Something bothered me about this post and it took me half the day to figure it out.
Now I know. Writing a bio, getting an author photo taken, cleaning up my website. These are all things my poor little woodland creature brain thought a marketing department would help with.
Having (not a ton I realized, but at least some, I thought) support from a marketing department was on my list of Traditional Publishing Pros.
You will get help from the marketing department if the publisher has one. Smaller publishers often have only The Publisher wearing many hats.
Larger publishers on the other hand do have marketing departments and they publish 750 books a year. They can't focus on the small stuff or they won't be able to do the big stuff.
Author photos, cleaning up your website, and writing a bio IS small stuff. It's stuff you should do before you even query.
The marketing department at a big publisher is going to pitch your book to Barnes and Noble, and Walmart and make sure their own website has you listed correctly, complete with a high-res image of your book cover among many other things.
Getting YOUR web presence in order, that's your job.
Here's how you can tell what to do and what to leave to a publisher: do you know you need it done? Can you do it, or hire it done? Yes? Yes? Do it.
You aren't able to get a meeting with the Barnes and Noble fiction buyer, so leave that to the publisher.
And don't confuse promotion with marketing. Promotion is making sure people know about the book. Marketing is making sure people can buy it. You'll be doing most of your own promotion on a debut novel no matter where you're published. I hope you won't be doing most of your marketing.
40 comments:
I am crawling back into my all-I-have-to-do-is-write-it cave. There's a nice quiet corner where I can bury my head in the sand and a sign on the wall that says, "reality sucks".
After reading today's post I realize that books are like cookies, fun to eat but a pain to prepare, bake, box and deliver.
Morning, 2Ns!
Cookies. Mmmm.
I was catching up on yesterday's comments this morning, saw this one, and hoped it would maybe get a reply in the WIR. And it got a whole post!
I am the opposite of Ashes here - I assumed a pub would do none of that stuff for me. The explanation of promotion v marketing is very helpful.
I need to crawl back into my writing cave. I've been in the sick and miserable cave for the last two days and it is FAR less enjoyable.
Caroly__, I hope you're not eating books.
In the....Second Edition? I think? of Vampire: the Masquerade, in one of the little paperback source books for specific clans (Malkavians, my favorite [have to use that psychology degree for something]) there was a page or two page spread that contained the "Word Eater". 2NN's made me think of that. There was also a page printed entirely mirrored, which due to some quirk of my neurology I can just read.
I've changed my blog bio a couple of times. Definitely need to do so again. It's got what I think is good info there, or I wouldn't have written it, but it's kind of a non flowing laundry list.
The difference between "promotion" and "marketing" is a significant one, I feel, and I'm glad it's being highlighted!
(have milk again for my coffee. And yesterday, I didn't mean "whipping cream", which is in my eyes interchangeable with "heavy cream". Oh no, I meant I have an aerosol can of whipped cream, sugar and vanilla added, that I used. It was kind of delicious. Had to shake the coffee bottle vigorously, though.)
Hey Brigid, sprinkle powdered sugar on them and I might try a page or two. From cook books with sumptuous illustrations only.
Like Lucie, I never assumed a publisher would do those kinds of things for me. I've been trying to keep up with them myself, taking advice and inspiration from agent advice here and from what I consider model author websites.
Jennifer, ice cream goes very well in coffee.
Glad to see Caroly has her 2 NNs back.
Maybe I will just make cookies. My invisible friends stopped talking to me over holiday so writer's block is now colliding with all those other things I ought to be doing but am not. Does my author photo have to be of me? Actually me? Can't it be of the dog? And my bio? Ohhhh...where's that rock? I need to hide.
I read an interview with J.J. Watt, probably the number one defensive football player in the NFL today. He fielded a lot of questions that I fully expected would be asked, and really surprised me with one particular answer. The question -
"What do you do to stay on top?"
And the shocking answer -
"All the things that no one else is doing. I wake up early to workout. I go to bed at 8pm to get enough sleep. I eat right, even when it's not fun to eat right. I don't party. I don't break my rules. I just focus on the things that I've always focused on. Honestly, I lead a pretty boring life aside from those Sunday mornings. But I figure I'll have plenty of time after football is over to focus on other things. For now I'm just an average father with a strange Sunday routine."
