Using Nonfiction Hooks in Your Book Promotion

When you’re planning your book promotion strategy, make sure to include the nonfiction elements that would be of interest to readers. The goal is to always expand your audience, and this can help you look for areas where you can promote your work. Here are some ideas.

  • Make a list of the things and places in your book. This will give you some ideas for creative promotion.

    • These are examples from my glamping series: Blue Ridge Mountains, Glamping, Virginia, Camping, Tiny Houses, and Jack Russell Terriers.

    • More examples from my Delanie Fitzgerald Private Eye Series: Private Eye, Sears Catalog Home, Larping, Roller Derby, Edgar Allan Poe, English Bulldogs, Mustangs, and Drag Queens.

  • Look for social media groups and hashtags that relate to your nonfiction topics. When I launched my first Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, I found a group on Facebook that promotes Sears Catalog Homes, and I joined. The members were helpful with research ideas, and when the book came out, they promoted it to their followers.

  • You may want to do a postcard or an email campaign to businesses that are related to your topics. Many shops and museum gift shops may be interested in your book.

  • Look for groups, professional organizations, and clubs (related to your topic) that have newsletters or blogs. There may be opportunities for you to do an article or a guest post.

  • Find out if there are professional organizations related to your topic. You can pitch a guest article or interview them for their newsletter or website.

  • Look for businesses related to your theme and approach them about doing an event or a book signing. I’ve been part of several Virginia and wine-themed anthologies through the years. We did a lot of signings at museums and wineries.

  • Make sure to use your personal groups, clubs, professional organizations, and alumni groups. Most have newsletters or announcements that are willing to share your celebrations.

Book promotion is work, but sometimes it takes a little creativity to find new outlets to share your books.

What I've Been Reading Recently

My TBR piles grow every week. Every time I think I’ve made a dent, there are so many new things to add. Here’s what I’ve been reading so far this summer. It’s an eclectic mix of mysteries, suspense, thrillers, police procedurals, and classics.

I have finally caught up with all of Louise Penny’s novels. I love all of my visits to Three Pines. The stories are well done, and the characters are old friends by now.

After watching the new Lincoln Lawyer and the Bosch reboot, I realized that I haven’t read all of the Michael Connelly books. I love the Lincoln Lawyer and Harry Bosch. Renee Ballard is growing on me. Connelly is a master with characters and action, and I’m working my way through his collection.

Elle Cosimono’s Finlay Donovan is a very funny character. Her adventures are fun reads. Nancy Cole Silveman’s The Navigator’s Daughter, is a page-turning historical mystery.

My favorite cozies this spring/summer are from Ellen Byron’s new Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, Julie Anne Lindsey/Bree Baker, Sherry Harris’s Chloe Jackson Mysteries, Libby Klein’s Poppy McAllister Mysteries, anything by Diane Kelly, and Jackie Layton.

I track my recent reads on Goodreads and BookBub. Hop over for the reviews and favs. Follow me there. I’d love to keep up with what you’re reading.

Goodreads

BookBub

What are your recent recommendations?

15 Things about My Sleuth - Jules Keene

Jules Keene is the owner of the Fern Valley Camping Resort, home to vintage trailers and tiny houses. She first appears in Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers. Here are 15 things that you may not know about my amateur sleuth.

  1. Redhead

  2. Drives a Silver Jeep Wrangler

  3. Born in 1983

  4. From Fern Valley, Virginia

  5. Graduated from James Madison University in 2004

  6. Degree in Interior Design

  7. Likes hiking and camping

  8. Named after Demi Moore’s Character in St. Elmo’s Fire

  9. Named her dog after the classic Bijou movie theater in town

  10. Divorced the Idiot in 2010

  11. Her parents bought the Fern Valley Camping Resort in the 1970s

  12. Her boyfriend Jake is named after the character in 16 Candles

  13. Crafts in her spare time

  14. Savvy with social media

  15. Appears next in Film Crews and Rendezvous (October 2022)

 

