In a perfect world, authors would write, publishers would publish, publicists would publicize, sales reps would sell, and every book would be a bestseller. But in the real world, every book is part of a complex system of priorities for its publisher and the publisher’s employees, who may be overburdened, stymied by staff turnover, or ineffective for various other reasons. Believe it or not, the marketing and publicity budget for many books is essentially zero. Most books, unless they are a lead title for a season, will receive only the minimum support from their publishers, which means no advertising, no "tour" for the author, and a minimum of review copies sent out (the number varies from 50 to 150 copies). In a really bare bones campaign, the materials sent with those review copies will consist of a "press release" that says nothing other than what is on the book’s jacket--and you know how awful jacket copy can be. And even when your publisher intends to support you, your book competes for staff time and resources, and may still not receive the most thorough promotion.

     If you’re in the situation of having only the minimum plan slated for your book, or perhaps only slightly more than that, here is a plan you can implement yourself to promote and publicize your work.

Materials You Will Need

1. Three contact lists/mailing lists as detailed below.
2. A press release about the publication of the book.
3. A short "interview" with you, which you yourself can write.
4. Postcards featuring the book’s cover.
5. A home page for yourself or the book on the World Wide Web.
6. Publicity photos of yourself (sometimes optional).
7. A phone number and an e-mail address.

Contact Lists

You will need to compile three separate contact/mailing lists. It’s never too early to start compiling this, so if your book isn’t even slated for publication yet, you can still start keeping names and address. The three lists are:

• stores and retailers
• publications and media
• friends and miscellaneous contacts

Stores

When it comes to retail stores, you could rent a list of several hundred bookstores around the country, but mailing to all of them would be expensive and probably ineffectual. Instead compile a list of about a hundred stores, including:

• Twenty-five to fifty science fiction specialty retailers around the country.
• Twenty-five bookstores closest to your home and/or where you grew up (including the closest Borders store and other chain stores).
• Your college’s bookstore.
• Any other bookstores where you have friends who work there, relatives, etc.
• Any bookstore where you have previously appeared for a reading or signing .
• You may want to think about comic book and gaming stores, too.

     Make sure you have the complete address for each store, and the name of a person who is either the science fiction buyer, store manager, or community coordinator.

Publications

Now compile a mailing list of 50-100 members of the media to receive information. Be sure to include the following:

• Any outlet where a review of a previous book by you or one of your stories has appeared (whether good or bad!)
• All the newspapers in your home county, including dailies, weeklies, freebie "entertainment" papers, etc.; if there are regional magazines, include those too, and for your large daily papers, include both the book editor and the entertainment editor; if appropriate, don’t forget gay/lesbian community papers, neighborhood papers, etc.
• All the newspapers in the town where you grew up (if different from where you live now).
• College alumni magazines.

     If you really want to dig deep, include all the radio stations/cable TV shows that take authors on their talk shows in both your "hometown" areas as well, but this research may be a bit beyond the average author’s ability and time constraints. If you really have time, you can look up a reference book in some larger libraries called Bacon’s Publicity Checker, which is a directory of radio stations, tv shows, and the shows they air and produce. If you have a friend who works for Oprah, of course, go for it!

Everyone Else

This third list is for all those business cards you traded at conventions, and other miscellaneous friends, allies, and contacts both in and out of the industry. Be sure to include:

• Old college professors, high school English teachers, guidance counselor.
• Relatives and friends.
• College buddies, army buddies, etc.
• Fellow writers, editors, etc. you’ve met at cons.

The Press Release

There are two basic pieces of news you are going to try to spread to the world. One is: the book exists. A second one, though, may be tied to an event--for example, a book launch party or a reading. You get the proverbial two birds with one stone if you publicize the latter, which implies the former. So I would suggest setting up a book launch event. If the publicist at your publishing house can’t or won’t help with this, you have two basic ways to go. You can set up an event at a local bookstore, or you can throw your own party/reading in a non-bookstore venue. This can be anywhere from an American Legion Hall you rent to your own backyard, depending on how many of your friends you think will show up and whether you are the type of person who can handle appearing in front of large groups.

     When you write the press release, pretend you are writing a short, one-page news story about the book and/or the launch event. Write in the third person, and quote yourself or others if necessary. The press release should read so that it could be printed as is in a newspaper. Make different versions of the press release to send to different places, i.e. one that emphasizes your home town in the one to your home town newspapers, one that emphasizes the genre to send to science fiction magazines, etc. If you need more help, there are tons of web sites with "How To Write A Press Release" tips on them out there. The ideal release is 3-4 short paragraphs, with each paragraph getting more detailed than the previous. The press release should be one page when single spaced, two pages when double spaced.

