by Gordon Kirkland
I often see a look of amazement on the faces of beginning authors when I tell them that they need to get out in the public eye if they want their book to be a success. There seems to be a general impression that the marketing of the book is the publisher’s job.
Nothing is further from the truth.
When you have slaved over your book and are finally able to type the words “The End”, that’s “The Beginning.” The real work is ahead of you.
Your role in the book marketing process may involve many public appearances, so it is no time to be nervous about speaking in front of an audience. Each year I make close to one hundred appearances in support of my books. That includes live appearances, as well as radio and television guest spots. That work is crucial to making my books successful.
People often ask me if I am nervous getting up in front of an audience to talk about my books. Truth be known, yes I am, but that is a good thing. Any entertainer will tell you that unless you have a few nervous jitters before going on, you will take your audience for granted and the performance will suffer for it. The same goes for getting up in front of an audience to talk about a book. The nervous energy makes for a more animated event.
There are many venues open to authors to promote their books. In the limited space I have here, I will discuss the most important ones.
Bookstore Readings and Signings
Bookstore events are probably the most common form of public appearance for authors. There are a number of things to think about when preparing for it that will ensure success, both on the day of the event and in the days and weeks leading up to and after it.
For AuthorHouse authors, it is imperative that you have taken the Booksellers Return option. While some stores will allow you to bring books in on consignment for a reading or a signing, most require that the books be ordered through their system and that they be returnable.
I have learned the hard way not to depend on bookstore staff to promote a reading or signing. While many stores do a great job at this task, there is nothing worse than arriving at a bookstore hundreds of miles from home and discovering that the only promotion for the event has been a handwritten sign in the store window. Therefore, it is imperative that the author also promote every event. This includes press releases, calls to media outlets to arrange on-air interviews, and even providing signage for the stores.
When I am booked for a bookstore event, I search through my contact management lists to identify book reviewers, newspaper features editors, calendar and event editors, and guest booking representatives from radio and television talk shows in the area. Over the years, I have collected more than 30,000 media contacts in the United States and Canada, so I have a lot to choose from in any given city.
Each contact is sent an e-mail, followed by a media kit sent by regular mail and a follow-up telephone call. While only a percentage of the contacts will respond, it can make a significant difference to the overall success of the event and the promotion of the book.
If possible, I make a visit to the store on the day before the event to introduce myself to the staff, and to see what signage the store has promoting the reading or signing.
I also drop off a small gift for the event coordinator. I have had ceramic coasters made for my online store promoting my books, and I use these as gift items. They will stay on the coordinator’s desk much longer than a pen, a bookmark, or a coffee mug and they cost me less than $3.00 to produce. They help you stay in the mind of the event coordinator, who is also often the store owner and/or book buyer.
I keep a sign template on my laptop computer. If I find that the signage at a store is less than sufficient, I will pay a visit to a quick printing company and have posters printed and delivered to the store so that they can be displayed on the day of the event.
The Drive-By Signing
Obviously, it is impossible to do an event at every bookstore in a city you might be visiting. When I am on tour, I refer to my database of bookstores to get the addresses and contact information for all of the stores I know of in the area. I let them know a few weeks in advance that I will be in their city, and would be happy to drop by and sign any stock of my books that they have on hand. These drive-by signings can significantly increase the orders for your books.
Speaking Engagements
Each year I do dozens of speaking engagements throughout North America. That includes writer’s conferences, conventions, trade shows, and even small service clubs. These are marvelous income opportunities and they provide me with another venue for book sales.
Writer’s Conferences
I am on the faculty of several writers’ conferences each year and offer a variety of workshops and keynote addresses to create an interest in having me as a speaker. All writers’ conferences have book sales tables, usually manned by a local bookseller. Some only allow faculty members’ books to be displayed, while others will sell books by attendees. If you are planning to attend a conference, check well in advance to see if your book can be displayed, so that the bookseller has time to order it. If the book sales area is only for faculty members, be sure to bring a box of books along with you, because there will be opportunities for you to sell your books individually. Writers’ conferences normally pay an honorarium plus all expenses, including airfares, hotel accommodations and meals. With my airfare covered, I usually schedule a book tour starting or finishing at a conference. That way I am not having to shoulder the travel expense and get to do readings and signings in stores in areas that I might not otherwise have the opportunity to visit.
