If there is someone who is going to give you the insider track about publishing, that would be me. I love being able to share what I’m learning because so often, there are not other people we can go to for that insight. I have been on this journey with a couple of great nuggets from writers who have been there, but mostly it’s been learning on the job.

So, this week, I want to talk a little bit about marketing and what you may not realize about some of the books you’re constantly seeing!

After you sign your book contract, there is a considerable amount of time spent on edits, of course. I can only speak to adult fiction because that’s my genre, but there were months that passed before marketing was even a thought. But once you get to that faithful time after you’ve turned in your completed manuscript, it’s all about figuring out who is going to read this book and how to let them know about it. Your team may have been thinking about marketing from inception, however, this is when they bring the plan to you.

L’Oreal Thompson Payton and I touched on this in the PTW Office Hours last month, but one of the first things I did after the edits was take a marketing call. This call included my editor, agent, publicist, and marketing person. In this meeting, they are going to talk to you about their ideas and thoughts, and you should also have an opportunity to discuss things you may have in mind as well. You can’t forget that your publishing team is your partner and not your savior. Yes, they will guide you, but the simplest way to put it is, “help them, help you.” Brainstorm some thoughts that you can get their input on and that they may be able to assist you with. It’s a dance though, right? You don’t want to come off as a know it all, they are the professionals, but you want to let them know you’re as invested in your book’s success as they are.

When it comes to marketing, you should be thinking about content for social, any partnerships that may make sense. Podcasts you may listen to or reviewers you have personal relationships with. At Simon & Schuster, they have you complete a questionnaire early in the process that should assist with all those connections and questions. USE YOUR TRIBE! That includes us. If Permission to Write can help, we’ll try!

The hard truth is, every book will have a different level of push behind it. Listen, if you are Jasmine Guillory, it’s going to look totally different than a debut novelist. However, books can be selected as “lead titles” for the season and this is good. This means that although there will be other titles released from your publisher, often called “mid-list,” yours has been selected as a priority. What remains a mystery is how these are determined. But as an author, you don’t really have much control over it. Your job is to put your best work forth and hopefully it fairs well with the powers that be.

Also, as people of color, there are sometimes additional marketing initiatives specific to titles with diverse protagonists and/or authors. For Simon & Schuster, their multicultural marketing department selects eight (8) titles for the year that they will add additional marketing power behind in addition to the traditional marketing resources. This again is specific to relevant brand partnerships, connections with indie bookstores and more.

After that call, there is going to be a lot of work happening quietly in the background. Honestly, at this point, I just get random emails every other day that ask me about my interest in certain things. So your team is going to be working on events, whether they are in person or online. They are going to be pitching your book for publications and lists and for seasonal features. They are also going to be taking requests for interviews and determining where to spend ad dollars. You’ll also have some people reaching out to you directly. I have found that it’s better to loop your publicist into all those requests so they can keep track of everything you’re doing in support of the book.

I have seen a question floating around often about whether authors should hire outside PR help. This was a real question for me because in studying, I know some authors who did enlist additional services. If you are going to hire PR in addition to the support at the publisher, I’ve learned that you should do so early in the process. The news cycle works so far ahead for different features for books. Your publicist starts that work early. If there is internal and external PR, sometimes they will split mediums so they’re not overlapping. So maybe your outside publicist takes print while they take, TV, radio, etc. It all depends, but again, it’s a team effort.

I didn’t make the decision to hire additional PR for a couple of reasons. When I signed my book contract, they included a rough marketing plan which my agent informed me wasn’t necessarily the norm for an unknown debut author like myself. I felt confident that marketing was top of mind from the very beginning, which helped. I also felt like I wanted to learn the ropes a bit first and see what happened. I thought I would get the knowledge under my belt first and then God willing, if I thought I needed additional support on the next book, I would do it. Hopefully with a bigger advance too, to cover it. It’s hard out here in these publishing streets. Lol.

So far, the book has been featured in some pretty cool roundups for summer reads. I’ve started to do some print interviews for online blogs in the romance space and some other writerly spaces online. I actually saw the book in a Simon & Schuster newsletter the other day. And I’ve started some podcast interviews and I’m starting to get invited to some events here and there. In the realm of being a good partner, I’ve even beat the streets a little myself. I was buying books from my local Barnes & Noble and talked to the bookseller there. I was able to get them to shortlist some copies of the book which was great from a casual conversation. I’m also going to go to the library soon. I introduced myself when I got my library card, however, now that we’re closer to the book release, I’m going to make sure I talk to the acquisitions librarian as a local author as well.

The best advocate for your book is well, you. I’ve met so many people over the last few months moving to a new city and all and I don’t make it icky, but if I’m asked about what I do or blah blah blah, I do mention that I have a book coming out. Listen, word of mouth remains undefeated as a marketing tool and so, it’s all about perfecting your short spiel about your book to have handy in conversation.

At the end of the day, selling anything is about marketing. Sometimes, let’s be honest, it doesn’t even have to actually be good. (But boy do I hope people think my book is good). Anyway, it’s all about getting it out in front of people. The right people if you can. There’s more to it than just being a well written book, both fortunately and unfortunately. I know you have seen a book everywhere that you just didn’t think was that good. It’s the same with music, coughs in Jack Harlow. Whatever is deemed a priority, there is a big investment in that priority’s success. While maybe that can seem disheartening, I guess in my weird brain, it’s also encouraging. Like just because a book is more popular doesn’t mean it’s better, if that makes sense?

Anyway, this is a long one, but just trying to peel back that curtain a bit. I hope it helps.

Writing/Job Opportunities

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