Short Interview with Yourself

Like the press release, this should read so that it could be printed as is in a newspaper or magazine. In this case, your hope is that some place like the Suburban County News in your home town actually will run it as is. Chances are they haven’t even got one stringer reporter who can come out and really interview you, but they will want to do something . . . especially if they have space to fill. By handing them something publishable, you increase your chances of getting exposure, and you maximize the exposure you do get. At the very least, you may intrigue them into investigating you further.

     The format of the interview/profile piece should begin with a one-paragraph bio of you and history of the book, and then follow a Q&A format. Make up questions that suit what you want to say about the book. Some typical ones: "Where did you get the idea for this book?" "When did you start writing?" "Who were your influences?" If there are specific strengths in the book that you want to play up, this is a good time for that. Will the book appeal to cat-lovers? Classical music enthusiasts? Fans of Robert Heinlein? The interview can be typed up as a one to three page document, either double spaced for editorial use (like the press release) or desktop published and laid out with a nice photo of you and so on.

     If the press release and the interview are too painful to write yourself, get a friend who took some journalism classes to take a shot at it.

Postcards

Postcards are relatively cheap and easy to make--many places specializing in postcard printing can do you 1000 four-color cards for under $200. I know 1000 may seem like a lot, but really it isn’t. You will find they come in incredibly handy when you go to conventions, to give to local bookstores, to send reminders to people, etc. You really can’t buy fewer than 1000. Typically you send the postcard printer the copy of the jacket or the color cover comp sample your publisher should provide you, along with what you would like the card to say on the back. The title, your name, ISBN number, price, and date of publication are musts. You might also want to include any nice blurb quotes you’ve gotten from advance reviews or fellow authors, but don’t put too much on the card. You want to leave room to write your own messages, and for people’s addresses and postage. The postcard printer will be able to tell you how much they can fit. An 800# for ordering the book is also a good idea, if your publisher has one, and/or a web site. Your own home page or the book’s home page is also a must.

A Home Page

If you are really thinking ahead, you may want to take the step right now to register your own domain name--I’m working on getting www.ceciliatan.com right now. You could use the-title-of-your-book.com, but your own name will be more flexible and reusable. Another, less technically challenging, choice is to set up a home page through your local ISP or a place like SFFNet. You will want to plant your flag so that when people on the Web go looking for information about the book and you (including, potentially, the media people you will be contacting), they will find something.

     Include on the site: the aforementioned press release (in a generic version), author interview/profile, jacket photo, and blurbs or advance reviews you’ve gotten (unless they are panning the book). As you get more reviews, you can add them there. Also post updates of where you will be reading or when and where your book launch event is. You might include links to your publisher’s website, to Amazon.com, or other relevant places, as well. You have no word limit on the site, so feel free to post journal entries, "outtakes" from the book, and other things your potential fans might like.

Publisher's Note: for more information, see Promoting Your Book on the Web.

The Plan

Now that you have all the pieces of propaganda prepared (postcards, press releases, interview/profile, home page, and perhaps photos of yourself), you have compiled your mailing lists, and you have set up your launch event, now you need to do your mailings.

1. To stores: send the postcard along with your interview/profile to the stores you have compiled. Include a letter to the store owners in your area pointing out that you are a local author and that you are willing to do readings and signings. When the book comes out, follow up with these stores, go in and visit them, and offer to "sign their stock." This means collecting the copies of the book in the store, taking them to the customer service counter and autographing them. The clerks will then usually sticker the books "Signed By The Author," and sometimes even move them to a more prominent display (at least until you leave the store). For stores in your old hometown, ditto the letter. For SF specialty stores, you might want to mention if there are any conventions you plan to attend in the upcoming year. If possible, write a letter to go with each information package, no matter what type of store it is.
2. To your friends and family list. Start by sending them the postcard, perhaps stickered with the date, time, and place of the launch party. Bookstores will sometimes take care of the mailing for events in their own store if you give them the list of names. Or you might want to write more extensive notes and send the invitation in an envelope. I’d go with the postcards though, to save money and time. If you are one of those people who never gets around to writing thank you notes, what makes you think you’ll get around to writing these? Just get the word out that the book is coming, and the notes and e-mails will be coming back to you, instead.
3. To publications/media contacts. Send the complete package of goodies, press release, interview, postcard, and your photo, along with a letter addressed to each editor. These are the toughest pitch letters to write. You are basically offering yourself for interview or feature, using the hook that you are from the area, or live there now, or went to school there, or for whatever other reason you fit the specifics of the newspaper or magazine. (i.e. book appeals to military history buffs, Asian-Americans, etc.) Be friendly, but don’t make the letter too long--3-4 paragraphs at most. Reiterate bits of what is in the press release and interview, but not word for word.

