The Savvy Book Marketer

Author Success Story - Selling at Local Events

April is National Poetry Month. In today's author success story, I'm interviewing author and poet Debra Winegarten about her success in promoting her book "There's Jews in Texas?" through local events.

Welcome Debra. You posted a photo of your signing at Austin's Bookwoman bookstore on your Facebook page, and I couldn't help but notice the giant $160 check in the photo, made out to Bookwoman. What's the story there? 

On my birthday, I decided to run a Facebook promotion and asked my friends to buy a total of 54 books, one for each year I've been on the earth, and for each book or ebook sold, I would donate $1 to Bookwoman. The promotion turned out to be so successful (I think I sold 12 books the first day I posted it), that I decided to continue running the special up to my book launch -- and ended up selling 80 books. I then decided for even more fun, and to support my local independent bookstore (one of the last 12 feminist book stores left in the U.S.) I would match the donations, 1:1. Hence, the check for $160. Fun!

That's a great story! Tell us more about the signing at Bookwomen.

For invitation purposes, I did a combination Facebook event page invitation, and good old-fashioned postcards. I ordered oversized postcards from Vistaprint with my book cover on one side, and information about the event on the other. I also put my website on the postcard and told folks if they couldn’t attend the event but wanted the book, they could order from my website. I received three orders that I know of from the postcard. 

The event was magical. About 40 people came, filling up every available chair. There were people from my synagogue, Austin Writergrrls, women I didn’t know who read about the signing in the Chronicle and brought friends, members of my critique group, people from the UT Astronomy Department where I work, and many members of the Austin poetry community. I even had a friend in Israel Skype in – we gave her a front-row seat and talk about a trooper – it was midnight in Haifa when we started and 1:30 am by the time we ended, and she stayed up for the whole event. 

I read new poetry as well as a few poems from the book, talked about my other three books, my writing career, and encouraged folks to buy “There’s Jews in Texas?” We laughed a lot and cried a little, I took questions from the audience, and then we went to book buying and signing, as well as gobbling up goodies from the veggie and cheese trays from Central Market. I think we sold 34 books, with some folks buying multiple copies, always a good thing.

Author Success Story - Getting Regional Media Coverage

In today's Author Success Story, I'm interviewing Dr. Wade McCoy about his success in landing regional media coverage for his book, A Rainbow in the Dark, which he co-authored with Patrick Chalfant. The book is a fictionalized account of the extraordinary early life of Dr. Henry Kirkland, a black man who grew up in rural Oklahoma in the 1940s and 50s and became a noted university professor.

Dr. McCoy, how were you able to land television interviews to promote your book?

As with many things, breaks often come from "luck" and people you know. But in general, authors need a "hook" or angle that will get the media's attention. Timing is a big issue too. Because my book has race relations in it, Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January and Black History Month in February are good times to get publicity. You really have to think "how can I make my book current and relevant today."  

 We have been on two television segments and one online video associated with our newspaper, The Oklahoman. The first interview I was able to get because I had the interesting hook of being a doctor and diagnosing my former professor, Dr. Kirkland, with a serious condition that could have caused blindness if gone undiagnosed. I called and asked for the news director at Channel 4 in Oklahoma City. I got passed around and finally connected with a local reporter that does segments called "Is this a great state or what?"

We were also on a local cable talk show. This just came because I learned about it and they are always looking for content, especially local influence. That show is called "Live on KSBI" and we are going to do another segment with them on Black History Month.

The video interview was a result of the newspaper article we landed in The Oklahoman and it's on their website. 

The host on the Oklahoman video did a great job of featuring your book. Did you give her any interview questions or prompting in advance?

We did not give her questions, but she had read the newspaper article already. When doing television interviews, be sure to supply them with any relevant photos and a copy of the book. Photos really add to the story and keep people's attention. Also, realize that the segment is amazingly short. Be quick and say as much as you can, and be good to your host by not going on and on. This will keep them from having to do a lot of editing.

What advice do you have for other authors on getting coverage in regional media?  

NEVER turn down the chance to talk about your book to a group or do a signing. No matter how small the group, you never know what that contact will lead to. Our coverage has been in the local Oklahoma City area and now soon in Tulsa. We have designed a media kit, and plan on reaching out to the Dallas market next.

 Savvy Tip

Authors, remember that regional media coverage can be a stepping stone to broader markets. By doing interviews on local radio or television shows, you will gain confidence and experience and you'll also start to generate audio and video clips that you can show to larger media outlets. It works the same way with print media – start local and then expand your publicity efforts.  

Author Success Story - Working with Libraries

Recently, author Betty White posted a message on my Savvy Book Marketing group on Facebook, which I have reprinted below with her permission:

"Last night was my first ever book signing for my novel, The Shelter at Papa's Farm. The signing was held at my local library. The head of Adult Services, Maura, who invited me to present my book, told me to expect only a handful of people but we had about 25 people and most everyone bought a book!!! So, I was pleasantly surprised, a bit nervous, but got through it and by the time the Q & A's started, I was relaxed and had some fun. I also made a token donation from the sales of the book to the library, they were thrilled with that. It was fun."

Betty's story is a great example of how authors can work with libraries. I encourage authors to contact their local libraries about speaking opportunities and other programs for working with local authors. Some libraries do let authors sell books at their events and some even pay authors to do educational presentations. Policies vary greatly among libraires, but you'll never know what opportunities exist until you ask.

If you're interested in selling your book to libraries, you can learn more in my book, The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Selling Your Book to Libraries.