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March 2008
Book Promotion: Ten Ways to Let the World Know Your Fabulous Book Exists
Selly Breagle is a best selling non-fiction author—under another name. Publishers make it difficult for writer to change genres. Needing to get lost in a fantasy world of her own contriving, her only option was to change her moniker. She's now shopping her first fantasy novel around. Though Selly spends too much time beading, she also teaches teleseminars (classes-by-phone) on writing and publishing. Contact her at breagle@outlawbunny.com
Selly showed me how to write up a one-page promotion plan, which I included when submitting my novel. That page was never returned when it got rejected (editors stole it!), and the publisher at EDGE who bought the book said he posted my letter beside his desk. I've heard that some acquisition editors, if having to choose between two equally good novels, will accept the one that's accompanied by its author's promotional plan. This might be a hard pill to swallow for fantasy writers. I chose the genre because I need to escape from modern life and its focus on money, marketing, and hype. But if I don't promote, I don't get to sell my books. And if I don't sell my books, I have to forgo my writing time in order to earn my living another way. Luckily, I've leaned that promotion doesn't have to be fake, unethical, or soul-killing. However, it does take time and homework. Here are some tips. Tip #1: Publishers expect their authors to promote. That's part of the job description nowadays. Exceptions aside, if you won't promote, they won't publish you. The literary agent, Mike Larsen, advised me to treat any book of mine as if it were self-published. So commit to your fabulous prose by deciding to do what it takes to get it into readers' hands. Tip # 2: When you submit your novel to a publisher or agent include a promotional plan. In it, list every promotional activity that is reasonable for you yourself to both fund and execute. Sigh, it would be nice if a promo plan was a list of what sort of promotion we want from a potential publisher. Heck, it would be nice if we could even ask for one thing in the plan. Forget it. On the other hand, once your book's accepted, and the publisher sees your promotional efforts, they often get on board. At that point, they might even be talked into parting with cash for promotion. But don't count on it. Often, promotion is almost entirely up to the author. Remember what I said above about treating your book as if it were self-published. But you can handle it: Read on. Tip #3: Realize that promotion doesn't necessarily take much cash. But, as I said, it does take time and know-how. So don't wait until your book is done before you learn how to promote it. Start now. Sure, that's scary, intimidating, and daunting. All the more reason to start immediately, and get past the learning curve and the sometimes overwhelming heebie-jeebies. There's another reason to start now. Your book is your baby. That's a common analogy, but nowhere is it more appropriate than when your novel first hits the stores. Once your baby's in print, it needs your immediate nurturing to thrive. No responsible parent waits for their infant to come into the world before learning how to take care of it. A human infant needs good care right away. And so will your newly published book. As soon as it's available, it's a sink or swim situation. I've heard that about 90% of all books fail. And if a book doesn't thrive within two-twelve weeks, it's usually too late after that. And guess what—it's mostly up to the author to make the baby stay afloat in those early days. That's a hard truth to face; it still scares me with every one of my vulnerable new baby books, which I've written with such love. But this article is arming you by telling you the difficult facts and how to conquer them. And you can do it if...you start now. Get support from other authors, and then go for it. Onward! Tip #4: Promotion can be an intimidating word, but the process is actually simple: Promotion is just letting the world know your book exists, and that it is fabulous. Hmm, let's make that even less intimidating and lots more accurate: It is letting people know. People—just like you and me. So forget the word promotion. Instead, ask yourself over and over, "How can I let people know about my book?" Example: I sold one of my books on a bus. I was on my way to teach a workshop, with a box of books in my lap. (Sidebar: You always want books with you when you're at a speaking engagement, so that you can sell them.) My book had just been released, and in my promotional fervor I started pitching it to someone next to me. Another passenger, who had overheard us, leaned over and asked if I had a book on me that he could buy. You never know when someone might be interested. And you'll create those spur-of-the-moment opportunities if you're thinking about people instead of about "promotion." You'll also be better able to come up with promotional ideas for your promo plan. In that vein, here's the next tip: Tip #5: Be sincere. Part of an author's job is to describe her or his book in an appealing way. You may be asked by radio hosts what the book's about, or