More than once weekly, I have a conversation with a writer wanting help in promoting a book, finding an agent, etc. As has been noted many times, the new technologies have created both more opportunities for writers to be published, but also more competition and more tough choices in navigating the churning waters of modern publishing.
Unquestionably, book promotion – marketing – is absolutely critical to success … if by success we mean book sales, right?
There are several good sources for authors dizzy from the spin in the book-promotion world. BookGrabbr is one of the newest platforms — and could be a game-changer in the world of book marketing.
Michael Hyatt, the former CEO of Thomas Nelson, is a font of information — much of it free. If one can accept that the road to being published is often paved with broken glass, fiery serpents and burning coals, the next stage is available: developing a realistic plan.
Hyatt, who is on the BookGrabbr advisory board, commented recently: “Social media changes everything, and especially with the BookGrabbr model, because it can work exponentially for you. People share it with their networks, their networks share it with their networks, and it geometrically mushrooms into potentially millions of impressions which absolutely can motivate buying behavior. The reason BookGrabbr works is because it harnesses the power of social media for everybody in the value chain.”
Recently, I had the great pleasure of interviewing the trio that founded BookGrabbr, a full-scale promotional platform that will probably explode with popularity in the not-too-distant future.
From the website:
BookGrabbr is an App and web-based technology product designed to expand the brand and media platform of any author by creating and increasing visibility in the book community and securing new readers and customers for those authors’ books. Authors and publishers are looking for more efficient and economical ways to advertise and promote their books within today’s vast marketplace to generate increased impressions that, ultimately, lead to sales. Through BookGrabbr, Authors can build their profile and brand by harnessing the power of their own unique social network to generate greater visibility for their titles through the power of sharing. A key feature and benefit of BookGrabbr is the robust analytics afforded publishers and authors, including detailed and invaluable demographics that will help make better marketing and editorial decisions, as well as increase sales for either new frontlist books, backlist titles, and even preview chapters.
That ain’t the half of it, folks.
BookGrabbr is the brainchild of business executive Joel Dunham, a young entrepreneur with about 7 years of book publishing experience. David Dunham, a 40-year publishing veteran, and Daniel Langston, an entrepreneur and sales executive, round out the executive team.
Once I navigated through the BookGrabbr site and App, I was convinced this could be the “next big thing” in book marketing, and after visiting with them, I believe it. I always get excited when someone helps develop a platform for actually giving authors real tools for advancement.
I’ll be doing a series of pieces on BookGrabbr, monitoring its growing popularity, but for now let’s get into the mind of one of the platform’s creators.
Founder Joel Dunham stated: “We’ve been in publishing for several years, and, without question, what authors need more than anything today is a great platform to promote their books. Social media is by far the game-changer for most authors, and BookGrabbr is the perfect platform.”
These guys developed the idea, raised capital, built a website, then launched this year at Book Expo America in New York. They are signing up publishers of all sizes — small, medium, and large, and both traditionally published authors and self-published authors. As of a couple weeks ago, they’d already posted 2,000 books, and by September expect this number to be over 5,000.
The genius behind the concept is that for mere dollars (those wanting to promote books pay as little as $25 a month) authors and publishers reach real audiences who are utilizing the new technologies, downloading books and then in turn, passing them on to friends.
The potential for exponential sales is real for authors.
And if you’re a lover of books, the BookGrabbr service is free. You can download the app and start reading for free!
Stay tuned: we’ll have more on BookGrabbr in the coming weeks.
