Book marketing–we all have to do it. Don’t neglect your hometown!
by Sue McGinty
Whether you’re an indie or traditionally published writer, you can do a lot to promote and sell your book in and around your hometown. Here are some things that have worked for me.
Get acquainted with the folks at your local bookstores
They are a great resource because they know you and will have a personal interest in your book. Visit them often and check to see that your books are on the shelf, or even better, displayed in the front window. Sell them copies at a rate cheaper than that offered by a supplier.
If you are comfortable leaving books on consignment, then do so. Be sure to keep good records of your consignment books and check sales at regular intervals. Because most local bookstores carry items like jewelry and knick-knacks, they’re also a great resource for gifts.
You support them and they support you. It’s the hometown thing to do.
Kick-start your hometown book marketing with a launch
Check to see if your local bookstore will sponsor the launch of your new title. If the management prefers not to showcase a single author, suggest a multiple launch with several other authors. Offer refreshments if the bookstore permits.
Remember the old maxim: Give them food and they will come.
Create a scripted reading
Turn a short chapter or two into a script and invite some local actors to read it at your launch party. Prose dances off the page during a well-rehearsed scripted reading. The audience will love it and be more likely to buy your book after hearing parts of it dramatized.
Keep the readings to ten minutes or less and set the scene to give the listener context for what they are about to hear.
Find out who acquires books for your library system and request that they carry yours
The library system’s website is a good place to start researching this information.
If the acquisition manager turns down your request, you can always donate copies of your book to one or more branches. Tip: Ask that your book be cataloged and put on the shelf, not slated for the next library sale.
Give a presentation at your local library
I’ve given 50-60 minute talks (including a Q&A) on the elements that make a book a mystery, the history of the modern mystery novel (which is fascinating), and the often-hilarious things people have asked me.
For example: Have you ever been a nun, or have you ever been in the Criminal Justice System?
Join at least one library book discussion group and attend regularly
Not just for book marketing. You’ll get a chance to read books you might not normally choose and hear comments made by people who are not writers. (Writers and readers look for different things in their choice of literature.) And when it’s time to choose books for the next year’s discussion group, they may choose your book.
My first historical fiction work, “The Sojourner Chronicles,” has made the short list for next year’s discussion at my local library.
Non-literary organizations can be excellent places for book marketing
Groups like Newcomers, Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce usually meet once a month and are always on the lookout for speakers. Pitch your services to them.
In addition to selling books, you’ll likely get a free lunch or breakfast. I once faced the daunting challenge of giving a lucid presentation on my first locally-set mystery, “Murder in Los Lobos,” to a local Rotary club at 7 AM!
Give a presentation at a writers group
Search out local writers groups, or local branches of national groups, and pitch a how-to presentation to them. They too are always looking for speakers.
If you’re a mystery writer, join the local chapter of Sisters in Crime, a national organization with more than fifty chapters in the US and Canada.
Teach a class at a regional writers conferences
Once you feel confident in your craft, pitch a longer presentation or class to the organizers of your next regional writers conference. Maybe you can even teach hometown book marketing. 🙂
Inquire about having a table and selling your books there. If any local writing groups are sponsoring a table, find out if you can sell your book for an hour or two.
Note: Generally these table spots are reserved for members only—another reason to join the local chapter of one or more writers groups. I belong to the San Luis Obispo NightWriters (slonightwriters.org) and the California Central Coast Chapter of Sisters in Crime (sinccc.com).
Post on bulletin boards
Two or three weeks before your scheduled presentation post flyers on local bulletin boards in markets, other retail stores, and in libraries. Be sure to bring thumbtacks, and remember to remove your flyer after the event so that others can post.
Start a Little Free Library
This is a “take a book, return a book” free book exchange. Little Free Libraries come in many shapes and sizes, but the most common is a small wooden box filled with books on someone’s front lawn. Any passerby can take a book or leave one or two books to share. Kids absolutely love them!
I’ve recently started leaving copies of my new historical fnovel, “The Sojourner Chronicles,” in the Little Free Libraries that have popped up around my town. I tuck one of my cards inside the book with a note asking the reader to post an Amazon review if they enjoy the book. The copies I leave are generally ones where I’ve misspelled the name when writing the dedication on the inside cover.
I simply remove the inside cover before putting the book into the free library so the reader gets a clean copy. (This is brilliant!..Anne)
Invest in business cards
To misquote an old cliché: You can’t be too thin, or too rich, or hand out too many business cards. With the advent of online printing, business cards have become a great bargain. Look for opportunities to leave your card, for example, inside a Little Free Library book. Or leave one with the tip when paying your bill in a restaurant.
You never know when you’ll garner a sale.
Use signage
I have magnetized signs on both sides of my car. The effect is difficult to measure, but you can always write off the cost on your taxes as a business expense.
