Book Promotion: Booklets (Chapbooks)

I'm a writer. But writing is so goshdarn easy in comparison to selling books. Unless you have something in universal demand--something everyone needs right now for whatever reason--it's going to be a challenge. Nonfiction books may be easier to sell. I don't know. I don't write nonfiction. Making stuff up is where I excel at.

So, what are booklets? They're a small version of your novel you give away for free. Yes, for free. Why? So you can pique someone's interest so that they will buy your book. They're not your whole book, of course. Maybe a chapter, maybe just a few pages--but they must be some of the most exciting parts of your story. It shouldn't take a lot of ink, and just a few pages, max. It works as an appetizer. If you can grab your reader with some bait, you may have a sale!

It's not difficult to do. I don't use Word, I use Open Office. First, you'll need to make the text larger. I set mine from 12 to 20. Then I go to file, printer settings, properties, and look for "booklet printing" under page setup. Then print. That's all there is to it. Instead of your text going down the page longways, it will be in columns sideways. The first page will print on the right-hand side, and the second will print on the back of that same page. All additional pages will be front and back, two columns on each side (four altogether). You arrange these pages in such a way that they'll open like a real book (a miniature one). Then, get a cardstock cover, print the title on it, and there you go. Lastly, staple together! Done!

Don't forget to put your book title and name somewhere on or in your booklet! And DON'T forget to put the buy link or your website address in there! Now, whenever you go somewhere where you meet people who you think might be interested in reading in your genre, hand them a booklet. Even if they decide not to buy, maybe you'll meet a new friend... maybe you'll even meet a new fan :)