list to your blog doesn't do you any additional good because, hello! they're already seeing your name in the group.

Now, if you did happen to blog about something that's being discussed, you could mention that, then provide the gist of what you said that's relevant to the discussion, and then give a link to your blog and say that there's more there, or that the comments are interesting, or whatever. That way, you've contributed to the discussion in the group and even people who don't want to follow the link can continue the discussion based on what you posted, but those who want to see more have the option. A good rule of thumb is that anything you post to a message board or mailing list should have some content other than just a link to a blog post you've made either at your own blog or at some group blog.

4) Don't hijack other authors' efforts. This can happen online and in real life. It makes sense that people who are interested in another author's books might be interested in your books, especially if they're similar, so being present at things that author does can promote you. That can actually be a smart strategy, but you have to be very, very careful because it can also make you look like a massive jerk. Here's what to do (and not to do):
- Don't post your own promo messages on other authors' blogs, MySpace pages, Facebook pages, etc. I don't approve MySpace comments that are nothing more than promotion for the commenter. My MySpace page is about me. It's not a promotional forum for other authors or publishers. But if you post something about me and your name and avatar show up, people will see that. If it's something you want me to see, send me a message. Putting it up as a public comment on my page means you're doing it for my readers to see, which is hijacking my page.
- Do participate in discussions on other authors' blogs. Most blogging platforms allow you to link to your own blog or URL in some way when you make a comment, and if you say something relevant, clever, witty or insightful, then people will be able to figure out who you are (especially if your user name is related to your real name). You may even be able to use your book cover as an icon or avatar. Trust me, people who care will track back to you. You don't have to wave a flag saying you're an author. But make whatever you post be more about what the host author said than about yourself. Ditto with commenting on MySpace or Facebook pages. Make what you say about the author, not about yourself.
- Do go to other authors' booksignings. Promotion aside, it's good book karma. Depending on crowd volume, you can chat with the author and bring up who you are or chat with the bookstore staff and mention your own books. If crowds are thin, the author will be delighted to have you there and will be glad to have someone to talk to. If there are big crowds, you can chat with other readers and eventually mention your own books.
- Don't usurp the author who's signing. Remember that it's their signing, not yours. If a reader wants to talk to the signing author, don't jump in to push your own books or hand out bookmarks. This also applies if you're participating in a multi-author signing. The fan who comes to see one author may be interested in other authors' books, but let her talk to the author she came to see without interrupting or barging in. I tend to let the other author be the one to say, "Have you read Shanna's books? If you like mine, I think you'd like hers, too," but that's probably the most cautious approach and you could certainly say something to the reader after she's done with that author without being rude. Whatever you do, NEVER lean over and say, "If you like her books, you'll love mine." (Yes, that actually happened to me once. That same author also once reached over to stick a bookmark in the hand of someone who had come to talk to me, while the person was in mid-sentence, so even if the book comparison comment was a slip of the tongue, it still represented an overall attitude or mindset.) You'll really annoy the other author, and the fan who came to talk to that author isn't going to be favorably inclined toward you if you interrupt the conversation. This is another case where making it about the other author can help. If you're familiar with the work of the other author, then you can join the chat with the reader in discussing those books. That may make the reader realize that she might also like your books, since you have something in common, and you look less like you're hijacking the other author's readers.

I guess it goes back to the networking rule of being more focused on what you can do for others than on what they can do for you. That makes people far more inclined to want to help you.

5) Don't go overboard in blowing your own horn. When discussing your books, it's probably best not to mention your review quotes in every conversation. It's fine to say that you've been fortunate to get good reviews, but if you have the review quotes memorized, that's a bit much. Talking about your book to potential readers is a lot like pitching the book to an editor or agent. You get better results if you start with an elevator pitch and then let other people ask questions if they're interested. If they're not interested and don't ask questions, let it go. Don't waste your time and theirs with the hard sell. If they don't respond to a one or two-sentence description of the book, quoting your reviews isn't going to help. Stalking is right out. If you're being obnoxious and annoying, people aren't going to be interested in your book, even if it might be something they'd like. You don't even have to mention your books in every conversation. "So, what do you do?" is a fairly common question when you're getting to know someone, so it is possible to talk for a while about other things, and someone may eventually ask you what you do, giving you a valid reason to say you're an author. Or if you're at a con, people can map your name from your badge to the program guide without you saying anything, or they may have seen you on panels. You don't have to tell everyone you're an author.

