Let me preface this by saying that I come from a marketing and promotion background. When I owned my little independent record label we were driven by direct promotions whether to the independent retailer or directly to the fans. We had a mail order fan club set up from the beginning and this grew into thousands by the time the company had been around for five or six years. And in lean times our avid fans were what kept the company afloat. I’ve always been a believer in the extras- like buy a record (or book) and get a free poster, or sticker or signed glossy or, in this case a bookmark. It made our consumers feel special and it made them faithful.
Anyway that’s all in the hazy, murky past and I don’t produce and sell record albums anymore, I write. But I’m not one to sit on my hands, as it were, and leave it all up to the gods or the fates or the lucky golden pig. It’s my book, my name out there, my career when all is said and done. My publisher fortunately feels the same way, and if you think about it, why wouldn’t they? Authors who are active in promoting their own work are like a god-send to the publishing companies. Although the romantic side of me wants to be a weird, reclusive, brilliant sort of author who is spotted every ten years in the Village in NYC (if Greenwich Village was still that sort of place) wearing a long, dark overcoat and disappearing into a tea-shop. The sort of author whose rare appearance throws their readers and their publisher into a frenzy. Alas, unfortunately, that is not me. I like to meet people. I like to do events. I like to sign books and find out people’s names and talk to them and I’m far too social to be a recluse.
With my first book I sort of augmented my publisher’s efforts on my behalf. They sent me to conventions and solicited the press and I set up appearances at my local stores. It was my idea to start doing writing workshops and readings through schools and libraries as a way to interact directly with the kids who’d be buying my books. And I’m such a fan of the genre of children’s fiction in general that it gives me a chance to find out what’s new and exciting out there.
I had a postcard made up with the cover of the book, excerpted reviews and praise and ordering information, and I sent this out to all the independent retailers I could dig up nationwide. There were about 500 of them and I thought it would be nice to sign each card, so I did. Although it took me about four nights to complete and my fingers were stiff and curled up into a ball by the time I’d finished. It was my hope that this might stop the store owner from just tossing the card into the trash with the rest of the flyers. And I made posters and stickers too- and I would have done t-shirts but I just couldn’t afford it. I’m still not sure how much impact this had. It was probably like throwing a minute pebble into the ocean, but it made me feel as if I was doing something to help get my book out there because so much of this business is visibility and vying for visibility. If you’re not with a publisher who can afford to get you prominent front table displays in chain stores, then, the way I figure it, is every little thing helps.
I know there are authors out there who are doing a lot of promotion over the internet including virtual tours when their new books come out. I’d love to exchange ideas with anyone else who is taking a pro-active stand in getting their work out there.
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