SHALLA CHATS with author Diane J. Newton

“To Market, To Market: How to Promote Your Book”

by Shalla DeGuzman

 

First off, who ’s Di?

Diane J. Newton is the author of Paradigm, Children of the Sun and Unusual Destiny, an award-winning mystery/suspense novel, all three books released by Aventine Press LLC. She is currently working on two new books, the first Van & Brown Mystery, a series and Bethany's Brood, Children of the Sun II.

A frequent public speaker, she is head of the Authors Guild of WNY and moderator of a similar international Internet Yahoo group, Publishing and Promoting. She enjoys fund-raising for charitable and civic organizations and, as an author advocate, teaches, writes and edits for peers. For more: http://shalladeguzman.blogspot.com/

Shalla: Hi Di, how are you? So tell us about your upcoming book ?

Di: I’m super, Shalla. Thanks for asking.

My next book will be the first Van Horn & Brown mystery. The lead characters, Mari Brown and James Van Horn are partners in an up-scale detective agency. They’ve already made cameo appearances in other books, as have cohorts and contacts; the electric ex-spook Francis Wildfeather, intrepid reporter Tish Mulroney and medical examiner Angus MacIntosh, along with others.

As you can probably tell, the series and characters came to life for me long ago. They’ve been profiled for twenty years and have come in handy, but it’s time for their own story. They’ve earned star billing.

That book is written, but I’m delaying release until Fall to avoid another collision with the release of Secrets, Fact or Fiction? II, an annual Spring release. That’s an anthology series we’re using to promote literacy and recreational reading. I tried marketing two books released a month apart in 05 and won’t do it again. Wow, I’ve been in hyper-drive since.

Shalla: Your writers group, Publishing and Promoting, looks like a great help for authors, especially those newly published. Will you tell us more about it? How do we join?

Di: Sure. That’s a Yahoo group, but not just for writers. My members are Trad and Indie small press owners and authors, agents, editors, marketers, PR firms, reps and just about anyone else involved in the book biz. We share industry news, marketing and promotional trends, tips, leads, lots of How To and creative innovation. With such an eclectic mix and 450 members, we don’t miss much. ;-)

It is a great place for newbies to lurk and learn. Questions are welcome and answers are quick to come. The archives and the files section are treasure chests of publishing and marketing information even for veterans in all the fields I mentioned.

It’s a private group, so one has to request membership, but that’s a simple matter. Just send an email to publishingandpromoting-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to apply. In the form ell me a bit about your connection to the biz, one line will do, and that email will come to me for approval.

Shalla: I checked your sites and it looks like you’re a marketing guru, and I’d like to know your top 5 marketing tips for authors, especially first timers. Do workshops? Signings? Conferences?

Di: Marketing 101, condensed version, huh? Okay.

The correct answer to your question is all the above and much more.

For authors, first and most importantly, define what you write. Doing so focuses a writer, identifies our market (which we should thoroughly research, inside and out) and later serves as a branding device. Branding is the way readers identify you with your product. As an example of branding importance, open your search engine and type in “Award Winning Suspense.” That’s my ‘brand’ and, regardless of which engine you use, one of my fourteen web pages, which are all linked, will crop up at number one, likely AOL but my new Bravenet pages are gaining steadily.

Second, learn how to write compelling copy. That encompasses many things; book blurbs, sell sheets, your bio, any query letter, pitch, article and the all important press release. The first mistake many make is to think these tools are all about self-interest, us. They are not. They are about our target, the audience we’re trying to reach. Speak to their needs and fulfill them. Lose adjectives and learn to write from the target’s perspective. It will pay off. The last press release I sent out (hint: via PRWeb.com) had over 84,000 reads and more than1400 estimated pick ups. I’ve done television, radio and been in print countless times in the past year, all because I learned perspective. You can too. It just takes effort.

