How to market a novel? And, I mean, how to market a novel NOW?
April 16, 2020 6:35 AM Subscribe
My debut novel, a queer supernatural romantic comedy, is being published in July. Hurray! ... But. I was already feeling a bit at sea in terms of what I can do, as an author, to help get the word out. And now, with the festivals and conventions I'd been scheduled at cancelled, the bookstores closed, and my social media savvy mediocre at best, I'm even more at a loss. What should I be doing? What's the best approach? Can an author, as opposed to the publisher, actually move the needle much on sales at all?
Metafilter's own John Scalzi just had his new one come out - he's an established author, but you might want to check his Twitter and blog for what types of things he's doing. Other authors I follow seem to be doing a lot of Instagram Live for readings, blog tours, giveaways on social media. Snippets are always welcome. And a lot of people are reading other authors' ARCs and recommending the ones they like.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 7:21 AM on April 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by I claim sanctuary at 7:21 AM on April 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
If you're at all a numbers person, or willing to learn, there's a lot that can be done with paid advertising via Facebook or Google Ads with a fairly small budget -- say $5-$10/day. (Edit: this assumes that spending a little money is possible for you, which I totally understand is a big assumption!)
I will say that, if you're not good at that kind of thing, it's also a very easy way to throw away money, but if you happen to be a person who's good at sifting through data and drawing conclusions, it can really work wonders.
posted by nosila at 7:26 AM on April 16, 2020 [2 favorites]
I will say that, if you're not good at that kind of thing, it's also a very easy way to throw away money, but if you happen to be a person who's good at sifting through data and drawing conclusions, it can really work wonders.
posted by nosila at 7:26 AM on April 16, 2020 [2 favorites]
Author (and marketing professional) Amy Spalding did a twitter thread on this recently that's worth a read.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:38 AM on April 16, 2020
posted by Lyn Never at 7:38 AM on April 16, 2020
I've learned a great deal from Reedsy Learning. Although it's mostly targeted towards self-publishing authors, there's plenty there for a trad-published author as well. They send short lessons each morning, which I personally retain more from than just trying to read through a big article. Start with Book Marketing 101 and How to Create the Ultimate Book Marketing Plan.
While you're doing that, check out The Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman. Her blog and resources are also really useful. The one big takeaway I got from that book is that authors are actually in a better position to move the needle than they might think -- but also have to put more of their own efforts into it than they might think.
Finally, I thought this article about book birthdays was a really good dose of perspective. It's not about how the book sells the first day, or the first three months -- it's about how it performs over the long term. The best way to sell a book is to write the next one, so don't set all your hopes on this book, then stop writing if sales are discouraging.
Good luck! It looks like a really fun book!
posted by shirobara at 7:42 AM on April 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
While you're doing that, check out The Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman. Her blog and resources are also really useful. The one big takeaway I got from that book is that authors are actually in a better position to move the needle than they might think -- but also have to put more of their own efforts into it than they might think.
Finally, I thought this article about book birthdays was a really good dose of perspective. It's not about how the book sells the first day, or the first three months -- it's about how it performs over the long term. The best way to sell a book is to write the next one, so don't set all your hopes on this book, then stop writing if sales are discouraging.
Good luck! It looks like a really fun book!
posted by shirobara at 7:42 AM on April 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
Based on the publisher blurb, I'm assuming your book does qualify as a romance. A lot of romance readers (like me) rely on the always growing web of romancelandia sites and podcasts for recommendations. Jen Reads Romance has a pretty good starting list in her FAQ (scroll down to "I'm hooked). Reviews on sites like these or podcast interviews will definitely get your book in front of people who seem like your target audience.
posted by thatquietgirl at 9:50 AM on April 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by thatquietgirl at 9:50 AM on April 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
There was a different AskMe question about book promotion that might be useful to you-- some of the advice won't apply to your situation, but some will. Here's some advice I gave in that thread that I think applies:
Broadly speaking, when you're figuring out where to spend your limited promotional time, you should look for the intersection of "wide reach" and "hungry for guest content."posted by yankeefog at 9:57 AM on April 16, 2020 [2 favorites]
A lot of podcasts fall into this category -- anybody with a weekly interview show is always on the lookout for people to interview. Try to think as broadly as possible about what topics you could talk on. You could pitch yourself to podcasts about fantasy; the writing/publishing process; general nerdery; books; LGBTQ+ issues, or anything else you think might be relevant...
Finally: my (totally unscientific) theory is that 99.9% of author marketing has no significant effect on sales. It's still worth doing, because you might stumble on that .1% that makes your book blow up. But don't spend money or time you can't afford on marketing, and don't beat yourself up if your book doesn't end up selling. They say the best marketing for a book is another book, and there's some real truth in that. History is full of authors whose early books didn't get much attention until later books made them famous. You've done your job by writing the best book you can, and most of the rest is up to fate.
above paragraph copied from a peptalk I often give myself at 4AM
I don't have much to add but did want to say that this sounds like exactly my cup of tea and when it comes out you should MeMail me with info about how I can purchase it online!
posted by forza at 3:18 PM on April 16, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by forza at 3:18 PM on April 16, 2020 [5 favorites]
I read queer supernatural romance - I find out about new authors on Goodreads, especially from the "similar books" feature. I'm not sure how it all works, but definitely get an author page there.
Maybe also offer copies to influential reviewers for honest reviews?
posted by jb at 9:46 PM on April 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
Maybe also offer copies to influential reviewers for honest reviews?
posted by jb at 9:46 PM on April 16, 2020 [1 favorite]
I do not have advice but would really like to read your book!
posted by bile and syntax at 10:35 AM on April 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by bile and syntax at 10:35 AM on April 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
You may want to pick up Courtney Maum's Before and After the Book Deal.
I know you say you don't like social media, but it may actually be a necessary evil when it comes to moving the needle, as you say, on book sales--particularly right now. Follow all the writers in your genre and podcasts you can identify. If you're self-conscious about tweeting, do a lot of retweeting and liking.
Some reading series are doing virtual events you could potentially look into--or start your own and invite a few writers with books coming out to join you.
The good news is, an author can sometimes influence publicity more than a publisher, which may or may not make your book its priority. But you have to get on it early and be inventive. Are you sending ARCs to potential reviewers, or leaving that all up to the press? Did they ask you to make a list of places you want it sent? If not, you can do that, yourself. Have you published excerpts in journals/online?
posted by Miss T.Horn at 6:34 PM on April 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
I know you say you don't like social media, but it may actually be a necessary evil when it comes to moving the needle, as you say, on book sales--particularly right now. Follow all the writers in your genre and podcasts you can identify. If you're self-conscious about tweeting, do a lot of retweeting and liking.
Some reading series are doing virtual events you could potentially look into--or start your own and invite a few writers with books coming out to join you.
The good news is, an author can sometimes influence publicity more than a publisher, which may or may not make your book its priority. But you have to get on it early and be inventive. Are you sending ARCs to potential reviewers, or leaving that all up to the press? Did they ask you to make a list of places you want it sent? If not, you can do that, yourself. Have you published excerpts in journals/online?
posted by Miss T.Horn at 6:34 PM on April 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
I am a big reader, follow book bloggers and listen to bookish podcasts, and it's where I hear about a lot of upcoming stuff. Other people will know more about pitching interviews to bloggers or podcasters, but I have bought books by people I'd never heard of before because my favorite podcasters interviewed them. And I find what I'm going to read mostly through book blogs relating to my genre. So that's where I'd focus my energy if I were you.
posted by gideonfrog at 6:56 AM on April 16, 2020 [1 favorite]