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Has anyone ever promoted and generated traffic to a fiction website?

by samstephens
14 replies
Fiction - not fictional

Basically I'm looking to get a whole bunch of signups for people interested in a novel that will be released in the future.

Has anyone successfully drummed up qualified "readers" to a fiction website?

Thanks!
Sam
#fiction #generated #promoted #traffic #website
  • Profile picture of the author Todd Walker
    Sam,

    Yes, and it was incredibly easy compared to non-fiction, i created 1,635 sign ups in one month, which isn't a lot, but it was little to no work...

    1) Hit a lot of forums( 3 post per day in 3 forums = 340 sign ups)
    2) Blogged in Story format, giving away pieces = 400 sign ups
    3) Two Jv's = The rest

    I have a lot of connections in the fictional world of marketing, give me a PM with some more information maybe I can help you out
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    • Profile picture of the author samstephens
      Wow, great going, Todd!

      Thanks for the offer, I'll send you a PM with some more details!

      cheers
      Sam
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      • Profile picture of the author JasonParker
        You might want to model some of what FanStory.com - Online Writing Community is doing.

        I've seen them go from nothing (around 2003 or 2004) to powerhouse fiction site today.
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        • Profile picture of the author Marian Berghes
          i helped a friend with something like this, he was writing about a post-apocaliptic future, and like todd said we posted in alot of speciality forums and other forums...and in the first month he had 2.1k sign-ups.
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          • Profile picture of the author Jose Delgado
            Rhyno,

            You might want to change your sig.

            Sam,

            Are you writing some sort of Harry Potter book.

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            • Profile picture of the author Jason Fladlien
              First, wasn't there a guy at the Gary Halbert newsletter who contributed a free report, with the hook being that in order to get it, you had to buy his fiction book? Or am I hallucinating this?

              Also, there is a copywriter who was giving away a free copywriting gift to anyone who went and bought his fiction book on amazon.com. That's the only way I'm familiar with promoting fiction.
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              • Profile picture of the author DrC
                Never drove traffic to a fiction site before, but I suppose a site like webwire.com, etc may be effective (i.e. a Press release)

                Lots of free Press release sites too, so you can look those up and test the waters before investing

                Dallas
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              • Profile picture of the author deejones
                I've seen fiction writers send out newsletters offering free short stories and free previews of their novels. Or they'll write a novella and send out a new chapter (or just a scene) once or twice a week. And, if the subscribers like what they've been reading, they are more primed to buy the writers novels.
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                • Profile picture of the author samstephens
                  It seems the techniques that work in non-fiction are basically the same for fiction - thank you all!

                  Dee, that's something I've been considering - giving away a free short story, or something similar.

                  I didn't want to give away the first chapter of the book incase it turns off the agent or publisher.

                  I'm currently offering 3 personalized signed copies of the book once it's released - I figured if it comes down to it I'll just buy three copies myself and mail them out myself

                  cheers
                  Sam
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                  • Profile picture of the author Adam Lipinski
                    What about fiction eBooks?

                    I got a client who had a 12 book series published in the mid 80s and holds the right to repiblish.

                    Due to the nature of its content, privatly held eBooks would fly off the "shelves"

                    I figured a couple of monetixation schemes, but an Amazon Kindle system seems like it would be a hit.

                    Has anyone had experience with this?
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  • Profile picture of the author Terry Hatfield
    Hi,

    Never sold fiction before but here is something that may work for you.

    What I would do is set up a review site for existing popular fiction books. Put one review for each book per page and optimize each page for the search engines. Then build backlinks like crazy.

    On each page put a link to your book's site.

    Terry
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  • Profile picture of the author samstephens
    Hey that's a great idea, Terry!

    Thanks

    cheers
    Sam
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    • Profile picture of the author JeffH
      I read of one guy who tried to get his book to appear on Amazon's best seller list by offering everyone in his list a bunch of bonuses if they bought on a certain date. His book was non-fiction and he had a pretty big list. I'm not sure how well it worked out for him but I thought it was a pretty neat idea.

      Jeff
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  • Profile picture of the author mmurtha
    Hey Sam,

    I know 2 people who ran traffic to their fiction site. They were both hardbacks or physical books, and then they turned around and digitalized them and made audios at a later point.

    They used offline methods mixed with what Terry was talking about.

    For instance, the website URL for the author's site was on the inside of the book cover. When he did a book signing, he reminded people where to find his website.

    The woman was selling fiction books, and got one author to agree to a local book signing, complete with handouts, posters, etc .... She also set the site up as a review site, but added a twist to it by offering authors a chance to put up a column. She only got 2 authors to participate, but it made all the difference in the world.

    After this, her site took off like a bat out of hades.

    Hope this helps ...


    Mary
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