Range of Marketing Services

What We Offer

International Distribution

(local printing and marketing)

ShieldCrest are all about trying to ensure maximum market penetration for their author’s books. It is for this reason that we have established international partnerships in the largest English speaking countries including; USA, Europe, Australia, etc.

This option enables books to be registered in each of these countries and printed locally. This means that they can be ordered and distributed through wholesalers and retailers within the country. This helps to achieve  the lowest possible price without the need to ship from the UK.

The author needs to do nothing once they have decided to take this option. ShieldCrest take care of everything and the author is notified of any sales through these channels in their quarterly royalty statement.

e-Books

It’s all part of our ever-expanding service to our family of authors.  So, don’t worry about it or resist it, just leave it to us.

Oh! And it’s not expensive; Like everything else we do it’s affordable to all.

As they say: “You can’t stop the tide coming in” and so it is with e-Books.  More and more people are downloading and reading from electronic terminals, in fact e-Books are now almost half of all book sales for standard novels.

Let’s take Kindle for example. Amazon are striving to achieve a 50% market share in e-book sales for novels but if you purchase a Kindle terminal you’re locked in to Amazon. What about iBooks from Apple, Google, Kobo books etc. Your Kindle’s no good for these.

Well, it makes sense doesn’t it, the cost is far less than the paper version and it is immediate.  No ordering and waiting until it arrives, no shipping costs and it’s right there when you want it.  OK it doesn’t look anything like as attractive as a set of books on your bookshelf but if you’re going on holiday and want to take several novels with you, what about the weight?

Would you bet against Apple or Google dominating the book market after their success in music and other markets? Downloading in E-Pub format works on their terminals – no problem. Then what about the Sony, Samsung and many other terminals, shouldn’t you be able to download from any book supplier to these terminals?

But what about the formats? There is Kindle, EPUB, LRF Mobi, PDB  What do you do?  Which terminal uses what? Aahhh.

ShieldCrest offer a full e-publishing service that will prepare your book for download, to Kindle and all other e-terminals which form the majority of the market. It includes the allocation of a new ISBN which is necessary for all eBooks for general distribution.

Social Media

Social media has become one of the most significant book marketing tools at an author’s disposal. Online networking can enable an author to reach out to a vast audience, eager, engaged and constantly looking for new literary trends.

With a well-orchestrated book marketing campaign executed through social media, an author can generate a groundswell of interest and support.

Following the publication of your book, ShieldCrest will design a specific and tailored Social Media Book Marketing Campaign. This will comprise of targeted ad(s) pushed out through our established social media platform, which functions as a ‘mini-website’. It will get the most out of Facebook & Instagram ads, to really create a buzz, capture followers and drive potential buyers through to a purchasing platform.

In essence, a Social Media Campaign has much in common with old-fashioned book group networking. Authors no longer need travel up and down the country, giving talks about their book and encouraging book group members to read and discuss the work.

Handled properly, this online version is one of the greatest book promotion and book advertising tools at an author’s fingertips.

Social media is largely about starting the right conversations, producing entertaining, relevant and engaging content. Interacting with the right people online and taking part in online discussions will allow users to get to know the author. This intimate access point as a way of people discovering the author’s work. T

The sole aim is to increase book sales and fulfil your wider book promotion goals.

We will run your Facebook & Instagram campaigns for a month at a time. We will administer the page on a daily basis to increase the number of followers in your target market. We liaise with you throughout the campaign to generate personal and engaging content.

Press Release

So your book has been published but how does anyone know it’s there? Amazon won’t tell anyone and neither will the major retailers. It’s up to you (with our help) to increase the awareness of your book once it has been released.

ShieldCrest will provide you with a helpful list of all the things you can do in your locality to achieve sales lift-off.

But that’s not all…….

Together with our PR partner, ShieldCrest will provide you with an ‘all-in package’ which includes a professionally written press release, strategic targeting and distribution to all relevant media in the UK.

Who gets it?

The targeting of each book is bespoke and will centre around type of book and subject matter, the reader, geographical location of the author (to capture local interest).

Media targeting is done once the release has been created and signed off by the author.

Our partner has the world’s largest and most up to date media database with over 1.7M media contacts worldwide and 175,000 in the UK alone.

Their database covers all book reviewers, book and literary media contacts and other media outlets relevant to your book.

We time the press releases to coincide with any marketing you plan to do to promote your book in your local area so it maximises your efforts.

We also provide a range of suggestions as to how to maximise on the sales in your local area which is usually the best place to begin your marketing.

Professional Book Reviews

One of the best ways to increase the sales of your book is to have it reviewed by an experienced book reviewer to give an independent view of your work.

We provide this service to all our authors who wish to distribute their books.

The good news doesn’t finish there. We have reached agreement with our partners where this highly advantageous service can be offered to our authors at the unprecedented price of just £95 per book.

