The famous African proverb says it takes a village to raise a child. Well, to market a bestseller it also takes a village of another sort, a self-made coalition of authors.
Just take it from Daylle Deanna Schwartz, author of several books including Nice Girls Can Finish First (McGraw-Hill, 2009). “When I meet a writer I like, I reach out and offer what I know about promoting a book. Others do that for me. I’ll invite someone to be a guest on my blog, ‘Lessons from a Recovering DoorMat,’ if their topic is suitable. Sometimes writers email me for advice and I can do the same… I’ve also gotten online contacts for sites that I can syndicate my blog to. These contacts are hard to find on your own.”
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Although publishing houses typically assign in-house publicists to promote their titles, those budgets are quickly being slashed. The result? Authors are taking it upon themselves to build their own buzz. Since there’s only so much you can do yourself, the latest DIY option is to pool resources with fellow authors to help build a bestseller. And although book sales are the ultimate goal of any promotion, there are countless other rewards waiting for you.
Referrals, Last-Minute Support___ and Edits
For instance, Schwartz is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), and got one of her literary agents from a recommendation from a writer friend at an ASJA holiday party. “I got lots of suggestions on the [online] forum when I had to leave another one… I believe that helping others attracts support in return, though not necessarily from the person I helped. So I try to help other writers when I can and meet writers who feel the same way that help me.”
Alexandra Owens, executive director of the ASJA, mentions one of the first places to start building your network is a professional organization. “Find places where writers interact. Then you can come to a conference, see people in person, join the Facebook group.” Plus, she mentions once you get the word out that you need sources, seeking information about book promotion and joining a professional organization “gives you a huge leg up compared to colleagues who don’t.”
One of the several colleagues Schwartz frequently shares information with is Tina B. Tessina, Ph.D., author of Money, Sex and Kids: Stop Fighting about the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage (Adams Media, 2008). They met on the ASJA forum about 10 years ago, liked each other from reading their posts, and according to Schwartz, “recognized each other as supportive chicks. She always offered her support to me and vice versa. She lives in California and I live in New York. I only just met her in April when she attended the ASJA conference. We were like old friends, reuniting instead of meeting face to face for the first time.”
In addition to sharing blog posts, book reviews, agents, editors, book store information, and more, Tessina knows she can count on her writer friends for a last-minute lift when needed. “In 2008, when my book was about to come out, the editor blindsided me with a last-minute (24 hour notice) need for book blurbs. I was on a cruise, and had to do everything via the ship’s imperfect email system. My ASJA friends came through like troopers, giving me a huge list of powerful blurbs for the book. Again, I’m more grateful than I can express.”
| “We’re all aiming for the same thing — more readers, more sales — so I think a lot of us are happy to collaborate.” |
Another way to share resources is joining or even starting a writer’s group for valuable face time. Gretchen Rubin, New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun (Harper, 2009), says authors know how to write but there’s more to learn in terms of marketing; her groups serve as networking/strategy sessions. “I remember when I did my first book signing and I didn’t know what to write! I didn’t know where to sign it, I was like what do I do? Writers can help you. I’m in another group where it’s just four of us, and we have different careers and we talk about strategies like, “I’m thinking that I need to do more with video, but I can’t decide.”
Two Book Tours are Better Than One
Although bouncing ideas off each other can occur within any genre, some nonfiction writers choose to cross the border and build alliances with fiction authors, too. Essentially, the art of book promotion is different for nonfiction and fiction authors. Although nonfiction authors may frequently share media contacts to be quoted as an expert on a radio show or news program, fiction authors are somewhat limited in their exposure. That said, both nonfiction and fiction authors have an audience which may overlap and find common ground. For instance, a woman reading chick lit may also be interested in reading a nonfiction book about friendship.
Irene Levine, Ph.D. and author of Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup with Your Best Friend (Overlook Press, 2009), met Joanne Rendell, author of The Professors’ Wives’ Club (NAL Trade, 2008), a scholar in residence at NYU. “She hosted a lecture and invited me and it was a wonderful audience, perfect for my book,” says Levine. Plus, they swapped information about the publishing process. “It’s informal knowledge that you learn along the way. No one has more of a vested interest in the marketing of your book than the author.” In another example, Levine forged a blogging alliance with four women who write about friendship from a slightly different perspective. They frequently cross-promote on each others’ blogs.
For Allison Winn Scotch, author of New York Times bestseller The One That I Want (Shaye Areheart Books, 2010), appearing at an upcoming book signing with a fellow author will bolster the size of the crowd and bring in new readers. “I’m doing one of these next month with Jonathan Tropper, whose books I have been a fan of before I was a fiction writer, and I’m almost more excited about it than my solo signings. Again, we’re all aiming for the same thing — more readers, more sales — so I think a lot of us are happy to collaborate in any way possible.”
Crystal Patriarche, founder and publicist for BookSparksPR, notes that joint book signings are a way to build buzz as publishers scale back book tours. Her advice? “Team up with similar authors or debut authors or well-known authors and share an event and introduce each other to your fans.”
We’re All in the (Twitter) Trenches Together
Since the very essence of social media is just that — social — authors have reached out to colleagues online. Winn Scotch has contacted a lot of authors she admires via email, Twitter or Facebook and many have become close friends. “One of my closest friends is an author, Laura Dave, whom I emailed many years ago when I read her first book. We went out to coffee shortly thereafter and now, she is one of my closest confidantes both in the industry and outside of it. We read each others’ drafts, offer counsel on the publishing industry and are just there offering general support… Authors really do enjoy connecting with other authors: we’re all in the trenches together.”
Rubin says authors using social media effectively are promoting others instead of themselves. “It’s a way to shine the spotlight on the things you think are valuable. It’s a fantastic way to help other writers and support other work you think is good.” Kevin Daum, author of Roar! Get Heard in the Sales and Marketing Jungle: A Business Fable (Wiley, 2010), shares media contacts with members of his author’s group which result in media appearances and adds, “It’s better to have someone else talking about your book than you talking about it yourself. You must work every angle.”
The Bottom Line
And as for how the village helps with book sales? “You know, there’s no way to really know — it’s cumulative, especially online,” notes Tessina. “I’m quoted in so many articles, books and blogs that it accumulates. It gets me better Google ratings, I’m more findable online, and that leads to more sales. In this way, I’ve managed to keep my books in print and alive online for many more years than most books last.”
Although Schwartz has seen her numbers on Amazon improve after an appearance, she explains, “Each media hit is like planting a seed that can generate sales. Every seed has potential, which is why it’s always good to get them.”
Building your own seeds through alliances result in a win-win all around in a profession that is otherwise isolated by nature. Schwartz adds, “There’s room for all good writing. If you’re threatened, work on becoming a better writer. A confident one isn’t scared of sharing or losing a sale to someone you help.”
Vicki Salemi is a freelance writer based in New York City. She is the author of Big Career in the Big City: Land a Job and Get a Life in New York. Follow her on Twitter @VickiSalemi.
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