It seems so simple, but I have no doubt its true.
Back when MySpace was a big deal, one of my friends ended up landing a big record deal off his MySpace plays. And sure, his product was good. His music was catchy. But really, he put in sheer hours connecting with strangers on the internet. Adding friends and sending messages and saying hello and always responding to emails. That time and effort was worth a huge contract and a lucrative musical career. And it's not like all the rest of the musicians in the world couldn't have done it too -- they just didn't.
Janet nailed it when she said Can you do it, or hire it done? Yes? Yes? Do it.
In everything I've seen, so much of success is driven by routine and determination. So little of it is driven by others doing it for you. That was the race I was mentioning yesterday.
If you're looking to be an average pubbed author with average sales figures, do what everyone does. Write an amazing book and call it a day. Let the marketing team build the market and the promotion team do the promotion.
But if you'd like to do something bigger, do the things that other writers don't do. Like reading a blog every day to learn little by little how to better do this thing called writing.
I'm too long again. :( Just passionate about this subject. Seen too many talented people stop their momentum when something good happens because someone else will do it all for them (right?no!). Plus, all of you are amazing humans, and I'm always impressed with the writing of those who comment here (I like to peek at blogs too).
Just don't look at this stuff as a sprint. It's a marathon. You don't wait until 12/31 to read a year's worth of Janet's blog posts, right? :) Slow and steady steps in the right direction is already far more than most writers are doing.
Brian, thanks for that. Your comment really helps. It is a slow, steady, and arduous process. I fear I lack the discipline of J. J Watt, but I can do better than I am doing now. I really don't want to settle for just good enough. Life is not a dress rehearsal. It's a one shot deal. I need to up my game in 2016.
Sometimes, it is a comment like Brian's that help refocus me. What would this messed up Woodland critter do without you fine Reiders?
Of course these posts over the last two days have certainly resonated with me. Especially today's. Maybe the upside for me is I've never presumed just because the deal is with a top ten publisher I wouldn't be expected to do A, B, and C. I'll even do D, E, F and G on down to Z if needed.
When I read Steve K's bio yesterday it was definitely catchy. My bio is dry. Very plain, no clever wording or phrases. I'm not worried about it - okay I had a brief SH**, can I persuade Kensington to let me have another swipe??? moment, until I realized I'd scanned dozens and dozens of some of my favorite author's books and their bio's read a lot like mine. Like author photo's (yes, had mine professionally done) I suspect I'll get another chance because not only does our face change, so do our lives.
I also loved the clarification on promo/marketing.
There's an author with the name Jeff Somers. I heard a rumor that his agent is at least marginally competent, but I'm still waiting for verification. My guess is she helped him with his author photo [don't listen to her when she tells you he ignored her advice] --
http://www.jeffreysomers.com/#about
His bio is pretty funny too --
“Jeff Somers (www.jeffreysomers.com) was first sighted in Jersey City, New Jersey after the destruction of a classified government installation in the early 1970s; the area in question is still too radioactive to go near. When asked about this, he will only say that he regrets nothing.”
Then there's this other part of his “web presence” --
“Sometimes people pay me money to write things. I'd be delighted to take your money, too. Here are some of the freelance pieces I've done with a byline. You may not want to read the stuff I write without a byline.”
Bottom line – you want to do this stuff YOURSELF. Don't let your publisher or horrors your agent try to “help” you with your promotion.
Ha, I responded on the last post before reading this one. Summary, you don't want the publisher wasting time doing the easy stuff that you can do yourself.
Brianrschwarz, J.J. Watt is a great guy. He does a lot of charity appearances, too. He's the kind of role model people want pro athletes to be. I'm proud to wear his jersey (Texans fan).
Bio starter kit: Name + brief summary sentence (profession or genre(s) you write) + credentials or publishing credits + personal tidbit + website.
There ya go, maybe that simple structure will help someone out. It's easier when you break it down into pieces.
It seems like publishing it like the rest of life: assume you will do everything yourself, and be happily surprised when someone offers to share the load.
(And happy holidays to all. Although I did snag The Good Guest Room, the rest of the season has been pretty much a disaster. Hugs to everyone else having a hard time out there.)
I was surprised that I was assigned a publicist and she was surprised and thrilled I'd done so much on my own. I had already arranged to do about a half dozen or so guest blog posts, plus some local "in person" events. It made her work easier, and she was able to use (with a few tweaks) a couple of the blog posts for ones she had scheduled for me. I also contacted a book blogger or two on my own to review the book as well.
Anything you can do on your own will make things much easier for future publicists, editors, etc. will be appreciated.
Discipline. Such a fickle friend. All bright and optimistic at 6 am for a few days, but then, after a well-deserved cocktail infested evening with friends, it's gone like a sun-lit cockroach.
Great pep talk Brian. Much needed and very timely.
I've done all the things I'm supposed to as far as promoting myself, except for one very crucial part. Keeping it up. Website; check. Newsletter; check. Bio's and professional photo; check and check. Everything out of date; check.
There may have been a day when a publisher did that sort of thing for an author - and I'm pretty sure they still do it, for authors that are already bringing in a lot of money - but publishing is a whole different game these days.
I see those things as promoting myself to agents and publishers, as much as promoting myself to a possible readership. I'm sure that once taken on by a publisher, someone will have a look at what I've got and tell me what I need to do (clean this up, add that, stop THAT for heaven's sake!), but I'd be the one to do that.
Jennifer: Actually, that's what I thought you meant. I was going to say something (because it's something I would definitely do, if I had it in the house and no milk), then got sidetracked with Elka's fatty bumps.
That's exactly what Koko had. The only reasons they tested it were he was already elderly with other health problems, it was easy to get to, and it was largish for a little dog - if it got much larger, it would have been getting in the way of his leg as he walked, which might have been painful. But it did go away on its own, and Elka's probably will, too.
E.M.: Don't worry. You'll be just fine. Until your invisible friends start talking to you, why not check out MailChimp, as Janet suggested? You can create an account and take some time to figure it out, see what it has to offer - nothing says you have to send a newsletter out right now, but you can see what you can do. And that might be a little easier on a holiday-stressed brain. Finding a template you like, figuring out what you might put in it - that might get the imagination stirring, and give your invisible friends a kick in the patooti.
I think this is relevant, but it's the best I can offer on the subject. And it's a kick up the pants for me too:
I recently finished reading Mark Lewisohn's 800-page THE BEATLES: ALL THESE YEARS Part 1. Mark is the only official Beatles historian, though this book is not an official biography. Unlike a lot of other Beatles biographies, Mark digs deep, talking to people no-one else seems to have thought of talking to, fans, friends, lodgers, workmates, to get a sense of the times, and try to understand what it was that made The Beatles different.
In one part, he talks about how their trips to Hamburg, Germany in 1960 and 1961 really made them as a band. They worked hard, playing long nights to rough crowds. In total, they visited Hamburg four times between 1960 and 1962, clocking up over 1,100 hours of stage time. After their first visit, they returned to Liverpool and started playing the Cavern club. They were so very different from the other bands in terms of the music they played, and their stage presence, that they electrified that crowded cellar. They soon developed a large and loyal following.
Now, here's the thing that strikes me as we talk about promotion. The Beatles cultivated that following. They would take requests from their Cavern fans, often personalizing them from the stage. They would shout out to fans between songs, using nicknames they had for them. When they made a return trip to Hamburg, they asked their fans to write them. And they wrote back, regularly, often talking about how hard it is to play every night, and how much they miss home and their Cavern friends.
The Beatles played the Cavern not more than two years, but for most of that time, they owned that audience. A rumor went around after their first single was released that it's chart success was due to the fact that Brian Epstein (their manager) bought thousands of copies for his record store. Not true. It sold because their fans bought it, and Brian tirelessly pushed it.
So, I guess the lesson here is that there's no substitute for hard work and self promotion.
And if you like rock biographies, I can't recommend Lewisohn's book highly enough. It's part one of a three-part series, this part tracing the story of John, Paul, George, and Ringo from the mid-1800s (he did some fascinating research into their family histories) to the end of 1962. I've been a Beatles fan for about 30 years and I've read a number of books and bios on them. This is by far the best and most comprehensive--definitive, even. It's been a long time since I've read something on The Beatles and said "Oh, I didn't know that." It happened frequently with this book.
