Kathi Macias here, wishing you all a happy Fourth of July with a picture of the flag that flies 24/7 in front of our house. As you prepare for your annual outdoor cooking and fireworks celebrations, take a minute to consider one of the cheapest and most effective ways to promote your book: writing related articles for various publications. Let me give you a few examples.
With my most recent book, BEYOND ME: Living a You-First Life in a Me-First World, released on July 1, I have been publishing related articles for weeks now. I've done "Learning to Write Beyond Me" for writing ezines; "Moving 'Beyond Me' in Ministry" for ministry leadership ezines; "Preparing Your Grad for 'Beyond Me' Living" for Crosswalk.com, etc. Not only are these articles quick to write and easy to tweak toward a particular slant, but many are one-time rights only and can be resold/submitted to similar publications.
I've also done various other articles without the Beyond Me slant (including an article on self-POD-publishing for a new online fiction ezine and an article titled "Possum Whisperer" for a new Christian humor website) that allow me to include a blurb and book cover with the article. All of this is so much more effective than putting out big bucks to buy ads in these same publications. People actually read the articles and, if they like what you have to say, are then left with the desire to purchase your book (and the information on how to do it).
Publishers will love your willingness and ability to do this type of marketing and publicity, and they will usually help you find willing venues. And if you don't yet have a book ready to release, NOW is the time to start making those magazine/ezine connections by writing/submitting articles and familiarizing the editors with your name.
So while you're eating that third hot dog (perish the thought!), consider how you might utilize this great avenue of marketing. And consider as well how wonderful it is to live in a country where you have the freedom to do so.