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 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.