Something tells me you'd enjoy it, Janet. :)
See what you miss when you don't read the comments. Great question, Ashes, and thank you, Janet, for clearing up marketing and promotion. Now we won't be asking our publishers (when we get one) "Why aren't you promoting my book?"
Sorry to be a party pooper, but I have to disagree somewhat with J.J. Watt and Brian. Yes, it's important to make sacrifices to win, to get ahead, but you can't forget to live. When J.J. says, "But I figure I'll have plenty of time after football is over to focus on other things." I say, no one guarantees you tomorrow, so you have to know how to balance life and not sacrifice all for later. Later may never come.
Life is to be lived.
After the cheese course for lunch today with my MIL, we were eating tangerines. I decided to drop a few slices in my glass of wine, a no-no — but who cares, it made an instant mini sangría. I loved it. Amy, I hear you!
I do have one question for QOTKU in relation to the author's bio. It's in the vein of your most excellent comment on FB about the use of cuss words in a high octane thriller. This seemed to frustrate some readers thereby resulting in a one or two star rank on GoodReads. And you made a point along the lines of, would you expect soft language in a book like that? No.
So, if one is writing in a serious vein, (little humor in the story, life or death situations)should an author bio sort of match the types of stories they tell? Like I eluded to in the above comment, mine states facts - born here, did this before writing, lives with hubby and "heart stealing little Yorkie named Mister." I could have thrown in, "Donna likes to watch ants when she's not writing," or some other quirkiness, but, I guess I'm thinking all messaging about the work in vaqrious forms ought to be consistent, from not only the way a website looks, but right on down to the tidbits about myself on the back of a book.
I can see Jeff Somers writing such a bio b/c I think it mimics his style somewhat, doesn't it?
So now, that's my big burning question as I've had more time to think. Which can be a bad thing.
I have a similar philosphy to Amy: Assume you will do everything yourself and be happily surprised when you get help.
Jennifer, nothing wrong with a spritz of spray can whipped cream in your coffee. Nothing wrong with shaking can, pointing it at your mouth and having at it. Really, you don't want to eat at my house.
Colin, thanks for the perspective via the Beatles. I am hoping that when it comes time to query my graphic novel WIP, that the personal communications that I have been pursuing (and enjoying) with fans of my panda satire blog will get me a gold star on some agents chart. And really, what could be better than interacting with people who like your work?
Honestly, I never expected a publisher to do any promoting for me other than marketing.
I noticed the follow link on my site isn't working. I'll have techie son look at that today and put my picture back up on my site. No idea why it poofed. He's of the opinion it has something to do with updates.
He wants to completely redo the site and make it more professional. I am resisting. Most professional sites he showed me are nice and clean, but mind numbingly boring.
One of my writing partners showed me an interview with a man who was promoting his "Promotion Plan". His first bit of free advice for writers was to post short stories gratis on free publication sites. Build a following for your writing before you have a book to promote.
I'm still writing posts about Surrey. I know. Mea culpa. After I post these meanderings, I'm going to start writing posts about interesting, little known Civil War events. Later it will be stories about the cowgirls.
I'm keeping a file on everyone I contact for research on both RAIN CROW and COWGIRLS WANTED. Museums, chambers of commerce, historical sites, libraries, etc. will all be contacted when the book comes out. Note I said when, not if. Such confidence, wee writer.
I tend to avoid writing about writing and querying. There are 59,548,923 other writers blogging about the travails of writing or giving helpful advice. Unless you have something really interesting or unique to say, it tends to get lost.
"Look, Myrtle. Yonder comes another blog post about how hard querying is!"
"Really? Wish I was turned around that way. Sure would like to see that."
Being active in an online writers' group helps. Several people on Books and Writers review and blog about member's books when they come out.
There's a lot we can do as authors to promote our work. When I was in real estate, I used to hold a lot of open houses. Even in the West Texas summer, I would have a fire going if the house had a fireplace. I'd put a loaf of frozen bread dough out to rise to give the house that yeasty home smell or a bowl of cinnamon and vanilla water went in a warm oven so the people thought they were walking in on fresh cookies coming out of the oven. I did everything in my power to make them feel like they were home, they wanted to spend more time there.
People who were really interested got a quart of Baskin Robbins ice cream when they left. Baskin Robbins ice cream is good enough not to want to waste so they'd take it home. Most didn't feel like leaving home again to look at more houses.
