Writing for many people actually seems second nature – how often have we embellished stories that we tell, and re-tell, at gatherings. We keep journals and/or diaries, we blog on MySpace and other social network sites. TV episodes leave us with many “I would have written the story different…” comments.
It is often fun and relaxing to tell a story. We aspire to write a “Great American Novel”. We dream of the riches we’d make from the royalties. Here’s a sad dose of reality – according to national statistics, LESS than 20% of writers make their living from writing alone. This is not meant to discourage you, this is only to encourage that you develop a plan to make your writing work.
Your first priority is to WRITE – this means discipline to get the job done; this means research to understand who you are writing for (see last week’s post Know Your Audience); get familiar with the market (don’t write a 300-thousand word manuscript for a publisher that normally produces 80-thousand word books); and have a realistic plan for who and how you are going to submit your work. Along with the query letter, many publishers are asking for marketing plans these days.
It isn’t that publishers do not promote your work, a few even provide stipends or, in rare cases, some even put their own PR department on the case. Most publishers expect the author, especially a new and unknown writer, to take a very active role in promotion while they handle marketing (placement of books with distributors and online retailers). Many brick and mortar bookstores will not carry copies of your book in the store, their shelf space is very limited, so it is crucial that you promote the name of your book and get people asking for it.
Be prepared with a basic marketing plan if a publisher asks: Identify your target audience and be able to say what makes your book better or different than every other book for that market; Determine the best ways to promote your book to your target audience – look at magazines, newspapers, products and demographics (especially for personal appearances); Have an estimate of how much it will cost to promote your book – this is important no matter who is footing the bill, the publisher would want to see that their money is well spent and you shouldn’t go into debt to sell a few books.
If you don’t already have a web presence, both a website and a blog, now is the time to get it started. There are several FREE blog and web-sites and there are several inexpensive sites where you can own the domain. Your potential readers will want to know about the author – especially if you are a new and unknown author, you can’t afford to be a recluse. You should also join sites like GoodReads.com and LibraryThing.com to put your name and your title in front of people. Know what bookstores and libraries in your location host authors; check sites such as BookTour.com for help with this.
Nowadays it is important to “stack the deck” in your favor and convince a publisher that you are worth investing in.
Writing Exercise: You are about to attend your 25-year high school reunion and you haven’t been in touch with most of these people since you graduated. Prepare a few sentences to let them know all the things you have done with your life and who you are today.
Writing Prompt: Focus on one, only one, inanimate object within your site. Imagine that the object CAN hear, see and smell – now imagine the first words that object would say if it suddenly developed a voice as well.
