*Gasp!*  I.  Am. Blogging.  I’m actually blogging since, well, forever.  The question is this:  who's still reading this blog?  If you are one of the few who've stuck with me, I am so sorry about the absence.  Blame readergirlz.  Blame synopsis-hell (but yay! I just sent it in to my editor & agent!).  Blame...my writer-in-residency (why did I think it was a good idea to guide an entire school of K-6th graders in writing their own novellas????).  *sigh*

But back to BookSmart. 

So two (yes, T-W-O!) critically-acclaimed writer-friends told me recently that some of their books are OSI—out-of-stock indefinitely.  Translation:  their publisher won’t print more of their books. 

The kicker, of course, is that after the OSI decision had been made, my writer-buddies were told that they had needed to sell a minimum of 500 copies a year to be kept in print.  Never mind that if they had been told earlier—say, six months ago—they might have been able to do something about their sales figures!  Never mind awards.  Never mind starred reviews. 

Okay, rather than be the Literary CSI who determines What Went Wrong, I’d rather focus on What Can Be Done. 

So how the heck do you keep marketing a book that’s been in print for years so your book doesn’t go OSI? 

ALA Midwinter was thrilling, and a shout out to Kirby Larson for her Newbery Honor, celebrating Hattie Big Sky.  If you want the inside scoop on Kirby's savvy launch marketing, make sure to check out BookSmart's September 27, 2006 interview with her, Building Buzz for New Books!  

Speaking of buzz for new books, I shared an interview with Girls, Inc. with Audrey D. Brashich, author of All Made Up: A Girl's Guide to Seeing Through Celebrity Hype and Celebrating Real Beauty.  She is a media sensation, being a former teen model, not to mention highly articulate, a true intellectual, and a passionate proponent of girls' self-esteem.  She and her book have been featured prominently on CNN, CBS and NBC TV, as well as in USA Today and the Chicago Tribune. 

BookSmart:  What are the top 3 best things you did to launch your book?

BookSmart:  What would you do differently?

Audrey:  Get more educated about writers conferences, library associations etc. to pitch myself as a speaker for those events.  Really make up a game plan with a 6 month lead time (ie, to get into Holiday Gift lists, etc., you've got to be planning at the start of the fall...)

BookSmart:  You have a great newsletter.  What program do you use?  How was it helped you marketing wise?  And then...costs...how much?

Please note:  I don’t mean to be preachy, but it is Martin Luther King Junior’s Day…and I have a dream.

Yes, I have a dream.  I have a dream that every writer will give back to the world, not just with our words but with our actions. 

Today, I want to give a shout out to writers who put serious action behind their words.  Authors like James Patterson who is giving away $500,000 for literacy with his PageTurner Awards, and Dave Eggers who started 826 National to help kids 6-18 with writing, and Isabel Allende who created a foundation that helps literacy, women empowerment & peace.  There are countless other writers doing amazing philanthropy, I’m sure.  So a heartfelt thanks to all of them.

The wonderful part about this dream is that you can be at any part of your writing career—on the cusp, breaking out, or at the top, like James, Dave and Isabel.

Say publication is a dream itself for you.  Guess what?  Your skills are in demand:  read aloud to kids at a public school.  Lend your writing skills to a non-profit organization; pen an article or two for them.  If you’re in any of the cities where 826 National, volunteer there.  All of us can give some time to our local SCBWI chapter.  They are always looking for great, cheerful, can-do, will-do volunteers, and what they do to bond and promote our writing community is priceless.  Or, heck, all of us have time to write a fan letter to our favorite overlooked authors—perhaps your best friend in your critique group who just got her umpteenth rejection letter.  The bottom line is:  let’s add goodness to our world.

If you have published a book, celebrate and honor it with a philanthropic act.  It can be as simple as releasing a few copies of your book in unexpected places:  leaving it in a hospital lobby or at a park (preferably during nice, dry weather) for that right someone to happen on it, right day, right time.  Perhaps it’s donating as many copies as you can possibly afford to First Book.

