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Marketing. The word itself has come to sound so
inauthentic—and therein lies the problem.
When you speak to most authors, marketing is generally the topic that
elicits an “ugh!” response. Even for
those rare few who aren’t put off by the word, the prospect of marketing a book
sounds daunting. This is especially true
for YA authors who want to reach teen readers.
Now, there are countless posts about how to choose from the
ever-increasing number of social media platforms and how to optimize each
one. Because those posts have already
been written, I’ll add only one tip I’ve found to be true: Try out several
platforms (especially that one that scares you most!), then focus on the ones
you genuinely like so your posts are sincere instead of forced.
Moving on from that, I’d like to discuss something I
haven’t heard many people talk about—avoiding saturation. The thing is, as soon you have a book coming
out, you’ll start looking at what other authors are doing and emulating their
choices. You’ll do the same types of
giveaways, post on the same websites and blogs, and apply for the same
events. Of course, you should do those
things—they’re a great way to connect with the lit community. And that’s where
the excitement for your book starts! But
the problem is, every other hardworking author is doing that, too, so your book
is one of many.
Take
events for instance. At many big
literary events, nearly all the speakers are industry folks (many are other
authors). While you should absolutely
try to market your book at these events (and if you’re lucky, your publisher
will pitch you for those coveted speaker spots), they should not be the only
thing you do or even your primary focus.
Events like that can teach you a lot and are A TON OF FUN when you have
a book coming out, but chances are, your book will not stand out much among the
hundreds of other shiny books (especially if you’re a debut). So, you need to devote some time to thinking
about…your book.
What
is unique about your book and the types of readers it attracts? Are there events or blogs or sites where
teens who will love your book in particular hang out? These places will not be as saturated with
other authors marketing other books, so you have a better chance of being
heard—and not just by industry folks, but by readers. For instance, my book is about mermaids, so
I’ve spent a lot of time finding sites, online communities, and events for
mermaid lovers (and that research is fun because I’m a mermaid lover, too!). While my publisher is helping me reach a
broader audience, I can work on reaching a more specific (and less saturated)
one. To me, this seems like a very
logical division of labor because my publisher knows the industry much better
than I do, and I understand my ideal readers on a deep level, so we’re each
focusing on our own area of expertise.
While mermaid-focused events may not attract the thousands of people
that the LA Times Festival of Books
will, each one of the several hundred attendees has a much higher likelihood of
loving my book—and I’ll be one of the only authors there. And while every author wants a picture in
Publisher’s Weekly, I’m the only author so far to do a photo shoot in support
of ocean conservation with Project Mermaids (which gives me the opportunity to not
only help raise awareness and funds for a cause I’m privileged to support but
will also involve my photos being shared with their 245,000 mermaid fan
followers on Instagram, most of whom are teens). I may have it easier than most since mermaids
are so specific, but I’d wager the strategy still works no matter what your
type of book if you think about unique ways to find your ideal reader. Of course, I’m new at this, so I can only go
off of what’s working for me so far, but I will say that, over the past few
months, it’s led me to have some of the most fun and insanely amazing
experiences of my life because there’s no better feeling than connecting to a
reader.
You
know your book and you’re the one who can come up with these types of ideas because
you know the people who will fall in love with it. They’re just like you. The best part about it is, when the people
you’re directing your marketing at are people you can relate to, you won’t need
to worry about sounding inauthentic because you’ll be talking to your people.
Tobie Easton was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where she’s grown from a little girl who dreamed about magic to a twenty-something who writes about it. A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Southern California, Tobie hosts book clubs for tweens and teens. She and her very kissable husband enjoy traveling the globe and fostering packs of rescue puppies. Learn more about Tobie and her upcoming books at www.TobieEaston.com. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram |Goodreads
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Emerge (Mer Chronicles #1)
by Tobie Easton
Publication Date: April 19, 2016
Publisher: Month9Books
Lia Nautilus may be a Mermaid, but she’s never lived in the
ocean. Ever since the infamous Little Mermaid unleashed a curse that stripped
Mer of their immortality, war has ravaged the Seven Seas.
So Lia has grown up in a secret community of land-dwelling
Mer hidden among Malibu’s seaside mansions. Her biggest problems are surviving
P.E. and keeping her feelings for Clay Ericson in check. Sure, he’s gorgeous in
that cocky, leather jacket sort of way and makes her feel like there’s a school
of fish swimming in her stomach, but getting involved with a human could put
Lia's entire community at risk. So it’s for the best that he’s dating that new
girl, right?
That is, until Lia finds out she isn't the only one at
school keeping a potentially deadly secret. And this new girl? Her eyes are
dead set on Clay, who doesn't realize the danger he's in. If Lia hopes to save
him, she’ll have to get closer to Clay than ever. Lia’s parents would totally
flip if they found out she was falling for a human boy, but the more time she
spends with Clay, the harder it is for Lia to deny her feelings.After making a
horrible mistake, Lia will risk everything to stop Clay from falling in love
with the wrong girl.
Any marketing advice to offer up on promoting books? We are all ears...
