Marketing for Writers by Scott Francis

Comic Con Saturday

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:50:12 GMT

It's Saturday morning and I'm getting ready to head to the Con. Yesterday was a whirlwind... lots of great stuff going on.

We kicked off the day with a signing from Peter David, author of Writing for Comics with Peter David, who was great fun. IMPACT Books Publicity Manager Greg Hatfield got a chance to interview Peter--an interview which I'll share with you once I get time to post it (I'm kind of in a rush this morning)

I also got a chance to chat with Zombie Haiku author Ryan Mecum, who is signing in our booth this morning--I'm planning to see if Ryan has any advice for creating book trailers, because he did such a cool one for his book.

Plus, I talked with academy-award winning film concept artist and designer Doug Chiang, author of Mechanika. Doug has worked on movies like Star Wars episodes I & II, Beowulf, Polar Express, War of the Worlds.

Finally, I interviewed John Howe, renowned Tolkien artist about his thoughts on Comic Con, and creative inspiration.

I look forward to sharing some of the great interviews I taped... sorry for the teaser... I hope to post them soon.

Comic Con Day 1

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:15:17 GMT

Yesterday was the first actual day of Comic Con. I spent a lot of time selling books in the IMPACT books booth, and trying to interview authors.

I attended a panel by renowned comics editor Andy Schmidt who runs www.comicsexperience.com where aspiring comic writers and artists can take classes to learn the ropes and find out what it takes in the comic business.

I also met with 100 Days of Monsters author Stefan Bucher, who does a lot of great work to promote his book. Check out his website at www.dailymonster.com

Lots of cool stuff going on at the show. I had dinner with legendary Tolkien artist John Howe, conceptual designer for the Lord of the Rings movies who talked about designing the gates of Mordor, which on screen are big enough for an army to walk through. John talked about his creative approach to researching and conceiving the images he comes up with, which are amazing. Check out his book Fantasy Art Workshop: http://www.fwbookstore.com/product/1609/1

Here are some pics:

Andy Schmidt gives advice to aspiring comic creators.

Stefan Bucher talks with a fan.

Comic Con Preview Night

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:07:56 GMT

Yesterday was the first day at Comic Con. Spent the day setting up the IMPACT Books booth.

Preview night at the con was insanely crowded. The show is sold out everyday and the floor is packed with people. I mostly worked at our booth last night. Comic writers Peter David and Marv Wolfman stopped by the IMPACT Booth and I also got some of my comics signed by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. Here's some fun pics:

Ironman lords over everyone. Because he can.

F+W marketing coordinator Justin Combs puts finishing touches on the booth.

Skrulls invade the IMPACT Booth. Situation dire.

Today there are tons of author events lined up so I hope to get some cool stuff to share. Off to the show...

On a Plane Tomorrow

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:56:14 GMT

Hi Writers,

Again, I must apologize for my lack of posting this week. I've had lots to do at work in preparation for my Comic-Con trip. I'm getting on plane tomorrow to head out to San Diego to commune with comic fans, artists, writers and... well, nerds (I can say it, because I am one).

Of course, right before my trip I ended up catching a raging cold, so I've been sniffling through the day at my computer here at work trying to get caught up enough on emails and the like so that I won't be snowed under too badly when I return.

I'm mostly packed and hope to get some nice pics, video clips and short podcasts that I can share with you.

Best,

Scott

Comic Con, Anyone?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:48:28 GMT

Hi writers,

Sorry I haven't posted yet this week. It's a pretty busy week for me because I'm getting ready to go to San Diego Comic Con next week. I'm really excited about it. I think everyone needs to pay attention to Comic Con. It's become more than just a comic convention... it's really a popular culture expo. Check out this article about why Comic Con is cool.

Artists and writers can make connections at the show whether your goal is to work for comics or for movies or television. It's a great place to try to rub elbows (of course, everyone else is doing that too...)

Nevertheless, I'll be at the show promoting books and plan on reporting on some cool things. Just a few teasers:

Ryan Mecum, author of Zombie Haiku will be there and his book is kickin' butt right out of the gate (I'll chat with Ryan about promotional ideas and maybe get some advice on making book trailers
The IMPACT UNIVERSITY panel from IMPACT Books will feature artists and comic writers giving advice on how to make it in the biz (writer Peter David, whose titles include a comic adaptation of Stephen King's Dark Tower, numerous comic titles and Writing For Comics With Peter David will speak; as well as Orson Scott Card, author of Ender's Game).

