Cupcakes and Marketing

I'm going to skip ahead today just because I really want to discuss cupcakes. You're probably wondering what the heck cupcakes have to do with marketing. And I can tell you. A lot. I think you all know about my love of Pinterest and I don't need to go into that again. So I was on Pinterest and came across these cupcakes.

How amazing are they? I mean, I want them. I don't think I could eat them because they are just so darn pretty, but I want to hold them and show them off to everyone who will look. All the covers are well known books but imagine these cupcakes had the cover of your book on them. This is where marketing comes into play.

Close your eyes, not literally because then you can't read this, but you know what I mean. Visualize for a second. You got an agent, you have an editor, your book has been published and you are at your very first book signing. You want it to be special. Something that will make you stand out from all the other writers out there. The options are endless and I will discuss in future posts. But say you decide on cupcakes or a cake. And they look like the ones above but with your cover on them.

You're signing and handing out cupcakes and having a grand old time. A reader takes a picture of the cupcake and posts it on instagram or twitpic. That picture is then shared amongst their friends and their friends friends. The picture winds up on Pinterest and is being repinned all over the world. Your book cover has now traveled from your book signing around the globe. And all you did was make a cupcake.

You need to be creative. And in today's world with the rise of image oriented sites pictures are becoming vital in promotion. You want to grab a persons interest and the easiest way is through their eyes. It's instant.

A picture won't tell them about you or your book, but the next time they see your book in a store they will pick it up and read it because they will remember the cover. It's a way to reach people who don't read book blogs or other book review sites.

Thoughts? Have you ever seen a picture that sparked your interest in a book?