Book Links

Apple Books: ‎Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers on Apple Books

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Trailers-Blackmailers-Heather-Weidner/dp/1685120369

Barnes and Noble: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers by Heather Weidner, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

BookBub: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers: A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery by Heather Weidner - BookBub

BookShop: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers a book by Heather Weidner (bookshop.org)

Booktopia: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers eBook by Heather Weidner | 9781685120375 | Booktopia

Goodreads: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers by Heather Weidner | Goodreads

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/vintage-trailers-and-blackmailers

Target: Vintage Trailers And Blackmailers - By Heather Weidner (paperback) : Target

Thalia: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers von Heather Weidner - eBook | Thalia

 Summary

There is nothing like finding a dead body, clad only in a red satin thong, on your property to jolt you from a quiet routine. Jules Keene, owner of the posh Fern Valley Camping Resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is thrust into the world of the Dark Web when one of her guests, Ira Perkins, is found murdered in the woods near her vintage trailers. Jules quickly discovers that the man who claimed to be on a writing retreat was not what he seemed, and someone will go to any length to find what he left at her resort. Jules, along with her Jack Russell Terrier sidekick Bijou, has to put the rest of the missing pieces of a blackmailing scheme together before her glamping business is ruined.

Jules’s resort, set in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville in the quaint town of Fern Valley, offers guests a unique vacation in refurbished and upcycled vintage trailers. Hoping to expand her offerings, she partners with her maintenance/security guy to create a village of tiny houses, the latest home DIY craze, but a second murder of a reporter interrupts Jules’s expansion plans. Curiosity gets the best of her, and she steps up her sleuthing to find out what Ira Perkins was really up to and what he was really hiding at her resort.

Author ABCs - Names to Add to Your TBR List

Here’s a list of authors to add to your spring reading list. I challenged myself to find at least one interesting author per letter.

A: Amy Reade, Alice Adler, Annette Dashofy

B: Bree Baker, Bethany Blake

C: Colleen Shogun, Cathy Maxwell, John Copenhaver

D: Diane Kelly, Donna Andrews

E: Ellen Bryon, Edith Maxwell

F: Joanne Fluke

G: Garbriel Valjan, Debra H. Goldstein

H: Hank Phillippi Ryan

I: Michael Innes, Karen Irving

J: Joanna Campbell Slan, Julie Hyzy, Jackie Layton, J. C. Kenney, Jennifer Chow

K: K. L. Murphy, Kellye Garrett, Krista Davis

L: Libbie Klein, Lane Stone

M: Marilyn Levinson, Mary Feliz, Mary Lee Ashford, Misty Simon

N: Nancy Cole Silverman, Nancy Coco

O: Kelly Oliver, Alan Orloff

P: P. M. Terrell

Q: Ellery Queen

R: Ruth J. Hartman

S: Sherry Harris, S. A. Cosby, Sue Grafton

T: Tina Debellegarde, Tina Kashian

U: Robert Upton, Nicola Upson

V: Vicki Delany

W: LynDee Walker, Tina Whittle

X: Xiao Bai

Y: Joyce Yarrow, Sheila York, Kate Young

Z: M. J. Zellnik, Jean Zimmerman

In Honor of World Book Day - 50 Authors to Add to Your Book Shopping List

World Book Day is the week! Here is my list of 50 Mystery and Thriller Authors to add to your book shopping list. They are in no particular order.