Remember that every reader is important, so don't snub some average guy to go after someone more prominent or prestigious. You get the same royalties/sales numbers if John Doe Fan buys your book as you do if Big Name Famous Author does -- and it's possible that Big Name Famous Author will be able to get a free promo copy from the publisher instead of buying it. Big Name Famous Author might have more of a platform for talking about your book or you might be able to hit him up for a blurb on your next book, but if John Doe Fan feels like you snubbed him to hobnob with important people, he may also be able to spread negative buzz about what a jerk you are (and with the blogosphere, it's possible that a John Doe Fan who's active in fandom could have a broader audience than Big Name Famous Author). If Big Name Author notices that you snubbed a fan to hobnob with him, he may worry that your bad karma cooties will rub off on him, and he may try to disassociate himself with you so John Doe Fan won't think he's a jerk, too.

Also be very, very careful about thinking you're just way too awesome because you're a published author, especially at conventions. That person you've been bragging to about your one book, like you think that the fact that you're published makes you superior, could turn out to be a multi-published bestseller. I have seen it happen in con suites, and it's like a train wreck. You know disaster is inevitable, but you're powerless to prevent it because once one of those blowhards gets going, there's no way to intervene and point out who he's talking to. The best I've been able to manage is to get a word in edgewise and say something to the more prominent author about her books and hope the blowhard gets a clue. I admit that the temptation is there to watch him crash and burn, but I'm too nice for that. Meanwhile, everyone else in earshot will be watching in amusement, and you'll have totally destroyed your credibility with those people.

6) Be patient. Unless you're getting a huge push from your publisher, or unless someone famous with a big platform (like, say, Oprah) starts pushing your book, building buzz takes time, and some of the best buzz happens one person at a time. I'm always hearing from people who bought my books ages ago after meeting me briefly or stumbling across my blog and who then told their friends -- or from people who heard about my books from friends. You never know which contact you make will end up paying off in multiples down the line.

My productivity has been fluctuating wildly lately. Last Thursday, I was a machine. But I must have used up all my brainpower because Friday I was practically useless. It was pretty much an ADD day, where I couldn't focus on any one project for more than a few minutes. Fortunately, I had three projects to work on, so as soon as I got bored with one and found my attention straying, I'd switch to another one. I made some progress on all three, but not very much on any one. Then Saturday I got all but one of them done and got a good portion done on that one. Sunday I try not to work, and I was out pretty much all day. Then Monday that killer headache hit like a Texas thunderstorm: it loomed for a while, then hit with a sudden, devastating fury, blew over in about an hour, but left everything reeling and unsettled. Anything that required too much focus or concentration threatened to trigger another round, so I just tried to deal with what I could and didn't try to push myself to think too hard.

I've been trying to deal with my reader e-mail off and on, and based on the standard questions I've been getting, I guess it's time for another "how you can help" post. The reason for no book 5 really boils down to spreadsheets and equations and isn't an editorial decision. For the most part, the decision of whether or not to publish a book isn't a matter of how good the book is, though the editors select the books to propose for publication based on quality (and the editor I had at the time loved the proposal for book 5). The real decision is based on whether they think the book will make money. They have all kinds of formulas for determining that. For a new author without a track record, they have to guess based on how comparable books have performed. But for an author with published books, they just look at the sales numbers, and based on trends, they project how the next one will do. They don't really care how much people want a fifth book. They way they determine potential demand for that book is by looking at how the third and fourth books sell, especially in comparison to the previous books. It's a difficult catch-up race, since that first book is selling about the same number of copies every year as it sold the first year of release. It's just plugging away steadily, and it has a two-year head start on book three.

So, how do we make book five happen? The obvious thing to do is buy the books and get other people you've hooked on the series to buy the newer books. Check back in with people and make sure they know there are more books available. Remember that only new book sales count. Used bookstore sales are utterly invisible to the publishing industry.