But I think there’s a bigger opportunity to do more good with your work.  Obviously, there was a reason why you wrote what you did, explored the theme that you chose (or that chose you):  depression, body image, abandonment, friendship, peace.  Perhaps your YA novel is about an alcoholic father, an abusive mother, a friend with anorexia.  Maybe your middle grade novel is a fantasy featuring an orphaned boy...

As we all know, virtually every issue has a corresponding non-profit.  And those non-profit organizations are looking for ways to connect people to their cause, to educate the world about their issue, and to get their organization in the news.  Literature—from picture books to novels—are the best bridges to do just that--they impassion and illustrate and educate.  

Think about it:  a soon-to-be-published book is a news hook that they could potentially use to highlight their organization and raise awareness about their mission.  So be brave.  Do your research.  Find wonderful non-profit organizations that map to your book's purpose.  Ask around to see if anyone you know has worked at the organization (six degrees really does work).  Contact the organization (the VP of communication is a good place to start).  Send them your ARC.  Ask them if there is a way for you to work together to promote—not your book (that’s icky and self-serving), but their group!  

Trust me.  You words will help so many more people by aligning with a philanthropic group.  Your books will help the kids who you imagined as you typed at three in the morning.  The ones who haunted you when you thought you'd just toss your manuscript because, gosh, who really cares...  But they were there.  They always are:  our readers who need our words.

So to my writer-buddies who asked me:  What's YOUR New Year's Resolution?  I tell them:  it's actually my career resolution.  As soon as I got my first contract, I promised myself to tie every book I publish with something philanthropic. 

Let’s start a movement!  Sara Zarr and Debbi Florence and Janet Lee Carey and Dia Calhoun and Lorie Ann Grover are all getting on the philanthropic wagon.  Join us!  And if you've already been leading the charge, we salute you!

(And if you want more info about this, let me know.  I could blog for months about this.)

Happy New Year, everyone!  I actually love making resolutions…probably because I try not to be too hard on myself if I fall a little short.  Trying is the operative word.  And I’m always inspired when friends (like Debbi Florence) actually fulfill every last resolution that they make.  I guess my personal philosophy is every little bit that I do to chip away at my resolutions helps me become a better person, a better mom, a better spouse, a better friend…and a better marketer.

Yes, a better marketer!  (You didn’t think I’d actually write something for this blog that wasn’t tied into marketing somehow, did you?)

So while you’re ruminating about your 2007 writing goals, give some thought to your marketing goals this year.

Consider these career-delving questions:

1. What is the gift you are giving to your readers (future or existing) with your work?
2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years as a writer?  10 years?  (Are you scaling the bestseller lists?  Are you writing the best work you possibly can, lists and accolades be damned?  Are your readers clamoring for more of your work?)
3. What is the one thing that you are most afraid of doing in terms of book promotions?  (Is it public speaking?  Is it talking to booksellers?  Is it chatting up your book because you feel that’s icky?)

And then think about what you can do that feels good and right to you that can help you achieve those career goals.  For instance, could you take a public speaking class?  Could you start a database of your fans?  Could you clear out a week to visit all your local booksellers? 

Really, for every 3 writing goals you have, try to make 1 marketing goal.  Have fun!

Greetings from Windstorm 2006 in the Pacific Northwest!  After four days without power, I’m back online, and I can’t tell you enough what a wonderful thing electricity is. 

So a few days ago, before fir trees started toppling onto power lines, I interviewed the lovely and booksmart Diane Duthweiler, former news producer-turned-part-time author-escort.  If Seattle is part of your book tour, make sure you request Diane.  She is incredibly knowledgeable and energetic.  Plus, she very generously shared a ton of tips for authors based on her media background AND watching what makes authors shine at events.

