In the never ending quest to figure out how to get more attention for our books, its easy to overlook one of the most obvious and least expensive ways to get word out. And it's something that no one can do for you no matter how much money you might have – and that is making friends. Sounds silly, right? But it's not.

Rock musicians have what they call Street Teams who go around and get the word out locally in their areas about when the band is coming to town, or get offline word going about a new CD.

And so do many authors even if we don't know it and haven't put them to good use.. They are our friends and families and our fans. And the more of them we have - the better.

What your fiends can do for you:
• Send out postcards of your books to all their friends.
• Send out email announcements to their friends after they've read the book -- and loved it and want to recommend it.
• Go talk to their own local booksellers and libraries in person - and talk up the title. Its amazing how people respond to people. There's no substitute for enthusiasm about a book.

My father is probably my most ardent fan. He's never read one of my novels. (He says he'd love to read such sexy books - but just not written by his daughter.)

But as far as marketing goes - he's a star. He has made friends with the managers of the six local bookstores within a two-hour radius of his house. He visits one a week… and when he gets to the end of all six, he takes two weeks off and starts again.

So basically every store sees him every other month. Enough to make an impression, not too much to be annoying.

He tries to buy a book every time he goes in - and not just one of mine. My Dad says that it makes a difference that the bookseller rings up his purchase. It means they view him as a customer not just a pushy salesman.

And he really talks to the people in the store. Again, not just about me. But about them. He asks about their kids, their spouses, their pets. He brings them little presents. A stuffed animal for someone's child at Christmas. A box of Dunkin Donuts.

He does usually check the shelves first and make sure my books are stocked… and if they aren't he mentions it, but nicely. And when my books come out he doesn't ask me for free copies for his friends - he buys them copies from "his" six stores.

What kind of difference can this make in my sales? Not that much. But in all those six stores my novels are always face out - despite co-op dollars. And some of those booksellers do hand sell one of my books instead of another author's whom they've never heard of - or met that author's dad.

But the trick is not just to have one person out there like my father - but have a team. Six people is good. Twelve is better. A hundred is excellent.

Building a Network of Friends

When my beloved dog died, I decided I had to get another right way. And bought a beautiful little puppy but realized I had forgotten much of what I knew about puppydum. SO I joined an online list for Maltese dog owners. The list had over 500 members on who posted several times a day about their delightful doggies. I because real member of that dog community and asked questions so much I was sure they were all sick of me.

One thing I didn’t realize was that every time I posted a question or responded to an answer with a thank you, all five hundred members of that list saw my name and my signature line beneath my name which included my website address and the five words author of Lip Service -- that was the novel I was buzzing at the time.

After three months of talking to all these wonderful dog owners one day one woman asked me about Lip Service. She wanted to know a little about he kind of book “Winka’s mom” had written. I wrote back and told her.

The next day my Amazon number went from 5000 to 450. Over a hundred of those women – bless their hears – had become such good friends that as soon as they realized I had a book out – they wanted to read it. Friends do that for friends.

So whether you can make friends by sharing cake recipes or surf boarding tips, get out of your authors head and connect to as many people as you can on all the other facets of your personality – there’s marketing everywhere be it your son’s nursery school or the local gardening club.

Piggybacking With Friends

Most authors know other authors - and when we really think about it - there are more than enough readers to be generous and helpful to ach other rather than be jealous.

One of the thinks that makes sense to me is to fine another author or two whose book are complementary to yours.

What kind of complementary book? Say your book is a getting over divorce book – find someone with a novel about a woman who gets divorced winds up happily ever after.

Together plan a book tour. Or plan a virtual book tour. Come up with some intriguing places on and off line that might want both of you to come and speak.

If you book is an exercise book – find someone with a nutrition book.

If your book is historical fiction and takes place in France in the 1800's. Find someone who writes historical fiction and takes place in France in the 1700's

One way or anther selling a book, like any other aspect of life, is easier with a little help from your friends.

The Halo Effect

The first book in the Butterfield Institute series featuring sex therapist, Dr. Morgan Snow. In each book she struggles with the conflict of preserving her patient's privacy and the dangerous and sometimes criminal things she hears. She sees everything from the abused to the depraved, from the couples grappling with sexual boredom to twisted sociopaths with dark, erotic fetishes and the Butterfield institute is the sanctuary where she helps soothe and heal these battered souls.

This article has been provided by M.J. Rose (www.mjrose.com). To thank her, please buy a copy of her newest novel THE HALO EFFECT.
Writers who read other w riters get published faster.

Rose is also the author of three other novels and is the co-author, with Doug Clegg, of Buzz Your Book. Together they teach an online marketing class - Take the guesswork out of marketing - www.writersweekly.com