I'll also be cruising around the floor and will try to let you know about news I find out about cool movies, TV shows and other great stuff... not to mention posting cool photos from the show.

If you're coming to the show, there will be some great events sponsored by F+W... check out our schedule below:

F+W is proud to announce that worldwide fantasy artist John Howe, concept artist for the Lord of the Rings films, will be a Special Guest of the Con. John will be the subject of his own Spotlight Panel on Saturday, July 26, at 12:00 Noon, in Room 3. John's acclaimed artwork spanning his career will be featured, including never-before-seen concept art from LOTR. Immediately following his panel, John will be signing his Impact book, John Howe Fantasy Art Workshop at the IMPACT Books booth (#1415) at 2:00 p.m. Plus, find out how to get a signed copy of our limited edition John Howe Comic-Con exclusive poster (only 1,000 available)! Visit the booth for details.

Don’t forget to attend our popular IMPACT University: How to Write and Draw Comics and Graphic Novels panel (Saturday, July 26, at 6:00 p.m., in room 7AB)

Stop by the IMPACT Books booth (#1415) to check out signings by authors Peter David (Writing for Comics with Peter David), Doug Chiang (Mechanika), Colleen Doran (Girl to Grrrl Manga, Manga Pro Superstar Workshop), Brian and Kristy Miller (Hi-Fi Color for Comics), E.J. Su (Mechaforce), Stephan Bucher (100 Days of Monsters) and Ryan Mecum (Zombie Haiku).
>>
*Check booth for schedule of signings.>

And the Bad News...

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:21:42 GMT

An important skill to have when promoting your writing is dealing with rejections or bad news well. It's easy to become frustrated or even angry when you have a manuscript rejected, get some negative feedback about your work, or if you have a scheduled public speaking event or some bit of coverage in the media postponed or canceled. These things are simply going to happen--it's part of the business of writing. It's important to take them in stride and handle bad news professionally. You don't want to close any doors or burn bridges. When an opportunity falls through, be understanding and express an interest in pursuing it at a later date. Showing disappointment is okay, but keep it in check and put forth an optimistic face.

Remember: if writing is your career, then relationship building is an important part of that and having a good attitude in the face of set backs is essential. Always think long term.

Book "Trailers" are all the rage

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:59:23 GMT

Hi Writers,

As you probably know, online videos are extremely popular. Posting a video promo for you book on Youtube is a great way to generate some buzz about your book.

Many of the authors I work with are creating video "trailers" for their books and posting links to them on their websites and blogs, as well as forwarding them along with emails and news releases. With nothing but a little creativity and a home video camera you can create a fun and inexpensive marketing tool.

Check out this video by Ryan Mecum, author of Zombie Haiku, a fun horror-movie style book of poetry recently published by HOW Books.

Here's a trailer for a cool screen printing book called Print Liberation, and another one for a book of money saving ideas called The Cheap Book.

Each of these videos show a wide variety of approaches and personalities, but they are all great examples of how to use home video to create a great promo for your book. Not to mention that they look like they were fun to produce.

You Can't Fake It

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:32:33 GMT

Have you ever heard advice to the tune of "If you don't know, then fake it?" That advice only gets you so far. In today's fast paced, over advertised environment, being honest will get you a lot farther than faking it. People are looking for things that are authentic and genuine... not looking for someone to tell them what they want to hear.

When promoting your work, rely on your true areas of expertise and present your strengths to your audience. You're much more likely to get a good response to your message.

Creative Freelancer Conference

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:57:56 GMT

Attention Copywriters: there's a lot of great info about ways to market your work as a freelancer on the schedule for this conference from HOW Books. Check out the sessions here.

From blog to book to The Today Show

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:13:43 GMT

(Hi everyone, as promised here is a guest post from Jennette Fulda, an author I met at a book festival a month or so ago. Her book Half-Assed is selling over 100 copies a week and she has some great insight for promoting your work through blogging. Enjoy! -s.)

Hello, M-Word readers!

I have stuffed Scott in a closet today and hijacked his blog, so please read this post in a slightly higher-pitched, more effeminate voice. I'm Jennette Fulda, author of Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir, and blogger at PastaQueen.com. Scott and I chatted about marketing, monsters, and my old pair of monster pants at a book festival last month, and now he's asked me to share some of my experiences promoting my book through my blog.

