All
those ridiculous hours of drafting and editing a novel have come to a close,
and you’ve signed on the dotted line with a publisher. But don’t shelve that
voracious tenacity just yet.
These
days, maximizing sales falls mostly on the author’s shoulders, so for those
that are keen on technology and salesmanship will have a distinct advantage.
The following is what I did, but everyone’s strategy will differ.
When the Contract was Signed
Share
the news through your social media outlets (what? You’re not on twitter or
facebook? Yeah. Do that). A facebook trick: post your status update at about
five to six-ish in the evening. The traffic starts to pick up then, and
continues to escalate until nine or so. New likes and comments get the post
“bumped”…so even more people will see it. I have a thousand friends, and close
to 200 interacted with the post. Then, do the same with twitter. Post new
updates regarding the novel every week or so, just to keep it fresh in people’s
minds.
Get
a website. I had a guy design mine, but it isn’t terribly complicated, and you
can do it yourself. My splendid luck: mikehancock.com was taken, and, much to
my chagrin, it’s a gay porn site. Sigh. You’ll fare better with this. So,
authormikehancock.com it was.
About a Month Out From the Release
Make
a trailer: Here, you’re looking for an enticing synopsis of the book conveyed
through a two to three minute video. Again, I had a guy do mine, but lots of
authors do their own. Upload it to youtube, then share that link like crazy.
Have
some business cards made with your contact info and website. Pass these out as
you attend bookstores or literary events.
Guest
write. On any blog or topic you/they like, but always include, at the end, your
website and publication date.
What’s
this? You’re published in numerous literary journals? Tell them the news about
your novel! They may want you to write an article about writing, or interview
you. And that goes out to all their present and future readers.
Release Date and Beyond
September:
Dallas, TX, Barnes and Noble
October:
New York City, TBA
November:
Portsmouth, NH, River Run
December:
South Padre Island, TX Paragraphs on Padre
January:
Colorado Springs, CO, TBA
Now
go there, or if it’s too far, have someone go there for you. Here’s the caveat:
You or they must have a copy of your book
with a business care in hand. Since I teach full-time, I tell them I can do
any Saturday in November, for example. That’s enough flexibility for them to
work with, usually.
Something
else that’s most excellent: there’s Facebook groups and other outlets like
meetup.com that are book clubs that review a book a month, for example. One’s
doing mine in late October.
Promote
other authors: query literary journals and the like about an interview you do
with another author. They get to promote their book, and you get to promote
yours with a blurb at the end.
Okay,
now your turn. What are some creative ideas for promotion? A gay porn shoot on
mikehancock.com with my novel in the background? Heyyyy…
Mike
Hancock runs an English Dual-Credit program via Texas Southmost College. He
lives and writes from South Padre Island, Texas. His novel, Fallen, was released by Black Rose
Writing on July 24th, and explores the similarities between cultures
spanning circumstance and time. Read more about Mike at authormikehancock.com.
