Marketing a book is no cakewalk. As an author you often hope your job description comprises: writing, suffering, drinking and writing some more. No one talks about all the work that goes into promoting your work. Authors with major publishing deals try to make sure there's a marketing plan included in their contract; rarely does it happen that the author gets away with writing, followed by an extended period of thumb-twiddling.
My book, Found It: A Field Guide for Mom Entrepreneurs, came out January 12. Its release date was an arbitrary one decided upon by my publisher, Piggott Press. In my contract with them, they promised they'd promote my book like crazy. And they're keeping up their end of the bargain. Why? Because Piggott Press is just me. Being an author/publisher/marketer/promoter, I thought it helpful to those of you thinking about publishing a book to take a look at what my days are like post-launch.
Day 1: Prep for book launch party. Just my luck; Chicago gets its first big snowfall. I'm confident that all of five people will show up and I'll sell two books.
Day 2: Overjoyed. More than 100 people came out for the launch (I heart thick-skinned Chicagoans). Loads of books sold and it was a great party, to boot.
Day 3: Oh right. Work to do. Begin by making lists to promote the book like crazy. One is The Wishlist. One is the Friends Who Know People list. One is the Local Media list. One is the If Only I Had The Budget list. And one is a plea to my TV hero, Stephen Colbert. A girl can dream…
Day 4: Spent the morning writing letters to media contacts I know or who have given me the nod to send them a complimentary copy. Spent two hours after that packaging up my books. I decided to forgo the traditional padded manila envelope for a white box, tissue paper and a huge, eye-catching sticker so it stands out and gives the recipient the feeling that they're getting a present rather than another homework assignment.
Day 5: Answer interview questions via email to four different bloggers. Conduct on-air radio interview with BlogTalkRadio show host. Learn what it is to have massive technical difficulties for the first 15 minutes, ride that through to the end of the interview and then spend the rest of the day putting together more letters and packages to ship out.
Business
Day 6: Get a call from The Nate Berkus Show. They want me to get to NYC to appear as an expert on mom entrepreneurs for a new segment they're running. The New York Times gives me the nod to write up a post for them. Three different people that I do not know post on Twitter that they read my book and thought it was fantastic. This is a great day.
Day 7: Get a call from a friend that The Nate Berkus Show has been canceled. Editor at the New York Times wants me to revise large chunks (like, the whole thing) of what I submitted. Way more than three people I do not know say absolutely nothing about my book on Twitter. This is a realistic day.
