Writers who want to market their books often get so focused on using social media that they forget the real world and traditional media still offer some excellent ways to get the word out. Here are a few:
Public speaking - if you are an entertaining speaker, giving talks can be a good way to reach large audiences in person. This is one author’s take on it: http://jeanoram.com/blog/2012/06/11/public-speaking-writers-afraid/
Radio - both traditional and radio programs sometimes interview authors and review books. This very brief article has some further useful links: http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/book_marketing_maven/2009/07/promote-your-book-on-radio-talk-shows.html
Television - if you have expertise or are outrageous enough you may find that local or even national TV shows are open to having you as a guest. It may seem a high goal, but see how one author did it: http://writerunboxed.com/2012/07/23/7-23/
Sponsorship or special edition - is there a natural association between your book and a business or group of some kind? They may be willing to work out some kind of collaboration. For instance, the Institute of Chartered Accountants sponsored a special edition of 8000 copies of my book, “Do Something Different” (Virgin Books) and gave a copy to each of their members. Here are some good tips on hunting for corporate sponsorship: http://publishingperspectives.com/2011/04/authors-take-advantage-of-corporate-sponsorships/
Book signings /events - it’s quite difficult to set up a book signing unless you are a celebrity; even if you do, the likelihood of attracting a significant number of strangers is low. However, if you can create an interesting event your odds will be better. Some authors have joined with musicians and poets to create an entertaining evening, during which the author reads a bit of their book or gives a short talk. If you manage to get a slot, here are tips to remember: http://theharperstudio.com/2009/07/an-author-walks-in-to-a-bookstore-for-a-signing/
(For more on marketing your writing, see Your Writing Coach, published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing and avaiable from Amazon or your other favorite bookseller. It has a chapter on traditional marketing and another on guerrilla marketing. I also do a very limited amount of consulting with authors who need help developing their platform strategy. If you are interested, please email me at [email protected] for details.)