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Spend a little time around published authors and you’re
certain to hear this common lament: Regardless of how you publish, it’s tough
to get your book noticed. Once the launch window passes—generally within three
months (or less) of the book’s release, reader and publisher interest wanes.
Authors are a tenacious bunch, committed to seeing a project
through to its finish, drafting and revising and revising again. So it’s no
surprise that we don’t give up on our books once they’ve launched, no matter
how tough the going gets. We want a shelf life of more than three months for
our books. There are readers out there who’d love to connect with our work—if
only they could find it amid all the noise of new releases and celebrity
titles.
In a desperate effort to get their books noticed, far too
many authors throw good money after bad: Self-funded author tours in second-rate
venues where only a handful of people show up for signings; expensive ads to
the wrong demographic; for-hire social media campaigns that amount to little
more than shouting into the wind.
It doesn’t have to be that way. During a delightful weekend
with Susan McBeth of Adventures
by the Book, we chatted about the many ways that published authors can promote
their books long past the launch. Here, a few ideas that won’t break the bank:
Ticketed
Book Events: Team with an event planner for a ticketed event
designed a target audience eager to hear about you and your work. If your work
is of real merit and you’re a lively speaker, the event planner will be able to
set ticket prices in a way that covers her efforts. The benefit to you: book
sales at such events are typically much higher than at plain-Jane bookstore
signings.
Fundraisers:
If your book is themed toward a cause that matters deeply to you, connect with
a nonprofit devoted to the cause. If your book is of merit and you’ve got an
engaging program, team up for a fundraising event in which you provide the
program and donate a percentage of the book sales. (Click
here to see what author Marivi Soliven did.
Annual Event: In 2010, I launched a simple plan
through 49 Writers, a nonprofit I
co-founded to support the artistic efforts of Alaska authors. We designated the
first week in October (conveniently timed to coincide with Alaska’s Permanent
Fund Dividend deposits) as Alaska Book
Week, to remind readers everywhere about the incredible books written by
Alaskans and about Alaska. That year and every year since, the Governor has
issued a formal proclamation designating the first week in October as Alaska
Book Week. And each year, authors are invited to complete a simple participation
form in which they can express their interest in addressing audiences about
their books. To complete this form costs nothing but a minute or two of the
author’s time. The payoff: the author joins forces with other Alaska authors in
a weeklong celebration of their books. Why not join forces with other authors to create an annual event to celebrate books like yours?
Collaborative
Blog: Blog tours for your book can be tedious to organize and carry out,
and most bloggers are only interested in your books when they’re brand new. As
for your own blog—well, it takes time to build a strong readership, and in the
meantime you may feel as though you’re shouting into the wind. But if you join
forces with other authors and offer them opportunities to showcase their good
work, everyone benefits from the increased readership. Through the well-read 49 Writers blog, we offer a Spotlight
on Alaska Books feature, where Alaska authors can share their books, old and
new. We also offer Alaska Shorts, a
venue for authors to publish their creative work (or an excerpt from a longer
project). And of course, we’re always interested in guest
posts that are relevant to our readership. A collaborative online presence
expands everyone’s reach and shows readers that you’re actively engaged with
the literary community.
Before you utter another complaint about how hard it is to
get your work noticed, make sure you’ve considered these opportunities to
engage with readers. The only cost is your time - and not much of that!
Co-founder of 49 Writers and founder of the
independent authors cooperative Running Fox Books, Deb
Vanasse has authored sixteen
books. Her most recent are Write
Your Best Book, a practical guide to writing books that rise above the
rest; What
Every Author Should Know, a comprehensive guide to book publishing and
promotion; and Cold
Spell, a novel that “captures the harsh beauty of the terrain as
well as the strain of self-doubt and complicated family bonds,” according to
Booklist. Deb
lives and works on Hiland Mountain outside of Anchorage, Alaska, and at a cabin near the
Matanuska Glacier.