Promotion, marketing, sales, reviews – all terms that fill a
writer’s heart with trepidation. Whether you are published by a traditional
publisher or self-published, you, the author, have the most at stake and should
take control of your success.
Some ideas that you can do, both before and after your book
is available, include in-person events, on-line exposure, print media and swag.
It depends on your comfort, time, location, and, oh yes, budget. Remember that
what works for one person is not necessarily what will work for all. Exposure
is key; people need to recognize your name and the title(s) of your work.
Many libraries and bookstores will welcome hosting writing
workshops and book discussion groups. If you feel comfortable in front of
folks, this could be an enormous opportunity to get known in your community.
Organization and a friendly, professional appearance will win points. Online
workshops will also help spread your name and can be arranged in either real
time (interactive) or more of an online lecture series. This is an activity
that can be scheduled before or after your book’s release. Face-to-face contact
makes more of an impact, however contact online is not regionally limited.
Set up a virtual blog tour and/or author meet and greet
events. Both of these can be timed to build the buzz before the book’s release,
coincide with the release (I hear a book release party), or after the book is
available on the market (include book signings). Contact blog owners which
attract the same audience that would be interested in your book and ask if they
would be willing to host you – write original copy for each post and help
publicize your appearance on that blog. Blog owners will love you if you can
bring them increased traffic; always visit the blogs when they are active to
respond to comments and virtually “meet” all the people who came out for you –
and don’t forget to publicly thank the blog host. In person author events are
very geographically dependent, you have to be able to travel there and so do
your fans. Send out your own press releases to local media, don’t depend on the
venue host to do all the publicity (although most will display in-house signs
at the minimum).
Arrange radio, television and newspaper interviews. Blog talk
radio (on the web) is a popular method of publicity and many new channels
welcome guests. Contact newspapers with concise press releases; provide links
to your media page (which should be part of your web-site) and enough
information about you and your work so that an over-scheduled reporter could
actually write a blurb without contacting you if they don’t have the time. Have
a professional (looking) author photo and book cover pic ready to go in digital
and hard copy if requested. Another good idea is to prepare a one-page printed
media sheet to hand out to reporters (of any media) – this media sheet needs to
include highlights about you and include your expertise as a writer in your
subject, include the link to your online and more complete media page, a
listing of your book(s), your author photo and contact info.
Be ready to distribute bookmarks, trading cards, author-signed-postcards
and swag (T-shirts, key chains, mouse pads, pens, sticky notes, and anything
that might relate to your story) at in-person events, online contests and to
contribute to book festivals – keep this within your budget, there are several
inexpensive sources, ask your fellow authors who they use.
Participate in social media sites –again choose the ones that
attract your target audience (age, gender, profession, interests, etc). Always
be friendly and interactive. Make sure that the persona you represent is the
person you want your fans to know about, but be honest, never purport to be something
that you aren’t.
Finally, keep blogging – you’re a writer, you can do it.
Writing Exercise:
Choose one of the following topics and write a short 1 to 3 page story:
1) You’ve got a family to support, you just lost your job and bills are due.
Your friend tells you about a way to make money, but it is highly illegal. What
are you going to do? 2) The doctor just
told you that you’re dying, you only have weeks to live. You decide to spend
the time exacting revenge on people who have hurt you on purpose. You’ve gotten
your revenge and the doctor calls you in for another consult, it seems your
records were mixed up and you are going to live a long, healthy life. What are
you going to do? 3) You did something as
a youngster that you are horribly embarrassed by and you went all this time
without the information leaking out. You just began a new relationship
(business or personal) and you just found out that there has been a full
investigation into your background; you’re not sure if you are going to be
exposed or not. What are you going to do?
Writing Prompt: You are the main character in the book you
just read/movie you just watched. Would you have done anything differently?
Challenge Assignment: Write out lesson plans for a 10
session writing course. Do this once for online and once for in-person.