If you can't afford to buy new books (and I totally understand, as I'm in the same boat at the moment), request them at your library. Library sales are very significant. In fact, if every public library system in the country bought just one copy of books three and four, we'd probably get book five because they'd have to go back to print and the sales would surge. Plus, the book being in the library is like an advertisement -- people see it, so it's familiar, and they're more likely to notice it in a bookstore, and since the library makes you give the books back, if people who check it out love the book, they might then buy a keeper copy. Most of my book purchases are that way these days, both because of finances and because of clutter. I only want to buy books that I know I love and will want to re-read, so I'm mostly buying keeper copies of books I read from the library and need to own. Don't forget high school and college libraries. That's another big market. If you're a student, request the book at your school library.

If you're trying to buy the book at a bookstore and they don't have it, ask for it. Most bookstores will special order a book for you at the same cost you'd pay if they had it on the shelf. Plus, if you ask for it, that makes the bookseller more aware of it, and if enough copies are special ordered, the bookseller may make a point of ordering copies to stock. That increases the number of people who can find it by browsing.

Post reviews at Amazon and B&N or other online book discussion places. I think the number of reviews has more of an impact than the rating or content of the reviews -- as long as they aren't all bad. If there are 80 reviews for a book, no matter what the rating is, that means more to me as a reader making a book purchase decision than if there are five five-star reviews. A lot of reviews means people care enough to talk about it, one way or another.

Talk about the books in relevant forums, message boards, blogs, etc. Mention in your blog, or recommend if other people ask for reading suggestions in their blogs or on message boards.

Read the books in public. It's peer pressure in action!

And these things work on any book, author or series you want to support. If you like the first book of a series, it's important to keep doing these things for subsequent books if you want the series to continue to the end the author has planned. The cool thing is that with books, you really do have a lot of power as a consumer because every book you buy and every book purchase you influence gets counted. It's not like trying to get the Fox network to keep showing a series you like beyond the first three episodes, where even if you get a hundred people to watch, it doesn't count unless some of them are being measured for ratings.

I am still plugging away at doing my part. I've written articles for writing magazines, I'm speaking at conventions, I hand out bookmarks, and I'm still open for guest blogs or blog interviews. I've found a couple of books on marketing that I've got on reserve at the library, so I'll see if I can get more ideas there. For the most part, though, I'm trying to focus on writing right now. I need the income, I want to get something else out there, and if I can make something else successful, that raises the profile of everything else I've done. And then there's that film option, if anything comes of it ...

We're now at the one-week mark -- one week from today, and Don't Hex With Texas is released into the world. In past years, I'd be having anxiety attacks, but I'm pretty zen about it this year. I think I've learned by now that there really isn't much I can do at this point. All the things I've stressed out over have been more to make me feel like I'm doing something than to really and truly have an impact on book sales. So I haven't been frantically mailing bookmarks to go in conference goodie bags or sending them out to booksellers. I've only got a couple of local booksignings scheduled instead of spending a month driving around Texas. I haven't done any kind of major media push (though I have done several interviews). I haven't even bought any ads in anything.

Now, watch this book be the one that sells better than any of them. I'd then feel extraneous, except for the fact that I am the one who wrote it, which should count for something.

I guess part of the reason I haven't been stressing is that I've been sidetracked by the new idea. Then there was buying the car. And then this weekend I'm going to Austin for the Nebula Awards. Plus there was new stuff for Sci Fi Friday. That all adds up to, "Oh yeah, I've got a book coming out, don't I?"

Normally, I really do enjoy the marketing and the strategy behind it, as that's one of my comfort zones, so it's a big switch to not focus on that. I'm still reading a lot on the subject and trying to glean ideas, and a few things lately have started me thinking. I'm just not sure what I'll do with the thoughts. One of my favorite blogs to read is the one by marketing guru Seth Godin. He talks a lot about what he calls "permission marketing," which is what happens when customers give you permission to contact them by giving you contact information like an e-mail address. What you do with that information and permission can make or break you.

