Having sold and published two books with a small publishing house, I find myself in the whirlwind of promotion.
Small publishing houses, specifically ones that do Ebooks and Print on Demand (POD) don't have access to the chain stores. So promoting books falls to the author. And as I work on the promotion, I've realized each book is a one time thing. It gets promoted, 6 months, a year? Then it's on to a new book. What I really need to do is promote myself. I will be at this for years, so it seems logical that I am the commodity that needs promoted and not my books. My books are the venue I use to promote me.
Promoting my books, I have been on a local television station, had an article about me in a local paper, I've garnered reviews, joined another writer's group (other than RWA), purchased an ad in a national magazine, sent out postcards, had three book signings so far, sent books and promotional materials to any conference or workshop asking for such, and have tried to be active on all the loops I belong to as well as my blog and the chapter blog. Whew!
This promotion stuff is time consuming and pulls me way out of my comfort zone. But I never do anything half way. If I'm doing something, I'm doing it all the way or not doing it at all. So I have seen myself grow infinitesimally into a more confident writer and person.
So to promote myself, I am preparing a talk to give at a local writer's group, I am purchasing western attire to wear at all book related events (because I write westerns or cowboy themed stories), and I will put together online workshops and talks to give to my online chapters and perhaps at conferences like Emerald City and (Gulp, in a few years) Nationals.
Pushing the books is one way to sell them, but pushing myself is the way to sell everyone of them. Or should I be a recluse and use the anonymity as my branding? Make people wonder about me and read my books to try and figure out just who I am? That would be my ideal. :)
If you are published, what do you do for promotion? If you aren't published yet, what would you do for promotion and what have you seen from authors that made you take a second look at them and their work?
12 comments:
Paty,
I hate self promotion and as category writing isn't influenced much by it, I am happy to shy away from it. Like you said, it takes time. I know people who devote a lot of money to it and they mention the future as the reason as it's difficult sometimes to see the results in the present.
I guess you do what you're comfortable with. I've done the book signings, the newspaper articles, the talks and workshops on a moderate level. I enjoy talking, but not about myself so much, but wouldn't object to getting involved in national workshops. Would it help my visibility? Probably. But what will really help my career, I believe, is producing better and better work.
From what I have seen, everyone approaches this differently. I'll be interested in seeing what other people say. Your plans sound ambitious and well thought out and it's interesting that you are growing more comfortable with promoting yourself and your books as times passes. Sometimes, comfort zones are traps and it's good to break out.
Alice
Self-promotion, done effectively, is a full time job, IMO. Us small press authors have to work a hundred times harder (so it seems) just to get our names out there because bookstores don't carry our books.
Paty, if you don't subscribe to my promo tips newsletter, you might want to think about it. I write one indepth article a week on the subject of self-promotion for authors and touch on a different subject every week. My background is in marketing, so it's what I do for a living. This week's issue was about how to make your press kit.
I have a list of 49 topics to cover in 2007. So there are a lot of things you can do to promote yourself and your book. If you'd like to subscribe (its free) send a
blank email to karens_promo_tips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
I enjoy promotion, but I don't have time to do it for myself. I don't even have a website. Our biggest challenge, being small press authors, is getting the buzz started; it's more important that other people talk about our books rather than us doing it ourselves. I think you're definitely on the right track with what you're doing. Our most effective tool is going to be the Internet.
Karen
(blogger doesn't like me today and won't let me sign in)
This is one of the reasons I've stayed away from the small publishers. While I realize all authors have to promote their books, I don't want to do it "all". Frankly, it scares me. And, like you said, there's a lot of time and energy invested into the self promotion.
I think Allison Brennan is a goddess at self promotion. I don't know how she does it, but she's really put herself out there. Part of it is a push from her publisher (Ballantine) who put money behind her books and signed her to a trilogy off the bat to establish her name when she was a nobody author. Part of it is her personality. She's a people person, and she jumped feet first into getting her name out there - being active on blogs and loops, responding to emails, giving workshops at Nationals (her first conference even), participating in several group blogs, etc. She's friendly and eager to offer help and advice to anyone, and it comes through as genuine. A lot of that was done before she sold and she made her name stand out among other writers. We are all, first and foremost, readers, and I think a lot of her popularity has spurred writers to talk about her and pass her name along.
