Promoting Published Work - Help!

[Michael01]

I've noticed that sometimes publishers expect a marketing plan from authors. They apparently want to know how the work can be successfully marketed and what the writer will do to promote his/her work. I'm not sure I know everything that I could do to market a book, nor do I have any idea where to find resources for this. There are several things I know I can do:

1. Promote the book on my Web sites, of which I have several: a blog, a MySpace page, a forum, and an ezine.
2. Talk about it in public forums where it's appropriate and allowed.
3. Attend book signings and conventions, etc.

When they ask what the intended audience is for the book, what information should I provide? If I say that people who like this or that would also like my book, will that be enough? Or is there more to it?

And what else could I do? Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Anne Lyle]

Any publishers in particular? If they expect you to be the one marketing your book, this is a sign that you're potentially dealing with scammers/vanity press.

A "real" publisher will handle the marketing of the book themselves. Naturally they expect writers nowadays to be aware of opportunities to promote themselves - like having a website, attending conferences, and maybe arranging some signings with local bookshops - but that's different from selling the books. It's more about developing your career, your "brand" as it were, as a professional writer.

As regards identifying your audience, the impression I picked up from a recent talk at a conference was that it is particularly an issue in mainstream fiction. The speakers were Jack Sheffield, a retired headmaster who had written a novel set in a northern secondary school in the early 1970s, and his editor. She mentioned that one of things that impressed her was that Jack had identified his target audiences very clearly: people who had been at school in the 70s, and teachers. Both of those are large market segments, which immediately informs the publisher that they have a chance of selling a decent quantity of books.

If you're writing genre, on the other hand, then to a certain extent your audience defines itself. Of course most genres have a number of sub-categories, which is where suggesting some similar authors comes in. If you say, "This novel is likely to appeal to readers of George R R Martin", for example, the publishers know from the get-go to expect epic political fantasy with a high body count

Hope this helps!

 

[Meadowhawk]

I'll have to try and gracefully step in to disagree, Anne. First, there is a distinction between marketing and publicity that you need to understand. Marketing is essentially advertising. If you're a headliner, or bigger, you might get a marketing budget. But small press or big house, as a midlist or new author, you will not have a marketing budget. If you are lucky enough to even get a publicist (publicity is generating press coverage to get your name and book title in media), it will only be for a small cursory plug maybe in a couple markets.

Best book I've read yet on the subject is Jodee Blaco's book, the Complete Guide to Book Publicity

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Allworth Press; 2 edition (May 1, 2004) U.S.
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158115349X
• ISBN-13: 978-1581153491

There's some others worth reading as well, but the important thing is to understand HOW to work your own publicity. Even if you are given access to a publicist, you still need to understand the process. I recommend this book to our new authors especially.

 

[Anne Lyle]

I don't think there's anything to disagree on, to be honest. I'm well aware that most authors don't get a marketing budget, just a entry in the publisher's current catalogue and maybe a few ARCs sent out for review.

I just hear alarm bells when I see people talking about publishers expecting the writer to "market" their own work, because that could mean anything from a perfectly reasonable expectation that the writer exploit opportunities for free (or at least cheap) publicity, to a scam involving the writer having to actually sell the book and as a result spending money rather than earning it.

Not everyone has a flair for self-publicity, so any resources are welcome!

 

[Meadowhawk]

I understand your point. An author does need to understand the industry well enough to see the red flags when they pop up. I just wanted to clarify that a publisher is not a fraud because they don't have marketing budgets behind every book. The subjective word here was 'marketing'

 

[DominicTook]

Sounds like vanity to me. I would say go it alone or find a publisher who will back you fully. It is NOT worth going down the vanity route, you'll get nothing and legally have nothing. And self publishing isn't that difficult. Its SELLING thats difficult.

Dominic Took

 

[Meadowhawk]

What you've shared is true, Dominic, in that it is easy to self publish. The hard part is self publishing and creating a quality product--as is evidenced by the huge percentage of self published books that are sub-standard.

What sort of things has Troubador done for you with marketing? How much of a budget did they throw at you, and what sort of advertising did they do? What should a first time author expect from a publisher for marketing?

 

[Mary Hoffman]

How much of a budget did they throw at you, and what sort of advertising did they do? What should a first time author expect from a publisher for marketing?

I agree with Anne; having a Marketing Plan is not the sdame as having a budget and it is the publisher who should be drawing up the plan, not you. Though it's quite reasonable to ask if you have any specialised contacts in the media or a USP that links you or your book to a particular place or institution.

All the things you have suggested are good and I would recommend two other things: one is a British book, Marketing Your Book: An Author's Guide (Writing Handbooks) (Paperback) by Alison Baverstock published by A & C Black and available from Amazon UK for £4.99. If you are not UK based, it will still have some relevant ideas for you to try.

The other is to tap into the one-man marketing and self-promotion machine that is Mark Robson! He's a Mod on this site and an initially self-published Fantasy author who is now published by Simon and Schuster. He is a real dynamo of energy who has been able to teach some of us old hands a few good tricks.

And the very best of luck!

Mary

 

[Michael01]

Hmm ... no, they're definitely not vanity presses. Don't some publisers ask for some kind of "marketing plan" to be included in your proposal, along with the first three chapters, outline, synopsis, etc.? Silver Leaf is a small press, to be sure, but they're not the only one I've found to ask for this.

Right now I'm waiting for an agent to read the first three chapters of my novel, so I've got my fingers crossed on that...

Oh, and thanks for all the info, everyone! There's still some useful stuff here. And you're right about Mark, Mary. Hard to believe how many books he sold through self-publishing.

 

[Circus Cranium]

A publisher asking for a marketing plan does not automatically equal vanity press or anything negative. Most times the publisher will do their share of marketing, ie running ads, getting it reviewed places it will be seen by a wide audience, etc etc. But regardless of whether it's a small press or a big house, you're always expected to pull your weight as far as promoting yourself too. Naturally, you want to sell as many books as possible, so you want to help promote your book in any way you can. I know many authors who've got 'big' publishing deals, and trust me, thinking that your publisher is going to pay for a book tour, nonstop advertising and promotion is a delusion.

HOWEVER, a publisher SHOULD certainly be doing their share, and getting you in places you perhaps couldn't get on your own. If a publisher is doing nothing and STILL asking you to promote, then I'd be concerned.

 

[John Jarrold]

The major publishers certainly don't want a marketing plan from new authors. They have marketing departments who discuss what is to be done with the editor (and some of whom will be irritated if the author submits a plan, since it is their speciality). Editors will often discuss any marketing with the author in the lead-up to publication, should there be money in the annual marketing fund for their book.

As others have said, a publisher might ask you for contacts (other writers in the genre, friends in the book trade) for publicity purposes, but this is different from marketing. Basically: publicity is free, marketing costs money - although online marketing via your own website, etc., has changed this old saw somewhat.