Here are Diane’s Top 10 Tips to make the most of your time at bookstores and media stops…

1. Remember that the book tour is all about creating buzz.  The truth is, book tours can be hard on the ego.  As Diane says, “Even well-known authors can sometimes have only one or two people in the audience.”  (Justina’s commentary:  I can’t underscore this enough!  There will be some events where I felt like a rock star, and then others where a dirty kitchen sponge would have been more welcome than me.)  So just keep repeating that this is all about the buzz, all about the buzz. 
2. At bookstores, always make sure to meet the Community Relations Manager and bookstore manager.  Talk to the rest of the staff; engage them in conversation. Diane’s favorite conversation starter for shy authors:  “Where do you put my book?”  Time and time again, Diane has seen booksellers pushing a book hard simply because the author introduced herself and connected with them.
3. THANK the manager and staff for selling your book! 
4. At bookstore events, keep your reading short.  Aim for 5-15 minutes max.  And leave lots of time for questions.
5. Humor works well in bookstore events. 
6. As you hop between events, Diane encourages you to take the time to analyze what went well, what didn’t.  And fix it for the next event. 
7. As you plan your tour, consider non-traditional venues.  According to Diane, one of the most successful book events she’s seen was held at a knitting shop for a detective story that had some knitting references.  Niche marketing is very successful.
8. If you are doing media interviews, always, always, always ask your author escort about the format of the show.  Publicists may not know regional media, but the author escorts do.  They’ll let you know about the hosts, the types of questions you’ll be asked, and most importantly, they can give you tips about how to place your body and face depending on the camera angles.  (Justina's commentary:  Oh, boy, this is super important as we know once we’ve seen ourselves on air.)
9. Always arrive camera-ready.  Bring your own make-up for touch-ups, and powder if you don’t want a shiny face.  (Justina’s commentary:  And who wants to be known as the author with a shiny face?)
10. Mine your connections.  Diane says, “Instead of leaving it to the publicist, make sure to make the call to the reporter who interviewed you for your last book.”  Of course, she adds, you’ll want to run this through your publicist to make sure that they aren’t also contacting that reporter. 

I tried to talk Diane into starting an author workshop where she could tour first-time authors to different bookstores and work with them on their presentation skills.  Don’t you think this would be helpful?

(Have I mentioned how thrilled I am to be in a warm home with power on?!)

Are book tours really worth it, a writer-buddy of mine wanted to know.  And if they are, what do you do if your publisher doesn’t send you out on a multi-city one, complete with a publicist and media escorts awaiting you at every stop?

To be honest, whether book tours are “worth it” depends on your definition, objectives and where you are in your career.  Personally, I think a book tour’s primary objective is to get you out there to meet booksellers, librarians, and readers and to generate buzz for you and your book—rather than simply straight book sales. 

Since book tours can be expensive, there are ways that you can conduct your own Do-It-Yourself Book Tour if you don’t happen to have publisher support—yet.  There are tales about an author piling into an RV and touring the entire country.  That makes me tired just thinking about it.  I'd rather be writing.  But here are a few topline thoughts...

Start locally, build nationally.  Visit all the major bookstores in your local area and introduce yourself to the book buyer, store manager, and community relations manager.  They’re busy, and won’t be able to spend more than a few minutes with you.  Be pleasant and succinct:  what your book is about and who you consider the ideal reader.  Bring your book in case they don't stock it.  Hand out bookmarks, if you have them.  And by all means, follow up with a thank you note.  If you’re shy, grab a published writer-buddy and go with him/her to make the local bookstore rounds.  And whatever you do, support these booksellers.  Attend their events.  (You should do this anyway to see how other authors do presentations.)   

Buddy up on your book tour.  Last May, acclaimed poet Janet Wong and wonderful children’s book author/illustrator Grace Lin took me on my inaugural book tour, which we named Hi-YAH!  We hit the east coast one week (Boston, NY, NJ), I did Chicago on my own and then hooked up with Janet for the west coast leg (Seattle, SF).  Our publishers set up a few of the events for us, but booked the rest on our own…down to radio and TV interviews.  This was so much more fun and effective than touring on our own.

Leverage your own travel plans.  If you’re traveling anyway—for business or pleasure—add in a few bookstore.  Word has it that bookstores ideally like 8 weeks advance notice to arrange an event.  But if the bookstore isn’t up for throwing an event for you, I am an advocate for a “drive-by signing”—where you call ahead and ask the bookseller to pull your stock so that you can sign your books.  You can schedule this a day ahead. 

