The Proper Treatment of Book Sales, by Catriona

With so much buildup to release day, if a book doesn’t take off right away it can feel like a failure. Do you see your releases as a marathon or a sprint, for readership?

I'm writing this at the WWW - the Wednesday Writing Women, or are we the Women Who Write in this Winery? Not enough Ws - and present tonight are an always-indie writer of romance and mystery, an always-indie writer of educational non-fiction and picture books and a traditional and indie author of many mysteries, who's now a ghostwriter.

I'm taking soundings.

Tamsen Schulz has a street team and a PA. So I'm not sure her experience is going to map very squarely onto the average writer's life. But her books? Good for all! Tamsen and other indie authors can also run price promotions and bundling offers, to climb the online rankings. 

Lisa Nalbone's books for non-traditional learning environments have a ready-made audience in that world. The picture book, Harper the Love Puppy, is her first plunge into the crowded general-picture-book market. Personal appearances in local libraries and children's playgroups have been her focus. And not stressing about sales is her superpower. Bloody California hippies!

Eileen Rendahl actually answered the question! Marathon, she said, building from book to book. She wrote a newsletter and did a ton of social media posts starting weeks ahead of release for all her books. But she has shared the information that being a ghostwriter now means there is zero promotion on her docket and that's one of the great boons.

Spring Warren isn't here tonight, but I can share these questionably helpful tips: either win awards with your debut or write a grow-your-own bible while living in one of the most grow-your-own and if not go to the farmers' market and if not go to the food Co-op and if not then maybe Whole Foods kind of town you ever did see. See above: California hippies comma bloody.

And then there's me. And the reason I crowd-sourced an answer to this question is that thinking about approaches to growing a readership - aka book promotion - is not one of my strengths. I can admire the swagtastic brilliance of Ellen Byron, the tireless polishedness of Hank Phillippi Ryan and inventiveness with an ARC parcel of Jess Lourey but I could more easily explain the scoring system of a test cricket match to these three terrific women than I could be anything like them.

What I do do by way of promoting a book is say yes to everything that comes along. A library, writer's group, literacy society or social club is having a lunch? If I can get there, I'll be there, donating profits from book sales to their good cause and trying to make people laugh. And I'm no less likely to be doing than when the last release is months behind me and the next is months ahead. So I suppose I must think it's a marathon, at least. If not a Sisyphean curse.  

Gabriel was right to point out, earlier in the week, the part that luck plays. I had written four Dandy Gilver novels, with modest sales, when I happened to release one about Dandy going undercover as a lady's maid in a grand house exactly when the world was going Downton Abbey mad in 2011. All of a sudden it was starred reviews, top-ten picks and my first award. Pure luck.

The only other thing I think I've done right - and there's a lorry-load of luck involved here too - is keep writing. There are another eleven Dandy Gilver novels after The Proper Treatment of Bloodstains. Enough so that the publisher is just about to have some fun with rejacketing and packaging them. Watch this space. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.

Cx