From blog to book

I started blogging about my 200-pound weight loss when I began it in January of 2005, posting entries at least 3-4 times a week. I built a following of devoted readers that caught the attention of an editor at Seal Press, a division of Perseus publishing, in September of 2006. I'd previously been mulling the idea of writing a book, and with the editor's help I put together a proposal and was offered a book contract with their publishing house. (This is the short and sweet version that makes it sound easier than the years of blogging at 7am in the morning actually were.)

How the blog helps the book and vice versa

Some readers read my book first and then read my blog. Others find the blog first and then get the book. I make money off of ads on my blog, and my blog helps promote my book sales, so the two cross-promote one another. Many readers of my book have mentioned that they were sad when the book was over, but when they discover the blog is still running they realize there is an endless supply of new material. I also started a book site at halfassedbook.com just for book related announcements so I didn't overwhelm my regular blog readers with book stuff.

How my blog readers have helped

One of the best things about my blog is the supportive community that has sprung up around it. I've made a lot of friends on my blog and they've been very kind to tell their friends about my book and so on. I've asked them to leave reviews on Amazon, recommend the book on message boards, Facebook, and social networking sites like GoodReads.com. I made a video trailer for my book and asked them to post it on their sites. My readers have been very awesome and I owe a lot of my success to them.

The Today Show

I wish I could have titled this post "Three easy steps to get your book on The Today Show" because I'm sure that would make me very popular. Instead, I must have saved a drowning orphan in a previous life, because I can't say why I was fortunate enough to be invited on NBC's Today Show. I don't have any practical tips on how to make this happen for you. It's just luck. Publicity is a crapshoot and I feel very grateful that the wheel of fortune landed on "Free trip to New York" for me and not the black "Bankruptcy" panel. If I had to guess, it probably helped me that:

Obesity, weight loss and the looming health crisis are hot topics in our culture.
TV is a visual medium and people love before and after photos.
The Today Show does a feature called "The Joy Fit" club every week where they profile people who have lost significant amounts of weight. So, someone on their staff is already plugged into this issue.
My publicist did a good job.

I do have one good tip for you though. If you are lucky enough to go on The Today Show, don't write a book with a naughty word in the title, because they won't let you say it on morning television. Thank you for reading! I'll go let Scott out now.

Jennette and Scott peddle their wares at Joseph Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY.

You Can Be a Radio Star

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:01:02 GMT

Okay... my headline is cheesy this morning, for sure. But, I was thinking about writing this topic and I just had that song "Video Killed the Radio Star" in my head—and now you can too as you read this (you're welcome).

So, for my own book, Monster Spotter's Guide to North America, I did a radio tour and I found it to be a fun and relatively easy way to do some really great publicity. The up side is that you don't have to go ANYWHERE. You just call in and they interview you. The downside is that you have to be prepared to speak publicly... it can be a little unnerving to think that you are going to be on radio. Also, setting up a radio tour isn't always easy or cheap (you can hire a PR service that can get you booked or you can try pitching stations yourself, which requires a good deal of work and there are no guarantees).

But, let's say you get yourself on radio. Yay for you! Now what? Well, here are some good things to remember:

Create a list of compelling or entertaining questions to offer the host that they can ask you about.
Keep up to date on news stories that fall within your area of expertise and be ready to talk about them. If the DJ does her research, you don't want to freeze.
Don't over promote! Remember, your main job as a guest is to entertain and inform... when you mention your book, do it casually and not too often. The host should do a wrap up for you, mentioning your book anyway.
Instead of saying "in my book" refer to your book by title, helping the audience to remember it while also sounding conversational.
Be able to answer questions like "why did you write this book" or "what got you interested in this subject" quickly—no more than 20-25 seconds.

The main thing is to have fun with it. DJ's like to make jokes, so feel free to play along... just be careful that the interview doesn't get too far off track. The bottom line is to not take yourself too seriously... you want to be entertaining.

Good luck!

Exploring the Possiblities in Fiction

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:50:15 GMT

Hi Writers,

Today I'm going to focus on the muse instead of the marketing, which I think, is important to do occasionally—after all, we're all writers first and foremost, right?

Working for a publisher people often ask me if I read all of the books that we publish. Now, please don't be shocked... but the truth is I do not. I can't. There are a lot of them.

Sometimes a book comes along that we publish that I do read. The same way that a book happens to come along that you find in a bookstore, or library, or someone gives to you that really speaks to you. Alone With All That Could Happen by David Jauss is that sort of book.