Hire a media escort.  If you’re in a major metropolis area (Chicago, SF, LA, Seattle, Boston), I recommend hiring a media escort if you can possibly afford it.  These are wonderful people who know every single bookstore, the booksellers by name, and all their locations!  They also have media contacts that they are happy to share with you prior to your “tour." 

Even better, travel with a writer-buddy, and share the cost of the media escort.  This is what I did with Janet Carey when we were at the SCBWI National meeting in LA. In hindsight, we could have asked one other author to go with us; there was room in the car. We covered at least TWICE as many bookstores as we would have been able to visit left to ourselves, and were brought to the right bookstores for our books. 

If you do hire a media escort, create a 1 page “fact sheet” with your book cover, ISBN, and any accolades it’s received to date.  I gave away those along with buttons made from www.buttonarcade.com and bookmarks to every bookseller I met.

Yes, Virginia and writer-buddies, there is a Santa Claus, and his name is Kent Brown, publisher of Boyds Mill Press.  

Over the weekend, I was at NCTE in Nashville, signing at the Charlesbridge booth, when Kent "Santa" Brown wandered by and spotted me as the newbie author that I am.  Before I knew it, he had hand-sold a dozen of my picture books:  "Come on, folks! These are going fast!"  I swear, I have never seen my books move so quickly off a table.  But back to my new hero, Mr. Brown, who, with a twinkle in his eyes, gave me some great advice.  So I thought I'd pass it on to you for your next conference:

Name tag:  You know those ugly conference badges?  Mr. Brown told me to tie mine higher around my neck so that when I sat, people could actually see my name and make the connection that I was the author.  Doesn't that make so much sense?

Selling books:  Mr. Brown then quizzed me.  And I failed.  Big Time.  
Quiz:  Let's say someone asks you how much your book is?  
The right answer:  Oh, gosh, I'm not sure; I'm just the author.  But my publisher who happens to be sitting next to me here can tell you.  

So I signed a few more books, and by the time I had a chance to look up to to tell Mr. Brown thank you, like magic, he had disappeared.


One More Fun & Easy Conference Tip:
I had the incredible privilege of presenting with Sarah Dessen of the amazing JUST LISTEN, THIS LULLABY, AND TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER fame.  What a great woman and awe-inspiring writer--not to mention incredible speaker who exudes warmth, fun and smarts.  Anyway, her publisher created a flyer with that listed all the times that she was signing at their booth during the conference.  And the woman who introduced her distributed the flyer to everyone at our session!  Now, that's a brilliant tactic and easy enough for any of us to do, too!  

Okay, maybe not 101 uses for your Advanced Readers Copies, but here are some ways to maximize the marketing power of your ARCs. 

I have to say, getting my ARC was sort of like seeing my kids’ ultrasounds in vitro:  it’s almost a book, but needs a little more cooking before it’s ready for the bookshelves.  From a marketing perspective, ARCs are one of the best tools we authors have to help our publishers build buzz.

How many ARCs you get from your publisher largely depends on how many you or your agent have negotiated in your contract.  My super-agent negotiated quite a few for me. 

The fact is, ARCs, amazingly, are more expensive to print than hardcover final copies.  So I can understand how budget-conscious publishers need to be.  Still, what happens if, say, you’re like one Newbery winner whose publisher very, very reluctantly gave her the big whopping 7 ARCs or another couple writer-buddies who only received 5?

ü      Create your list of absolutely stellar “influentials”—all the people who will talk up your book IF they truly, madly, deeply love it.  This doesn’t include your mom and dad and best friends—unless, of course, they are major booksellers or professional publicists.  These are people who influence the reading habits of others and who you personally know—librarians who are published and respected, booksellers who drop off chocolate to your house when you’re sick (really—one does for me. Here’s a shout out for Chauni at All for Kids Books!!).  Alternatively, they could be subject experts about whatever you’ve written about—and having their endorsement could translate into book buzz.

ü      Count up your contacts and if you truly believe that they are stellar and will help build buzz for your book, then I’d recommend emailing the names ever so humbly to your editor.  That way, your publisher can see if those names are already on their database and can judge the quality of your contacts for themselves.  You can always ask if your publisher would consider sending to your influentials list.  The worst thing that could possibly happen is to be told:  No, sorry.  (Well, you could also feel immensely foolish, but you'll feel worse and wimpy if you don't even try...EVER SO HUMBLY!!!!)