Amazon uses this rather brilliantly. If you buy a book from them, or a TV series box set, you'll get an e-mail from them when the next book by that author or the next season is ready to pre-order. That's a service that benefits customers as much as it does Amazon, since they've already shown they like that sort of thing, and they might be interested in knowing that the next thing they'll like is available. With this service, you never have to miss out on the next book in your favorite series. You don't mind getting a marketing e-mail like this. I saw another great example of this yesterday, when the hotel where I'm staying this weekend in Austin sent me a confirmation e-mail that contained a handy link to get directions to the hotel, a list of nearby restaurants, a list of local events during my stay, information on parking and the weather forecast for the days I'll be staying there. Everything I needed to know to plan my trip is all there in one e-mail. I didn't mind getting that e-mail because it made my life easier.

And then there's the dealership where I bought my car. They've started spamming me with info on their current dealership incentives, whatever sale they have going on, and lists of used cars they have available. Hello! I just bought a car a couple of weeks ago. Am I likely to be in the market for yet another one so soon? Meanwhile, letting me know what deals are available now is likely to trigger buyer's remorse on the car I bought from them, because it makes me wonder if I missed out on something by buying when I did. They got my contact information, took that as permission to contact me, and then had no idea what to do with it. It doesn't work like books, where if I've read one by an author I might be interested in another one by that author, even if it's only a week later. If they want to stay in touch with me, what they should do is not contact me for a few months, then when it's time for my first oil change, they should send me a coupon for something like a free car wash when I get my oil changed, or some other nifty little thing that would give me a reason to go there instead of to my neighborhood place. But don't try to sell a new car to someone who just bought one, just because you happen to have their e-mail address. Saturn did a cute thing where they sent your car a birthday card every year. It was a fun reminder of buying the car and a good way to reinforce their brand without being obnoxious.

I probably err on the side of caution in my "permission-based" marketing. I try to focus on the things I'd want to know about an author, so that means my mailing list and Amazon blog (which I think is a little intrusive) is pretty much limited to important news about when a book will be available and where I'll be appearing. If anyone wants to know more about me, they can come to any of the places where I post a regular blog or to my web site. I don't really want more than that in regular e-mails from any author, and I also get more than a little irked when I get subscribed to some author's mailing list, just because I've had some communication with her in the past. There's a current trend that's about to make me unsubscribe from every writing-related e-mail list I'm on. It's all the "I'm blogging here" or "I blogged about this" posts. If you're on a writing-related list, especially one related to a writing organization, it's for the purpose of discussing writing, so if you've got something to say, say it and discuss it on the list. Don't post a link to where you're blogging and ask everyone to go there to discuss it. It's one thing if you're in a debate about something and want to drum up comments to support your side of the argument (say, getting the people on a chick lit loop to come help when you're being attacked by obnoxious lit fic people). But I'm on digest for most lists, and the topic list at the top these days is mostly just a list of "I'm blogging here today" posts. It's getting to be kind of like putting out a news release to announce that you've put out a news release.

That said, if you're interested in doing a blog interview with me or having me (or a character) do a guest blog, let me know. I promise not to spam the universe with posts about what I'm blogging about and where. However, I can't promise prizes this time because I don't know what my next book will be and therefore I haven't been able to beg advance copies from anyone. I guess the prize might be that if enough people read about the books, enough copies might sell that we might get book 5. Yay?

And now I need to track down a MIA hairstylist. I am WAY overdue for a haircut, and now would be a good time, with the Nebulas this weekend and the new book next week. I'd finally found a stylist I ADORE who can work with my very difficult hair. And now she's vanished on me. The last time I saw her, she was setting her own appointments, so you called her cell phone and left a message. I got her voice mail last week, and it was definitely her, but I still haven't heard back from her. Panic time. I don't want to have to find and break in a new stylist at this crucial point.

On my latest round of royalty statements, sales of the first two books in the series doubled from what they'd been in the previous period, which is kind of odd for books that have been out for more than a year, and really odd for books that have been out for more than two years. Normally sales start big and then gradually decline. They don't usually spike years down the line. My agent and I are trying to figure out what, if anything, caused that blip so that we can maybe repeat it on purpose or get the publisher to do something to capitalize on it. My agent's meeting with my new editor next week, and I thought it might be nice so give her some data.

