Kathleen - Really great information/insights this morning. One point: I think there’s a big difference in obtaining national OR presence for an author based on who is publishing them: one of the “Big 5,” a smaller or genre specific press, or if self-published. Budgets are reflective as well.
As a publicist, I’m finding that we need to work even closer with an author and cultivating their lists: their email list, their LinkedIn, clients, etc.
Time to “call in the chits” and ask others to make connections.
Outlets are diversifying - doesn’t mean it’s getting any easier. Thanks again!
Agree with everything you mentioned. I write YA. My sales generally come from Bookstagrammers on IG and the personal contacts I have with various writing groups that led to SCBWI presentations, bookstore appearances or a teacher/librarian recommendation. I do very little promo on X or FB because it’s not my demographic of readers. Next I’m going to tackle TikTok & YouTube shorts by recycling my IG reels. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
Thanks for a comprehensive, forthright post. Wringing one's hands and rolling the eyes is not a good book promotion strategy. Believe me, I've tried it.
I agree with a lot about the appearances /events. And yes, Twitter is a total waste!! Two things -Bookmovement.com is a way to reach more than 85,000 bookclubs representing over 900,000 bookclub members and at Authorbuzz we have promos there and also can break that $15K NPR minimum.
You are always so spot on with your insights. So good!! I agree with David’s comment above that relationships can help sell some copies if you’ve been genuinely cultivating them over time and those people have email lists or podcasts. When I’m working with an author on their platform that’s one thing I stress starting early on.
Thank you. I agree about cultivating platforms—depending on the platform. I’m steering people away from Twitter because it’s such a mess. It also really depends on the author & book. It’s all about identifying the audience!
You haven't said anything about book prizes (which at the very least need to be submitted for consideration). I have a growing appreciation for prizes like the booker where judges read a ton of books and then frequently give the prize to unknowns who them gain a ton of sales and a career off the back of it.
I have varying opinions about book prizes. Mostly, I think long lists for book prizes are a great way for people to expand their reading pallets. It’s great exposure for authors. I might write about them separately. I purposely chose not to include them here.
I'm going through the awards process now, and it's arguably more expensive than hiring a good publicist. It's astonishing. There are free ones, of course, but not many. If authors want to submit to a bevy of awards, be prepared to spend a lot of money.
That’s why publishers either don’t submit, are extremely selective about what they submit, or they require that authors pay submission fees. The barrier to entry is quite high.
These two pieces are very generous in their advice. After two critical best-sellers with low sales in nonfiction, I can’t disagree with much of it. But the phrase, doesn’t sell books, runs deep here. Still not clear what does sell books. Being a great read, and word of mouth, won’t be enough. Thanks!
As a 25+ year book publicist, my professional opinion is yes, yes, YESSITY YES to all of this. And, the LA Times Festival of Book Greenroom is my favorite place in the world. Meeting amazing authors and celebrities is like shooting fish in a barrel! I've send many authors to the National Book Festival but haven't gone myself. The festival-eve party at the Library of Congress is in the top 5 on my bucket list!
Thanks for the great posts! Agree about the reviews / contributed content / podcast appearances not doing much for selling copies...Any specific advice for small press authors? My publisher recommended doing as many events as possible - book launches (in my current city and in my hometown), book salon evenings at the home of friends in different cities, when possible doing an "in conversation with" type of event...
Question: When one doesn't have an agent or publicist or huge marketing budget, why is it bad form for authors to approach book clubs on their own, or what would you recommend? In my case, I did a lot of research into book clubs in my niche (my novel has a lot of Jewish content so I looked for synagogue book clubs), created a not-so-pushy pitch and tried to connect with book clubs that way. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't...
From an indie point of view, Facebook ads can be very effective. Along with Amazon ads, they are a mainstay, and a lot of people make a lot of money from them. But, you really need to test, because there is no way to tell what will work, and something you think is perfect will do squat, and what you think is junk can rock. It is difficult to make money from a single book at indie prices, and it really only works with series, with good read through. Not sure what the margins are on trad books, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same. But, they do work for most kinds of genre fiction.
Kathleen - Really great information/insights this morning. One point: I think there’s a big difference in obtaining national OR presence for an author based on who is publishing them: one of the “Big 5,” a smaller or genre specific press, or if self-published. Budgets are reflective as well.
As a publicist, I’m finding that we need to work even closer with an author and cultivating their lists: their email list, their LinkedIn, clients, etc.
