What Would You Be Willing To Do To Publicise Your Book?
What Would You be Willing To Do To Publicise Your Book?
You know the feeling of seeing a beggar ahead of you in the street – sitting on a blanket perhaps, head slumped, mongrel curled beside him? What do you do – cross the road, get fascinated with the nearest shop, fix your eyes on the distance and get marching, stop for a nodding gangling chat, worry about what he’d do with any money, go and buy him a sandwich?
I had a feeling like that about a writer in Borders. There he sat, at his lonely little desk, pile of books ready to sign, wearing his I-don’t-do-a-proper-job jumper, and all the shoppers were skirting round him. I sidled close, trying to read his poster with peripheral vision, hoping someone would step in before me. And someone did! Great – I was absolved. Could walk past without guilt. Could glimpse his book and name – never heard of either – without stopping for a nodding gangling chat (or worrying about what he’d do with any money, or buying him a sandwich).
I doubt if he was the sole reason for Borders closing. Maybe Tesco was. That’s where I saw the next author-in-baggy-jumper. I think perhaps Tesco was having a charm-the-community weekend, because they didn’t just have a baggy-author in their foyer, they had a singer-songwriter complete with moderately amplified guitar and voice worth hearing. There was a difference, and it wasn’t just that Mr Singer-Songwriter was of a good breeding age with looks to match, it was a matter of – let’s say – their existential verb. Singer-Songwriter was doing; Baggy-Jumper was being.
Could you just sit there and exist? Could you endure the agonising wait for someone to confuse pity with interest and pretend your book meant anything to them? Or would you rather do something. Really? What? What would you be willing to do to publicise your book?
I’ve just got EmmaD’s recommended read through the post, Wannabe a Writer We’ve Heard of? (Jane Wenham-Jones) and have flipped through a few pages. How about this one? Die your hair the colour of your book jacket. (She would also straighten and whiten her teeth, plus replace dark fillings with white ones.) Not ready for that yet? Okay, how would you word your press release? (Nope, the editor’s already binned it ; try again.) Okay, how would you word your short, punchy press release? (Almost there, but he still binned it.) Okay, how would you word the first two lines of your short, punchy press release?
And so on. Here’s a few words and phrases from the front cover of the above book: launch party, photograph, local papers, radio, magazine features, talks, societies, website, facebook, twitter. Can you bear it? Can you do it?
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20 Comments
How much does it cost to buy the advertising space on the side of a bus? (I loved Sex and the City by the way and the opening titles where Carrie sees herself on a New York).
Local radio/ talks/ no- hate speaking publically. Website, facebook twitter.. possibly.
Oh and in answer to your question, I would sleep with anyone to get my book known.
*Joking
Gerry, I'll look forward to seeing your new avatar, complete with pink hair...
I hadn't thought about it before. We are quite inactive really aren't we? Great blog Geri! x
After that, I got wise. At subsequent signings, there was only a tarot reading if you bought the book. Which, amazingly, resulted in fewer readings but higher sales.
One good way to use bookshops is to offer to give an after-hours talk about your book. There is less scope for feeling like a lemon and it can result in a surprising number of sales. I gave a talk at our local Waterstone's on the tarot one night. Seven people turned up, which disappointed me but delighted the staff who said it was a good turnout. Best of all, all of my books that they'd ordered were sold, including the most expensive one at £25. Mind you, it did result in me being contacted by a strange woman who said she wanted me to help her murder the AntiChrist, but I managed to get rid of her in the end. As far as I know, the AntiChrist is still alive.
Yes Spangles, I've been wondering if I could wangle an evening slot at Waterstones in Leeds. I might get a decent curiosity turnout because I've taught so many locals at Leeds Grammar School. (But, of course, am still awaiting vital permissions before Publisher can proceed. Hum ho.)
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