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AAW Writers Helping Writer’s Series: Part 3- The Princess of Guerilla Marketing, Linda Dominique Grosvenor - Page 4

© Dee Y. Stewart

There are ways to promote and market for free and I teach all about it in my course, so this course will definitely appeal to those on a limited budget. Sending out a press release is all right, however you can't limit it to just that. You have to anticipate where the readers of your press release will go looking for "said" book and then you have to make sure that the books are stocked there. As far as press release agencies, imagine if you can how many press releases the person you are sending it to receives daily. You've got to stand out and you must follow up AND you must do more than just send out a press release. Here comes another clichés-don't put all of your eggs in one basket.

Has there been any completely disastrous appearance or signing that we can learn from?

I've heard of signings where absolutely no one showed up. I've heard plenty of authors arriving and having no books to sell so the author signed postcards or flyers. As an author yes if you have a publicist you want them to make your events and appearances as smooth as possible, however like Oprah says, sign your own checks--meaning you can just as easily pick up the phone and call the event organizers just to double check that things are right on schedule.

What about newspaper and radio coverage?

I've heard authors who got radio and newspaper coverage and didn't see any significant sales from it. Some incorporate newspaper and radio with their marketing/promotion plan, which is key. Bottom line is you need a plan. If you get on the air and no one has any idea who you are and your book hasn't previously been "talked-up" then radio is okay but it's not going to make the listener say, "there's that author again, I got an email about her, I think I'll get her book." Every author needs a full promotion campaign to be truly successful.

So is the book tour essentially dead?

I believe that a book tour is beneficial to authors who have an impressive following--now by following I mean more than just mom, dad, cousin and ex-boy/girlfriend. If you are a new author, sure it won't hurt to go out and meet some new faces and try to push your book, but don't expect lines and tons of people to show up just because you are at a mall. It seems that every bookstore in every mall across America has an author signing every single Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the month. Book signings aren't as prestigious as they used to be--unless you're raffling off a brand new car at one. It's for that reason that many major publishers aren't sending their authors on tour--they are putting their limited promotion dollars elsewhere. Bottom line even the majors want you to prove you can sell books before they foot the bill for your airfare to various states.

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