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10.
AOTW: Was there promotion/marketing done for your first book?
If so, what was it? What might you have done differently? Did you
or your publisher use the web to promote your book? Do you have
a website?
Cat
Bauer: Someone gave me a copy of a wonderful article that Terry
McMillan wrote for Poets & Writers back in 1988 called, "Publicizing
Your Commercially-Published Novel." That article prepared me
for the worst that could happen --- nothing --- and ways to avoid
it.
Winslow
Press actually did a lot more than many publishers would have ---
in fact, they're still incredibly supportive. Winslow was one of
the first publishers to use the Web, and they created a terrific
website for my book, as they do for every book they publish. Since
I was in Italy, most of what I did was through the Internet, contacting
sites that reviewed books, doing Internet and telephone interviews.
When
I went to America this past December, Winslow arranged to have me
speak at libraries, schools, a university, etc. A personal contact
got me a local radio interview, a newspaper article. It's exhausting
the amount of work that goes into promoting a book. One nice thing
about this genre is that there's all sorts of library and school
awards, lists, etc., that keep the interest rolling.
When
it comes to trade, I think the industry in general is still feeling
their way about how to market "YA" or "Teen"
or "Contemporary Fiction" or whatever they're calling
it these days. There's a lot of hip stuff by writers like Francesca
Lia Block and Laurie Halse Anderson mixed in with books targeted
toward much younger readers, and it's shelved in different places
depending on the policy of the store. You wouldn't wade through
Sesame Street's The Best of Elmo to get to Radiohead's Kid
A.
Michael
Leahey: There was very little promotion for my first book. It
was well reviewed by Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus Reviews and Library
Journal and was selected by Mysterious Books, Murder Ink and The
Black Orchid, as first book of the month. I also got some nice reviews
on Amazon.com. Unfortunately, I didn't have a launch plan for this
book. I will for the second installment. I didn't have a website,
either. I will for the second installment. I didn't have a plan
to tour other cities and sign books, but I will for the second installment.
A first author doesn't get a lot of help from the publisher because
the publisher doesn't stand to get that investment back on a first
author. So, you must be prepared to hawk your own wares. I hope
you'll have a better plan then I did.
Stephanie
Gertler: Yes, there has been promotion and marketing. Dutton
distributed advance readers copies, and placed the book in several
strategic spots on online and in bookstores. There has also been
radio advertising and I've done local radio interviews, Internet
chats and local television. We do have a website:www.jimmysgirl.com
or www.stephaniegertler.com.
Suzanne
Chazin: Being a self-starter helps. Putnam's publicity department
was great, but it's a very, very tough thing to promote an unknown
writer. I didn't have an author tour or an ad budget and I don't
have a website, so I've spent a lot of energy doing all I could
to help Putnam get me reviews in major publications. This, and word
of mouth, is what I'm banking on to help give The Fourth Angel
a successful launch. I think the only thing I might have done differently
is to have started earlier. I didn't take the publicity process
seriously until two months before publication. I might have networked
with contacts in journalism a little earlier in retrospect.
NM
Kelby: We're still very early in the game with my book, but
I have to say that Hyperion has really been great to work with.
They've given me more support that I imagined possible and don't
laugh when I ask stupid questions.
If
I could change anything, I'd change the fact that I sometimes ask
stupid questions.
Hyperion
has a lovely site where they highlight the new Theia literary imprint.
I don't have my own site.
Sallie
Bissell: Bantam did an amazing job promoting In The Forest
of Harm. They put ads in the New York Times, USA Today, the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution; radio spots all across the country;
they sent me on a book tour. It was terrific! I was so flattered
and astonished and can't say that I would have done a thing differently.
I was on the January edition of Bantam/Random House website. My
daughter has designed a website for me, personally. Everyone visit
salliebissell.com!
Thisbe
Nissen: My first book was put out by a University Press so there
wasn't a lot of extra money hanging around for things like publicity
and marketing, so I decided that I wasn't going to let the book
go straight to the remainder table and I put together my own book
tour. I cold-called book stories all over the country and said,
"I know you've never heard of me but I have a book coming out
and I know enough people in your city to fill a bookstore if you'll
let me do a reading."
The
folks at U of I Press helped out in any ways they could and people
were all really good to me. I borrowed gas money from my folks and
spent 2 1/2 months driving around the country reading everywhere
they'd let me. I'm a computer moron, so there was no web stuff involved
really, and I don't have a website. I did spend a lot of time on
the Internet tracking down every person I've ever known in order
to get them on a mailing list and let them know that I had a book
coming out. I was literally looking up everyone, figuring hey; maybe
that boy I kissed at camp in eighth grade would by a copy just for
novelty value...
I was
shameless. And I'd do it the same way if I had it to do over.
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