Time to “call in the chits” and ask others to make connections.
Outlets are diversifying - doesn’t mean it’s getting any easier. Thanks again!
Loving these posts!
Agree with everything you mentioned. I write YA. My sales generally come from Bookstagrammers on IG and the personal contacts I have with various writing groups that led to SCBWI presentations, bookstore appearances or a teacher/librarian recommendation. I do very little promo on X or FB because it’s not my demographic of readers. Next I’m going to tackle TikTok & YouTube shorts by recycling my IG reels. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
Invaluable content! Thank you so much.
Thanks for a comprehensive, forthright post. Wringing one's hands and rolling the eyes is not a good book promotion strategy. Believe me, I've tried it.
Another great newsletter full of useful advice. Thank you again, Kathleen.
I agree with a lot about the appearances /events. And yes, Twitter is a total waste!! Two things -Bookmovement.com is a way to reach more than 85,000 bookclubs representing over 900,000 bookclub members and at Authorbuzz we have promos there and also can break that $15K NPR minimum.
One of my favorite newsletters and one that I open as soon as it hits the inbox.
You are always so spot on with your insights. So good!! I agree with David’s comment above that relationships can help sell some copies if you’ve been genuinely cultivating them over time and those people have email lists or podcasts. When I’m working with an author on their platform that’s one thing I stress starting early on.
Thank you. I agree about cultivating platforms—depending on the platform. I’m steering people away from Twitter because it’s such a mess. It also really depends on the author & book. It’s all about identifying the audience!
yes! and screw Elon Musk. I left when he went after Fauci.
You haven't said anything about book prizes (which at the very least need to be submitted for consideration). I have a growing appreciation for prizes like the booker where judges read a ton of books and then frequently give the prize to unknowns who them gain a ton of sales and a career off the back of it.
I have varying opinions about book prizes. Mostly, I think long lists for book prizes are a great way for people to expand their reading pallets. It’s great exposure for authors. I might write about them separately. I purposely chose not to include them here.
That would be very interesting. Especially if you have any cynicism/complaints/praise about the way certain prizes are awarded.
I'm going through the awards process now, and it's arguably more expensive than hiring a good publicist. It's astonishing. There are free ones, of course, but not many. If authors want to submit to a bevy of awards, be prepared to spend a lot of money.
That’s why publishers either don’t submit, are extremely selective about what they submit, or they require that authors pay submission fees. The barrier to entry is quite high.
Definitely. It's kinda nuts. If anyone comes across a comprehensive list of free award entries, share it!
These two pieces are very generous in their advice. After two critical best-sellers with low sales in nonfiction, I can’t disagree with much of it. But the phrase, doesn’t sell books, runs deep here. Still not clear what does sell books. Being a great read, and word of mouth, won’t be enough. Thanks!
As a 25+ year book publicist, my professional opinion is yes, yes, YESSITY YES to all of this. And, the LA Times Festival of Book Greenroom is my favorite place in the world. Meeting amazing authors and celebrities is like shooting fish in a barrel! I've send many authors to the National Book Festival but haven't gone myself. The festival-eve party at the Library of Congress is in the top 5 on my bucket list!
So helpful, thanks. I hadn't considered BookTube, will be looking in to that asap!
Thoughts about Substack? Readers to subscribers to purchasers?
Thanks for the great posts! Agree about the reviews / contributed content / podcast appearances not doing much for selling copies...Any specific advice for small press authors? My publisher recommended doing as many events as possible - book launches (in my current city and in my hometown), book salon evenings at the home of friends in different cities, when possible doing an "in conversation with" type of event...
Question: When one doesn't have an agent or publicist or huge marketing budget, why is it bad form for authors to approach book clubs on their own, or what would you recommend? In my case, I did a lot of research into book clubs in my niche (my novel has a lot of Jewish content so I looked for synagogue book clubs), created a not-so-pushy pitch and tried to connect with book clubs that way. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't...
So helpful, Kathleen. This is quickly becoming one of my indispensable reads!
Thank you!
From an indie point of view, Facebook ads can be very effective. Along with Amazon ads, they are a mainstay, and a lot of people make a lot of money from them. But, you really need to test, because there is no way to tell what will work, and something you think is perfect will do squat, and what you think is junk can rock. It is difficult to make money from a single book at indie prices, and it really only works with series, with good read through. Not sure what the margins are on trad books, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same. But, they do work for most kinds of genre fiction.