Authors can elect for the full review to be linked to the on-line promotion of their book or any publicity which they intend to do themselves.

All the reviewers are experienced and many are themselves authors and they cover the full spectrum of genres.

We also provide a video review option for £250. The reviewer will provide a visual analysis of the book which is loaded on Amazon with the book details and on YouTube where it can be linked to the author’s own web page.

To see a sample of one of our author’s video reviews click here.

When requested, the author’s book will be placed with a reviewer who has in-depth experience and a love of the particular genre.

A free, non-returnable, copy of your book must be made available to the reviewer after which a detailed review will be provided. A summary will also be provided which can be used on the cover of your book if required.

In order to take advantage of this service, you simply have to request it when taking Option 2 for full distribution.

Individually Tailored Book Publicity & Marketing Campaign

Together with our partners, your book is presented to television, radio, newspapers, magazines and online media professionals in the UK, Republic of Ireland and worldwide. Each book is read and the campaign specifically tailored for optimal results.

Services Provided

NetGalley

NetGalley (www.netgalley.com) is an online distribution network for ebooks. Essentially it is a way for publishers and publicists to get ebooks into the hands of media professionals, reviewers, bloggers and librarians in whatever format that they need for their ebook reading device. It is a fantastic way for authors to start generating reviews and build their profile.

We upload your book, book cover, blurb, author information, website links and metadata to the site. Reviewers can learn about your book and, if interested, request to download your book. When approved, they are able to download and read your book for free. Their download is DRM protected, cannot be copied or forwarded and has an expiry date.

There are over 100,000 reviewers registered with NetGalley and about 75% of responses come from the US (the remainder are worldwide) so we recommend that books are available as ebooks in the US for the best results. Please also keep in mind that reviews are always honest and can be glowing, critical or anywhere in between.

There are two levels of service for NetGalley:

Standard NetGalley Listing

Your book will be uploaded and listed on NetGalley for 4 weeks. The download requests will be administered for you and any reviews passed on to you.

Cost: £250 plus VAT

NetGalley PLUS

Your book will be uploaded and listed on NetGalley for 6 weeks. The download requests will be administered for you and any reviews passed on to you. Toward the end of the NetGalley listing term all of the readers who downloaded your book will be contacted to encourage them to review the book. We will also urge reviewers to post their reviews on their blog, Amazon and/or Goodreads as well as NetGalley.

Cost: £300 plus VAT

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Social Media Services

Social media is an important way for authors to broadcast media attention, to give insight into the author’s working life and maintain interest in their books over the long-term. Social media is convenient (posts can be written at any time of the day) and immediate (authors can respond to breaking news relating to their book or area of expertise).

Two-Week Social Media Optimisation

For authors who already have working social media accounts, this is a 2-week service during which we will optimise your Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and other social media accounts. We will also give you a 1-hour personal telephone or Skype consultation to provide you with ideas for your posts, advice and tips for your social media strategy.

Cost: £400 plus VAT

Four-Week Social Media Start-up

Designed to help get you up-and-running quickly on the most popular social media sites. Ideal for authors new to social media.

• Initial consultation to discuss publicity angles and social media ideas for you and your book. •
• Create or update your Facebook and Twitter accounts:

o Facebook Page – A professionally branded Facebook account, targeting each individual author’s readership. Includes links with   Twitter account, retailers and author’s own website.

o Twitter Account – A professionally branded Twitter account, creating an interaction with potential followers and readers. Link with Facebook account, retailers and author’s own website.

o Advice and training on Facebook and Twitter accounts for one month. Posts will be created from the start of the campaign and talk through best practice with authors. Over the course of the month authors will be encouraged to begin creating their own posts alongside ours, gradually taking over the accounts.

• Social media increases interaction with customers, brand awareness and potential sales. By the end of the service the author will have a strong online platform and an understanding of how to continue to make the most of their online presence.

Cost: £550 plus VAT

Four-Week Social Media Start-up PLUS

In addition to the standard social media service above:

• Optimisation of your book on Goodreads.com, including ensuring that your metadata, subject categories, descriptions, author information and tags are in place to help you to attract as many readers as possible. Advice is also given on other ways to make the most of Goodreads.com including competitions and blogs.
• Create or update your account on either Pinterest or Instagram. Ideal for books that contain photographs or imagery or where the author would like to provide images as background information additional to the content of the book.
• Create an additional Facebook ‘landing page’ that turns your Facebook account into a website and contains links to retailers where books can be purchased.

Cost: £650 plus VAT

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DIY Publicity and Marketing Services

In addition to full publicity campaigns, there are a number of services designed to provide professional publicity support to authors with their own publicity and marketing efforts.

