Kenn Amdahl, author and CIPA board member sent an email out to the board with this title:
Here’s a little oblique marketing…
The email included a link to a comment Kenn had posted to a New York Times editorial, “Send Huck Finn Back to College.” The writer suggested that Huck Finn’s use of “the N-word” made it inappropriate for high school students and should be only studied in college.
Kenn decided to post his opinion, using one of his books as an example. The Times published the comment and sent him a link to it:
Thank you for participating on NYTimes.com. Your published submission can be found at this link:
So, how was posting a comment marketing your product?
Check out Kenn’s comment. The Times published his name, the name of his book, Jumper and the Bones, and his three paragraph reply. What do you think an ad that size would cost if it ran in the New York Times?
Kenn also emailed an update to the story. “Just wanted you to know that my comment in the NY times about my book Jumper and the Bones resulted in 116 new visitors to the book’s Facebook page. And at least one sale, hopefully to the NY Times editor who decided to highlight my comment.”
How can you get publicity for your book this way? We’d love to hear your ideas, so post a comment!