Now that I’ve had a few weeks to recover from the excitement of my debut book launch, I’m looking back over all of the pre-publication activities. What opportunities did I have, what I could have done better, and most importantly, what I learned. In addition, I asked members of my debut group for their opinions so you wouldn’t have my thoughts only. As you will find out, there are as many opportunities for marketing as there are ways to tell a story.
Before I get into all the details and opportunities, let me say that the overall experience, while stressful and exhausting, was incredible. A dream come true. The support from family, friends, and the writing community was truly amazing. Because we learned a lot during the publishing and promoting process, I want to start with that.
WHAT I LEARNED
- The most important takeaway is that the majority of the promotion comes from the author. I’d heard that before selling my book so I wasn’t surprised. Most publishers do have standard processes such as submitting to the trades like School Library Journal and Kirkus, and most also promote your book on their social media.
- Not all publishing houses promote the same way and it doesn’t have to do with the size. Bigger houses don’t promote more than smaller ones, which was a misconception I had. There are several factors involved in how much publicity each book gets. Where your book falls on your publisher’s list makes a big difference. For example, is yours the lead title? if so, your book will get more promotional resources.
- In my opinion, not all books are created equal. And by that I mean that while all are awesome, some genres get more attention from the community, booksellers, etc than others. Fantasy and Sci-Fi are extremely popular across all age groups. That being said, all books have a chance to find their audience.
- How much you can and want to do is an individual choice and based on your lifestyle and personality. We have some authors in the 21ders who are extroverts. Talking to people and pushing their books comes naturally. Others, like myself, find this absolutely terrifying. Like up all night with your head and stomach spinning. If you are like me, I encourage you to try a few promotional activities that are out of your comfort zone. But don’t make yourself sick over it.
- Despite your efforts, and those of your publisher, how and why books make “lists” can be completely random and out of your control.
PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
1.Book Swag. Bookmarks are key. Everyone loves them including booksellers. I would recommend a design that promotes your book, as well as you, since we do want the readers of book one to be lifelong fans. Examples of other book swag include stickers, pictures, or topic specific items. For example, because my main character makes a lot of lists, my promotional gifts included a custom journal.
2. Postcards. Sam Taylor, Author of We Are the Fire. One thing that was especially helpful for me was sending postcards to public libraries and independent bookstores throughout Connecticut (where I live), as well as indie bookstores across New England. So many libraries and indie bookstores are great about supporting local authors, and I wanted to go the extra mile in making sure these people knew about my book so they could help spread the word. To bookstores and libraries where I had a special connection I sent a packet that included a flyer with more detailed information about my book and bookmarks they could offer their patrons. I also emailed the librarians of almost every high school in Connecticut to let them know about my book, and included links to an eARC of my book on NetGalley and Edelweiss, so they could read the book in advance. Several of these librarians responded with requests for school visits to their book club groups. All this work was quite a bit of extra effort, but I think it was worth it (and pretty inexpensive overall, too).
3. Interviews, Podcasts, and Panels. The good thing about blog interviews and podcasts is finding them is quite easy. Beware though, you can get overwhelmed and overbooked quickly. There was a point a few weeks before my launch that I almost burst out crying from exhaustion. My to-do list had lists and those had lists. And like most authors, those didn’t include the things I had to do in my non-writing life. You do want to agree to some though so I suggest spreading them out to include a few weeks before your launch to a few weeks after. This will help get readers excited and keep word of your book on social media after the initial push dies down. Author panels may be a bit more difficult to find, but keep an eye out throughout the year so you’ll be ready to apply when the time comes.
4. Media. This can include non-writing events such as TV and print media. Your city news program, for example, or speaking with a lifestyle reporter/journalist who focuses on local stories. In addition, you may want to look into writing essays that relate to the topic of your book.
5. Blurbs. Anya Josephs, Author of Queen of All. The single most impactful thing I’ve done to market my book is get a great blurb from a much more established author with a small but devoted fandom around her work. I’m also a huge fan, and I wrote a (possibly embarrassingly gushy) personal note to her telling her how much she had inspired me and asking for a blurb. Asking, let alone following up, felt super uncomfortable, but I’m SO glad I did it–it’s definitely the step that took my book out of my own personal circles and into the hands of more readers!
6. Social Media. This is probably where you will reach the most people. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok. It is incredibly easy to get anxious trying to get yourself and your book seen while navigating the ever-changing algorithms, and finding the best way to reach your target audience or the gate keepers. My suggestion – and everyone’s – is to focus on the platforms you feel most comfortable with. If you love graphics and pictures, focus on Instagram. If you like short and sweet, Twitter may be for you.
Social media tip from Anya Josephs: I also find it’s helpful to have a clear, specific ask for each post. I.E.: “I’d love to get Queen of All to 300 adds on Goodreads by the end of the day today! Can I get four people to help with that goal?” (It was done within 90 seconds!) People like to help!
7. Word of Mouth. Reaching out to friends and family, even those you haven’t spoken to in years, was the best advice I got, even though sharing news of my book wasn’t an easy thing to do. I was so worried about them feeling obligated to buy it. But in reality, they don’t have too, and for those who live out of town, you’ll never know. For me, this group contributed to a big boost in pre-order sales, at least from my indie bookstore because I advertised I would sign copies purchased there. In addition, encourage your readers to spread the word. If they loved your book, ask them to write a review and tell their friends and family.
The whole process is stressful, but GOOD stress! Even so, that can take a toll on a person mentally and physically. That is why it’s important to keep up your self-care. From Anya Josephs: it’s important to be thoughtful about how much you can realistically do, and to take care of yourself as you do it. Remember, you don’t need to sell your book to every reader who’s going to pick it up before it even launches. One thing I find very soothing is imagining someone, years from now, finding a battered old copy of Queen of All in a used bookstore somewhere. That’s how I found so many of my favorite books, and that’s what success would really look like to me. That’s not measured in adds or retweets or even sales numbers.
Thank you Sam and Anya for your input on marketing your book! Readers, we’d love to hear your thoughts and comments. Do you have any other tips? Please share.
You can find Sam, Anya, and myself all over social media and don’t forget to purchase our books and add them to Goodreads.
Sam Taylor: website, Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads, Indiebound, Barnes and Noble
Anya Josephs: website, Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon pre-order
Halli Gomez: website, Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads, Indiebound, Barnes and Noble