So, if you first bought one of the first two books of the series in the second half of last year (July through December), especially in the September-November time frame, what led to you discovering and buying the book? Did you hear about it somewhere, see something online, etc.? If you'd already heard about it previously but only bought the book at that time, what led you to finally make that purchase? It would also be interesting data if you were already into the series through the library or borrowing a book and bought a copy for yourself during that time, if you received it as a gift, or if you were already a fan and bought copies as gifts at that time. You can leave comments or e-mail me.

Now, for something less self-serving. A few weeks ago (pre-flu), I mentioned that I was reading a book on writing. That's where that list of things that really appeal to me in stories came from. Now that I've finished reading it, I'll talk about the book as a whole. It's The Anatomy of Story by John Truby, and I liked it enough that I'm seriously considering buying it in hardcover (I found it at the library). I haven't actually tried to apply the things from it in my work, but it was triggering enough "A ha!" moments and ideas as I was reading it that I decided to postpone getting back to work on revising my book in order to read the rest of it and then try to apply it. There were enough things I was already doing instinctively that I can't help but wonder if applying the things I wasn't already doing to the parts that aren't working would help.

One thing I really like is that he has some practical suggestions for very esoteric aspects of writing, like theme and symbolism. There's also a whole chapter on creating something that people want to return to -- the story that keeps people thinking or that people want to re-read/re-watch. He has a pretty complicated plot breakdown that appeals to my analytical little heart, with 22 elements (most writing books seem to have just six or seven). And they are elements that may be woven throughout the story rather than cut-and-dried steps. One thing that I like about that section of the book is that he illustrates the whole thing with two different movies, and his examples aren't perfect illustrations of his steps. Where they vary, he explains how that works in that particular story. When the examples are too letter-perfect, it's more difficult to see how the system could be flexible.

On the down side, it does seem like the emphasis is more on screenwriting than on novel writing, even though the basic storytelling elements are fairly universal. In one case, where he does a deep analysis of how the scenes break down and encompass his 22 elements, he uses Pride and Prejudice, but instead of the novel itself, he analyzes the screenplay from the 1940s movie, which seems to bear only passing similarity to the book (and as I recall, that's the movie where the characters wore Victorian attire instead of Regency). His focus also seems to be more on mainstream stories than on genre, and as a result there are a few things he seems to find essential that I don't think entirely work for me as a reader or author, but that's fodder for a separate post.

The part I think I liked the most was on the story world, which adds a new level to world building. He shows how the story world needs to grow out of character and reflect what's going on in the character's life, then gets into the symbolism and psychological impact of various settings and how they're used in stories. One thought I found very cool was the use of city as ocean -- with the skyline/rooftops as the surface, and then the characters living on different levels, with some up above and others down on the "floor" where it's darker and murkier.

Today's plan is to go back through the whole book, doing all the writing exercises as they apply to my book, and see what happens.

I had a rather relaxing weekend, not entirely by choice. I finished this round of revisions on book 4 Friday night (yay!), and my body promptly decided that I would be taking the weekend off. Back in the days when I had an office job, I always seemed to get sick when I visited my parents, like it knew I was finally safe and could let go. I get the same way now when I finish a book. So, there was a lot of TV watching while lying on the sofa. I didn't even turn on the computer Saturday. I finally watched the Masterpiece Theater version of Jane Eyre (swoon), and I watched Casablanca for the zillionth time. That is such a perfect movie, every little detail. I did not watch the Oscars, as I haven't seen most of the nominated films and found myself paralyzed by not caring very much (to paraphrase Spike). Now I want to give the book one more read-through, but I'm not as tense because I know I could probably turn it in as-is, which means I can meet my deadline.