As authors, we need to make our books seem so inviting the reader doesn't want to leave.
I'm reading the FRENCH EXECUTIONER by C.C. Humphreys now. If I had my druthers, I'd curl up on the couch with a toasty blanket and read it straight through. As it is, I use it for a bribe. Get so much writing done and you can read.
E.M.,
"My invisible friends stopped talking to me over holiday so writer's block is now colliding with all those other things I ought to be doing but am not."
Forget about them. They're working behind the curtain. Sit down and read. Write about something else. That's why I always have two books going at once. I actually have four in various stages of completion, but we won't discuss that. If I reach a road block with my main work, I work on something else until the boys in the back untangle the plot knot or come back to work.
One day you look up and your book is done. Lo and behold, there's also 40,000 words done on another book you weren't working on.
And, while it may not improve our bad hair day, is enough to make anyone happy.
EM: Most of my social media pictures are, in fact, Elka. She's much more photogenic than I am! My Twitter picture is me, but I ran it through like, the "blueprint" function of Photobucket after making it a negative, because I was just screwing around, and thought it looked neat at the end of it. I've considered doing an author picture that's me in a leather trenchcoat and a red dress, wearing a gas mask, with Elka on leash next to me (her collars are always red). But, that might be one of those "don't try to be too damn clever" things that I need reminding not to do.
BJ: Yeah, the vet wasn't concerned at all with the lumps. Said that they were smooth/small/etc. and to keep an eye on them, but they don't limit her mobility or seem to hurt her in any way, so I pretty much thought it would be okay. But if it wasn't, it was just one more thing on an already tipping plate, y'know?
Panda in Chief: I may have done all of those things. (I may also have sprayed some whipped cream for the dog. But I plead the Fifth on that one).
Theresa: in a pinch (read: when our ice maker stopped working), I used vanilla bean ice cream in my coffee. I also frequently put cinnamon in the grounds as I make it, so it was a magical cinnamon-vanilla-espresso latte milkshake thing that I haven't been able to exactly duplicate because why would I measure anything ever?
And hey, did anybody else read Laird Barron's short story,"Nemesis", in Apex Magazine this week? I get very nice personal rejections from them on occasion; perhaps one day I'll be in the same "pages" as one of La Sharque's clients!
Back when I managed a couple of art galleries for co-op artist's groups, I saw that the artists who relied solely on the gallery for sales did not do as well as the artists who promoted themselves, their work, and the art associations to which the galleries belonged.
Many artists had no idea how much work it was to run the galleries and didn't seem to care that I was a volunteer (one gallery paid expenses, the other nada). A number resented having to come in and work the gallery one day a month (or two half-days). But the artists that did well had no problems being sales people, talking to the potential buyers coming in, and generally making the public feel welcome. We had better sales on the days the hard workers sat, usually no sales on the days the resentful people sat.
My main point is this: the artists with the best sales were not necessarily the most talented artists--they were the ones who reached out to the public more. When they did their turns in the gallery, they didn't talk up only their own work. They were friendly to the people coming in (mainly tourists), made them feel valued, and created a connection.
Art and literature fill the same niche, and promoting either is very similar. When people feel a connection to the creator, they feel a connection to the work, and they're far more likely to buy it. The reason commercial galleries have openings with the artists present is that the public is more likely to buy when they've talked to the artists than if the gallery director talks to them about the artists.
Even if a publisher could do (and did) all the promotion possible for an author, it won't make half the difference of the author reaching out themselves to connect to readers.
Malcolm Gladwell talked about the Beatles in Outliers (I think - it's been a while since I read it) and the hours they put in playing at their home club and also in Hamburg and how it accelerated their development. He calculated that they had quite a few more playing hours than most of their competition. It paid off.
Donna, that's what I assumed about the author bio--that it's especially good when it reflects the author's style. I write nonfiction (history), and can't imagine putting up a breezy, funny bio.
Jennifer, if I indulge in a second cup of coffee (after the mandatory wake-up one)and want a real treat, I also add cinnamon to the grounds. Or sometimes I reach for the ice cream. Anything chocolate or vanilla will do.
After all the snow yesterday, I declared this a reading day and have made good progress on the latest Robert Galbraith mystery.
Wow, fantastic blog entry and great comments to match. I learn so much here, I hope Janet doesn't start charging tuition.
