by Jeannine Hall Gailey
When your new book arrives, you naturally want to shout the news from the rooftops, run and put a copy in everyone’s hand, proudly take a selfie with your box of books and put it on Facebook. But what else can you do to promote your book that won’t leave your online reputation in shambles?
In an ideal world, all you’d have to do is write the book, and everyone else—your publisher, your readers, your friends and family—would get word out about your book for you. Sadly, no matter who your publisher is you will be your book’s best publicist. You can keep a social media presence with Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, a blog, etc. But you know those annoying spammy tweets from authors clogging up your feeds with yet another glowing blurb or Amazon rank? You don’t want to be that person.
My personal two “golden rules” of promotion—one of which looks a lot like the actual golden rule—are:
Now, here are six ways to create positive buzz about your new title in a seemingly endless sea of new titles, and do it without alienating people. These tips will make the whole process as simple and painless for everyone as possible.
Because you have been working as a positive force for poetry in your immediate community the last few years (right??) you should have some friends and well-wishers who will be happy to help “boost your signal.” The greater your involvement in building up your local poetry community and the more people you positively impact, the better.
For instance, I frequently write poetry book reviews for different outlets and write blurbs for writers I like, because I see it as “giving back” to the literary community. I also do it because someone once said to me when I was a young poet: “How can you hope for others to read and review your book if you don’t read and review other people’s books?” But reviewing isn’t the only way to give back. You can run a reading series, edit a literary magazine, or even start your own press. Now that you have a book out, you’ll realize that seemingly small gestures such as “liking” a post on Facebook, retweeting a book announcement, or reviewing a great book on Amazon or Goodreads, count more than you thought.
Also remember that it’s much easier to sell your book of poetry in your hometown, at a reading full of friends and family, than it will be to sell it to strangers and students you’ve never met before. Remember, they’re already cheering you on.
Similarly, you can reach out to people who have been kind to you in the past—reviewers who liked your previous work, mentors who have offered you help, your writing group—although this can only work if you’re keeping either a list of people (with contact information, be it an e-mail address or a physical address) who might be interested in more of your work in the future. So keep up a list that I call it my “literary Christmas card list,” and I actually use it to send Christmas cards, not just literary announcements. Again, being genuine friends with a lot of people will only help you in your efforts, so it pays to be generous. Karma, etc.
This ties in with the previous tip. It makes sense that if you are kind and generous to others, helping spread the word about their good news, they are more likely to be kind and generous when you need help. When you think about sharing news about your book, think about the ways that news can help others—your publishers, editors, and others who have supported you along the way.
Award-winning poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil, a Professor of English at SUNY-Fredonia says: “I’m a big fan of using social media to post someone’s poem that catches my breath, with a link to his/her recent book, or even better, to share my ‘discovery’ of an up-and-coming writer. On Twitter, even reading a line or two is enough to prick my curiosity. I’ve looked up poets and bought books from other people’s postings. As for my own work, I share the occasional notice about where a recent poem or essay was published to help spread the word about the editors and magazines who believed in my work in the first place.”
Being involved in helping other people succeed is a great way to build your literary community, so give others a boost when you can.
A well-written, non-spammy (and spell-checked!) e-mail announcement to send to your friends, family, and colleagues is an easy thing a new author can do to let people know their book is available. Be friendly, respectful, and direct, and be sure to include, perhaps at the end, a direct link to buy your new book. If you want to include a few people who might have sent you kind notes in the past, or indicated interest in hearing about your new work, don’t feel bad—do it. Remember that this can be a great way to get back in touch with old friends; I often have childhood friends, teachers, or students who write back after years of being out of contact. But please don’t buy one of those prefabricated mailing list or send your news to every business acquaintance.
Marie Gauthier, Director of Sales & Marketing for Tupelo Press, reminds us to “remember to treat friends as allies, not customers. They want to help you spread the word; it’s your job to make it as easy for them to help as you can, sending them the cover image of your book or a jpeg of a beautiful publicity release, items with visual appeal that are simple to share.” She also advises writers to “include something personal or quirky or extra in your email that can help elevate it in the receiver’s mind from ‘spam.’”
