World Book Day special - How to find readers for your book by Barbara Henderson

That’s it! You are a published author, and you are holding your finished product in your hand!

Wait - how on earth will anyone know about it?

Some big publishers have a team and a budget for that sort of thing – but sadly, Blue Peter appearances and international publicity campaigns await only the lucky few. For the vast majority of authors, publicity is something they have to do themselves – and perhaps that is a good thing! You can play to your strengths and get creative! It need not cost anything either. Here are some examples of what promoting your book could involve.

 

Blog tour – who knew, but there are a whole lot of book enthusiasts who have their own websites – blogs – on which they review books. The usual arrangement is that they will be sent a free copy of the book by the publishers in exchange for an honest review. The organisation of these blog tours often falls onto the writer. Sometimes the author may also write interesting articles or related content for these blogs to create some online buzz – most book bloggers are very active on social media, and if they like your book, it can really help.

Press releases – This was news to me, but newspapers and magazines rarely cover new book releases unless they are sent a press release first. This means that the author writes an article about themselves and the book in the 3^rd person, as if a newspaper journalist had written it. All the information needs to be correct - and if you also attach some high-quality images, you have a good chance of the press picking up on your story. It’s even better if you have a topical hook, like an anniversary of a historical event, or a connection to something that people are already talking about. You may have to tailor your press release to the publication you are targeting. TV and radio will also be interested in featuring you if there is a strong topical hook – think of it as a Venn diagram between your book and what people are already talking about. If there is overlap, you have a way in.

 

Book Trailer – Video content makes it 34% more likely that your audience will engage! Even a short film on YouTube advertising your book, much in the style of film trailers (with teasers and engaging images), can generate a lot of awareness, and of course it can be shared on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram too.

Social media – It is a great thing for an author to be active on social media but be wary of posting endless ‘buy my book’ style content. It will soon turn your audience off. Readers and potential buyers want to get a flavour of who you are and connect with you. Be real! Images of rapt audiences at your events or screenshots of good reviews (with a humble-ish caption) go down well and increase your profile. But be sure to show support for others and their work too.

Finally, don’t be shy – opportunities for publicity are everywhere. Pitch yourself as a writer in residence! Suggest a book event to your local library! Start a YouTube channel or podcast! Connect with book festivals and like-minded writers. Seek collaborations. Contact organisations which may have an interest in your book. Join groups and forums and ENGAGE, earning yourself a hearing for your own agenda.  Have a go – you won’t regret it!

Someone once advised me: Don’t worry about being pretty. Be memorable. Be kind.

Good advice. 

 

The Time Tunnellers are five authors who write historical novels for
children and young adults -
Susan Brownrigg, Barbara Henderson, Catherine Randall,
Ally Sherrick and Jeannie Waudby.

Every Thursday we share a new blog article on a different topic
and a youtube video with a writing challenge for young people and teachers.