Great post, Brent. I’ve actually been thinking about all this lately and then stumbled onto your post. Perfect timing!
Seems like the world of Substack has opened up some interesting possibilities as far as marketing a book in 2023. Perhaps more with self-publishing, but still. Has that stoked your imagination for your next book marketing campaign?
When my first book debuted, it seemed like everyone was trying gimmicks. Unique swag, recipes, contests, book trailers, entire digital "worlds." From what I could see, very few of these things worked. There's no guarantee that someone who likes the swag will like (or even bother to read) the book; there's no guarantee that what the author is offering is something people want. The two most ambitious writers, who created entire platforms (recruiting other writers to help provide content), ultimately couldn't sustain their online worlds *and* their writing careers *and* all the other parts of their lives. And with the rise of blogging, new websites had a splintering audience and a lot of competition.
The best thing I ever did was work with other writers so we could pool our efforts. I also did a lot of different things, trying almost anything that occurred to me for my first book. For the second and third books, I only did what I enjoyed, or what seemed to work a little for low effort on my part. I no longer did difficult elaborate things that I didn't even enjoy. I found everything helped a little, but nothing helped a lot.
Edward Burns has a great memoir, "Independent Ed," about what it's like to make movies, to have hits and flops, to work in a crazy industry. There are so many parallels to the writing world, and he talks about the gimmicks or hooks he used to have successes with some projects. It's a good book for writers to read. (I'm not getting a commission or anything, LOL; I just like the book and found useful analogies to the writing life!)
I feel like referring to these as gimmicks is underselling the creativity here, Brent. These are great ideas! And I think, as you say, if you do it in the spirit of fun and exploration then it really can be worthwhile. You’ve made me think: What’s an extension of the experience of my book that might connect with readers? And would I have fun trying that out? Definitely worth considering.
Great post, Brent. I’ve actually been thinking about all this lately and then stumbled onto your post. Perfect timing!
Seems like the world of Substack has opened up some interesting possibilities as far as marketing a book in 2023. Perhaps more with self-publishing, but still. Has that stoked your imagination for your next book marketing campaign?
When my first book debuted, it seemed like everyone was trying gimmicks. Unique swag, recipes, contests, book trailers, entire digital "worlds." From what I could see, very few of these things worked. There's no guarantee that someone who likes the swag will like (or even bother to read) the book; there's no guarantee that what the author is offering is something people want. The two most ambitious writers, who created entire platforms (recruiting other writers to help provide content), ultimately couldn't sustain their online worlds *and* their writing careers *and* all the other parts of their lives. And with the rise of blogging, new websites had a splintering audience and a lot of competition.
The best thing I ever did was work with other writers so we could pool our efforts. I also did a lot of different things, trying almost anything that occurred to me for my first book. For the second and third books, I only did what I enjoyed, or what seemed to work a little for low effort on my part. I no longer did difficult elaborate things that I didn't even enjoy. I found everything helped a little, but nothing helped a lot.
Edward Burns has a great memoir, "Independent Ed," about what it's like to make movies, to have hits and flops, to work in a crazy industry. There are so many parallels to the writing world, and he talks about the gimmicks or hooks he used to have successes with some projects. It's a good book for writers to read. (I'm not getting a commission or anything, LOL; I just like the book and found useful analogies to the writing life!)
I love the experimentation, and the “dollar per question” is genius for kids. I might even try that with some adults too... 😀
What a great article. Food for thought for sure. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing all these tips. I haven't thought of the music video tactic before. I might try that one in the future.
I feel like referring to these as gimmicks is underselling the creativity here, Brent. These are great ideas! And I think, as you say, if you do it in the spirit of fun and exploration then it really can be worthwhile. You’ve made me think: What’s an extension of the experience of my book that might connect with readers? And would I have fun trying that out? Definitely worth considering.