Novelist Stephanie Zia calls self promotion “The Author’s Nightmare,” yet she stresses that shame has to “go right out of the window” when it comes to marketing one’s book.
In his article, “Novice Authors Must Promote Themselves, Since Publishers Won’t,” Washington Post Staff Writer, Neely Tucker, says, “…for thousands of writers it’s a figure-it-out-yourself world of creating book trailers, Web sites and blogs, social networking and crashing on friends’ couches during a tour you arrange.”
Most in the publishing business agree, writing a book is the easy part. The real labor begins when an author emerges from a place of solitude in writing and then must miraculously transform into a mini entrepreneur.
Building a Brand
On Saturday, November 12, at The Market Place in Rancho Cordova, I met three mystery authors who were busy overseeing their own marketing and promotion with expertise and grace.
Cindy Sample, author of Dying for a Date and Dying for a Dance.
Having been an avid reader from the age of four, Cindy’s third grade career ambition was to become a detective just like Nancy Drew. At sixteen, she realized her inherent klutziness could be an impediment to becoming a private eye or super spy. Her new mission was to be a mystery writer.
Elaine Macko, author of Armed.
From a very young age, Elaine possessed an over-active imagination finding intrigue and mayhem in everyday situations. Take Humpty Dumpty. Everyone thinks he took a great fall, but Elaine is pretty sure he was pushed.
Michele Drier, author of Edited for Death and Snap.
Michele has written news, features and columns for several daily newspapers in California. She has written successful grants to the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council as well as a host of public and private funding sources for non-profit agencies. She has written annual reports, policy White Papers, newsletters and brochures. But now for the first time, with two books in two genres, she considers herself a writer.
Cindy, Elaine, and Michele know they can’t just write a book and disappear, so they’re doing their best to put their names and faces out there.
They’re building a brand — mystery style.
As always, thanks for stopping by,
