In my book, in my book, in my book . . . by Catriona

We all have to promote our work if we want to succeed, but there’s a lot of ground between hiding one’s light under a bushel and being that pushy author people hide from at events. What are your best promo ideas and what’s the most egregious hard-selling you’ve come across?

It's not egregious hard-selling
if it's out next month. Right?

I think we usually adopt the position that these questions drop from the sky, don't we? In fact, we bloggers take turns dreaming them up for the month and this is one of mine. So I've been enjoying the words of wisdom and mild snark dished out by Susan, Gabriel and Eric so far this week. I've learned a lot.

First, I did indeed equate "success" with sales, as Gabriel noted. 

Also, being a panel hog is one of my recurrent fears. So much so that I get needy and unappealing after every panel I'm on, asking trusted friends to tell me straight. (This is why at the Midwest Mystery Conference last weekend but one, after my panel, my husband could be seen breaking into a brisk trot to get out of the room. He has put in the years, reassuring me, and he didn't see doing it when there were so many other suitable people around.)

Finally, I think Eric cracked the reason I might be a panel hog: I do set up a lot of solo events. Pure ego? Maybe, but if I'm being kind to myself I'll reflect that when I started out, in the early mesolithic period - aka 2005, in the UK, solo events were the norm. I didn't know what a panel was in 2010 when I moved to America. And I think I've just carried on with the habits I formed early, even though I enjoy panels and multi-author jamborees much more than me and a mike, when I get asked to do them. That ends now! Cheers, Eric.

No more of this. Good pic though, eh?

As for great promo ideas . . . One that I will stand by and have seen work over and over again is "Don't talk about your books". Or rather "Don't recount the plot of your books". Man oh man, it's dull to listen to someone, still more than half in love with their most recent characters, recite a synopsis into a microphone. It never sends audience members to the dealer's room. If, on the other hand, you talk about the stuff you find interesting when other authors talk about it - mistakes, research disasters, title woes, weird jackets, bad reviews - you are halfway to making sure someone picks up a copy of your book and asks you to sign it. The other half of the journey, I think, is talking about the books you read. I can't help this wherever I am but, on a panel, it lets audience members know what sort of taste you have, so what sort of book you admire, so what sort of book you've probably written . . . and all without any of the banging on that leads to loud snoring at the back.

Picked this up at the MMC 
and devoured it

At that same Midwest Conference, as well as Delia's book, I bought the debut of a new writer because she was funny and interesting and seemed eager to find out what her fellow panellists thought about the questions the moderator was pitching. I have no clue what her book's about; I just want to spend some more time in her company.

The other end of the spectrum from that personable and collegiate new author is well-populated, unfortunately. The "In my book" authors make me squirm and wish I'd gone for a walk instead filing into the room to hear them speak. Almost always. Occasionally, someone does start a sentence with "In my book" and say something intriguing, but hardly ever. And, not to be mean but, if someone doesn't know what makes an interesting contribution to a panel, how likely is it that they'll know what makes a gripping read? Hmmmm, the "not to be mean" didn't really work there, did it? 

But writers are readers too, with limit reading time, limited book-buying budgets, and - let's face it - far too keen an insight into how these sausages get made.          

Anyway, if your publisher - you or someone else - has done a good job, people know what sort of book your book is by looking at the jacket. I've been very lucky with jackets and when people have asked me what my book's about in the past, I've held one up and said "It's about this".

This one's about that.

 

In my book, Lexy's getting married. She's a nightmare of a bride and the wedding's not ideal. What with the murder and all. Buy links here,

Cx