Promotion by Lynn Flewelling
Lynn Flewelling, also known on LiveJournal as otterdance , is a remarkable person and one of my earliest clients . (I believe we decided she was #7 one long ago Worldcon or World Fantasy when we decided to figure out seniority .) She has studied literature, veterinary medicine and ancient Greek, among other things, and worked as a necropsy technician, a house painter, an office worker, a freelance editor, a freelance journalist and writing instructor. She's also the author of seven shining examples of epic fantasy, the Tamir trilogy (THE BONE-DOLL'S TWIN, HIDDEN WARRIOR, THE ORACLE'S QUEEN) and the Nightrunner series (LUCK IN THE SHADOWS, STALKING DARKNESS, TRAITOR'S MOON and the most recent, SHADOWS RETURN) for Bantam Spectra.
Self-Promotion by Lynn Flewelling
Self-promotion is a crucial skill for any published author. Contrary to what all your relatives seem to think, getting that first book in print is not the fast track to champagne flight book tours paid for by the publisher.
Most publishers do some promo for you, especially in the form of catalog placement and print ads. But they are very happy to hear that you are doing your part, too, and it's in your best interests to do so.
There are lots of ways you can get the word out about your books, and I'm sure you're familiar with options like conventions, business cards, interviews, and professional organizations. Having been in the business for a good long time, I've experimented with a number of other methods. Here are the ones that have worked best for me.
1. Website. A good website is standard equipment these days, and absolutely worth the time and/or money to create an attractive, informative space that presents you and your work to best advantage to a potentially huge audience. Check out the sites of successful writers and take notes on style and content.
Include a photo of yourself, if you like, but definitely things like cover art, notices of upcoming publications or awards, and links to other pages that feature more information about you and your work. My page, http://www.sff.net/people/Lynn.Flewelling (see how I just slipped that in there?) is an eternal work in progress that currently includes links to my fan group and Live Journal, glossaries and pronunciation guides for my fantasy novels, occasional excerpts from upcoming books, an "about the author" page, past interviews, links to my other writing, a sizeable gallery of fan art, and most recently, a link to my Nightrunner-related goodies shop at Cafepress.com at: http://www.cafepress.com/Flewelling. (See how I just slipped that in there?) More about that later.
2. Goodies.
Freebies: These can take many forms, including post cards, buttons, and stickers, but I've had the best luck with bookmarks. A few years ago my friend Anne Bishop turned me on to these handy little gifties. They're relatively inexpensive to create, easy to carry around and pass out or accidentally leave lying around in public places, and a lot of readers collect the things. Unless you're very good at desktop publishing and design, I recommend going to a printer.
On the front of the bookmark I have my latest book's cover, publisher, date of release and a nod to the cover artist and plenty of white space below for signing. On the back are my titles by series, dates of upcoming titles and, of course, my website address. I give them out in place of business cards, at book signings, leave piles of them at friendly bookstores, and use them as prizes for little contests I run on my website, Live Journal, and fan group.
Merchandise: If you are just getting started, this is something you might want to keep in mind for later, when you've built up a following. I took a little poll on my various groups awhile back and found that there was interest in Nightrunner related goods, like tee shirts, posters, tote bags, and mugs. I gave it a lot of thought and research, hired a favorite artist of mine (Robert Place: http://thealchemicalegg.com) to create attractive designs, and set up shop on Cafepress.com. Cafepress is ideal, as they make to order, so you aren't warehousing inventory. Did I already give you the URL? If not, here it is again: http://www.cafepress.com/Flewelling. I don't expect to make a killing this way. In fact, I'll settle for making back the money I spent on the artist. The point is that every time someone sees the designs on a tote bag, office coffee mug, or on someone's chest, they might just ask about it, and your fan will probably be very happy to explain. I've already had some feedback from fans who told me that's exactly what happened. So, the fans get nifty goodies; I get advertising and fan goodwill. That's a win-win scenario, my friends.