Third, maintain a public presence. We should be visible. Network constantly. Start locally in person and in print; move on regionally as a leader and teacher; nationally and internationally as an expert on writing, on your market and on the publishing industry as a whole. Is that a lot learn and a road? Yes. But if we want our work read, folks have to know it exists, to know we exist. Signings, speeches, tea time talks, public appearances, workshops and the attendant publicity those bring us are part of our public presence. BTW, speaking fees, honorariums and back of the room sales are also lucrative. Stretch your skills and those will come to you.

An example: I’ve tried for years to break into the Buffalo News, circulation 1.1 million. It finally happened last year when their Book Club decided to host a local author showcase at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The reporters had no idea how to tap into that network or how to organize the event. Worse, they wanted to include five workshops, but had no teachers. My Authors Guild group was mentioned, I was contacted, and had them up and running in just a few emails to my network of regional writer’s groups. My brain has a few more holes in it from being picked for two months by News reporters and Albright staffers, but it was a huge success and so well worth it. Other events are in the works and I’ve already been asked to help. BTW, the publicity was great. ;-)

Forth, create a virtual presence. The Internet is a fantastic tool and we can use it to reach unlimited audiences. I have web pages geared to writers, readers, teachers, literacy organizations and media. Each issues invitations to share the world of words and specifies what I offer each audience. Needless to say, I never put up a book cover image, blurb or excerpt without multiple links to sales outlets. I’ve spent the most effort recently on my new bravenet.com pages am close to having the spectrum covered. ;-)

Last, ours is a craft one never truly masters. No matter how well you write, continue to pick your work apart. See a weakness? Don’t ignore it. Write to it until you kill it.

Study the work of masters in your genre or topic and of your stiffest competition to see why and how what they wrote worked. Pick those works apart. See room for improvement? Use that gleaned formation to improve your work.

Truth is, the day we think we’ve ‘arrived’ is the day our careers will begin to wither and die. Mediocre books won’t sell no matter how well we’ve learned to market. Strive for excellence, every single day.

Shalla: What are the best places to do signings? What’s the best way to schedule a signing?

Di: The five most wildly successful signings I’ve had took place at a café’, a rural library, an independent bookstore, a historic lighthouse and – get ready for a chuckle - my brother’s back yard. The last was in no way planned. There was a little village festival in progress and I’d just received a new book order. The box happened to be in my trunk. One person asked if the book was out and the rest is a happy little piece of history. So, the answer to your first question, Shalla, is anywhere.

The other signings were scheduled and, I can’t say this enough, publicity is the key to success. We live in a world of buzz and spin. Make friends and fans of print reporters who’ll generate feature articles, interviews and column mentions about you and what you’re doing. The same holds true for bookstore owners who, once fans, will not only invite you in, but will spread advance word about your appearance and endorse another great new read to their steady, book-buying clientele.

Shalla: What type of marketing has not worked for you? Is there such a thing as genre-specific kind of marketing? Ie. Is marketing a romance novel different from marketing, say, suspense?

Di: Paid ads are a waste, the credibility factor is zero. Anyone with a healthy bank account can place them and all discerning readers know it. Don’t bother.

As to your next two questions, one word: No. Marketing tasks are the same for fiction, genres within fiction, for nonfiction and for Trad or Indie titles. I have both flavors and the marketing plans were identical. Branding and market savvy are where we need to focus. Where are our readers?

Shalla: How helpful are publicists? How do you find a good one?

Di: I honestly believe that no one can know our work or our current message as well as we do. Would it be cool to forget about marketing and just write? Maybe, but removing ourselves from connections to the fan base and networks we constantly want to grow, seems a mistake. We need to remain tuned in to readers and contacts.

That said, I’m not anti-publicist. I have a few firms on my list which appear to do a great job for their clients and I applaud those successes. However, caution is advised.