Jericho Brown, award-winning poet, professor, and editor, has a few pieces of practical advice, warning writers to think hard about when and how they announce their book. “It makes sense to pay attention to the world in which we live and to be a real part of it. Don’t post that you’ve won a big award or send an email about your book the same day Zimmerman is declared not guilty. If you do send an email to a group, make sure it’s just once a year and that you include a link to the message or site you’re promoting. Finally, if you want 4,000 people to know your good news at once, know also that you want to thank 4,000 people individually for congratulating you.”
Be unique, be yourself, and be socially aware of timing when you send out your announcement.
Yes, it’s probably a good idea to have a presence on social media—an author page on Facebook that allows people the option of learning news about your work, for instance, or a good basic website, and maybe a Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or Tumblr account. The good news about this kind of promotion is that you can do it in your pajamas! The bad news is that it’s easy to overdo it and become unintentionally obnoxious. The other downside? Most people aren’t constantly reading their Twitter or Facebook feeds, or checking your blog, so it’s hard to know when those messages are being missed by a particular audience.
So, be smart about the way you promote your new book on social media.
Catherine Trestini, Digital Marketing and Social Media Strategist, suggests: “One author kept sending me messages on LinkedIn about his book IN ALL CAPS for weeks. It became so irritating that I eventually removed him from my network. So my first rule of thumb is to leave your spam at the front door. Readers need a reason to want your book. Make a good impression. But let him set the example of what not to do on social media. Similarly, remember to post different and new things about your book. Every day, we’re zombie-scrolling through our Facebook feeds, subconsciously looking for great things to ‘like’ or comment on. Use your wit, empathy, and brainy attitude to engage me. My second piece of advice is: do something awesome that speaks about who ‘you’ are on your Facebook page, and do it often (at least once a day). It will collect “likes” and comments and woo your readers. Only write what you would want to read, including talking about your book online.”
Make your posts authentic, and only talk about your own book part of the time—again, be sure to post other people’s news, interesting relevant articles (whether that’s on Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s impact on pop culture or the latest news on Fukushima) and try to give your followers more than just advertising.
I know it’s a new media world, but don’t discount the power and pleasure of real mail and the physical object. In my own experience, sending out postcards is one of the best ways to give people a tactile reminder that your book is out—as well as show off a brilliant cover design. You should include a direct link to purchase the book on the postcard somewhere, as well as a way to contact you to get a signed copy, so it will be as easy as possible for them to purchase it. And a personal note on the postcard never hurts.
I’ve seen fascinating “swag” at readings, from intricate mini-books the size of a business card to elaborate bookmarks, magnets and stickers. The idea is to leave an audience member at a reading or conference-goer a physical memento that will perhaps lead them later to think about your book and purchase it.
With a new book coming out, of course you’re planning a few readings, maybe around your own town, maybe a more ambitious tour across several states. This one you cannot do in your pajamas, but there are a lot of ways you can make readings more fun for your audience and give your friends a real reason to come out and cheer you on.
Don’t just plan a reading—plan a book release party, where you can celebrate and spend time with your friends and family afterward. If your friends are so inclined, they could even host a poetry salon, an informal gathering with cocktails or snacks where you might read a few poems, offer to sell and sign books, but mostly, give writers an excuse to socialize with you and with each other.
For example, when you go to a reading out of town, make sure you’re paired up with a popular local writer as well, and try to do something fun to connect—set up a workshop beforehand, or an informal reception afterwards.
Kelly Davio, former editor of LA Review and author of Burn This House, gives this advice from her recent first book tour: “Anytime I give a reading, I make sure to stay and listen attentively to every other poet, whether that’s another featured reader or someone who has just come for the open mic. Listening to others is an important way that we poets can show respect for our readership; if we’re asking others to listen to our poems or buy our books, we need to give our attention to their work as well.”
In the end, you really want to be able to share your excitement about your book without being pushy or disrespectful, and a lot of that comes down to being genuine and self-aware.
JEANNINE HALL GAILEY recently served as the second Poet Laureate of Redmond, Washington and is the author of three books of poetry, Becoming the Villainess, She Returns to the Floating World, and Unexplained Fevers. Her website is www.webbish6.com and you can follow her on Twitter @webbish6.