One of the joys of operating this organization is discovering new ways to help authors market and sell their books at the lowest cost possible. Through the years, I have talked about Squirl, a book location service.
Recently Squirl has added a new addition to their program, and I am thrilled to share with you. I will be honest and admit that it may not be the easiest program to explain, but through the interview I did with Jef Van der Avoort and this article, I trust we can explain it so that you can see the VALUE it has to offer for every author.
Maps is a new addition to the Squirl program. With this program, you can map a location from your book into their system. Once you have done that, it is added to their mobile app and their main system. There are two aspects as to why you would want to do this.
Mobil app use: When someone is using the Squirl app on their phone, the system is designed to beep at the user when they are at a location where a book is posted. For example, if you go to the Texas State Capitol it will beep at you for the books that have something written in them about the State Capitol. This prompts the user to discover the book image, a brief paragraph about the location and why it is in the book and then the option to buy the book right on the spot.
Maps use: Once you have entered the location of your story into their system, you get a link to the map page that you can then use on social media to promote the book and share with your followers as to why that location is important to the story.
This mapping system can be used during the process of writing a book, or after the book is done, as a great marketing option. Here is a link of an example of how the maps system can be used. While this sample is from the Short Stories by Indie Authors vol 1, you can see how a reader can use it to get a better sense of the story. https://maps.squirl.co/book/1181
The Squirl system is FREE for authors’ use. Simply sign up at Squirl.co (not .com) and begin the process of entering your information, your book, the locations, and that’s it. You now have a system that can market your book for you in cities and locations around the world.
For those writers that don’t have a physical location they can tag, consider places that you have been that have inspired you to write something about in your book. Then use that location and explain why it has value to your book. These are more options available to you to promote your book.
I recently interviewed Jef Van der Avoort at his office in Houston, Texas. The link is below so you can watch the short interview and learn more about the Squirl system and how it works. There are also videos on their site that show you how to enter your books into the system. Watch video here: https://youtu.be/0mT2T3wjVHQ
We are offering our members who may not feel they are computer literate or want to spend the time to learn a new program, the ability to hire our staff to enter the information into Squirl’s system for each book they wish to have added.
Click here for more information: https://authorsmarketingguild.com/index.php/member-services-programs/squirl-location-discovery/squirl-assistance-form