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Promotion
by Joyce Lavene

Promotion is the curse word of the writing world. Authors want to write, they don't want to promote. Publishers don't want to spend the money. But how are readers going to identify your work if you don't tell them who you are and what you write?

There are no simple solutions. Most writers start off naively believing someone else will handle this problem for them. That's true for big name authors who get publisher funding to pay for countrywide book signing tours and radio spots. But if you have a book coming out in three months and your publisher says do the best you can, how will you promote your work?

Here are a few guidelines to consider:

• Don't overspend. Promotion money is not necessarily equal to the value you get from it. A first time romance author I know with a big name house bought a whole cover page ad from Romantic Times. It ended up costing her as much as she made on the whole book, which was the average amount you could expect from a first time author.

• Build your promotional base slowly. Readers might go out for something flashy the first time, like a big contest or an interesting gimmick. But will they buy your next book and the one after that without the flash? Think slow but steady. It will help you define your audience and bring loyal readers to your work.

• Do what you can. Becoming a well known, well-paid author is a long-term proposition. Putting yourself into debt on your first book is not the best way to start. Look around for ways to promote yourself that won't mortgage your house or spend your son's college fund.

Copyright © 2001 Joyce Lavene