The benefits of the B.R.A.G. Medallion and being a part of the indieBRAG Family 2016
As anyone who has had their book honored with the B.R.A.G. Medallion knows, it is a very challenging but worthwhile experience! Obviously, we hope having the B.R.A.G. Medallion on your book will bring it to the attention of a broader group of potential readers.
But there is a great deal more that you can and should do to beyond just having the Medallion on your book. Here are some suggestions that will help us help you benefit from achieving this industry-wide, recognized standard of quality.
- We encourage you to take advantage of what we offer and to be generous in sharing your experiences and knowledge with other indieBRAG authors
- Be sure to tell everyone about your B.R.A.G. Medallion – The more recognizable the Medallion becomes as an indication that a book is worth a reader’s time and money, the more it benefits everyone. “One for all, all for one”!
- Encourage others to come to www.bragmedallion.com to find books that might interest them. We do not sell or distribute books, and we get very little financially when purchasers click through to amazon.com or the like to buy books. However, when readers browse through our library, books they might not otherwise discover will be brought to their attention. Knowing that all our Medallion books have passed a rigorous selection process will make readers come back frequently to find others with the Medallion, and hopefully select your book.
- Similarly, when you are looking for a book to read and enjoy – choose a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree and support your fellow authors. If we all make this generous effort, imagine the audience you might reach!
- Take time to visit the website and share books on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, etc.
- Be active on the indieBRAG Blog – if you have something you would like to contribute, let us know and we will be glad to share it. Be sure to comment and share all the blog posts on social media. There is a lot of really helpful information being included on the blog.
- It is important to note that we are not a paid book review service but we will leave an announcement of your book having been awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion at major online book retailer websites. By you adding a mention of the Medallion on your book’s description and having the Medallion on your cover encourages readers to stop and take a look.
We plan to continue to do author interviews, which are an important tool for you to share, comment on, and re-post. It is a way to get attention other than just promoting your book; readers like knowing something about the author of a book they have enjoyed. Many authors have shared with us that they have seen an increase in sales and visits to their websites and social media sites after an interview. If, however, you are not interested in doing any promotion of an interview, we understand; but then please do not request an interview since Stephanie is now booking months in advance and would appreciate saving these spots for those who are willing and able to put some work into them.
We are planning on having “Blog Hops” throughout the year that are designed to give an author a chance to tell their readers a bit more about themselves and showcase their books. These are not a venue for author bios and/or book reviews but will be based on selected genres, holidays and the seasons. We hope that by making these events interesting and different we will help bring readers back each time and pique their interest in what you are writing. Again, supporting each other is the key to our mutual success. Be sure to read the blogs and share them even if you are not participating in the hop; we will do the same for you when you do participate.
In conclusion, indieBRAG provides a very unique and important service to self-published authors whose books have been awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion. Not only do we honor your books, but we do all we can to bring attention to them. We will continue to do that in the coming year, and with the generosity of all our wonderful Medallion honoree authors, we can make 2016 the best year yet for all of us!
IndieB.R.A.G, thank you so much for your valuable services to me and to other Indie authors. Your encouragement is greatly appreciated. If Tweets and FB Likes will help to get the word out I will join the chorus.
Thanks you so much Nancy. We certainly understand the difficulties that self-publishers have with getting the attention they deserve. Having a “family” of authors supporting each other is a great step in generating that much needed “word of mouth”!
A lot of good advice – and I agree re the supporting/promoting each other. After all, no matter we write until our finger tips fall off, none of us will be able to produce all the books our readers want to read.
As a twice-awarded indieBRAG Medallion author, I have nothing but respect for the enthusiasm and support offered by this wonderful site and the two passionate women who power it — Geri Clouston and Stephanie Hopkins! It’s always a challenge to get attention for self-published books, but the bigger challenge is getting that attention from high-quality, smartly-focused, and personally attentive people and resources. indieBRAG encompasses all those elements and more, and I’m delighted to continue to be a part of it, not only as an awarded author, but as a contributor to blog hops, articles, etc. Thanks for all you do, Geri & Stephanie!
Receiving the B.R.A.G. Medallion Award is an honor with true merit because the process is so selective and discrimination. I am pleased to be a part of that family and will continue to support and promote by using all the resources at my disposal. I think that the blog hops during the year will be a wonderful way to focus on specific genres.
Barbara – you have truly been a joy to work with and it is our pleasure to bring attention to your amazing books. I personally feel they should be available in all elementary schools- maybe we can find a way to help that along this year!
Lorraine- You have certainly been one of the authors who understands how important sharing information and supporting each other as indie authors is. I do believe that those who contribute the most will be the ones to reap the biggest rewards!
I totally agree – I am afraid there are those authors out there who feel if they talk about any book but their own, they will lose sales to those books. However, the truth is that by being generous and gracious, you are more likely to have other authors touting you books along with their own. Sharing the things that work and those that don’t and supporting other authors is a Win-Win for us all!
Indie BRAG is a wonderful idea and I am so pleased that awareness is growing. (I’m honoured to have been involved from the start!)
It never ceases to amaze me that some authors bemoan lack of sales – yet do not realise they have done very little to promote their book. Yes social media takes time, but marketing your book is an important part of the whole publishing process.
I often invite guest to my Tuesday Talk slot on my Blog – its unbelievable how many authors do not even bother to say thank you, let alone ensure they respond to comments left and do their share of Tweeting, Facebooking and generally trumpet blowing! Organising a post on my blog – especially if it is a more involved blog hop -takes time …MY time. I enjoy doing it, I enjoy helping other indie authors take another step up the ladder. But it would be nice to get a thank you for it! The authors who do not bother result in me not bothering with them: I won’t retweet, like on Facebook or promote – why should I? Other authors who enthusiastically ‘join in’ I’m more than happy to help promote… especially Indie BRAG authors!
Thank you Helen-
Another benefit to being engaged is getting to know your fans and fellow authors who appreciate the time and effort you take in sharing their books and stories. It is a lot of work- no doubt. But many authors still believe that just writing what they feel is an amazing book should make it a best seller. Most of us understand that this is not going to happen without making the effort to tell readers about your book. We have several authors who have gone on to traditional publishers and are still out there on social media. The days of publishers doing huge ads and big book launch parties are long over. Self-promotion may be time consuming and hard work, but it can also be very stimulating and rewarding. Without making the effort, I doubt very much if any author will see their book suddenly on the best seller lists any time soon!
Geri, Thanks again for bringing my work to the attention of so many other talented authors and readers. One of my goals this year is to get my book series in more schools….I would be eager to hear any suggestions that you or other indieBRAG authors may have!