M. E. Wood

PROMOBEATS INTERVIEW

Perry Perkins

Please join me in a big Word Museum and PromoBeats welcome to Perry Perkins.

Moe: Please tell us what name(s) you write under, the name of your book(s), the genre of your book(s), and the formats.

Perry Perkins: I write under my real name, Perry P. Perkins. The title of my first book is Just Past Oysterville: Shoalwater Book One and it's a Christian mystery novel. It is currently available as a trade paperback.

Moe: What do you do to promote your book(s)?

Perry Perkins: I rely heavily on opt-in email addresses gathered from my website. I give readers several opportunities to sign up for my "Update Newsletter" which lists book availability, latest news, and upcoming events like signings, etc.

Moe: What method or methods of promotion have you used that works well?

Perry Perkins:
#1: Offering Chapter one as a "sneak peek" both in hard copy, linked from the newsletter, and from my website.
#2: My newsletter.
#3: Personal responses to every entry in my website Guestbook
#4: Partnering with charities and ministries that reflect some theme of the book.
#5: Networking at local community events.
#6: Focused press releases (on specific target markets)

Moe: What method or methods of promotion have you used that have not worked well?

Perry Perkins: I actually made of pretty focused "game plan" before I started marketing, so everything has worked well. Sadly, my least effective marketing area has been to family and friends. I think this is a pretty common issue.

Moe: Where did you learn how to promote your books? Is there a special place or places where you find good promotion information?

Perry Perkins: I am a wholehearted believer in the genius of Shel Horowitz. I probably read a dozen books on marketing before I picked up a copy of his "Grassroots Marketing" and I could have saved myself a lot of reading! LOL! Shel's frugal marketing and frugal fun sites are some of the best information I've found online.

Moe: Do you like to promote? Or do you find it frustrating?

Perry Perkins: At first I was intimidated with self promotion, then I had the opportunity to meet Jack Canfield of the Chicken Soup phenomenon and learned some of his principles of self-promotion and positive self-talk and now I have a blast telling people about my work. I even bought a new laptop with a clear cover and inserted a piece of paper that says, in big bold letters, "Ask Me About My Mystery Novel...and get a free gift!" I make sure I sit in a corner at the bookstore or coffee shop so folks can see the sign. When they ask me, I give them a short synopsis of the story and a printed copy of chapter one along with an order form. It's gotten wonderful results!

Moe: Have you been interviewed as an author? By which mediums?

Perry Perkins: Yes, I've been interviewed by two local newspapers, as well as a wonderful online review by Round Table Reviews.

Moe: Do you have any good promotion tips for your fellow authors that you would like to share?

Perry Perkins: I hate to sound redundant, but the free chapter one thing really works well. Besides that, I would suggest business cards with your website, email address, PO Box number, and of course, the offer for the free first chapter. You can order 500 cards online for about $5.00. I go through about a box a month.

Moe: Please add anything else here you'd like to say.

Perry Perkins: Another thing I learned from Jack Canfield was the amazing, but little used, power of asking. Don't be afraid to ask people to read the chapter, or visit your website, or review or book, or buy 20 copies for their store. If you believed in it enough to write it, you should believe that people NEED to read it, do them the favor of giving them a nudge in that direction. In fact, would you please read chapter one of my latest mystery novel, JUST PAST OYSTERVILLE? You can find it here: http://www.perryperkinsbooks.com Thanks!

Moe: Please add a short bio, your personal website url, and your publisher(s) url for your book's page(s).

Perry Perkins was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. Majoring in theatre and English at Clackamas College, Perry received his Foursquare ministry license from LIFE Bible College in 1995, pastoring at Sunnyside Foursquare Church. He has published scripts, drama collections, and outdoor sports articles in numerous national magazines. Perry is also a frequent contributor to the Chicken Soup anthologies and was a winner in the 72nd Annual Writer's Digest Competition in 2003. His first novel, Just Past Oysterville: Shoalwater Book One, will be released in Spring 2004. Perry and his wife Victoria live near Woodburn, Oregon where he is hard at work on the second novel in the trilogy: Shoalwater Voices. You can visit his official website.

07/04