So, now you have that book published. What are you going to do? Sit back and let it sell?
WRONG!
If you think your book is going to sell just because you got it published, you are in for a sad wakeup. You have to get out there and sell it yourself. I don't mean you have to go store to store to get booksellers to put it on their shelves, though that is not outside the realm of reality. You have to get out there and read to your audiences. It can be in a bookstore, a coffee shop, a library, a publication party put on by a friend. It doesn't matter where that reading takes place; it just has to happen.
Recently one of the lists I belong to had a rather lively discussion regarding publishers, what publishers expect of writers, and, horror, that a couple of the publishers included in their contract that the authors would go out and give public readings. One writer bemoaned the fact she had to give a reading and she got sick before every one she had to do. Unless you want to be F.A.D. (Famous After Death) like Emily Dickinson, get over it.
Last spring I attended a book reading for Water~Stone Review. A couple of the authors were there along with Patricia Francisco, one of the faculty editors of the annual magazine. After the formal reading, the writers and Francisco opened the floor to discussion. It was one of the liveliest readings I have ever attended and we got a look into how the writers actually went about crafting their works. I think there were more per capita sales from that reading than many of the others. So, in addition to being prepared to read from your manuscript, also prepare to have the audience ask you questions.
Tracey Henry's Suburban Diva: From the Real Side of the Picket Fence (I'm proud to be the editor) has been a consistent seller for Ephemera Bound Publishing for one simple reason: Henry has hustled the book. She has done readings, signings, and interviews. An article in The St. Petersburg Times, her hometown newspaper, was picked up by The Chicago Tribune. This is a very good example of how a feature article in a home newspaper can lead to further exposure. Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc, author of Michael and A Man Of Two Worlds, both science fiction,attended the FX convention last January and within four hours sold out of her entire stock of books.
What's my point in giving these examples? If you want your book to be read, get out there and do those readings. They can often be more effective than a lot of the publicity your publisher generates. Readers like to see their authors. Readers will often take a chance with a new author if they get to see them.
Do yourself a favor, READ!
WRONG!
If you think your book is going to sell just because you got it published, you are in for a sad wakeup. You have to get out there and sell it yourself. I don't mean you have to go store to store to get booksellers to put it on their shelves, though that is not outside the realm of reality. You have to get out there and read to your audiences. It can be in a bookstore, a coffee shop, a library, a publication party put on by a friend. It doesn't matter where that reading takes place; it just has to happen.
Recently one of the lists I belong to had a rather lively discussion regarding publishers, what publishers expect of writers, and, horror, that a couple of the publishers included in their contract that the authors would go out and give public readings. One writer bemoaned the fact she had to give a reading and she got sick before every one she had to do. Unless you want to be F.A.D. (Famous After Death) like Emily Dickinson, get over it.
Last spring I attended a book reading for Water~Stone Review. A couple of the authors were there along with Patricia Francisco, one of the faculty editors of the annual magazine. After the formal reading, the writers and Francisco opened the floor to discussion. It was one of the liveliest readings I have ever attended and we got a look into how the writers actually went about crafting their works. I think there were more per capita sales from that reading than many of the others. So, in addition to being prepared to read from your manuscript, also prepare to have the audience ask you questions.
Tracey Henry's Suburban Diva: From the Real Side of the Picket Fence (I'm proud to be the editor) has been a consistent seller for Ephemera Bound Publishing for one simple reason: Henry has hustled the book. She has done readings, signings, and interviews. An article in The St. Petersburg Times, her hometown newspaper, was picked up by The Chicago Tribune. This is a very good example of how a feature article in a home newspaper can lead to further exposure. Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc, author of Michael and A Man Of Two Worlds, both science fiction,attended the FX convention last January and within four hours sold out of her entire stock of books.
What's my point in giving these examples? If you want your book to be read, get out there and do those readings. They can often be more effective than a lot of the publicity your publisher generates. Readers like to see their authors. Readers will often take a chance with a new author if they get to see them.
Do yourself a favor, READ!
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