Of course, it also comes back to writing a good book, and a good dose of luck. But whatever she's doing is working because the first book in her 2nd trilogy (and only her 4th pubbed book so far) was released last week and hit the NYT bestseller list already. That's pretty impressive in my book.
I'd love to teach workshops at Nationals - I miss teaching and love being in front of the group. As an unpubbed author though, I don't think I have a whole heck of a lot interesting to say. Maybe one day when I sell, Alice and Paty, we can all come up with some fun workshop. ;)
I hate promotion too, but realize with a small press it is the only way to get my name out there, and hope a large press picks me up because of the buzz.
I can't say that the TV and Newspaper did that much for selling my books. Not unless this next quarter shows a bigger hit. From the book signings afterward - it didn't make any difference, which brings me back to is it all worth it??
I signed up for your promo thing Karen. Even though I don't really want to do one more thing! LOL
Eli, I'll do a workshop with you any time. I can be Vanna to your Pat Sajack!
My whole goal is to get some kind of buzz in the writer's/reader's world so when something of mine goes across an agent or big publishing house desk, they will take a stronger look at it.
~sigh~ That's my hope.
I'm going to make two more comments upon rereading your blog, Paty.
First, I don't know about your statement that your books are the venue for promoting yourself. I've never thought about it that way. My books are what's important, not me. I think I know what you mean, that you want to get to a point where people will pick up your books because they see your name and trust it. But that will never happen for any of us without a quality product behind the name. I have a lot of writers I enjoy, and I'll give them a break on a lousy book or even two but after that, their name is no longer enough to sell me their book. To me, it's always the book. So that statement puzzles me.
The second is this--I have never seen any method of self promotion that encouraged me to buy an author's book save one: JK Rowling interviewed on the old Rosie O'Donald show where she explained how hard it was to get her first book published, how people tried to pigeon hole it and how she never thought of it as this kind of book or that kind of book, just as the book she had to write, the book her passion created. I loved that passion and it prompted me to buy her first Harry Potter book.
I used to collect promotional material like bookmarks and pens and paper, etc... but I don't anymore. I never looked at or cared about the author or the book, just the item. Maybe that's just me. I think Karen's ideas for promotion that exceed trinkets, targeting name recognition and buzz about a book's subject, etc... is the way to go.
Thought provoking blog, Paty, thanks.
Alice
Alice's post made me think whether or not promo efforts of other writers have compelled me to buy their book. I think it's happened a few times. Like reading a great excerpt that totally captivated me and I just had to read the whole book.
Book reviews have swayed me numerous times. I've found some fabulous books after reading the reviews and articles in RT, and I share what I've read in those reviews with my friends. I trust the recommendations of others and I think it's simply human nature to respond to what others tell you is good. Movies, restaurants, laundry soap, whatever. If someone's tried it and liked it, it's worth giving a try.
What Alice said about writing a good book is the best marketing tool of all. Good books get read, and they get talked about, no matter how big or small the press is. Sherrilyn Kenyon wrote ebooks for a long time until the word spread far and wide enough that she hit the big time. Same with Mary Janice Davidson and a number of others. They're good writers who write good books and they grew an audience from that.
I know several authors published with large publishers who eventually lost their contracts because they didn't sell through. Big print runs come with big expectations, and if an author can't meet them, they won't make it. That's why it doesn't matter what size press your book is with, it's still up to you to get the word out. Unless, of course, you're Nora Robers or Jennifer Crusie.
Karen
From what all of you have written, it looks like I can take the pressure off myself and just write books and forget about doing a ton of personal appearances, because that doesn't seem to mean a thing to readers.