There are far more publicity mills in existence today than legitimate firms with the connections to deliver. Those who offer to send out bogus press releases to 500 bookstores, editors, publishers or producers, and charge a small fortune, make me ill. Their junk mail is quickly pegged as such and is never read. In reality, they’re scam artists, feeding off the dreams of unwary writers. One gentleman recently wrote me saying he’d spent in excess of sixty thousand dollars to ‘promote’ his book and had given up. The so-called publicity firm involved had changed its name twice that year. I did not wonder why. I knew one of the owners, who despite my best efforts to make him go away, had deluged me with useless ‘promotional ops’ for years. No thanks. All they succeed in doing is smearing good names. Disgusting. We’re best off researching the same channels for those interested in our work and sending queries ourselves.

Shalla: How much $ should we put aside for marketing?

Di: Spend? Eek!. I’m about to break out in hives, Shalla. ;-) I believe in the adage: ‘AlI money should flow to the author.’ I like profits. Other than office expense for desk top publishing (learn how) and postage, I won’t spend a dime on tasks I’ve spent time and brain power learning how to perform myself. My advice? Put aside enough to do what your publisher won’t. Do homework and know what that will be going in. Have a solid marketing plan in place and stick to a timed schedule and budget. Where can we find the biggest bang for a buck? The two best ways are…

Great professional reviews are worth a ton, and only involve postage, packaging and printing costs for a mss or book. (Hint: Query before sending your material on. I’m on the advisory board for a book review clearinghouse and know reviewers feel used if not asked if they want to read you.) Do not pay for reviews.

Modest entry fees in national and international book competitions are also worthwhile - if your publisher won’t foot the tab. Awards and even glowing, oh-you-came-so-close evaluations from the judges who represent sources all readers recognize are huge boosts to an author’s credibility. Once earned, awards and fair use quotes with attribution should reside in our back cover text, brochures, web sites and anywhere else we can think to place them. Potential readers are future fans. Get their attention.

In the end, none of us can write 24/7. We have time to market. Look at it as a needed breather each day. Reach out, explore, form alliances, try stretching your skills with experimental stories and topical articles then submit them. Share what you know with all who express interest. Answer requests promptly. Honor obligations. Really, marketing isn’t rocket science and, with planning and forethought, it doesn’t need to be expensive to be effective.

I hope this has helped. Thanks for asking me in, Shalla.

Shalla: Well, best wishes Di. Thanks so much, please come back and talk with us again.

 

Who's on SHALLA CHATS? Know who Shalla has interviewed? Maybe you'll be next? Turn up the volume...   Hear our musician, Moose (Mooska), with his reggae/ska, other, acoustic blues, roots, leftfield music. Featuring: Dorchester author, Tess Mallory; Artscape author, Frederick Ramsay; Hallie Ephron; Shara Lanel; Margaret L. Carter; Gena Showalter; Judie Aitken; NY Times Best Selling author, Barry Eisler; Chick-Lit author, Sonia Singh; Brett Battles; Michele Scott; multiple Emmy Award winning TV news producer & author Mari Mancusi; Terry Spear; Andrea Wilder; Alice Andrews; Tina Gerow; Seamus Cashman; NY Times Bestselling author, Bob Mayer; Patricia M. Terrell and more! Produced and Directed by Shalla DeGuzman www.shalladeguzman.com   Shalla DeGuzman's short stories have appeared in Poetic Diversity, the Mad Hatters Review, etc.; her articles in The Scriptorium and L.A. Freepress; her skits at the Stella Adler Theatre. Her flash fiction The Fish In My Bed recently won the FISH AND PLANE Competition and is featured in Issue 6 of Mad Hatters Review. Shalla, a former writer and producer of a health and fitness cable show, is currently writing a novel. She is President of The ShallaDeGuzman Writers Group where she interviews literary agents, publishers, editors, etc. News! SHALLA Magazine, goes to Print! That's right! Amazon, world, here we come! For more on Shalla: www.shalladeguzman.com

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