It’s going to be HUGE!

We’ve made some progress with the Read Tuesday website, Twitter (@ReadTuesday), and Facebook page. Although these sites aren’t perfect yet, we need your help with some BIG ideas to help publicize the event (see below).

We want to create buzz for Read Tuesday to help make the event a success. Although December 10 is still two months away, there is significant marketing potential if we can get the ball rolling quickly.

For example, imagine if Smashwords or Kindle took an interest in Read Tuesday, and considered mentioning us somewhere (like in a newsletter or on a website). Or if we want to get media coverage or publish an article somewhere visible. There is a large audience for this material and Read Tuesday will be a HUGE event, so there is much potential here. However, these big ideas require time for big companies to implement. That’s why we want to get the ball rolling quickly.

Suppose we contact these businesses to tell them about Read Tuesday, hoping to earn a little support from them. If they show any interest, the first thing they will do is try to learn a little more about the program.

So the greater the initial support for the event, the better this will look to them.

Here is how you can help:

• Visit the Read Tuesday website at www.readtuesday.com. I’ll add the counter if at some point there are enough views to generate a little interest.
• Show your support as a reader, gift-giver, or author. Choose one (or more) of these pages at the Read Tuesday website. Post a brief comment to show what you’re looking forward to.
• As usual, you can show support via Likes or Follows at the website, Twitter, or FaceBook. There aren’t any posts at any of these sites yet, but that’s because we haven’t built up a following yet. Now that the sites are live, we can build up support.
• Help spread the word about Read Tuesday. It’s going to be HUGE! (Feel free to use this HUGE line.) You’re welcome to use the images (you can find the full set on the Read Tuesday website). Add one to your sidebar to show support, for example. If you make a post about Read Tuesday, feel free to include one of the images with it.
• I’ll announce when the participation and catalog forms are available (soon; I’m working on it). Then you can use these forms to show your support and enroll your books. (I’ll also be describing ways that you can participate in a coming post.)

In my next post, I’ll outline ways that we can try to get support for Read Tuesday, such as contacting Smashwords or KDP, the media, or trying to publish articles. The more initial support we can get quickly, the bigger Read Tuesday will look to anyone who checks it out.

In case you haven’t heard, Read Tuesday will be a big day for selling and gifting books, like Black Friday, except for books. You can learn more about Read Tuesday (but note that the name has changed) through the link below:

https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/09/21/red_tuesday_idea_for_boosting_book_sales/

I can’t wait for Read Tuesday to get here. It’s going to be HUGE! 🙂

Chris McMullen

In case you haven’t heard, Read Tuesday will be a big day for selling and gifting books, like Black Friday, except for books. You can learn more about Read Tuesday (but note that the name has changed) through the link below:

https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2013/09/21/red_tuesday_idea_for_boosting_book_sales/

Anyone who wishes to participate in the Read Tuesday event, or to help promote it, in a positive way is welcome to use the image above or the images below. 🙂

Melissa Stevens, www.theillustratedauthor.net, artist and cover designer, created these images and has granted us permission to use them in support of Read Tuesday.

You’re welcome to show your support, for example, by adding one of the images below to the sidebar of your blog. You might include a caption like, “It’s going to be HUGE,” or something else you might prefer to help promote the event. Feel free to include a link to the website, www.ReadTuesday.com. It has a picture, but won’t be quite ready for a day or two. We’re working on it.

If you post or write anything about the coming Read Tuesday event, you’re welcome to use one of these images with it. There is an opportunity here for you to promote your own books while simultaneously helping to create buzz for the Read Tuesday event.

The more we use the Read Tuesday images, the more this will help to visually brand the event. If we have any consistency with a phrase like, “It’s going to be HUGE,” it will help to brand that, too.

In coming posts, I will share some suggestions about different ways that authors can participate in the event, ideas for how to help create buzz for Read Tuesday, and other ideas (maybe a couple of big ones—I’ll need your help to pull them off). When the forms become live (for the various catalogs), I will announce this, too.

I also added a Read Tuesday page to my blog here. As you can see, it’s not quite ready yet, either. I’ll post links for Read Tuesday social media pages once they’re ready.

If you check out the Read Tuesday website, www.ReadTuesday.com, please feel free to share comments or suggestions about color, structure, style, theme, etc. (Of course, the text hasn’t yet been adjusted from the default text.)

I included “gold” (yellow) confetti stars on the sides, but I can change that to color stars (and you might find color there when you visit…). Feel free to express your opinions.

You can use the images on some websites by right-clicking the image and copying the link to the image location. If you need the jpeg (including the confetti), please let me know—I can send it by request.

If you make any posts related to Read Tuesday, I encourage you to let me know. We might be able to help spread the word about your post.

I’m looking forward to Read Tuesday. I hope you are, too. 🙂

Chris McMullen