Publicity- How Can You Help as an Author?

One of the most common responses I’ve received over the past year from authors is “I’m not a bookseller, and I don’t feel comfortable promoting myself.” If you won’t get out to meet people and talk about your book, how can a publicist feel confident that you’ll show up for your events?

This will ultimately set you up for poor sales, and ruin your book experience as a whole. No publisher wants you to feel as though you’re a flop, which is why editors and publicists encourage you to get out there and make yourself visible to the public. Last week I had a chat with one of my publicity friends about how authors can maximize the efforts of their publicist, and she gave me some pretty great insight.

 

Let yourself be seen! “I think authors need to be willing to go to stores and meet with the managers.” My friend has a great point here! Publicists will definitely be reaching out to retail outlets to try and set up events, but often times they’ll get ignored completely. Meeting face-to-face with store managers and even doing something as small as offering to sign stock will make them more inclined to set up signings with you. Suggestions like these should never be met with “I’m not a bookseller”, because you kind of are, if you’re a champion for your project and all. All of the behind-the-scenes people will help your project as much as possible, but ultimate success relies on you. You are the face of the project, after all! No one is going to be knocking down my door to interview me, your editor, about your book. One of my current authors has this to say about self-promotion: “Being a hermit is not my thing. I want to share my work and see people’s reactions.” You’ve put all of the work in, so don’t be afraid to share it! After all, that’s why we do what we do, right?

Remember, you’re one of many! Unless you’ve hired a publicist outside of the publishing company to promote your book, you should keep in mind that your in-house publicist is working with many other authors who are as equally excited about your project as you are. As a result, your publicist is unable to act as your personal assistant. Rather than them working for you, it’s important to think about your relationship with your publicist as a collaborative effort. If you’re able to gain interest from a local bookstore about a possible event, share that with your publicist! They’ll appreciate the initiative, and most likely will brag about you to their cubicle buddies.

There are so many ways to get creative! You have solid support backing you up, all you have to do is toot your own horn a bit more. It’s indeed awkward the first few times, but your passion can definitely rub off on people! When you’re open with sharing yourself in addition to your work, you’ll have a much easier time of securing publicity for your book. Also, think about other ways to promote yourself that might not be the traditional reading or signing:

• Phone interviews
• Newspaper interviews
• Radio spots
• Panels
• Presentations

 

Quite possibly the most important piece:

 

Speak up! If any part of the process feels unusual to you, say something! You wouldn’t pick out a peach color to paint your home and accept it when it’s painted mint green, would you? If you’re feeling odd, confused, or downright freaked out by something it’s better to let someone know vs. not making face-to-face connections (or worse—not showing up for your events!). You do have power over yourself, so don’t feel like this little guy ok?

 

As always, don’t forget to subscribe, share and comment!