Category Archives: Publicizing a Book

Stepping Out, Part Two

It’s Easy to Find Inviting Paths

As I said in my last post, writers find it easy to either get sidetracked by unproductive projects, or refuse to try anything new because they’re tired of not seeing results for their efforts. I offered several questions to ask yourself in deciding whether or not to bother. The one I didn’t discuss is: How did this project come to my attention?

If someone called you up and asked you to do it, if someone recommended you for the job, or if you seemingly have no hurdles to overcome to get it, then go for it. Maybe it won’t ultimately work out, but if the opportunity came to you rather than you having to search it out (the more typical route), it’s probably worth trying.

Unfortunately, there’s still room for failure. That’s what happened to me when a producer asked me to write a screenplay based on my book, Vanished in Hiawatha: The Untold Story of the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians. I was intrigued by the possibility, but had never written a screenplay before. The man convinced me that with screenwriting software, I could manage, so I gave it a shot.

He was right, in a way. The software made some of the most frustrating aspects of just getting the story down much easier. However, no one should expect their first effort at a new genre to be wonderful, and mine wasn’t. The screenplay was given to a director who very kindly gave me a fairly detailed critique, and I realized I could be going through umpteen iterations before I got the story down in a way that would satisfy any underwriters. I wanted to pursue it, but because I’d already given quite a bit of time to it and didn’t have any kind of guarantee, I decided to let it go.

My takeaway? I took advantage of an exciting opportunity, I learned a new skill, and I looked at my story in a whole new way. I’m better off for having tried screenwriting, I think, even if nothing came of it. And who knows, letting my story percolate in a different way may pay off yet. We’ll see.

Ups and Downs

Museum of the American Indian, courtesy Smithsonian Institution

Writers know that working on a book can be both exhilarating and frustrating, but at least at this point, most of the outcome you desire depends on you. Once the book has been published, though, much of the control leaves your hands and seems to fly out into an indifferent world. This can also be exhilarating and frustrating.

There are several wonderful things that happen when a book launches: You get a box of books in the mail or via UPS that contain “x” number of copies of your masterpiece, which you are then free to inscribe and distribute to your nearest and dearest. Everyone you know is interested in the book and promises to help you publicize it. You know your publisher/publicist/mother–whoever–is trying to get reviews for you. You may or may not be waiting anxiously to read those, but the world is pretty exciting at that point.

After awhile, though, your publisher moves on to other things, and no one seems to be that interested in helping you get the word out. That’s when you have to take delight in the things that do happen. My husband and I took a trip to Washington, DC and visited the Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian. I wanted to give the bookstore manager a copy of my publisher’s flyer if the store wasn’t carrying the book. When my husband spotted Vanished in Hiawatha on the bookshelf already, my face probably lit up enough to illuminate the store! I, instead, went over and thanked the manager for carrying it.

Not too many exciting things have happened since then, but I make sure that I remember that moment. Nothing is too small to enjoy or be grateful for, and I’m grateful for the moments I’ve had.

What’s Your Platform?

A Pile of Unsolicited Manuscripts Taken by Editor Kate Sullivan

Some people may write as a hobby, but those I will term “authors” write because they enjoy it AND because they want others to read and enjoy their work. Publishing is not the uphill battle it used to be, since so many good venues for self-publication are available for authors with specialty topics or works that aren’t accepted at traditional publishing houses. –And believe me, non-acceptance doesn’t necessarily mean poor work! Traditional publishers might have 50 – 150 slots for new books each year, yet receive 5,000 manuscripts. To gain an acceptance anywhere is like winning the lottery!

For nonfiction authors in particular, publishers will ask: “What is your platform?” What in the world does that mean? Publishers are simply asking authors what sort of built-in audience they might have access to. For instance, someone who regularly lectures or speaks in public will already have a name in his or her particular specialty. If the person writes a book on the topic, that author has an established audience familiar with his/her name. Publishers love this!

It pays, of course, to establish your platform before you approach publishers. It is so discouraging to send in your proposal only to hear that question over and over–and to know that you don’t have that built-in audience they want. What can you do, then?

One easy first step is to create a website and write a blog. Work on your blog and write the actual book at the same time–you’ll be in the right place mentally and creatively to make the most of your research. Even if you don’t reach a huge audience, over time you will accumulate material that you may be able to use for an ebook that doesn’t cost much (if anything) to publish. The material shouldn’t be anything you plan to cover in your proposed book, just information you couldn’t include or which goes off on interesting tangents that are related but not usable for your purposes.