So Your First Novel Just Got Published…Now What?
Your dream finally came true. You wrote a book, you found a publisher who loved it as much as you do, and now, your book is in your hands. You’re officially a published author. After the unboxing and the champagne, you sit back and wait for the royalties to roll in…
And that’s where the dream often ends. Why isn’t my book selling? you ask yourself? What went wrong? The answer to that is nothing went wrong—the fact is that as an author, unless you somehow manage to get picked up by a major, national publishing house, the work doesn’t end with the unboxing and the champagne. It’s a competitive world out there; according to The Steve Laube Agency, approximately 11 000 books are published each day, and yours is simply one of many. And if your publisher is small and independent, like so many of them are, their resources are limited. They’ll do their best, but they’re going to need help. From who? From you.
So what can you do to make your book stand out in a sea of new releases? How can you get people as excited about your book as you are? Here are a few tips (please remember, these are only suggestions. Some of them might not be doable for you, but some might be):
1) A lot of the work begins even before your book is accepted by a publisher. Are you a member of any local writing groups? Do you network online with other writers? Are you able to go to writing events? Making connections with other writers is a wonderful way to build community, and find writer friends who can help get the word out about your debut publication.
2) Spread the word on social media. Set up an author account on your existing social media so that you can promote your writing separately. A lot of people don’t like using social media, but sometimes it’s a necessary evil if you want to increase awareness about your
book.
3) Create your own website for your book—there are a lot of inexpensive, or even free, website platforms out there like Weebly or WordPress, or numerous others, with easy-to-use templates. There are a lot of book review sites on these platforms, so once you’re up and running, you can reach out to them and see about getting your book reviewed.
4) Organize a launch. Maybe your publisher is having one for you, but maybe they’re far away, or don’t have the funds (many small publishers operate on a very small budget and don’t get the funding that larger publishing houses have access to.). That doesn’t mean you can’t have your own book launch. Find a local restaurant with a private room that you could use. Check out your local museum, legion, or town hall to see if you can book a space there. Even if there’s a small fee, you’ll probably make that back in book sales, so make sure you have a lot of author copies—any good publisher will provide them to you at a substantial discount.
5) Connect with your local library. Ask them to carry your book. Most libraries, while they won’t stock self-published writers, will carry books from independent publishers if the author is local. It might not result in sales, but it will get the word out. Let the library know that you’re available to do a book talk or other events.
6) Do the same thing with your local bookstores. Ask if they do author events, and let them know you’re interested in doing one in partnership with them. You might have to share sales, but still, you’re getting people to take notice of your work.
7) If your publisher hasn’t created a press release for you, make one of your own, and send it to the local newspapers (either print or online), and radio stations in your area. Let them know you’re available for interviews.
8) Depending on the age of your intended audience, you can also connect with local schools and offer to do free classroom visits to talk about being a writer. If your target audience is older, you can do the same thing with universities or colleges, as well as offering to do book talks at seniors’ centres. And if those seniors’ centres have a library, ask them to stock your book.
9) Find out if there are any book fairs or vendor markets in your area that you can apply to. Set up an enticing table with a banner, a candy bowl, maybe even a little swag, like bookmarks with your book and details about it printed on cardstock. (You can make these at home using a site like Canva, or even in a desktop publishing program like Publisher). A lot of these types of events are particularly popular around the holiday season, so promote your book as ‘the perfect gift’.
10) Let your publisher know about everything you’re doing. Make sure that they’re using their social media to blast out your efforts—events, interviews, every opportunity that you’ve generated to showcase your book. At the end of the day, being an author can be exhausting work, and none of this guarantees that you’ll see an increase in sales or royalty payments. But if you do nothing, you won’t see a penny either, so why not give it a try? And even if you don’t care about the money, the recognition and the validation are worth their weight in gold.
—
DARK NOCTURNES
Step into the shadows and explore the hidden corners of existence in Suzanne Craig-Whytock’s captivating collection Dark Nocturnes, where ordinary lives intertwine with extraordinary circumstances, where the line between reality and fantasy blurs with each turn of the page. Wander through the echoing corridors of old manor houses and deep forests, explore hidden rooms and cavernous antique markets, dance with menacing marionettes and life-size dolls. Lyrical, haunting, and occasionally humorous, Dark Nocturnes is a collection of thirty-two stories that explore joy and sorrow, gratitude and grief, and hatred and desire. Open the cover, feast on the stories inside…and if you’re lucky, Mr. Death just might show up for dessert.
“Craig-Whytock’s collection is unified by an exploration of human frailty and the poignant beauty found in the shadows of existence. The recurring motifs of time and transience are evident throughout the collection, with each story acting as a meditation on the ephemeral nature of life. The author skillfully juxtaposes moments of personal introspection with broader societal observations, creating a range of interconnected experiences that speak to the universal human condition.”
The Broken Spine
Category: How To and Tips, On Book Marketing
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