have to contribute to the book's description in its press kit or on the back cover. And a good synopsis can be part of acquiring an agent. Most agents want a novel synopsis, one that sizzles and entices potential readers. Don't get caught up in—and put off by—what you might think such a task entails. Instead, when you write about your baby, just talk about it from the bottom of your heart. Describe everything the way you would to a friend. If you use the same free-flowing sincerity that would naturally occur while chatting amiably on the phone, you'll be on track: The right words will pour out of you. Your passion for your novel will shine through and excite others. You'll also get to the meat of the project. Sure, there's a real skill to writing book-jacket copy or a synopsis, but don't let those technical aspects distract you from your innate wisdom about what's special in your writing. No one knows it like you do. As to learning those technical aspects, see tip #10. Tip #6: Think of what you excel at, and then use it to promote the book. I do a national radio tour for each of my books. Without leaving my home, I've been a guest for major markets throughout the U.S., for venues such as NPR, San Francisco's ABC subsidiary KGO, and The Rock & Roll Morning Show on KOMP—Las Vegas's rock station. However, I love to talk. Radio is appropriate for me. But if you prefer to bake, organize an event at which you mostly serve cookies and only spend a little time telling your community about your new novel. Give it a catchy title. (I'd call it a "Bake and Book Bash" but that's just off-the-cuff. Call it something that strikes your fancy and will appeal to your community.) Be sure to have books on hand to sell. If you're up to it, roam the country with your Bake and Book Bashes! Or, if you hate talking to groups but like chatting one on one, get to know bookstore workers at whatever shops you haunt. Let them know you're a writer. They can influence what gets stocked and what customers buy. My point is: Be creative as a promoter. You're unique, so make your own unique promotional plan. Tip #7: Get a web site. Put yummy content on it. Offer a free e-newsletter or other freebie that people need to sign up for in order to receive. This will establish a mailing list. After a few years, you'll have a big list of loyal readers to whom you can send an email saying, "Hey, guess what!? My new book is out!" Be sure the email includes a URL to an on-line store, so that folks can just click on the link and—voilá—a book purchase. Note that this tip requires you start your promotion long before your book is even accepted for publication. Remember tip #3: Start now. Tip #8: Be of service. This may seem an odd remark when it comes to promotion. However, the world already has enough people in it whose only focus is "Buy ME ME ME." So if, as an example, your web site has content that makes a difference in someone's life, then that person is going to want to buy your book. Again, promotion's about people and about connecting with them in a caring way, respectful of their dignity. Though good promotion entails contributing something to the community, I'm not suggesting you have to be Mother Theresa. If your web site is purely humor, that's a service. After all, laughter can help us survive life's insanities. So be generous in your interpretation of the word "service." Be entertaining or funny or healing or informative, but give something real. In the final analysis, that's what makes all this worth it, anyway. Being of service can't happen without tip #5 (Be Sincere). For example, the content in my e-newsletters is primarily fueled by a desire for authentic connection with others: I write my thoughts in an e-newsletter because I want to share them. People recognize sincerity and realize that my motivation is connectivity. This sincerity then, paradoxically, causes book purchases. So when I mention a list of loyal readers generated by your web site, I'm referring to people with whom one genuinely connects, not a sales-driven plan in which everyone's sole function is to buy your books. Again, it's all about people, real people. Tip #9: Ask established authors to endorse your book. Though a publisher may do this for you, it's more likely that you'll have to get at least some of these endorsements yourself. It can be scary to ask a "famous person" for support. But, remember, they are people too (notice that we're back to the people theme once again), and if they're worth their salt, they'll help out another author. When you write your promotional plan, include which authors you're asking (or have asked) for blurbs. If an author has promised one, or already given it, include that. Again, put everything you can in that plan. Tip #10: Research! Make this article just your beginning, a jumping off point to gain in-depth expertise. Learn everything you can about promotion. Pick the brain of any author who'll talk to you for even two seconds. Take a class in promotion or the novel synopsis. Read Levison, Frishman, and Larsen's Guerrilla Marketing for Writers (2001, Writer's Digest Books). Study, then study some more. Because you mustn't forget tip #1: Commit! |
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