Thanks for inviting me back to Coffee and a Keyboard, Vanessa. I’m thrilled to be here.

As some might recall from my first visit, I work as a virtual book tour coordinator for Pump Up Your Book. So, I knew when Little Shepherd became available, I would be coordinating a tour for it. I’m not sure I realized how much of a challenge it was going to be to try and coordinate a two-and-a-half-month tour alongside virtual book tours for my clients, but I believe in the power of this marketing tool to create an online buzz for a book.

In one of the interviews I completed for this tour, I was asked what the first thing was that I did to promote Little Shepherd. I didn’t do just one, I did several. I would like to share my approach with your readers.

Months before my book was due to be released, I began thinking about a new website. I wanted my own domain name and I wanted something that looked more professional than the free sites with ads all over the place. While I’m still looking for a designer to overhaul the site and make it more appealing to kids, what I was able to create with my limited HTML knowledge was a definite improvement over my previous site.

I also began looking for more interviews on blogs, which gave me the opportunity to talk about my upcoming release and works in progress.

Little Shepherd made its splash into the big pond known as the World Wide Web at the end of August. I shared news of its release on all my blogs and used social media to draw attention to those posts.

I updated my Facebook page to let my friends know where they could purchase the book online. I began tweeting lines from my book, including a link to where it could be purchased. I also designed a video trailer that I posted on YouTube so I could show off some of the wonderful illustrations Eugene Ruble created for the book.

I also created a new blog dedicated solely to Little Shepherd.

My virtual book tour kicked off on October 4^th and runs through December 17^th.  I have to take a moment to thank all the generous bloggers, podcasters, and reviewers who agreed to share some information about Little Shepherd. I feel truly blessed.

I hope this post has given your readers some ideas on how to promote their books online. I would love to hear what your readers have tried.

Thanks again for hosting me today. I greatly appreciate it.

Cheryl Malandrinos is a freelance writer and editor. A regular contributor for Writer2Writer, her articles focus on increasing productivity through time management and organization. A founding member of Musing Our Children, Ms. Malandrinos is also Editor in Chief of the group’s quarterly newsletter, Pages & Pens.

Cheryl is a Tour Coordinator for Pump Up Your Book, a book reviewer, and blogger. Little Shepherd is her first children’s book. Ms. Malandrinos lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband and two young daughters. She also has a son who is married.

You can visit Cheryl online at http://ccmalandrinos.com or the Little Shepherd blog at http://littleshepherdchildrensbook.blogspot.com/.

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!! Cheryl is kind enough to do TWO giveaways! If anyone leaves a comment here between now and the end of Cheryl’s tour on 12/17, they will be entered in to a drawing to win a gift basket filled with some beautiful Christmas items. There is also a separate giveaway for those who purchase a copy of the book and provide Cheryl with proof of purchase. Details for both giveaways can be found by clicking here.