Special
Delivery
It was a special day when John’s first 500 books were delivered from the printing company, but the most surprising day
came a week later. At his local
coffee shop, a woman took note of the beautiful children’s book in John’s hand
as he waited in line. She asked where he had bought the book and with a grin
John admitted that he was the author. She paused dramatically and John had his
first taste of being a celebrity. “Is it possible to buy two copies of your
book?” she asked in awe.
Promoting your own book can seem
frightful or overwhelming. But once your book is released you must be willing
to do a lot of marketing. The most important task of a publishing company is
marketing. Many new authors expect their publisher will handle all the
promoting while they stay home writing the next book. But in fact the
publisher’s most valuable marketing tool is the person who wrote the book. The publisher expects the author to do
the marketing dance of book signings and interviews — it’s in the contract. So
even if a writer is lucky enough to find a traditional publisher, they will
still be sent out to market the book. The outcome is the same amount of work,
no matter which path the author takes.
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