How to Promote Your Own Writing
Six Self-Promotion Tips for Writers Wanting to Get Noticed
As resources at publishing houses grow scarce, more writers are required to promote their own work. If you want to get noticed, sometimes you need to create your own buzz. These tips will help you get started.
1. Organize a Reading
Instead of waiting to be invited to a literary event, create your own. Invite your writer friends to read with you, decide on a venue, and get the word out. Put up posters, contact your local radio show to see if they'll publicise it for you. List the reading in your newspaper's local events calendar. Invite everyone you know, and tell them to bring their friends. Voila: instant audience!
2. Have Your Portfolio Ready
If an editor or publisher shows interest in your work, be prepared with a professional portfolio. It should include a writer's resume and samples of your writing. If your resume is looking thin, think about volunteering to gain experience. Volunteering in the industry will also get you more contacts, and more opportunities to promote your work.
Ariel Gore suggests writers "brand" themselves in their promotional material. Create a one sentence description of yourself and your writing that will generate media interest. For example, "Dave Thomson is a former lawyer turned renegade fisherman, whose tales of the sea are full of intellect and passion."
3. Build a Writer's Website
A writer's website is a great way to market yourself. On your site you can include a short bio, links to your writing, a cv, and a photo of yourself. Some writers include a blog on their website. Others include links to their favourite sites, links to reviews of their work, or a list of what they're currently reading.
Be creative: the goal is to create interest in you and to provide your contact info.
If you don't have website building skills, you can hire someone to create a site, though this can be expensive. See if you can find a web designer who's just starting out in the business. They'll be trying to build their portfolio, and might be willing to help you for free. Offer your editing or writing skills in return.
4. Create a Press Kit
A press kit usually accompanies a completed book, and is created to make the media's job easier. It contains a synopsis of the book, pull quotes, an author bio, and excerpts from reviews. It can also contain a writer's cv. a list of awards and nominations, or possible interview questions. A press kit is normally hard copy, and is sent out to interested media, bookstores or writers' festivals. For an example, see science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer's online press kit.
5. Send Out Review Copies
Once you've published, send your book to reviewers, along with a copy of your press kit. Reviews - if they're good - are a form of free publicity for the writer. Send review copies to specialised magazines or radio shows that might be interested in profiling your book, and you.
6. Keep Writing and Submitting Work
It's important to focus on marketing, but don't forget to keep writing. That's why you're in this business in the first place, right? Keep writing and keep submitting your work to publishers. Always have something out there and take the rejections in stride.
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