Two Week Publicity Service

A great way to use our professional skills and contacts to get you started with your own publicity campaign. We create a professionally designed press release and personally pitch your book to at least two subject areas, including as much follow-up as we are able to do within the time period. At the end of the service you will be provided with a list of media contacts who have shown interest in your project for you to follow-up yourself. We request 15 copies of your book, which we will send with press releases to relevant media who require printed books and upon request to those who are interested in covering or reviewing the book.

Cost: £1,600 plus VAT

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Publicity Campaigns

Four-Week Online Book Promotion Service

A collection of effective internet-based promotional tools including publicity, reviews, targeted advertising, social media account branding, posting and advice

• •      Advance publicity consultation
• •      Online publicity outreach focussing on UK and Republic of Ireland-based outlets including online media outlets and blogs
• •      Managed online advertising campaign: Creation of advertisements for your book(s) and promote through targeted placement on Facebook, Amazon, BookBub and/or Twitter as appropriate. Ad copywriting, graphics and an advertising spend of £300 all included in the price of this service. We recommend that this is done in conjunction with a limited-time ebook price promotion
• •      Social media account service: We will create or update your Facebook and Twitter pages including professionally branded graphics and description text, specifically crafted to attract your target readership
• •      Social media posts and training on Facebook and Twitter accounts (if needed). Posts will be created for you from the start of the service and talk through best practice. Over the course of the month you will be encouraged to begin creating your own posts alongside ours, gradually taking over your accounts.
• •      Goodreads optimisation for both the author account and book entry.
• •      Four-week NetGalley listing
• •      Social media support from Twitter and Facebook accounts

Cost: £1,900 plus VAT

Four-Week Professional Book Publicity Campaign

A targeted publicity service for books with a focused subject area or genre.

• •      Advance publicity consultation
• •      UK and Republic of Ireland media publicity outreach
• •      A professionally prepared press release listing all formats of the book and any other related books
• •      Personal media outreach by an experienced Publicity Manager for 4 weeks, who will have read your book and you will get to know well during the campaign
• •      Targeted pitching to non-fiction subject area or fiction genre media outlets •        Four-week NetGalley.com listing
• •      Weekly publicity updates detailing activities and responses from contacts. Reports can also be sent to your sales team, if you have one, so that they are able to act upon results
• •      Interview scheduling and advice
• •      Social media support from our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Cost: £2,900 plus VAT

Six-Week Professional Book Publicity Campaign

The ideal book publicity option for most books, including fiction, non-fiction and children’s books.

• •      Advance publicity consultation
• •      UK and Republic of Ireland media publicity outreach
• •      A professionally prepared press release listing all formats of the book and any other related books
• •      Personal media outreach by an experienced Publicity Manager for 6 weeks, who will have read your book and you will get to know well during the campaign
• •      Additional pitching of by-line articles written by the author (if desired) • Six-week NetGalley.com listing
• •      A 5-stop online blog tour
• •      Weekly publicity updates detailing activities and responses from contacts. Reports can also be sent to your sales team, if you have one, so that they are able to act upon results
• •      Interview scheduling and advice
• •      Social media support from Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts
• •      Optimisation of your book and author profiles on Goodreads.com

Cost: £4,200 plus VAT

Three-Month Complete International Book Publicity Service

A comprehensive book promotion service. Ideal for non-fiction books with strong media interest, topical subject areas or established authors.

• •      Advance publicity consultation and campaign plan
• •      Outreach to media contacts throughout the UK, Republic of Ireland and Europe (English-language)
• •      Both a professionally prepared press release (about the book) and an interview release (about what the author has to say)
•       Personal media outreach by an experienced Publicity Manager for 3 months, who will have read your book and you will get to  know well during the campaign
• •      Pitching multiple storylines to several subject interest areas
• •      Additional pitching of by-line articles written by the author (if desired) • Three-month NetGalley.com listing
• •      7-stop online blog tour
• •      Weekly publicity updates detailing activities and responses from contacts. Reports can also be sent to your sales team, if you have one, so that they are able to act upon results
• •      Interview scheduling and advice
• •      Social media support from Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts
• •      Optimisation of your book and author profiles on Goodreads.com

Cost: £2,750 plus VAT per month for 3 months.

Film & TV

As part of our ever growing range of marketing services, ShieldCrest offers an opportunity for our authors to have their books examined by the TV and film industry.

These industries have been virtually a closed shop except for a select few who are connected to the “club”. To get your book in front of the right people is almost impossible when approaching from the outside.

However, producers and directors in Hollywood are continually looking for new material. But they don’t know you and you don’t know them. To put that right, ShieldCrest have partnered with a Hollywood company at the heart of the world’s largest film and TV industry. They have all the right connections to get your book in front of the right people and thereby give it the best chance of success.

Book Video Trailer

Where required, we can produce a 30 second video trailer featuring the book.  This can be used by the authors for their web page or any talks, book signings or marketing.