How to Publish a Book Readers,

This week I would like to focus on the topic of marketing and promoting your book here at How to Publish a Book. The art of marketing a book is easily one of the most important stages in the post-production phase of publishing a book. At major traditional publishers, there is an entire department dedicated to publicity and marketing.

This past year, I've gotten to know many of the folks in the publicity departments at book publisher Harper-Collins as I've managed to interview a number of HC authors for my TV show in Raleigh. I've begun researching and studying the clever ways that people market their books so that they stand out from the pack.

One of the most ingenious marketing strategies I've read about this year involved the marketing of Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants. The story behind the break-out success of this novel is a tale in and of itself, but one of the things the Director of Marketing at her publisher did was that he sent out review copies with a well-crafted letter to independent booksellers with whom he'd established a relationship. In the letter, he asked if the bookstores would read the book and write an endorsement that could be used in promoting the book.

Usually endorsements of this nature are sought by newspapers, magazines, and high-profile authors. But the marketing director at the publisher focused his energy on indie booksellers and the gamble paid off. The indie booksellers made Water for Elephants a Book of the Year Selection at the Book Expo of America, which helped to generate tremendous word of mouth for the book.

Another clever marketing stategy this same marketing director used for a different book The Arsonist's Guide to Writers Homes in New England met with controversy. He wrote a hand-written letter to book review editors and members of the press imploring them to "burn down Edith Wharton's house" or similar messages regarding the famous authors' homes profiled in the book.

Apparently, police got involved and the story made it onto the evening news (and newspapers) in many cities.

While controversial, it underscores an important aspect regarding how to publish a book. Namely the art (and skill) of creative marketing. The reality is that if no one hears about your book, no one is going to read it. And the path to the most people hearing about your book is through television and newspapers (and the internet).

One example of my own marketing success for How to Publish a Book this past week: I have a new suspense novel that I'm planning to publish next summer (2009). I've decided to start using clever YouTube-style videos to help market and promote the book.

So last week, I created a How to Publish a Book video called "Mountain Lion Attacks Man." 

Due to the screen-shot image and the key words used in the title, this video has garnered close to 2,000 "views" in one week. This likely means that the video is making it onto 3rd-party websites around the 'net. If you watch the video, you'll see that the end involves a cover-shot and announcement for my book.

Of course, one little thing like this doesn't necessarily mean that you'll sell more books. But if you're doing dozens (or hundreds) of things like this, and these dozens (or hundreds) of things fit within a larger marketing and publicity campaign regarding how to publish your book, it's certainly more likely to arouse interest than if you're doing nothing at all.

At the end of the day, people buy books for several major reasons: 1) author's name recognition, 2) book was recommended by friend or family, or 3) saw book in store and it had a cool cover. These are the top three reasons people buy a book, but beyond these three, authors have to get really creative and clever to get noticed when deciding how to publish a book.

I plan on sharing some more of these ideas in the coming months here at How to Publish a Book, but for now, check out the video above and decide for yourself if you think that it would help to market and promote a suspense novel like CLAWS.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line. I love to hear from new visitors to How to Publish a Book.

Take care, folks.

Stacey 

How to Publish a Book Readers,

This week I have a special How to Publish a Book video. The following includes a 60-minute How to Publish a Book discussion with literary agent Rita Rosenkranz and Random House Assistant Editor Randall Klein, which I moderated at William Paterson University in New Jersey. Special thanks to Martha Witt for helping to put this how to publish a book event together.

This How to Publish a Book video epitomizes the kind of video I would like to do more of here at How to Publish a Book. That is, I would like to do more interviews with actual literary agents and editors. This seems to be the area that is the biggest mystery for most aspiring writers regarding how to publish a book. The video form helps to make these folks more real and, hopefully, takes some of the mystery out of how to publish a book.

Enjoy.

Stacey