All they want is a good book. So I'll go back in my nice safe hole and write.
And from a recent experience, a writer can be witty and fun to listen too and their books can fall very flat!
So I'll let my printed words do my talking.
Thanks!
Now, Paty, I don't think crawling back into your hole is the thing to do (though I do enjoy the coziness of my little dark den...)
I think promoting each book as you write it, giving interviews and loving your work and making others want to read your work and then backing up that passion with a quality product is all any of us can do. And that means using things like press kits and all the rest so you can get your name and YOUR BOOK attention.
And toward that goal, speaking engagements, workshops, TV appearances, etc... are all good. I'm just not a big fan of trinkets as a way of growing a career. However, that said, I love my thong bookmark with the little star....
If this is not what I said yesterday, then please consider this an official flip-flop. I'm great at debate, can take either side and vacillate til' the cows come home, but I do strongly believe in the bottom line, just as I know you do--a good book each and every time.
It's not that any of us can do that all the time and sometimes we can't even see a bad book when it's staring back at us off the screen (don't I know this) but we try.
You said you never do anything half way. If your gut is telling you to pursue promotion in the ways you describe, don't let a few people thinking out loud deter you ;-)
Alice
Geez Paty, all the girls have given you excellent advice so you don't need my advice, but I'll give you my take on what makes me buy an authors book.
Just like they've all said, it has to be a good book. It has to "hook" me in the first few lines, then if it does, I'll buy it. Also, a recommendation from someone is a real clincher too. If my friends like it, then I'll probably go buy it. Word of mouth is vital to just about any product I would think.
After I fall in love with a book, I get curious about the author; so that's when I go look up stuff on the internet about her and see what sort of person she is, what else she's written, etc.
So, the story has to grab me, keep me to the last page and then I go from there. It's not the author that needs promoting, it's her work. Good luck! And if I ever get published or have any thing of importance to teach about, I'd LOVE teaching with you girls! I was so bummed to miss my turn doing the presentation at January's meeting with you! Dang it! So, if you ever need a partner to teach with, sign me up too! I have NO qualms about speaking. LOL
Great point about promoting yourself and not just your book. I had hoped to ignore promotion but somewhere along the way I learned so much about it and decided some of it was fun. I've been experimenting with it with a self-pubbed book and I think I'll be able to use some of the techniques even when I'm with a big publisher. For one thing, I had a connected pubbed author come to me for help when her big-name publisher wanted her to do some online promotion. So I don't think we can ignore promotion any more - no matter who we're published with.
kathy--You make good points. Perhaps it's time for me to get my head out of the sand.
Alice
How did another entire week whiz by?
Paty, I think you've got a natural promotion link between yourself and your books: you write westerns and you live on a ranch, the modern-day equivalent of a western. This lends you instant credibility and generates "buzz."
I think it's awesome that you're pushing yourself outside your comfort zone. But only you know how far to push before it comes across not feeling natural.
Eli mentioned that one of the ways that Allison Brennan promotes herself is being active in her chapters, on blogs, in giving workshops, etc. This idea feels like a good fit for me. My challenge is to come out of lurkdom and participate in these discussions! Hmm. There's some contradiction there -- or maybe it's a need for balance!
But most chapters have Web sites and newsletters that tout the accomplishments of their members. So being a participating member makes sense. You have others helping to spread the word about you -- and those high quality books you are writing!
And did anyone mention other parts of their lives as potential ways/ places for promotion? I've retired from working for the state, but know many people from that stage of my life who want to know when my books come out. I also work part-time, and the people there who know I write are intrigued with knowing someone who actually has a book that's being published. Then there are the charitable, business or social organizations you belong to, as well as family and friends. All potential customers and people to spread the word about your books. IF, as several people have mentioned, you write those quality books. Of course, somewhere there's probably a line between promotion and being obnoxious when it comes to family and friends. :)
But others have said it: if you don't have a quality book and keep writing quality books, all the time and energy spent on self-promotion are going to be a waste.
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