On the ideal publishing schedule, you would have finished books in your hands two months prior to what the publisher calls the "publication date." You want to set your launch event as close to the publication date as possible. This means you want to do your mailings about two months prior to that date. This will hopefully mean that you have some actual books to send. If your media list is 100 people, it’s going to be expensive to mail books to all of them, especially if the publisher makes you buy the books. I would suggest only mailing 20-25 copies to outlets your publisher has said they won’t mail to, or that seem like the best bets for personal contact from you. In your letter to the other places, mention the publicist at your publisher whom they should contact directly to get review copies.

     Once all this stuff goes out into the world, wait about two weeks. Now don’t be shy to call up the media places and inquire if the materials were received, and see if they would like "more information." This is a nice way of saying "are you going to interview me/review the book?" without seeming like you’re begging. Some of them will have lost the material and ask you to send it again. Send it again right away and then call to follow up 3 days later. You might want to call the bookstores on your list, as well, if you want to do more readings. Generally speaking, though, it’s hard to do more than two readings in the same month, in the same city, unless the venues and audience are quite different.

The Internet and Word of Mouth

Of course, the one kind of promotion that really, really sells books is word of mouth, which is the one kind that you really can’t control or purchase. This is why your family and friends contact list is just as important as the other two lists.

     Getting reviews helps build buzz, and getting the book in the stores helps insure that if people go looking for the book, they’ll find it. But the medium that is tailor-made for word of mouth is, of course, the Internet. So in addition to your postcard, I would send e-mail to your contact list as well. Do not spam every e-mail user in the US! Send a friendly note to your list saying "Hey guess what, my book is coming out, and I’m doing a reading at . . ." and be sure you include the details like your home page and maybe a link to where people can buy the book through Amazon.com, Book Sense (the American Booksellers Association’s web site for independent booksellers), or your favorite local shop that has a mail order site.

     Check your book’s page on Amazon.com from time to time to see if new reviews have appeared there, and be sure to fill out your author profile there, as well. Many people use Amazon.com as a book database and browsing tool even if they don’t buy books there.

     Whenever possible, you should coordinate these efforts with your publicist and publisher. But don’t allow them to prevent you from doing so. Some houses will refuse to tell you where they are sending review copies, and so you might duplicate their efforts. Others will be more open. Keep your editor and publicist (and agent!) apprised of your activities, and pass on any clippings or reviews that might come back to you.

Publisher's Note: for more information, see Promoting Your Book on the Web.

This may seem like an awful lot of work to do what should, by all rights, be the publisher’s responsibility. After all, the publisher stands to profit more from the increased sales than you, the author, do. But remember, you aren’t doing this just to sell more copies of the book. You are helping to build your career by making contacts that may be helpful when the next book comes out, and perhaps rescuing your book from complete obscurity.

Cecilia Tan is the author of Black Feathers, and the publisher of Circlet Press. Her short fiction has appeared in Absolute Magnitude, Asimov’s, and Ms. Magazine. She has worked in professional book marketing since 1989.

Resources

At the Library Reference Desk

     The American Book Trade Directory (ISSN: 0065-759X; New York, NY, R.R. Bowker Co.)

     Bacon’s Magazine Directory (ISSN:1088-9663; Chicago, IL, Bacon’s PR and Media Information Systems)

     Bacon’s Newspaper Directory (ISSN:1088-9639; Chicago, IL, Bacon’s PR and Media Information Systems)

     Bacon’s Publicity Checker (ISSN: 0162-3125; Chicago, IL, Bacon’s PR and Media Information Systems)

On the Web

     http://www.fandomdirectory.com A fan-run site and publisher of a science fiction directory of bookstores, conventions, and much more. They rent mailing lists, as well.

     http://www.sff.net/ A resource site for everything genre.

     http://www.printfirm.com/cpostcards/index.html Will print 2500 color postcards for $225

     http://www.growstrong.com/postcard.htm Will print 1000 4x6" color postcards for $195