Get Known Before the Book Deal

Book Promotion Tips from the Pros: Featured Author Allison Winn Scotch

By Cindy Hudson

 

Allison Winn Scotch has had two novels on the New York Times Bestseller's List: Time of My Life and The Department of Lost and Found. She's currently working on a third novel called The One That I Want, due out in June of next year. Scotch also writes celebrity profiles for national magazines; she lives in New York City with her husband, two kids, and their dog, Pedro.
 
Q. What can authors do before their publication date to make a book launch more successful?
 
A. I think the best thing you can do (when writing fiction) is get your name and face out there -- on the blogosphere, on Twitter, on various other online outlets -- as a brand. To be honest, I'm not even sure that it's about getting your BOOK out there as much as it is your name coupled with your personality. I feel like a lot of my success is because I'm pretty communicative with readers, and in some way, they feel like (rightly enough) they know me. And since they know me, they root for me, and since they root for me, they're likelier to pick up one of my books. So, pre-launch, I'd just advise getting out there as much as you're comfortable with; these days, it's pretty easy to develop some sort of recognizable presence, especially online, and you can do it from the comfort of your own home.
 
Q. What do you like best about promoting your books?
 
A. I interact a lot with readers and book buyers, and I truly enjoy this. Twitter is a heck of a lot of fun, for example. I also enjoy doing Q/As with bloggers, and hearing feedback from readers on the books and what I have to say during those Q/As. I get a lot of e-mail, and I try to respond to all of it, though a few do occasionally slip through the cracks.
 
Q. What is one mistake you made promoting your first book that you would recommend others avoid?
 
A. Hmmm, that's a tough one. I guess that it's believing that promotion can change everything...which I know, probably isn't the ideal answer for this Q/A! BUT, promotion is fabulous...to a point. And sure, you do everything you can to sell the heck out of your book, but if that's all that happens, that you hear from readers, that you sell a few copies, be okay with that. I think a lot of writers feel a huge let-down when their books don't eclipse the bestseller list, despite having really, really promoted it. The behind-the-scenes truth is that it takes A LOT of factors to make a book take off. Yes, promotion is one of them, but there are a lot of things that are out of your control as well. So go out and promote, and enjoy it and be okay with whatever success -- big or small -- it brings.
 
Q. Can you share your top three book promotion tips for first-time authors?
 
1.   Don't be afraid to toot your own horn. No one is going to do it for you, and if you don't serve as your own best advocate, no one else will either.
2.   Don't be annoying while tooting said horn. I always try to have a sense of humor and be a little bit self-deprecating while singing my own praises, whether on Twitter or Facebook or via e-mail. I think people appreciate hearing about your successes while knowing that you don't take said successes too seriously.
3.   Don't be afraid to call in favors and use your connections. People are often happy to help you out or take a look at the book with the potential to help you out, but if you don't ask, it will never happen.
 
Q. Is there something you would say is never too late to do when promoting your book?
 
A. I'd say that it's never too late to reach out to readers and make new fans. I now have a backlist of books that certainly plenty of people missed the first time out and I truly believe that in getting to know me, some of them will go back and read these. Every sale is worth something, even if it's a few years down the line!

 

Cindy Hudson is the author of Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs (Seal Press 2009). Her website, and its companion blog, feature reading lists, book reviews, author interviews, book giveaways and other book club resources. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Portland, Oregon, where she writes weekly for The Oregonian. Visit her online at MotherDaughterBookClub.com and CindyHudson.com.

Upcoming Classes with Qualified Instructors

Register Now for Winter Classes That Begin on January 13th

Now includes both regional and national markets!
Writing and Publishing The Short Stuff
Especially For Moms (But Not Only for Moms!)
With Christina Katz
Class Begins January 13, 2010
Prerequisites: None
Finally, a writing workshop that fits into the busy lives of moms! You will learn how to create short, easy-to-write articles-a skill that will make it easier to move up to longer, more time-consuming articles when you're ready. Try your pen at tips, fillers, short interviews, list articles, how-tos, and short personal essays-all within six weeks. Now includes markets!
Cost: $250.00
More/Register at www.christinakatz.com


Personal Essays that Get Published
With Abigail Green
Class Begins January 13, 2010
Prerequisites: None
The popularity of reality shows, blogs, and tell-all books proves that it pays to get personal these days. Whether you want to write introspective essays, short humor pieces, or first-person reported stories, your life is a goldmine of rich material that all kinds of publications are pining for. Personal Essays that Get Published will teach you how to get your personal experiences down on the page and get them published. Students will learn how to find ideas, hone their voice, craft solid leads and endings, reslant their work for different markets, and submit their essays for publication.
Cost: $250.00
More/Register at www.christinakatz.com