Conventions
I also speak at a number of non-writing related conventions and meetings each year. These events pay significant honorariums and expense reimbursements, and they are always good venues for selling copies of my books. If your book is tied to a specific industry, you might want to look for conventions in that field that may be looking for speakers.
Book Industry Trade Shows
These trade shows are an important way to connect with book retailers. There are national shows like BookExpo-America and BookExpo-Canada that draw thousands of visitors each year. In addition, each regional book industry association, such as The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, has its own book trade fair. These events include seminars and panels of authors. Speaking at one of these events is a great way to put your book in front of bookstore owners.
Service Clubs
Most communities have a number of service clubs such as Rotary, the Chamber of Commerce, and other similar organizations. They are often looking for speakers to address their groups. While they do not normally pay an honorarium for the presentation, they are good sales opportunities. I have sold as many as 100 copies of a book at a large service club meeting.
Libraries
Many libraries offer programs for authors to read from their books and sell copies. Larger libraries may bring in a local bookseller to handle the sales. Some even pay honorariums to the authors.
Book Clubs
Speaking to a book club means a guaranteed block of sales for your title. Most cities have dozens of book clubs. Many of the larger bookstores operate book clubs that meet in the stores. Churches, libraries, seniors’ centers, and municipal recreation associations also often operate book clubs. Visit your local librarians and see if they know of clubs operating in your area.
TV and Radio Appearances
Most cities have a number of media outlets that can be useful to an author promoting a new book.
Morning TV new shows often allocate time to interview guests. Talk radio is always looking for guests for interviews and for call-in radio shows. Don’t forget about the local cable access programming. There are often shows dealing specifically with books on these stations.
National broadcasters are a harder sell, but one guest spot can make all the work pay off. Look at National Public Radio and The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for opportunities. Shows like “Good Morning America” or “Oprah” are an author’s fantasy. Don’t rule them out, but don’t pin too much hope on them either. Keep all of them informed of your books and appearance schedules just in case.
Promoting Your Appearances
It would be nice to think, now that you have a book published, people will be seeking you out to speak to their organization or function, but just as it’s your job to promote your book, it is also your job to promote yourself as a speaker. There are a number of tools you will need to accomplish this task.
A Web Site
My Web site is probably the best way people can get information about my presentations. It gives them access to information about my books, my syndicated newspaper column, and the workshops and presentations I offer. They can also see where my future appearances will be, and get a history of the conferences that have hired me for their faculties in the past.
I’m not going to go into a great deal of discussion about designing Web pages here; however, I do encourage you to spend time creating a site that is easy for the viewer to find the information they are looking for, and in a format that is visually pleasing. You may wish to “borrow” some ideas from my Web site at www.gordonkirkland.com.
Direct Mail
In this day of e-mailing just about everything, the idea of sending direct mail through the postal system may seem passé. Hard as it may seem for some of the techies out there to believe, postal mail is still the best way to contact many people who can be helpful to you in promoting your book and your public appearances. All too often unexpected e-mail is either discarded or filtered out by anti-spam software before it even reaches the intended recipient. An old fashioned letter still has a lot better chance of being read.
You may wish to have postcards designed to promote your appearances in a specific location. Print small runs of specially designed postcards to send out to media outlets in the area of your appearances.
Contact Management
It is vitally important that you start to build a list of contacts that can help you promote your books and speaking engagements. My bookstore list alone has more than 3,200 store addresses. It has taken me years to compile all of my lists. They include newspaper editors, TV and radio guest bookers, and more. Believe me; your book is not going to sell itself. You need to get out and into the public eye to make sure the world knows that you have written the book.
Gordon Kirkland has been writing a syndicated humor column since 1994. His first two books (Justice Is Blind – And Her Dog Just Peed In My Cornflakes and Never Stand Behind A Loaded Horse) each won Canada’s Stephen Leacock Award of Merit For Humor and his third book (his first with AuthorHouse), When My Mind Wanders It Brings Back Souvenirs, is nominated for the 2006 Leacock Award. His next book, I Think I’m Having One Of Those Decades, also with AuthorHouse, will be released in March of 2006.
© 2006