This book is a writing book that is so different and enjoyable that I couldn't help spending some time with it. The book challenges conventional thinking about the craft of writing going so far as to suggest that the "write what you know" adage we've all heard before is not necessarily the best course. The book challenges you to start with from a place you know but to explore things you don't, making your writing process a journey of self-discovery. >

This is an introspective writing book. One that makes you feel like a writer just by reading it. Each chapter of the book is an essay upon one aspect of the craft. You'll explore writing other lives than your own, play with different points of view, explore using syntax and rhythm to create a "soundtrack" for your story, and learn what makes a successful epiphany. As it's title suggests, Alone With All That Could Happen is about exploring the boundless possibilities that fiction allows us to write.

Learn more about the book here

Visit the author's website www.davidjauss.com

Monday Morning Musings

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:09:39 GMT

Hi writers,

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I spent mine working on a few odd jobs around the house (fixing our leaky kitchen faucet, mowing the grass, cleaning up the house) and my wife and I took our dog to the lake to play in the water. It was very relaxing.

It was the sort of weekend where I looked around at all of the things I had going on and felt pretty good about them. It made me think of something that my Tae Kwon Do instructor once told me, which went something kind of like this:

"You need to take time to appreciate where you are at this exact moment in time, to enjoy the journey..."

I try to apply the things I learn in my martial arts class to my writing and my career, and I think this bit of advice is important. It's easy to become very goal focused, especially when thinking about marketing or publicity. I try to occasionally step back to remind myself to focus on one task at a time. This approach will not only help you to enjoy marketing your work more and make the process of promoting your writing less stressful, but it will also help you be more successful at the task at hand.

From personal experience, as a writer sometimes I tend to have too many irons in the fire and get excited about a couple of new ideas, while I still have one project I'm working on and something else that I need to work on promoting. This kind of energy can be good and help you be prolific, but remember to step back, take time to enjoy working on one project (whether you're writing or trying to generate publicity), and give it the attention it deserves.

Setting Expectations

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:40:48 GMT

Lisa Lenard-Cook, author of the award winning novels Dissonance and Coyote Morning has some good advice about getting the most out of writing-related events such as conferences, seminars and workshops in her recent fiction writing book The Mind of Your Story.

She says, "make a list of what you want from anything writing-related you might attend, and then steer your plans to your desires." Lisa advises downloading conference programs and scouring over the details ahead of time.

So much goes on at these types of events that the day can get away from you and you might not get what you expected out of it. With a bit of planning and setting goals you can make better use of your time whether you are trying to meet with agents and editors or simply take a class on a topic you've been having trouble with.

Learn more about Lisa's book here.

Visit her website at http://www.lisalenardcook.com/

Being Concise

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:57:26 GMT

Do you ever start to tell someone a story and realize that your giving way too much back information? I have a tendency to do exactly that.

When promoting yourself its important to be concise. In today's world people are impatient (especially the media), so it's a good idea to get your point across quickly. You may want to try writing down your pitch or your description of your work and editing it down and then rehearsing it a bit. Of course, you don't want to sound like a robot so don't over polish it, but instead practice getting your main point across. Your goal is to be quick, clear and interesting.

Remember, You're the Expert

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:38:11 GMT

Everyone has a different way of presenting themselves to the media whether your goal is to be authoritative or entertaining. The main thing to keep in mind is to present yourself as an expert on your subject, whether you think you are or not. To be an expert, you don't have to be the world's most knowlegeable person about something... you simply need to know what you're talking about. If you research and write about a subject, stay up to date with the latest news regarding your topic and present yourself in a knowledgable way, then that makes you an expert. >

Bottom line: you have to believe that you're an expert before the media or your audience will, so have faith in what you know and present yourself with an authoritative voice.

What No One Tells You

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:57:34 GMT

Hi Writers,

I've been reading a chapter about what happens after you get a book published from an inspirational book Chapter After Chapter by Heather Sellers. Heather is a very nice author (I've met her on several occasions) and has some great, down to earth advice about what to expect.

>Heather of course advises planning to make time for readings, workshops, lecture and interviews, but she also advises that "this kind of basic publicity is not, as is commonly thought, the job obligation of the publisher, your editor, or their publicity team. It's your book. It's your job."

Wow. It's tough to hear it in those terms (especially, when as a marketer I like to think I do as much as I can for the authors I work with), but Heather is right. Hopefully your publisher has a marketing and publicity team that will do what they can to promote the book in it's early stages, but a lot of the book's success will depend on your own promotional efforts. Being realistic about how much effort you'll need to do on your own can make a big difference in the experience you have marketing your book. If you expect your publisher to fly you around the country for book signings, you're bound to be disappointed. On the other hand, if you work with your publisher and communicate with them about the efforts you are putting forth on your own, they are more likely to try to help out any way they can.