  • Libby Klein

  • Mary Lee Woods

  • Raquel Reyes

  • Sherry Harris

  • Diane Kelly

  • Kellye Garrett

  • Gabriel Valjan

  • Hank Phillippi Ryan

  • Ellen Bryon/Maria DiRico

  • Edith Maxwell/Maddie Day

  • Marilyn Levinson/Allison Brook

  • Annette Dashofy

  • K. L. Murphy

  • J. D. Griffo

  • Debra Sennefelder

  • Tina Kashian

  • Misty Simon

  • Debra H. Goldstein

  • Sparkle Abbey

  • J. C. Kenney

  • Lane Stone

  • Bree Baker

  • Bethany Blake

  • Kate Young

  • Maya Corrigan

  • Liz Milliron

  • Kelly Oliver

  • Lena Gregory

  • Ruth Hartman

  • Jackie Layton

  • Dane McCaslin

  • Sarah Burr

  • Grace Topping

  • Susan Van Kirk

  • Lida Sideris

  • Lori Duffy Foster

  • Nancy Cole Silverman

  • Mary Burton/Mary Ellen Taylor

  • Mary Miley

  • James L’Etoile

  • Jeanne Adams

  • Frankie Bailey

  • Lynn Cahoon

  • Judy Penz Sheluk

  • Katherine Bruns

  • Rosalie Spielman

  • Deborah Coonts

  • Jennifer Chow

  • Grace Topping

  • Vicki Batman

Humorous Mystery Series for Your Reading List

I am always on the lookout for funny mysteries. Here are ten (in no particular order) that you need to add to your reading list.

  • Misty Simon - The Tallie Graver Mysteries

  • Larissa Reinhart - Maizie Albright Star Detective Mysteries

  • Spencer Quinn - The Chet and Bernie Mysteries

  • Janet Evanovich - The Stephanie Plum Novels and the Fox and O’Hare Novels

  • Libby Klein - The Poppy McAllister Mysteries

  • Elle Cosimano - The Finlay Donovan Mysteries

  • V. M. Burns - The Mystery Bookshop Mysteries

  • Kellye Garrett - Detective by Day Mysteries

  • Becky Clark - The Mystery Writer’s Mysteries

  • Diane Kelly - House-flipper Mysteries

  • Ellen Bryon - The Cajun Country Mysteries

Who else would you add to my list?

What I Learned from My Favorite Characters

We celebrated National Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss’s birthday this week. Here’s what I’ve learned from some of my favorite characters through the years.

Charlotte and Wilbur - Everyone needs friends. Treasure the special relationships. Writing is a solitary venture. Make sure you have a crew to share celebrations and road bumps with.

Charlie Brown and Snoopy - Everyone needs a sidekick. Our pets are our family, and they are our special protectors, comforters, and friends.

Nancy Drew - The girl sleuth had a car, good friends, and the curiosity to solve problems that adults couldn’t. Always be curious and ask questions.

Hermione Granger - Study hard and learn your craft. Do your homework. Hard work pays off.

Stephanie Plum - Perseverance is necessary. You may not succeed at something during the first (or the fifth) attempt but keep at it. This is especially true if you’re on a writing journey.

Grover (from the Monster at the End of the Book) - It’s okay to be a little scared sometimes, but often you’ll find that the thing you’re scared of isn’t as bad as you imagine it.

Sam-I-Am - It’s always a good idea to try new things. Be open minded and give new and “strange” a chance. You may find out that you just might like it.

Discussion Questions for Your Books

Book clubs, whether in-person or virtual, are great ways for authors to reach readers. It’s a good idea to provide discussion questions on your website. Many authors and publishers also include them at the back of the book. Here are some ideas that can help as you think about your book from a reader’s perspective.

  • It’s good to provide readers with 6-10 discussion questions about your book and its characters.

  • Try to avoid spoilers as you craft your discussion points.

  • These are to spur discussion and thought, so avoid ones that can be answered with a yes, no, or quick fact.

  • Look for themes in your book that you can highlight for readers.

  • Make a list of pop culture and other references in your book. These can be incorporated into discussion items.

  • Google '“book club questions.” There are lots of sites with generic questions that you can sprinkle in your list.

  • If you have different books in the series, make sure that your questions vary and aren’t the same for each book.

  • Create a page on your website for book clubs with the discussion questions.

  • Think like an English teacher as you compose your questions. Look for items to compare, contrast, or explain.