Once you’ve got your ARCs in your hot little hands, here’s what you could do:

ü      Personalize the ARCs, of course, with your autograph.

ü      Include a handwritten, personal note about the book and why you’re sending it to the recipient.  You can encourage a dialog about your book, if you so chose, by making sure they had your email.

ü       Channel your inner Martha and make the ARC look like a present.  I mean, who doesn't love getting a present in the mail?  It's simple:  tie a ribbon that's color-coordinated with your book cover around the ARC. Then you can tuck the personalized note under the ribbon.  This does not have to expensive at all and you do NOT have to include anything other than your note--no cute little but budget-eating trash and trinkets necessary.  I must confess that I'm a Tuesday Morning junkie--a closeout retailer--and found my very cute, matching ribbon and notes there for something like a total of $20 for my entire mailing.  I got so many comments about the "packaging" from my recipients who actually opened the package and then took the time to read the book and then to email me about it.  So there you have it.

So I was curious about how to make my website work better for me.  After all, I've got one!  So I asked my web designer, Susan Giordano, who understands branding better than almost anyone I know.  Aside from becoming a buddy of mine, she is a partner in GKD (Giordano Kearfott Design). GKD is a small, highly focused team of designers, writers and developers working with individuals and businesses who are launching a new product, service or moving their business in a new direction. 

Question:  So, Susan, based on your experience designing websites, what makes for a compelling, effective website?

Susan's Answer:  First and foremost:  Content. Content. Content. Make it interesting, useful or entertaining (choose any combination). Then change it on a regular basis. 

Second: Personality is the differentiator between your site and that competitor site just a click away. And the design of the site is an instant personality broadcast. Your personality is your brand, so make it accurate, consistent and unique to you.

Third. Make it easy for people to get to know your site. Simple, clear navigation and quick loading pages are two sure bets.

Question:  What are the best ways to promote a website?

Susan's Answer:  I'm a firm believer in PR. I've seen sites gain an audience through smart online and offline PR efforts. Second utilizing well known SEO (search engine optimization techniques) will help your site show up in the search results and drive new (and sometimes unexpected) site visitors. 

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My former online marketer at Little, Brown, the amazing and sorely missed Miss Emilie, agreed with updating our author websites regularly.  Here's what she said:    "Have a news section where you can post little updates about the latest happenings related to you and the book.  Have a press section so you can link to all the wonderful press features.  If you’re touring, include the schedule on your site so your fans can meet you.  And make sure to include a contact section.  You can either include a generic mailbox for them to email you at or you can create a form on the page so they can fill in the fields from their browser window and send you messages.  This makes the whole process seem a little more personal which is key for your fans.  It doesn’t have to be all business either, include some fun facts, personal stories about the writing process or experiences you want them to know about.  This makes it more personal which fans appreciate."

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So...as soon as I translate "search engine optimzation techniques" into language that technological doofus brains like myself can understand, I'll post that.  But then again, cleaning out my refrigerator somehow seems more appealing!  Ho hum.  I better go update my website.

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Today I start my first Writer-in-Residency at a local school.  I know this year-long commitment  is different from a standard school visit, but I asked Meg Lippert, Charlotte Zolotow award honoree, about what's worked for all of her school visits.  Since her first storytelling workshop in 1975, Meg has done about 500 school visits.  She also has a new picture book out this November 5, THE TALKING VEGETABLES, which means she's hitting the road again.

Question:  What would you say are the elements that make for the most successful school visits?

