A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: The Myths and Reality of Book Promotion

 


Because we work with first-time authors, we are exposed to some "interesting" ideas about how best to promote a book. Reality is often counterintuitive to assumption, perception, and imagination. Let's look, then, at reality.

What new authors often expect from promotion--and why they are either unrealistic or undesirable or both: 

  • Book tours from city to city; one new author asked if we would be flying her around the country on a private plane (honest to goodness, she really expected that although she was an unknown person with a first book).
    • Clearly, city book tours do occur--but for people like Dog the Bounty Hunter, not for Joe Blow in Smalltown, America with no platform. The name of the author is what attracts people to these tours, not the title of the book. 
    • Book tours like this -- and we have had some authors do them, usually with the help of a publicist -- are generally a dollar-losing proposition; however, if you can afford the cost, have other things to do in the areas you travel to, are able to do presentations along with selling your books, and have contacts at places where the topic of your book is important, then it can be a way to get the word out. But since it is a dollar-losing proposition, your publisher is not likely to set one up for you. 
    • Books purchased for signings on these tours often are returned--book shows and stores over-order in order to have enough on hand, then return the leftovers. The result is that the author and publisher not only lose the revenue, but the publisher also has to eat the printing cost and the shipping cost, which can throw your book into a cost-ineffective category, which is not where you want your book to be.
  • National television appearances.
    • These are very hard to get. 
      • The shows want someone with a special hook. 
      • The shows need to know that the author has TV presence; that comes from experience, and often an author's lack of experience on television or radio, no matter how intriguing the book, will make any producer reticent to invite the author on a show.
    • These can be dangerous to do. 
      • The shows expect someone who has done multiple television appearances, and inexperience shows up very quickly. It can make for a bad impression.
      • One bad show can close doors to any future shows.


What are some better ways of promoting your book:

  • Sell to sources that will not, in general, act as a boomerang market, i.e. will not over-order or that will let you bring your own supply of books (bookstores generally will not let you do that and will generally overorder).
  • Start local, go regional, grow national.
    • Contact your local media -- your publisher will most likely be happy to send them a press release. 
      • Local media will be more interested than national media because you are, well, local.
      • Local media is in greater need of stories because they have a smaller population to pull from.
      • Do repeat shows (using different topics from your book -- remember that for media, it is not the fact that you have written a book that is of interest but the content of the book; if you are a good speaker, you can get back on shows repeatedly for different aspects of your book.
      • Multiple appearances will help you polish your act so that you can handle a national show.
      • Regional and national producers comb local media shows for finding talent for national shows; that is the best/most assured way to get on national TV.
    • Want to do a book-signing? 
      • Ask your local bookstore to set up an event. You may still lose money on the proposition, but it does get the word out locally -- and that may support your efforts to get on local television or radio or in the newspaper. 
      • Don't start with the obvious. Think about other places that might be of interest. Any place that does presentations is a possibility -- and usually you can sell your book there. Examples include coffee shops, libraries, organizations, book clubs. 
  • Don't underestimate word-of-mouth advertising. It is the most effective advertising there is. Look for opportunities to "get the word out."
    • Use social media: blog, tweet, send instagrams
    • Do online book tours. Here are some good reasons for doing a virtual book tour.
    • Tell everyone you know; carry your book with you in case you get opportunities to show it; and, if you are staying at a hotel for some reason, see if the front desk will let you display it during your stay there -- good advertising for them as well as you.
    • Really important: tell the biggest gossip you know. Seriously! 
  • Build a platform. A platform is your credibility and your outreach. There are many ways to build one; follow the niches that are best for you -- that you like and will spend time doing with pleasure -- not ones that are onerous. Start with a very good website; if you cannot build a professional one, paying someone is worth the money.
  • Get reviews. 
    • Get a slew of them. Aim for 100. 
    • Don't pay for them -- a few review services that charge $100 or less are sometimes cost-effective, but those charging the big bucks will not likely bring you in  Ask your friends and relatives to ask their friends to write reviews. (The reviews of personal friends and relatives will usually not carry any weight and often will not be allowed to be posted, but those in their broader networks are fair game.)
    • Don't overlook the obvious: post your book on Goodreads, Library Thing, and Readers' Favorite.
    • Find bloggers on the topic of your book and offer a free book in exchange for a review of at least a mention in their blogs. One of our books about cancer and a parish cat blossomed into a cat-to-cat (blogger-to-author) friendship and on-going followership. The resultant review in this particular case has spread widely across the Internet. You can read it here if you like: Mudpie Interviews Sula, the Old Mission Cat. Not quite viral, but widespread is good. These are the kinds of things that can happen when you interact with bloggers.


For more ideas about book promotions that are realistic and cost effective, check out this site: editage.


Lesson for today's Tuesday talk: Start local, grow national. And build a platform. You need something to stand on while promoting your book. If you want a bigger reach, hire a publicist (see this post), who will tell you, "start local, grow national," but will be able to help you do that. The bottom line, though, is that promotion is not glamour, it is unglamorous hard work, building your fan club one person at a time.





Read more posts about publishing HERE.






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