3. Business cards. It's always a good idea to have your contact information and website in a convenient form to hand out to interested parties and hapless victims on airplanes. I include my business address, business email, website, and, on the back, a list of my titles by series. I'm a relic of earlier times, and tend to go with a nice heavy cream stock and bold, classy looking type, but graphics are getting to be standard fare now. The only problem with that is as new books come out, you need to get new cards. But the same goes for titles on the back, too. The trick is to find a good balance between how many you think you'll need until the next book comes out and how fast you can hand the things out. This becomes simpler if you can print out good quality cards at home.
4. Live Journal/newsgroups. This won't work for everyone, but I like the person-to-person contact and it's a great way to keep the progress of your new book fresh in people's minds. I also hold occasional contests, ask for their help dredging up facts from earlier books, and do giveaways.
But it's more than that. If you visit my "Talk in the Shadows" LJ at: http://otterdance.livejournal.com, you will find more than just book talk. I write little essays about my gardening and koi pond, post photos of the interesting places I go (as opposed to the boring ones), my thoughts on politics, human rights, movies, books, philosophy, the causes I support, and life in general. For some inexplicable reason, people seem to find me interesting, which is nice, and I get to learn about them, too. There are people at the Yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Flewelling I've been chatting with for more than ten years. We know all sorts of little details about each other, though we've never met.
Caveat: Once it's out there, it's hard to take it back, and you can't assume that anything you post on your personal LJ would go any further. Be circumspect. I'm never dishonest with people, but there are certainly aspects of my life that are too personal to share. It's also not my job to tell other people how to live, or what to think. When I open a political discussion, or any discussion, for that matter the only rules are "be respectful of others" and "back up what you say with fact." "You must agree with me" is not on the menu. If you open yourself up like that, be prepared for the consequences. Misunderstandings can happen, and sometimes conversations take incendiary turns, at which I finally exercise my right as LJ owner to shut it down. But so far I've only had that happen once.
Many writers keep their LJs to professional bulletins, and for some this might be the best idea. It all depends on your personality and comfort level. Visualize your audience: I picture family, friends, and readers and potential readers. Lynn's Rule: Never post in haste, or when you're angry.
5. Public appearances.
Book signings: I have a real love/hate relationship with books signings. I love the ones where lots of people show up. I hate the ones where it's just you and the crickets.
And there are different kinds of book signings, too. My least favorite is when the store sets you up at a table by the door with a poster and a stack of books and says "Good luck!" In my experience, these are deadly, and not very productive. I'm more likely to end up give people directions to the bathroom than selling them a book. That being said, I did one of those just yesterday, but the store manager hung out with me and helped shill, especially to customers she knows well. That, and the attendance of a number of local fans who'd heard about the signing on the newsgroup or my LJ, made for a good signing.
Ideally, however, the store will set up a small area somewhere visible but out of the main lane of traffic, and advertise that you will be doing a reading or speaking before you sign. Assuming that people show up for this (sometimes you get crickets) I have always sold lots of books for the store this way. Be personable and enthusiastic about your work, do a reading if you read well, and don't, if you don't. If you aren't good at planning what to talk about, do a question and answer session. That gives you the opportunity to interact with readers, or potential readers, in a relaxed, informative way. Be upbeat. Tell funny stories about your successes and failures. Never be negative. Never be arrogant. As Thich Nhat Hanh says, "No superiority complex. No inferiority complex. No equality complex." Just be real.
Book clubs: Your fellow soccer mom or Aunt Lulu belongs to a book club? The local library hosts monthly get togethers about books? Suggest that you'd love to come talk to them about the writing process. More often than not, they will read one of your books to prepare, and whether they liked it or not, you have a starting point to engage with.
Schools: I've spoken to and held mini workshops for kids in grades 3 through college. Some of these gigs pay, too!
Guest blogs like this one. 'Nuff said.
These are just a few ideas, tried and true in my experience, but your mileage may vary. Keep your ears open and ask every writer you encounter what they do. See what works, and pass it on!
Oh, by the way, did I mention that my LJ address http://otterdance.livejournal.com, and my website can be found at http://www.sff.net/people/Lynn.Flewelling. I did? What about my shop, at http://www.cafepress.com/Flewelling. Really? Well, silly forgetful me!
Lynn
Tune in tomorrow for the word on "Narrative Arc and the Multi-Book Fantasy Series" by David B. Coe.