Meg's Answer:  
1.  Communication beforehand.  I call the contact person (usually the school librarian) well in advance of the program to find out what kind of program she is after.  I do four programs a day, usually 2 assemblies and 2 smaller workshops.  We decide together how the students will be grouped and what the focus of each program will be.  Since I'm both a storyteller and a published author, sometimes I'm asked to develop a program focused on specific issues or folk tales from a certain culture.  Other times I'll suggest programs that have been working well for me.  I focus on storytelling or on writing, depending on what the contact person requests.  I send a packet of materials beforehand, including book pre-order forms, bookmarks, and follow up activities to duplicate for each student. I make sure if there are more than 100 children I will have a mic, and I ask that there be a table where I can display my books and story props.  Although I prefer that they handle the book sales with a local bookstore, sometimes they ask me to bring books to sell. I borrow stock from Island Books, my local independent bookstore on Mercer Island, so all the checks are made out to them.

2. Preparation. I encourage the librarian to prep the students for my arrival. Ideally, the students have heard or read several of our stories (I say "our," because my recent books have been co-authored with Liberian storyteller Won-Ldy Paye and illustrated by Seattle artist Julie Paschkis). 

3. Setting the stage.  I get there early and scope the place out.  If I'm in the library, I try to set myself up on the wide side so I'm closer to more children.  I need time to settle in and create a nest where I'm comfy.  I used to rely on school easels to display my "big books," but now I bring my own (folding easels from Office Depot). I even bring my own lunch as most school lunches aren't gourmet (neither is my peanut butter sandwich, but the bread is homemade!).

4. Flexibility. I've been interrupted by fire drills, sick kids, and teachers who use the time to grade papers or talk with colleagues in the back.  I soldier on if the kids aren't distracted, but if they are, I pause and address the problem as quickly and as unobtrusively as possible.  I adjust my pace to fit the tone of the group.  I love feeling bonded to a group of students through a shared story. I love the silences as they soak up the images, and I love the laughter about something crazy or unexpected that delights them.

5. Record keeping. I am obsessive about records.  At the end of each day I record in a notebook every story I tell to every group. I also write a half page or so of "notes," things that worked surprisingly well, or things that I tried and flopped.  I like to keep track of serendipities that occur to me as I'm telling, so that I can use them again. I also note any info I gleaned about the staff at the school.  This comes in handy when I'm contacted by the same librarian a few years later.  I check back in my notebook and find the names of her children and where they were at college. She's impressed that I have such a great memory.  Actually I have a lousy memory.  It's just that I wrote it all down.  I mean, honestly, I'm a writer. Which reminds me, I write a thank you note to the librarian, any teachers who went out of their way for me, and to the principal.

Question:  How do you get the word out that you do school visits? 
Meg's Answer:  We've been lucky that two of our books (HEAD, BODY, LEGS and MRS. CHICKEN AND THE HUNGRY CROCODILE) were named Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award nominees.  School librarians are good researchers, and they usually find me through my web site at www.storypower.net.  When a new book comes out, we order postcards from www.modernpostcard.com and send them to everyone we know. Then we throw a party. Won-Ldy's band, Village Drum and Masquerade, plays music.  We tell a few stories and everyone enjoys Julie's awesome smorgasbord.   

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TIP:  I love Modern Postcard and think they have great quality for a good price, especially if you happen on their 20% off sale that they periodially have online.  What I've done is create bookmarks, laying out 4 to a single postcard.  Then I haul the materials to Kinko's where they can professionally slice the postcards into bookmarks for something like a buck per cut.  You can do a small print run of 500 postcards and get yourself 2000 bookmarks, full color, glossy.  Very nice!

www.modernpostcard.com

Has anyone else used a different publishing vendor to create marketing materials?

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So this isn't technically a marketing tip.

However, it is my new favorite way to procrastinate and to get my writer-buddies to procrastinate with me.  My father-in-law, who is the guru of all things Internet, sent me this link where you can generate your name made out of the books you've published!  In other words, the letters of your name are made up of your very own book covers.  

Here's how you, too, can kill a few minutes of time:

In your web browser, type the following:  amaztype.tha.jp/US/Books/Author?q=firstname+lastname
Substitute your first name and last name for these placeholders.

So here are a few samples (and I hope these work):

GRACE LIN:
http://amaztype.tha.jp/US/Books/Author?q=grace+lin


JANET WONG:
http://amaztype.tha.jp/US/Books/Author?q=janet+wong


JANET CAREY:
http://amaztype.tha.jp/US/Books/Author?q=janet+carey


MELISSA SCHORR:
http://amaztype.tha.jp/US/Books/Author?q=melissa+schorr


QUESTION OF THE MOMENT:  Now, what do you think about adding a link like this to your electronic signature in your email?  Tacky or fun?  You tell me.