Updated and Improved!
Turn Your Specialty Into Course Curriculum
With Christina Katz
Class Begins on January 13th
Prerequisites: Former student or Permission from Instructor. Recommended before CSNBP.
I bet you have worked long and hard to discover your specialty, narrow the focus of your expertise, and build your credibility, so shouldn't you also develop a course curriculum that you can use as the starting point for years of teaching and learning from your students? I have been doing this for eight years and in this six-week class, I will share all of the insights I have learned so you can create your own class, including strategies for cultivating a following of students who succeed. This is probably the most important class I teach because it helps writers make the most of the expertise they already have.
Cost: $399
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Coming Classes:

Pitching Practice: Write Six Queries in Six Weeks
With Christina Katz
Class Begins May 12th
Prerequisites: WPSS with published clips or permission from the instructor.
In this writing class, pitching is all you do. Each week, you will study a successful writer's query and create your own list of steps to follow. You will receive a three-page worksheet weekly, which will provide helpful ideas and checklists to help you systematize your query writing process and increase your productivity.
Cost: $250.00
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Updated and Improved!
Craft A Saleable Nonfiction Book Proposal
With Christina Katz
Class Begins on March 3rd
Prerequisites: Former student or Permission from Instructor.
Most writers underestimate the comprehensiveness needed to craft a saleable book proposal that will garner the interest of agents and editors. They also mistake the definition of platform and importance of aligning their proposal to a solid track record. A two-time author, Christina has helped hundreds of nonfiction writers succeed over the past seven years. Now she's making her proposal-writing advice available in a six-week e-mail course to aspiring authors who want to nail the proposal the first time around. The best way to craft a short, tight proposal that will impress agents and editors is with the help of a seasoned professional.
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Intro to Social Networking: Blog Your Way to a Fresh Website and New Connections

By Meryl K. Evans

"I write a blog, also called weblog," I said.
 
"Huh?" Every friend would respond as if I spoke a foreign language.
 
These conversations took place somewhere between 2000 and 2002. Sometime after that, I didn't feel silly or awkward admitting I had a blog. The blog started out as a personal one as they all did at the time. Gradually, it morphed into a web design blog then finally settling to business, tech, and writing. Maybe it'll be something else in two years, or not. I like where I am today.
 
Blogging falls into the spectrum of social networking. In its earlier days, not so much. Blogs didn't have comments or plug-ins for connecting your website to a social network.
 
Is Blogging Still Relevant?
 
You can update your status in Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks. They also come with tools so you can write longer notes. So, does that mean writers don't need to bother with blogging? No. Blogging still has value. Here are six ways blogging can help you.
 
1. Keep website content fresh: Search engines love content receiving regular updates. Writers, specifically those working alone, tend to be the only ones updating their own websites. Blog a couple of times a week, and you have hot piping content.
 
2. Share valuable information: Bloggers who give away information that helps or educates others earn trust and authority. You buy from or hire those you know and trust, don't you?
 
3. Support marketing efforts: Blogging and social media activities all contribute to your marketing efforts. These help you get out there, mingle, and connect. Blogging is also a way to market your platform.
 
4. Build your platform: Whether or not you have a book coming, you need to start building your platform now. That's how you stand out from the line of writers knocking on agents and publishing houses' doors. If you come already packaged with a platform, name recognition, and expertise, the doors are more apt to crack open.
 
5. Host a party at your e-home: Though visiting and interacting on other people's blogs does you lots of good, it's helpful to have a blog you call home and link back to when you post elsewhere.
 
6. Practice writing: You have no constraints when it comes to your blog. You can make it whatever you want it to be. Unlike writing assignments and projects, you don't have to meet a word limit or a deadline (other than consistent updates).  And you can keep every word, phrase, and sentence you want without worrying about the editor's scissors.
 
Should You Blog?
 
In spite of the benefits of having a blog, it doesn't mean you must have one. If you can't commit to regular updates and parting with your wisdom, then blogging may not be an ideal tool for you.
 
Instead, you can take advantage of social networking tools by interacting with other sites and linking back to your website rather than a blog. Many best-selling authors don't have a blog or one that offers regular updates. Consider your goals and business plan when deciding if you should start a blog.
 
One thing is for sure, people will know what you're talking about when you say "Blog."
 
 
Meryl K. Evans is the author of Brilliant Outlook Pocketbook, co-author of Adapting to Web Standards: CSS and Ajax for Big Sites and contributor to many others. The long-time blogger and gamer has written and edited for a bunch of places online and off. A native Texan, she lives a heartbeat north of Dallas in Plano, Texas with her husband and three kiddos. Though born in silence, she tries to show that deaf people are just like everyone else. Follow Meryl on Twitter at @merylkevans.

Christina Katz is now blogging at Christinakatz.com

It's 2010 and it's time for a cool change: I'm now blogging in one place instead of several.

Please come and find me at my new digs: http://christinakatz.com.

And while we're both thinking of it, would you please update your blog links to http://christinakatz.com?

2010 is going to be an exciting adventure.

I'd love to hear what you think of my new blog. Meet me over there, okay?

Thanks and Happy New Year!