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?
Hahaha, oh, yes, definitely have many specific thoughts on this! I don't have a book coming out any time soon, but I'm ready when I do.
I stand by my "Best of times, worst of times" comment. So many possibilities now!
(I do think it's fascinating how the platforms keep rising and falling. Facebook! No, Twitter! No, Instagram! No, TikTok!
But I'm hoping Substack is around for a bit, because I love it. And I loooove controlling my little circle friends/fans, knowing I can take their emails with me if it implodes.
Haha, yes it's pretty overwhelming to keep up with it all!
I'm with you on the Substack train. There seems to be so many people crossing their fingers we can all hitch our wagons to it and not worry about all the other trains, which all seem to be on fire now anyway!
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'm on record as thinking most swag is pointless, and book trailers (as I wrote a couple of weeks ago) are less than pointless. If everyone is doing it, or it's generic, it truly won't make any difference.
I think I'm a bit more of believer on PR efforts than you, but it's definitely good to keep one's expectations in check. And, oh yeah, only do what you truly enjoy.
I also think -- of course -- the smartest thing any writer can do is engage directly with their fans. I'm still flabbergasted when I see some of the generic responses that some authors send to fans (just like I'm astounded by how little effort or creativity many authors seem to put into their presentations and readings). If you're Stephen King? Sure. I get that at that point, it's impossible to be all that personal anyway. But if you're still building a career, I think being available and kind online is the single most important thing you can do to build your base.
In the end, of course, no one knows anything. As you say, some things work a little, almost nothing works a lot. Although I did give a presentation once, and I REALLY didn't want to go. But I did my song and dance, and one guy came and was impressed, and ended up buying three hundred copies for his classes, and continue to champion the book for many years after that.
But in a way, stories like that can drive you crazy, because most of the time that *doesn't* happen. Sighhhh.
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.
Well, thank you! Yup, it should be all about the fun. I also like the idea of associating "books" and "reading" with "fun," because often it's taken too seriously, IMHO.
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?
Thank you!
Hahaha, oh, yes, definitely have many specific thoughts on this! I don't have a book coming out any time soon, but I'm ready when I do.
I stand by my "Best of times, worst of times" comment. So many possibilities now!
(I do think it's fascinating how the platforms keep rising and falling. Facebook! No, Twitter! No, Instagram! No, TikTok!
But I'm hoping Substack is around for a bit, because I love it. And I loooove controlling my little circle friends/fans, knowing I can take their emails with me if it implodes.
Haha, yes it's pretty overwhelming to keep up with it all!
I'm with you on the Substack train. There seems to be so many people crossing their fingers we can all hitch our wagons to it and not worry about all the other trains, which all seem to be on fire now anyway!
hahaha
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'll check out.
I'm on record as thinking most swag is pointless, and book trailers (as I wrote a couple of weeks ago) are less than pointless. If everyone is doing it, or it's generic, it truly won't make any difference.
I think I'm a bit more of believer on PR efforts than you, but it's definitely good to keep one's expectations in check. And, oh yeah, only do what you truly enjoy.
I also think -- of course -- the smartest thing any writer can do is engage directly with their fans. I'm still flabbergasted when I see some of the generic responses that some authors send to fans (just like I'm astounded by how little effort or creativity many authors seem to put into their presentations and readings). If you're Stephen King? Sure. I get that at that point, it's impossible to be all that personal anyway. But if you're still building a career, I think being available and kind online is the single most important thing you can do to build your base.
In the end, of course, no one knows anything. As you say, some things work a little, almost nothing works a lot. Although I did give a presentation once, and I REALLY didn't want to go. But I did my song and dance, and one guy came and was impressed, and ended up buying three hundred copies for his classes, and continue to champion the book for many years after that.
But in a way, stories like that can drive you crazy, because most of the time that *doesn't* happen. Sighhhh.
I love the experimentation, and the “dollar per question” is genius for kids. I might even try that with some adults too... 😀
Thanks! Yeah, it always works. hehe
What a great article. Food for thought for sure. Thank you!
You're very welcome!
Thanks for sharing all these tips. I haven't thought of the music video tactic before. I might try that one in the future.
It really was fun, even if it *was* a shitload of work. LOL
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.
Well, thank you! Yup, it should be all about the fun. I also like the idea of associating "books" and "reading" with "fun," because often it's taken too seriously, IMHO.
Thanks for the nice words!