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The Minefield of Marketing
Unknown • Sep 12, 2019
The Minefield of Marketing
August 12, 2019
Understand this—it will take more than one 800-word blog to cover the field of marketing a book.
Not only is it an ever-evolving thing, what suits one writer may not be comfortable or feasible for another.
Nevertheless, it remains a necessity in this business of strategizing how to get your book into reader’s hands.
It’s a given that once your book is in print, you’ve only achieved half the work.
Not only are the “good old days” gone when publishers were responsible for getting the bulk of your books to a brick and mortar store, for the majority of writers, there are few bookstores, and thousands more writers than ever.
Shelf space is as competitive as it is in supermarkets.
Add to that, not everyone was born an extrovert, nor does everyone like to travel, or has the means and option of embarking on a PR tour.
It takes time to establish a strategy that works for you.
The good news is that your book doesn’t have a shelf life, as it would in a bookstore.
Trial and Error
Gail and I can only speak to what has worked for us so far.
We begin our distribution with a launch party since we focus our stories in Texas, primarily the northeast section, even though the plot and themes are widely relatable.
Also, Gail lives and works in Mount Vernon, and is active professionally and civically there, so that’s where we start.
I’m next door in Winnsboro where I support literacy and the arts, and that’s where we follow.
After that, we work around the season in which our book is being released.
It’s autumn now—festival time.
We have had good luck with festivals, but we’re learning to be selective.
For instance a wine festival will attract our kind of audience; wine and books go together like meatballs and spaghetti.
In contrast, a large, city library had a book fair that turned out to be surprisingly disappointing for us.
Why?
Because it was singularly geared toward young people—something not advertised to us by staff.
Yes, there were adults present, but most were young parents or grandparents; however, they had their hands full keeping the kids under control.
Interestingly, while we support and frequently donate to libraries, most of which receive us warmly, occasionally some of the staff and administrators can be aloof or even prejudicial—quite off-putting when you’re writing mainstream fiction, as we do, not some narrower subgenre geared to the smallest percentage of the population.
Yet, as with everything else, you will come up against cultural snobs who have no time or room for any book the New York Times
didn’t tell them to add to their inventory.
Our perspective is that if you won’t put us on your shelves, we hope you’ll accept our book to add to your next book sale fundraiser.
After all, last we heard not one library has more money than they know what to do with.
Of course, book clubs offer the best venue, although be prepared to sell more e-copies of your book.
At first.
A good deal hinges on how well your presentation is received.
Then members will buy your print book afterward, or buy copies for friends and family.
Rotary clubs are also welcoming and a good investment of time.
They take 90 minutes to two hours given that members are often still employed themselves and have to get back to work.
Advertising
Finally (for now), the only people with a smaller budget for advertising than a writer (except for James Patterson) is a monastery or convent, unless they’re
in the vineyard business.
That means getting the best return on your investment is paramount.
After some thirty years in the business, one of the most audacious gimmicks I’ve seen is performers setting up a Go Fund Me page to ask for donations to pay for their music tour. Here's a hint--if you can't afford it, don't do it until you can.
One thing many writers do for advertising, which we won’t do, is also what publishers ask for when they take on a new author:
they want your email lists.
Granted, this is a free way to inform potential readers that your latest book is out.
However, Gail and I resent having our e-mail inboxes swamped with unsolicited junk, so we refuse to do that.
Some argue that we’re cutting off the hand that feeds us.
We counter that we can’t write stories about ethics and principle if we don’t practice what we preach.
In marketing terms, it goes against our brand.
It may take longer to reach our goals, but a writing career is a marathon, not a sprint.
When you see the statistics about how many NY Times
and Publishers Weekly
bestsellers are purchased but never read, you’d better understand what we’re talking about.
For instance, did you know that only 1% of people who bought Hillary Clinton’s last book read more than the first fifty pages?
Enough said.