Hi there!

Thanks to everyone who's been linking and blogging about this blog.  Someone asked me why I was blogging about (bor-ring!) marketing instead of my own writing, blah blah blah.  So this is what I told her:  I'm tired of hearing about writers who can't make a decent living from their words and so they're working 2 or 3 other jobs.  Can you imagine how many other books they could write...if they had the time and wherewithal to do that?  So this is my humble little attempt to help all of us so that we can focus on what we love:  writing.  Enough said!

But then again, I may not be the best person to dish marketing advice since for someone who worked at Microsoft once upon a time, I'm not a technically proficient person. So I'm going to focus the next couple of blogs on Internet marketing. If you have any insights, by all means, let's hear what works, what doesn't.

I interviewed the amazing, talented, hip and cool, and oh-so-smart Emilie L, web producer and online marketing guru for Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, my wonderful publisher.   It's official:  I'm in deep, deep mourning!!!!  Emilie, my Emilie who got my debut novel all over the web, is leaving to work for a PR/advertising company to focus on their online marketing efforts.  Boo.  Can you tell that I adore her? 

But before she jets off, Emilie had a few things to share with us.
 

Question:  What have you found to be the 3 most effective ways to use the Internet to build buzz about a book or author?

Emilie's Answer:  First, outreach to book review sites.  Many of these sites have already established a solid readership; a majority of the visitors to these sites are avid readers and are constantly looking for recommendations for new books to check out.  A lot of sites are always looking for different types of books to read and review so they’re usually open to receiving books.  Also, there are many niche book review sites so if your book has a specific theme or topic, do a search and see what comes up. 

Second, blogs have become increasingly popular the past few years.  Many don’t realize how effective blogs can be.  They’re viral, many bloggers link to their friends or other blogs of interest and many of these sites link back.  If you send out your book to a few key bloggers, they may mention it on their site.  Their regular readers who visit the site on a daily basis will see it, not to mention all the people who subscribe to their RSS feeds, and the random people who have clicked their way to the site. 

The first two have focused on outreach, the last and most effective way I’ve found authors to build buzz about their book is by creating their own presence on the web.  If you can, create a personal website that represents you and your personality.  If you can’t afford to produce your own website, start a blog.  There are many sites such as Blogger and LiveJournal that provide free blogging tools.  These services also allow you to edit the template of the blog.  You can edit it to look and feel like your personality.  If you blog, update on a regular basis.  Even if it has nothing to do with your book or writing, readers will quickly lose interest unless you’re constantly providing them with updates.  You can link to other blogs you enjoy reading and ask those bloggers to link to you as well.  Reach out and network.  

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Hmmm...apparently it's time to update my website!  I'll try to spelunk into more detail about each of Emilie's points in the next two weeks.

Ni hao!  Sorry for the non-blogging these last couple of weeks, but I was in China and had the pleasure of visiting popular LJ gal Debbi Florence in her gorgeous Shanghai digs. It was so much fun seeing Debbi's office, complete with piles upon piles of neatly stacked research materials for her new book. I realized that it was time for me to clean out my own office!

While traveling I finished a wonderfully inspirational book for creative types, What We Ache For.  And I agree with the author, Oriah Mountain Dreamer (whose cool name rivals that of Candie Moonshower's) that marketing is just the tool we use so that we can do our real work:  which is writing, writing, writing!

Anyway, as promised, I interviewed my friend, Julie Kouhia, a former VP of marketing at Amazon and director of marketing for Starbucks.  She specializes in consumer marketing with an emphasis on customer loyalty and retention (getting people to become repeat purchasers). Whenever I need a sounding board for my strategic marketing questions, Julie is the one I call. 

Question:  Based on your experience at Amazon, Starbucks and now Molbaks, what would you say is the single most important thing to do when launching a new book/product?

