Sometimes the idea of guiding your book out into the world is simply terrifying. Likely you started in this business because you wanted to WRITE BOOKS, not because you wanted to generate character interviews and playlists, participate in giveaways and blog tours, bare your soul about the lonely and often highly-caloric life of one who sits at a keyboard waiting for the muse while ingesting chocolate or Pringles or whatever. IT IS SCARY. You feel powerless. Also, possibly annoyed and intimidated. But I HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS.
YOU ARE GOING TO LIKE THE PEOPLE YOU MEET ON THIS JOURNEY FROM PRIVATE WRITER TO PUBLIC AUTHOR. LOTS OF THEM WILL BE LIKE YOU. SOME WILL EVEN BECOME GOOD FRIENDS.
At many a conference, I have heard editors, publicists, agents and authors advise others that you should help market your book in ways that feel natural--ways you are comfortable. Don't start vlogging if you hate it. Don't create a blog if it's not your thing. Don't speak to school kids if it drives you to drink. But what they don't tell you is WHAT YOU SHOULD DO. I'm gonna try.
HERE IS OUR QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TODAY...
1. Think of your FAVORITE thing to do when you're not in your author world. Do you hike? Draw? Go to rock concerts or community theater productions? Who from that world is also interested in books? How do you connect those parts of your life (there may be no answer, but try)?
2. Think of times you have helped others get the word out about ANYTHING (your kid's school play, a political campaign, a new business). What kind of help did you lend them? What parts of the effort did you enjoy?
3. Where would you LOVE to visit? NOT HAWAII. I mean a lower-forty-states city, maybe a
landmark bookstore or your college alma mater. Make a list of at least five of these places and, if possible, people you know there (even FB friends are fine!).
4. Run through your LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter connections, as well as any professional organization or other group lists, and write down the names of people with whom you genuinely enjoy interacting, or whom you've always wanted to reach out to because they make interesting contributions to chats, write cool posts, talk about their local library, whatever.
5. Do you have a cousin who is the president of anything? Heehee! I don't. Wish I did.
#5 aside, you have before you the seeds of a promotional team, a list of potential tour stops, and the beginning of a brainstorm of ideas for the WAYS in which you would like to share your AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENT.
YOU WROTE A BOOK, BTW. Don't knock it!
NEXT WEEK, we'll start putting the pieces together into a MARKETING PLAN.
