To Market, To Market! By Barbara Kennard

In what ways are you, as a writer, also a seller? This question might sound odd especially if you rely solely on others to market your book. Of course writers need publicists to help get our work out into the world; however, by promoting our books we realize that we market too!

I taught English and performing arts to middle and high school students for thirty-five years. but it was only when I started pitching my book that I realized I’d been marketing various activities and expectations to my students all along. 

To market Shakespeare, I chose plays that resonated with teenagers: Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night. My students were motivated by three things that I actually did for my own sanity. I promised they would each be given one responsibility they’d listed on their casting sheet. if they wanted to direct the scene they were in, be in charge of props, or create a drawing for the program cover, I found a way to make that happen for each student. Sometimes I wondered why I had set myself up for this, but I knew the bigger picture: by extending some responsibility to my students with jobs they wanted to do, it freed me from things I couldn’t or didn’t want to do. 

I also gave them costume bags! Who knew such an anomaly would motivate them to get their outfits together?. When I noticed my thespians were discussing staging, working out line delivery, and using props without reminders, I knew it was time to step away and let them work out their scenes. This took more effort on my part than I’d like to admit. I’m a perfectionist and I want things to be a certain way, but imposing that on my students would have denied them the chance to make mistakes and learn from them.

We are so determined in our North American culture to achieve perfection, that we fall to realize mistakes can lead us to much more than what we gain from getting it all right on the first attempt. And that is part of good marketing. We need to let ourselves try things out. 

With Shakespeare, I presented something they knew nothing about and then stepped back to see what unfolded. That’s so important. Whatever you are trying to sell, try your best by addressing what is needed or desired and let it go, let it develop a life of its own, knowing you planted the seed.

We authors need to watch how we market our books. Ask yourself the obvious from time to time: What am I selling and why? How does my perspective reader see me as I market my book? We are part of what we market, but we are not it. We are not the book. Keep some distance between you and your book so your potential buyer is not overwhelmed by you! Let them instead be bowled over by your amazing writing.

We all market. What aspects of marketing are you already doing without knowing it!? I didn’t realize I was marketing Shakespeare to my students, but I was. Whenever you talk about your book, you are marketing it. A few things to keep in mind about that: 

1.  Don’t push your finished book or an ARC on people, whether you’re trying to score a launch or just get your work out there. Ask the person if she’s interested in having one, if so, then you can produce one from your briefcase with a smile.
2.  When talking about your book, get to the heart of it in your first sentence; your goal is to attain and retain this person’s attention long after you’ve departed. 
3.  Be gracious. if someone doesn’t want your ARC, accept that and thank the person for his time. A case in point: An events planner at an indie bookstore I patronize said to no to my ARC and a launch due to keeping a light events schedule. It sounded fishy to me; yet, I mustered my best smile, told him I was disappointed, but understood. He them told me he would ask the book buyers if they would consider having my book on their shelves. So that gives me hope. I also chose to keep the bookstore’s name on my website because at the end of the day it’s not about whether I have a launch at any given bookstore; it’s about how I respond to rejection. We need to take such experiences in our stride and move on.

Whatever your struggle or success, embrace both and remember that creating something new is the highest skill on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Writing is a noble, but difficult calling. We can stay the course with the company of fellow writers and by asking ourselves a few questions along the way. Our answers to these questions change over time.

Why do I write? 

How does being a writer shape me?

What stories do I have to tell that will make a difference in people’s lives?

What do I do well as a writer that is unique to me?

When I feel discouraged, anxious etc about my writing, I do __________________ to encourage myself.

What aspects of my writing give me joy?

Start small. Think about one aspect of your writing that you feel really good about, something that showcases your skill. How can you market that one strength? Have courage! Take the plunge and discover your own ability to sell. You just might recognize that you’ve been marketing your book all along. Excellent! Now take the plunge to discover your next step. 

We all market.

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BARBARA KENNARD taught English and performing arts to elementary, middle, and high school students from 1980–2015 and has received two teaching awards: The Christa McAuliffe Award for Teaching Excellence and The Barbara Kennard Sixth Grade English Prize, established in her name at The Fessenden School by a Fessenden family. Formerly of Boston, Barbara now lives in Texas, with her husband, pianist, Brady Millican, and their cat, Piper. Find her online at barbarakennardauthor.com, facebook.com/barbara.kennard.167, and on twitter @BarbaraKennard7.

DRAGONS IN THE CLASSROOM

As a young book lover with dyslexia, Barbara found the solution to her reading struggles in Miss Gluding, her first grade teacher, who showed compassion for her student’s plight—and knew how to help her. From that time on, Barbara knew what she wanted to be: a teacher, just like Miss Gluding.

Unfortunately, Barbara also had some bad teachers in the years that ensued—including her sixth grade teacher, an exacting woman who called attention to Barbara’s learning disabilities in front of classmates. Still wanting to follow in Miss Gluding’s footsteps in 1964, Barbara vowed she would be a better one than her sixth grade teacher; instead, however, she became very much like her, with unattainable expectations for her students and herself. After seventeen years in the teaching profession, she realized she had to either change her teaching style or change careers. By providence, right as she stood at this crossroads, she was offered the opportunity to teach overseas at The Dragon School in Oxford, England, for a year—an opportunity she jumped at.

In the year that followed, Barbara would rely on her faith in God to give up a lot of what she knew about teaching and learn to do it differently—ways that wouldn’t have room for her perfectionism. In short, she would have to begin again.

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips