Have you ever read a long article, scanning the page and then all of a sudden one sentence just pops out at you? Then you sit on that sentence; your speed reading over and your mind racing at the implications?
I had one of those moments recently. In the blog Make it Great, by Phil Gerbyshak (from Milwaukee, where I lived for 25-years or so), he did an interview with Penelope Trunk promoting her book the Brazen Careerist. Here was the exchange that got me:
Phil: I love your advice for getting a six-figure book deal from your blog, and it’s so cool that you were willing to share what many would keep to themselves. What’s the best advice anyone gave you that you couldn’t learn on your own about publishing?
Penelope: Almost everyone who gave me advice told me that you can’t just be a book author, you have to be a book publicist. That is very true. Today publishers are distribution channels for people who have significant marketing capabilities of their own. (Italics mine)
There are still a lot of writers out there who think that all they need to do is get published and all is well in the world. It’s not true.
Penelope casually (to her, since it is a fact) notes that publishers are really just distribution channels. Channels that need to make money, of course, but the marketing work that will help them and ourselves make money is done by…us.
The marketing is done in many ways, of course. But your online presence, combined with more traditional marketing, has become a new channel to market your work. Whether it is through your writing on a blog, “virtual” book tours like the interview Penelope did with Phil, or being interviewed for a podcast, technology can offer you new ways to market your writing.
And the good news — you can do it while still being at home. The Internet is geography independent, allowing you to market your work across town or across the globe. It’s all about readers and reach. Technology helps in both areas.
Scot
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Penelope Trunk 07.30.07 at 11:07 am
Hi, Scot. The most interesting thing to me about the whole book publicity thing is how amazing bloggers have been for my book.
I have found that bloggers in general are inherently very thoughtful people — since they are reading and writing all day on topics they are experts in. And they are smart book reviewers.
I can’t stress enough how important bloggers can be in a book launch plan.
Penelope
Scot Herrick 07.30.07 at 11:13 am
I agree. One of the more interesting side benefits to blogging for me has been the fact that I am reading a lot more books on my topic. It is a natural outgrowth of learning more about a topic.
And the entire “virtual book tour” idea via interviews on various blogs that meet your topic criteria is just a great new marketing tool, as you’ve discovered.
Phil Gerbyshak 07.31.07 at 3:49 am
You made a great point Scot: you can do it from home. The key is, you have to want to reach out and market yourself. No accidents, all purposeful stuff.
Thanks for highlighting my article. I’m glad you found it helpful!