Julie's Answer:  The single most important thing to do (especially when you are working with a limited budget) is to identify a small handful of key influencers.  These are the individuals, organizations, or businesses who are best-positioned to get your product (book) into the hands of your target audience.  Concentrate first on the people who will have the broadest reach and whose endorsements will carry the greatest weight. 

And before you approach these key influencers to establish a relationship, you need to study them and think about things from their perspective -- what would make them want to work with you? what benefit can you provide?  (e.g. find common ground around a cause or philosophy; show how you / your work help to complement their core (shore up a weakness); illustrate how you are going to be indispensable to their most-important customer (build on a strength).

Question:  I've been blogging at length about knowing your audience.  How do you figure out who your audience is and how do you reach them?

Julie's Answer:  Not being a writer, I can only guess at this one -- but, I imagine that most authors have a primary reader in mind when they are writing (?).  And think about how this primary reader is most likely going to find / acquire your book.  Where does this primary reader go for information?  Who do they listen to?  Focus first on these channels of information and distribution.

Then in addition to that primary reader, think of all the other possible audiences.  If these other audiences are significant in number, then you will want to ask where these people go for information and who do they listen to.  This will give you another set of information and distribution channels to target.

But don't let this process get out of control.  Stay most focused on the places where you will get the greatest return for time invested.

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So....what does this mean for us, authors with limited marketing budgets and staffs of just ourselves (and potentially great sisters, friends and spouses who can be coerced into helping us out every so often)?

Remember what I blogged about earlier?  List every single one of the topics that you've written about and then see if there are experts and/or national, regional and local organizations that map to those topics.  aside from book reviewers and bookstores, these are the "influencers" who Julie and I are talking about.

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CASE STUDY.
Mia King's debut novel, GOOD THINGS, is being released in a few months and features a Martha Stewart type whose show is cancelled.  Ay, dios mia!  What's a creative crafter to do?  Well, we'll read her novel to find out, but here's what Mia can do to market her book.  Since her novel features what we at Microsoft used to call the "creative crafters," Mia could reach out to the "influencers" among those crafters--in other words, the most avid and respected Creative Crafters who command enormous web presence, such as the Craft Mafia who've spun off tons of regional crafting mafia groups and local cable tv shows.  There are national organizations for crafters, and she could contact the VPs of Communication to notify them about her novel.  And she could reach out to all those regional/national crafting shows.

Hey there,

This was too good of a PR tip to keep until next week with so many of you gearing up to launch new books into the world.  So I'm making an exception to my one-blog-per-week ration!  I was talking to my writer-buddy Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner (co-author of The Motherhood Manifesto).  Kristin, for those who haven't heard of her, is a truly remarkable woman, author and lobbyist.  Her second book soared to #3 on Amazon on its release date, and her first print run sold out within the first two weeks.  She's been featured on CNN, NPR, The Today Show and more.  

When Kristin talks marketing, I listen!

The Gospel of Marketing according to Kristin:  The best thing to build buzz is to outreach to bloggers.  

I'm sure most of you have already compiled a list of influential bloggers whose writing and opinions you truly admire.  If so, then send them a press release about your book. (See below for a simple how-to.)

And once you do that, perhaps you can pull a Frank Portman and instead of embark on a traditional book tour, visit a different blogger a day.  That's what he did for his debut novel, KING DORK.

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EASY HOW TO:
Go to www.technorati.com where you can search for bloggers.  You can ego surf (type in your book title) and see who's already blogged about your work.  And of course bloggers who write about books are an obvious target audience.  But also make sure you search by topic--in other words, search all the subjects you cover in your book.

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CASE STUDY:
Let's say we're building buzz for the award-winning author Janet Lee Carey whose first YA fantasy was just published:  THE BEAST OF NOOR.  Well, here's what she might do.  

Go to www.technorati.com.  Search for children's book bloggers.  Search under fantasy/sci fi.  Search for bloggers who've written about popular authors with similar books, such as Tamora Pierce or Libba Bray or heck, Christopher Paolini.  And then since the book deals with a battered dog, possibly search for bloggers who write about animal abuse, etc.

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STAY TUNED.  The next interview will be with a former VP OF MARKETING of AMAZON!