In the beginning of Barbara Baig's Spellbinding Sentences, she talks about a professor named K. Anders Ericsson and what he calls "deliberate practice." It's what turns amateurs into professionals, and it's something we all have the opportunity to do.
Whether we're athletes, artists, musicians or writers (or anything else, for that matter), science has shown that we're not born with that talent in spite of what you often hear people say. A sportscaster might bellow "JJ Watt is a natural talent." Well, no he's not. He's a guy who works harder than everybody else to develop his talent.
Want an agent/editor/publisher/reader to the say the same thing about you, that you're a natural talent at writing? Better get to work.
Theresa, glad I'm not the only one in that bucket! (not the chum bucket we hope) But yeah, I thought I shouldn't have something snort out loud hilarious on my bio since I don't write like that. (as if I could - I'm just not funny, especially when I'm trying to be)
John - I haven't started Spellbinding Sentences yet but your little blip on it makes me even more anxious to get into it!
The other thing to realize is that promotion takes a LOT of time. When my first book came out, I thought I'd have time to do the promotion stuff and work on another book at the same time. Doesn't work. Promotion took up all my writing time and I really only scratched the surface of what needed to be done. The timeline of publication was so tight, I didn't get 3 months prior to the book's release to do pre-promotion (I was doing the final copy-edit pass 4 days before the book released), but at least 3 months prior would have been fantastic. Then another 3-6 months afterwards.
But at least I'm prepared for next time...
Theresa, what are some of the "model author websites" you've run across? I'd love to have a look.
Eve, these are the author websites I like. The first two are fiction writers, the rest nonfiction.
Katharine Weber katharineweber.com
Caroline Leavitt carolineleavitt.com
Stacy Cordery stacycordery.com
T.J. Stiles tjstiles.net
Erik Larson eriklarsonbooks.com
Julie, BJ, and Jennifer- thanks so much. I really appreciate the encouragement and advice. And so glad Elka is going to be ok. My Frankie, the dog I just rescued, has some of those fattie growths- vet says it is pretty normal with older animals. I already have 100s of pictures of Frankie. There are maybe a dozen pictures of me in all existence aside from ones in my theater days but those are not really me, just characters I played.
Mail chimp doesn't look too intimidating. Wish I could just write about all of you- maybe feature a Reider every week in my blog/ newsletter. I am fascinated by the lot of you. Anyhow, this virtual place is a godsend. So helpful
Speaking of promoting, Margie Lawson sent me a course offering in the email today.
I have the Empowering Character's Emotions lesson packet, but I think I'm going to take the class. I certainly hadn't planned on spending any more money right now, but I always get so much out of her classes. What better way to start the new year for a writer?
Theresa's links:
Katharine Weber
Caroline Leavitt
Stacy Cordery
T.J. Stiles
Erik Larson
Hmm. Not sure why Erik Larson's didn't work. Let's try again:
Erik Larson
E.M.,
I am so glad your beloved dog is all right. I know it's scarey, how can we not worry about our beloveds?
I found a lump years ago when the boys were little and had to do a lot of thinking. I spent two weeks cleaning my house from top to bottom, getting my files and bills in order so Don could easily take things over, labeling things that were family heirlooms and writing up the stories behind them, making up my will, and cooking and freezing meals in case the news was bad. Don would have some nutritious meals to feed the kids. I didn't tell anyone what was going on. No need to worry them.
It was a cyst. At least I had my house in complete order.
As for the writing, you have written before, you will write again.
And don't confuse promotion with marketing. Promotion is making sure people know about the book. Marketing is making sure people can buy it. You'll be doing most of your own promotion on a debut novel no matter where you're published. I hope you won't be doing most of your marketing.
That's probably the best definition of the distinction between promotion and marketing that I've ever heard.
O' Shark Queen [insert Steve Harvey joke here],
How exactly does one guarantee sales? That concept never made sense to me. I get the whole promotion bit, but not the other.
What am I missing about the dogs? I've scrolled up and down till I'm dizzy and can't find the comment about Elka's fatty lumps - or was it E.M.'s dog?
Time for bed! I'm plumb cross eyed with fatigue. Obviously.
BJ, thanks for taking care of the live linking. I still haven't acquired that skill.
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