Aloha from CAN Treasurer Karen Whiting
With one week before my book deadline I’m working on endings-the indexes, appendixes, and final review. But it’s also time to look at beginnings. From the time I thought of the idea for the book I also thought of the marketing and the audiences.
As I hand in the book it’s the end of the writing and the real beginning of promoting the book. The book, co-authored with CAN member Jocelyn Green, is Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front of American Wars.
It’s been a huge project with tons of research as well as interviews for the newer wars. All that work mtivates me to see fruition of sales. That means finding ways to connect to people who will want to buy the book. I can go back to the proposal and consider the information the book presents as I think about how and how to connect with to help sell the book.
Even as I complete the work I’m gathering more names of influencers and chatting with people I interviewed. Stories of current people or descendants of the people I wrote about will be natural voices to spread the word about the book. Connecting to the people most interested in such a book is on wat to develop word f mouth and word of mouse and generate a buzz. I’ll keep those people informed about the status of the book.
I’ll also soon be finalizing my list of endorsers and letting these people know when the book will be ready for review. Their approval will help move sales. I’ve sought more than other authors who write within the genre (historical nonfiction) but also experts in the field (historians, museum curators, history professors, Christian leaders, military experts, directors of military organizations who support families n the home front).
I will gear up on speaking connections and let interested meeting planners, schools, and military groups know about the book and topics I could speak on to interest their members. I plan to touch base with some home-school groups as the book will add to history studies and interest Christians and young women who want to know more about how women at home contributed to our country’s heritage.
Media connections are important so I’ll be working on a press kit and new web pages.
I will also talk with a few professional PR people to see if it will be worth it to hire someone to help promote the book. I’ve done this in the past and that helped me get on TV and learn more about putting together a publicity plan.
I already have hundreds of facebook/blog entries written and a spread sheet of hundreds of dates connected to the book for twitter entries. I will have to decide if I want to blog in the order of the book (my co-author also has a blog for her related books so we hope that will help us launch this one) or connect to calendar dates.
What can you do as you near the end of writing? (and this is helpful even as you develop a proposal)?
Brainstorm all the people who would like the book and find where those people get their information (social networks, blogs, organizations, etc). Then figure out how to connect with those groups and also how to get information directly to those individuals (social network links). Find the experts related to the topic in the book (even fiction has issues/topics within a story).
Then talk, chat on-line, and get together with people interested in your book’s topic. Generate the buzz with hints of what’s to come. I already have a local radio host waiting for the book because I dropped a hint that the book includes someone local with a great untold story (don’t want to divulge the story before the book is out).
So, take that long awaited break to celebrate the ending and then plunge into the exciting world of letting people know the book is coming and gear up for the release. Have fun and success!
