Merry Christmas, writers and readers! Thanks for your support and engagement in the last 12 months. I wish you all the best for 2015. xxx

Little did they know, but fellow writers Martin, Suzie, Kelly and Catherine are all in on my surprise - don't forget to check out their blogs/Twitter! 

Catherine's blog on Chronic Fatigue / ME
Kelly is a writer friend of mine I met at Towcester Writers Group. 
Check out Suzie's website!
Martin is Chair of Milton Keynes Writing Group SpeakEasy
And don't forget me! If you've not visited before, check out my travel blog.

The last blog posted here on MISS WRITE was written by Dorothy, a guest and founder of Four Feet Marketing. Dorothy's tips on easy book marketing inspired me to think of more creative ways a writer could promote their book - so as it's two weeks before Christmas, here's my list of FESTIVE marketing ideas for writers!

1. Brand up your car and drive across the country (or continent). Can you imagine how many people will see your car on a cross-country drive when you're visiting relatives this season? Thousands. With an eye-catching design or an intriguing website URL, you could be the new topic of conversation in that town!

2. Change internet cafes wallpaper/homepage to your website. If you're going abroad or staying in hotels or cottages with on-site computers, this tactic could work for your book sales this Christmas. It may be a very short-term scheme, and even not possible (due to admin privellages on the computers) but you could try it. Cafes get a high turnover of visitors, so your footprint could be huge. Try to target any computers which are designated for short time slots only - this will increase your users.

3. On a similar note, if you're going cheap accomodation wise this December, post flyers inside hostels in every town you visit. Hotels won't like it, but hostels lap this kind of thing up. This idea is particularly relevant if you're a travel writer or blogger. I have left fliers with my Born to be a Tourist blog address on noticeboards in New Zealand, Costa Rica and South Africa... Should have started doing so earlier, looking at my travel history!

4. Post Christmas postcards to every friend. At this time of year, why not go the extra step and make your Christmas cards a postcard (very visual and public) on the book theme? Not only the postman will notice, and it could be dsiplayed on your mate's fridge for a long while. Don't forget to include your website’s logo and address on it. Mass production of postcards can be cheap, but do shop around.

5. Send presents to your biggest fans, other writers who have done you a writerly good deed this year, or your first fan on Facebook (if you can remember who it was!). Maybe include a free copy of your book, if you think they don't have one already. Your gift might get a mention on Twitter or their blog, if you're lucky!

6. Create quizzes for your readers. Most people like a quiz, especially at Christmas. If you can create one around the theme of your book, why not post it on your blog or social media? You could offer a prize of one of your books (or something related to it). For example, if your book is set in Spain, you could create a quiz on Spainsh food and give away a tapas recipe book.

7. If you book involves food in a major way, you could create an on-going series of food/catering/preparation on theme. PThis could work so well at Christmas when there is so much food on the menu. Post the videos on your social media and You Tube for more exposure, not forgetting to mention your book title. If you have a travel blog, make a special 'food' section. Most people love to show you what their local food is if you're travelling abroad, and if you ask nicely, I'm sure they'd show you how it is cooked.

8. Hire people in Santa hats to sit on underground subway trains and ask them to laugh while reading your book. I know I'd consider trying a book if I saw someone so clearly enjoying it, and commuters won't miss the bright red hat.

9. Donate it to a Christmas raffle. You won't make any money directly on the donation, but word of mouth and peer endorsement (as Toyota's marketing campaign proves) is a huge influence on what people buy.

10. If your paper boy/bin men/milk man is in your target audience, leave a copy of your book out with the Christmas tip. He won't forget your extra gift and may make your deliveries/colllections even smoother in the future!

11. We've missed it for this year, but next year why not do a promotion for Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

Get Crazy: Ever had an 'off the wall' idea for marketing your book? Do share - especially if it's festive!

Lou x

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