Keeping Your Book in the Public’s Eye

By Carol Hoenig

If you’re like me, you worked on your novel for a number of years before it’s ready for publication. Then once it is published there’s the feeling of accomplishment and celebration along with upcoming events and interviews. But about six months later you discover you’ve had your opportunity to get readers but now they have moved on. So what should you do after those six months? Besides working on your next book, you may discover there are still opportunities for that labor of love.

With that in mind, I’d like to share my journey in hopes that you will be inspired and use some of what I managed to do no matter if you published the book yourself or with a traditional house. Granted, what was working in my favor was that I’m not only an author but a publishing consultant having been in the industry for over twenty years and the author of The Author’s Guide to Planning Book Events, as dated as that book is now. However, by using my own examples, I share how writers can keep some attention for their book beyond those dreaded six months after publication when readers are looking for something new, which may explain why Mary Calvi, CBS News, says this: “Carol Hoenig is a behind-the-scenes force in the publishing industry.” 

It was about this time last year when I was busy with the lead up to the publication of my latest novel, Before She Was a Finley. I call this laying the groundwork. By then, the manuscript had gone through the publisher’s final editorial process, the cover was selected and the format was being taken care of, but, even though it was traditionally published, I knew it would be up to me to get reviewers. Sounds easy enough, right? Not when you are with a smaller press and competing with the bigger houses. As a publishing consultant, I understood that New York Times, LA Times, Publishers Weekly, etc. all requested at least a four-month lead time before publication to consider one’s book for review. Following those guidelines, I’d sent out the manuscript in plenty of time, but competing with those giants didn’t garner any responses. However, I couldn’t let that discourage me and I continued keeping busy, including having my twenty-year old website overhauled with a brand new updated look, had tote bags and bookmarks created with the image of the book cover on them; the back of the bookmark had this message: If you read it, review it. Thank you kindly, scheduled a restaurant with an open bar and appetizers for the book launch, followed up with sending out press releases to interviewers and bookstores in hopes they’d carry the book, as well as schedule me for an event. 

Naturally, all of this was on my dime, but since this was my third published novel, I wanted to give it every possible chance to find readers. For those first six months, I did numerous radio, television and podcast interviews, as well as events in bookstores and libraries. As time went by I was determined to keep up the momentum and continued to send out pitches. Seven months in, I managed to schedule a Book & Brunch at a library where I was interviewed by two very enthusiastic librarians, was part of an author’s night on the eastern end of Long Island, did a radio interview at a local college, was invited to do signings at several Barnes & Nobles, one a nine-hour drive from my home, participated in the Gold Coast Book Fair and invited by book clubs to participate in their discussion of Before She Was A Finley. Whew! Please know that this is not a means to brag and I’m not saying it was easy and my pitches got more rejections than not but it is about perseverance and believing there’s still life in one’s book following those six months. Not everyone will have time or money to promote their book, but here’s just a few ideas for you to consider, especially after those six months:

Organize a panel discussion with fellow authors at your local library.

Offer to show up as a guest at book clubs.

Do you have a poetry book? Schedule an event for National Poetry Month. 

Is there a topic in your book that is in the news? Pitch media outlets offering to weigh in since you’ve written about said topic.  

If your book has a pet in it, see if you can do an event at your local pet store and offer to donate some of the proceeds to an animal rescue. 

The point is, as cliché as it is, think outside that box.

 Now that it’s getting close to a year since my novel’s publication, I decided to give myself an anniversary party and contacted Rockville Centre Library to see if they’d be interested in hosting me. The library is in the same town where I had my book launch but I wasn’t going to invest the same kind of time and money this time around. Even so, the library loved the idea and on September 8, just two days shy of the one year anniversary, I will be celebrating with those who show up. I dare say it will be somewhat of a swan song for this novel and Grace Finley, the protagonist, will get a much deserved rest. And then it will be time to get back to the two drafts I’ve been working on and see if I can do a repeat performance…with a new book. 

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Carol Hoenig is also the author of Without Grace, Of Little Faith and The Author’s Guide to Planning Book Events. Her essays are in a number of anthologies. She is President of Carol Hoenig Publishing Consultant, co-owner of On the Road Book Events and co-podcaster on Wildflowers Podcast: Books, Booze and Banter on YouTube. She is presently working on another novel…or two. You may find out more about her at Carolhoenig.com.

Before She Was a Finley

In Carol Hoenig’s previous novel, Without Grace, it is believed that Grace Finley walked out on her husband and two young children to fulfill a selfish dream of becoming a famous singer, leaving behind rumors and questions among her family and townsfolk in the mountains of Upstate New York.

Now in Before She Was a Finley, it is years later when Adele, a reluctant young journalism student is assigned to “get” a story from a local nursing home where she comes across elderly Grace Finley. Over time, Grace slowly takes Adele back to the 1930s and subsequent years that follow as she provides bits and pieces that eventually reveal the dark truth as to why she walked out on her family carrying only a guitar and suitcase. Adele knows that the class assignment was simply to write about a local person, and even though journalists aren’t supposed to be a part of the story, she cannot shake what she discovered and wants to do more to set the record straight. But is there anyone still alive who would care?

In reviewing Without Grace, North Country Public Radio said, “We need more North Country novels like Without Grace, novels with a keen sense of place. Before She was a Finley answers that call.

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