Check out Heather's book... it's full of great writing advice and will help you stay excited about the craft.

Also visit her website: www.heathersellers.com

The Importance of Writing Constantly

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:08:40 GMT

Being very prolific can help you promote yourself. Write as much as you can and try to get published everywhere you can... and in saying this I mean not just writing in your main area of interest. Try sending out articles, essays, short stories and editorials to newspapers, magazines and journals that publish any subject that you're interested in writing about. Even if you ultimately are mainly interested in writing in a specific genre or format, getting published in other places will help you establish your name and make connections. Any writing opportunity should be considered a good writing opportunity... I wouldn't advise "saving your talent" for only one thing. Bottom line: get published wherever you can. The more you get out there, the more (and better) opportunites should follow. >

The Importance of Staying Up to Date

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:06:19 GMT

In today's fast paced world it's easy to be quickly forgotten if you don't keep up with constant change. An important part of marketing your work is staying up to date. If you're promoting your book or trying to promote yourself as a freelance writer you need to present yourself as an authority on the subject areas you write about. Make sure that you keep up to date with the latest news in your subject areas and that you stay active on any forums or message boards that you belong to. Make regular blog postings to keep your audience reading and update your website frequently to keep people coming back for new content. If you send out press releases or media kits, make sure that you update them to include information about your latest accomplishments, appearances, or clippings of your most recent articles.

Help Them Help You

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:36:55 GMT

Hi Writers,

One of the most important things I want to accomplish with this blog is to help answer the questions that arise when working with your publisher to promote your book. I work with authors every day who are confused about or don't really understand exactly what goes on in our marketing and publicity department, and therefore are confused about how much time, effort and resources typically go into promoting their book. If you're already published, then you probably have an idea what I'm talking about, but if you're soon to be published or are shopping your book around then I'd like to help you know what to expect.

One harsh reality you should prepare yourself for is that most publishers don't have a lot of money to work with for advertising. The reason for this is that the results of advertising are hard to prove. Sure you can know the circulation of a particular publication that a book is advertised in, but that doesn't really tell you whether or not the ad convinced someone to buy the book or not. It's simply hard to link a sale to an ad. This all means that when budget time comes around, justifying a lot of money for advertising isn't that easy to do and lots of "big sky" ideas end up getting cut or scaled back.

For this reason, a lot of promotional work that publishers do relies on publicity—which is to say that they try to come up with creative ways to get positive reviews for books in newspapers, magazines, blogs and work to get mentions in other media. This, as you can imagine, can be very hit and miss. Publicists find themselves at the mercy of the publications they're soliciting for reviews.

Which brings me to the second thing you need to keep in mind (especially if you're working with a larger publisher): publishers have a lot of books to promote and therefore have to divide their time and resources amongst many titles. In my own day-to-day work, this seems to be the primary cause of frustration with authors that I talk to. It's easy to feel forgotten or neglected when your publisher has a few main initiatives planned for your book when you’re brimming with lots of great ideas.

So where does that leave you, as an author? First of all, I advise any author to do a lot of their own work promoting their book. Whether your publisher has a large marketing plan or not, anything extra you can do helps. Try to set up some local speaking engagements and promote your book on your website or blog. Keep your publisher apprised of everything you are doing. This will help them to coordinate their efforts with yours. When working with your publisher, expect them to do a few key things to get the ball rolling such as:

1. Pitching the book to bookstores for seasonal or theme promotions

2. Executing an initial review copy mailing to publications and media relevant to your topic (if you have your own list of publications that you have in mind, particularly if you have contacts, it's a good idea to let your publisher know)

3. Work with authors to help set up local bookstore signings (don't expect to be sent on a large scale book tour, but if you are a frequent traveler, let your publisher know about areas you will be in—they may be able to help arrange something)

After that, you'll want to keep the momentum going on your own. If you're very ambitious, you might consider hiring an outside publicist. That, however can be an expensive proposition and if you do a little bit of work on your own, you can still get great results. Stay active on online message boards and forums relating to your topic. Consistently update your blog or website with new content. Attend conferences or events relating to the subjects you write about (if you write fiction, attend writer’s conferences and book festivals).

The main thing is to keep open lines of communication with your audience as well as with your publisher. By being open, positive and easily accessible, more opportunities will open up for you.

I’d love to try to answer any more specific questions you have about working with publishers and look forward to your comments.