There was a question in response to my post Friday whining about success about what readers can do to help promote books. I used to have something about this on my web site but it got deleted in the latest redesign because I was afraid it sounded a bit whiny and self-serving. But, since you asked ... :-) And really, these techniques can be used to promote any book, kind of book or author, or even just the idea of reading in general. You could probably adapt these techniques to promote things like TV series or movies, but it's harder to have a big impact there. The cool thing about books is that the consumer has so much more power. With TV, even if you could directly or indirectly influence thousands of viewers to give a show a try, unless some of them are measured by the ratings, it doesn't matter at all. With movies, there's so much money at stake that except for really small films, getting even a few thousand extra people into theaters won't make a blip on the box office. But for rank-and-file authors other than the mega bestsellers -- people like me and most of the authors I talk about here -- you'd be surprised at the impact you can have. The numbers are small enough that even a few hundred books will have a noticeable impact. If a hundred copies of Enchanted, Inc. or Once Upon Stilettos beyond the usual sales suddenly sold this week nationwide at B&N or Borders, they would sit up and take notice. It would be a huge blip, and then the publisher would know because they'd likely have to re-order. My publisher was pleased with selling about 400 copies at a single chain in the first six weeks of release. Depending on the kind of book and what the competition did, there are times when a book that sells a thousand copies in a single week can make some bestseller lists. So, you can see where even one person who tells a few people about a book can affect that book's sales. If a hundred people each got 10 people to buy a book, you might be able to get a book onto a bestseller list. Do you feel powerful now?

Here are some things you can do to help support a book (and if you have more ideas, please share!):
1. The biggest is to buy the book new (used book sales are invisible to publishers, and the author earns no money). They usually look most closely at numbers in the first month of release, and that's generally when books are most likely to hit a bestseller list, but they're also interested in books that continue to sell well for months or even years after release (which proves that word of mouth is working). Those long "legs" are what's been impressing my publisher, as the books continue to sell pretty steadily.
2. Tell people about the books you like. Give books as gifts (that's particularly good with the first book in a series -- get them hooked!).
3. If you have a blog, mention the book in your blog. Multiple mentions are better -- like with advertising, repetition works. Mention what you're looking forward to reading, mention what you've bought, mention what you are reading, discuss it after you read it, mention it in comparison to other books you mention later, mention it in year-end wrap ups. You get the picture.
4. Mention where relevant on various message boards you frequent (but don't spam!). If someone asks for a book recommendation in a community or on a message board, make one. If there's an open forum part of a message board (like on the Meet Market threads at Television Without Pity), talk about what you're reading (talking about books and reading in general is a good way to promote books and reading, which benefits all books and authors). Post reviews on relevant LJ book communities.
5. If you don't find a book you want in a store, ask about it -- especially if you're looking for it because you want to buy it, though I know of people who make a habit out of asking about favorite books whenever they're in a store and don't see it on the shelf, just to keep booksellers aware of the book. Don't order it and then not pick it up. Just ask about it nicely, talk about having heard about it, and express disappointment at not finding it in a polite way.
6. Before the next book by a favorite author comes out, it doesn't hurt to ask your local bookstore when/if they'll be getting it in. That gives you a chance to talk about the book to them so they'll be looking for it when they get it. Visiting the store on release day and asking about the book may make it more likely for the store to get it on the shelf where other people can buy it instead of letting it sit in the storeroom.
7. Write a review to post to Amazon or B&N.com. List the book among your collection on Library Thing and post a review there.
8. If your local library doesn't carry the book, turn in a request for it. Librarians do take these seriously, and libraries buy a lot of books. Or donate a copy to the library -- again, the first book in a series is a good way to hook people who might buy later books.
9. Include the book or author in your list of interests at places like MySpace or LJ, and put a link to the author's web site on your site or on your blog.
10. Read the book in public with the cover visible. I heard about a British publisher that promoted a book with a flash mob, where they arranged for people to be on a particular train at a particular time on a particular day, all reading copies of the book. Commuters couldn't help but notice. Even without that kind of mass action, if people see others reading a book, it might eventually stick in their brain.
11. Recommend the book for any book clubs you're in, or if it doesn't fit the club, you can still talk about it at meetings (if it's anything like the book groups I've been in, you spend a quarter of the time talking about the book, and then the rest of the time talking about other random stuff).

Those are the kinds of things I try to do when I'm really jazzed about a book or author, but some of my readers have been even more innovative. Any other ideas?