Submit to local publications
Become familiar with the staff at local newspapers and magazines and see if they will a write an article on you and your books.
Check out local radio talk shows and pitch an on-air presentation. These shows usually broadcast for several hours on multiple days of the week; they have a lot of air time to fill.
Buy books from other authors
As a matter of professional courtesy and respect, I try to buy as many books as I can from other authors. You can also trade books with other writers whose books appeal to you.
The time you invest in local marketing can and will pay off in bigger book sales. We’d love to hear some of your tips for regional marketing.
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What about you, scriveners? Do you do any hometown book marketing? Have you used these techniques? Can you add anything to Sue’s list? Do you find a benefit to in-person marketing as opposed to relying on social media?
Sue McGinty escaped Los Angeles June 17, 1994, the same day OJ Simpson took his infamous ride. Unlike OJ, Sue had a destination in mind: the Central Coast hamlet of Los Osos. Her goal: writing fiction, a whole different mindset than writing technical courses for McGraw-Hill.
She made the most of her newly-found time, publishing five Central Coast mysteries: “Murder in Los Lobos,” “Murder at Cuyamaca Beach,” “Murder in Mariposa Bay”, “Murder in a Safe Haven”, and “Murder at Smuggler’s Cove.” Her latest work, an historical fiction coming-of-age story, “The Sojourner Chronicles” takes place in Detroit during WWII.
Contact Sue at SueMcGinty.com or on Facebook.
BOOKS OF THE WEEK
Sue’s latest novel is The Sojourner Chronicles
“I loved this historical fiction for many reasons. The characterization is superb. 13 year-old Sara Grace is an insecure yet feisty young girl sent to live with her great aunt. She, and the other characters as well, are multi-dimensional and believable. The historical details felt real and added much insight into race relations at that time in history.”…Ann L. Newman
And one of Anne’s faves is Murder in Los Lobos.
Los Lobos (Spanish for “the wolves”) is the “pen name” for Los Osos (“the bears”), our hometown.
“The Central Coast, a fairly unknown part of California, is the setting for [Sue McGinty’s] novels. Her descriptions provide you a feel for the area, you can almost feel the mist from the fog, the crisp air, quaintness of the small community, and the beauty of the scenery. Her characters are well developed. Bella, the former nun, is the local heroine. She is married to a retired Chicago cop, who she initially met when she was still in the convent in Detroit. It seems death has followed them”…Ninette B. Latronica.
OPPORTUNITY ALERTS
Annual Black Warrior Review contest. Three prizes of $1,500 each and publication in Black Warrior Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Tommy Pico will judge in poetry, Rivers Solomon will judge in fiction, and Selah Saterstrom will judge in nonfiction. Using the online submission system, submit up to three poems of any length or a story or essay of up to 7,000 words with a $20 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Black Warrior Review. Deadline September 1.
Dogwood Literary Prizes. 3 prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Dogwood for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Submit up to three poems totaling no more than 10 pages or up to 22 pages of prose with a $10 entry fee Deadline September 5.
IWSG Anthology Contest 2019. NO FEE! Middle Grade Fantasy stories 3000-5000 words. Theme: Voyagers. Judges include well-known authors including Elizabeth S. Craig. Payment in royalties for the anthology, published by Freedom Fox Press. Deadline September 4th.
ROMANCE WRITERS! Avon Books (a Big 5 imprint) is accepting unagented submissions for a short time. All subgenres of adult romance fiction are welcome, with one mandate: “HEA (happily ever after) or HFN (happy for now) conclusions are required.” Send manuscript, a three-to-five-page synopsis and 100-word author bio via the HarperCollins website by September 15.
33 Romance Publishers that don’t require an agent. Not going the self-publishing route? There’s still a way to get published without an agent.
7 PUBLISHERS FOR MEMOIRS! You don’t need an agent. From the good folks at Authors Publish.
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Featured image: Coalesce Bookstore on Main Street in Morro Bay, CA
Sue—Thanks for the excellent, practical advice! So much of an author’s work is DIY——can also be *very* effective!
Thanks so much, Ruth. I’ve certainly enjoyed your comments on this blog through the years.
Business cards are a must. We only bring them out if we get into a conversation with someone and they seem genuinely interested in our books.
Here’s one idea that goes a little farther: make up a catalog. We have 18 books, so we made up (through Office Publisher) a six-page catalog that lets us go into more detail about our books, and a bit of personal information as well.
We printed it at home on our laser printer, and we only had to buy a stapler with an extended arm to finish them off nicely.
Great idea, Bill. Thanks for sharing.
Bill, where can I get a copy of your catalog?
Brava Sue & Anne,
This is a fine & steaming heap of good suggestions from a local-promotion pro.
I’d like to piggy-back on your last point, Sue. It gobsmacked me how many up-&-coming authors or authors-to-be tell me they never buy books. Aaargh. If we’re not buying books, who is? It’s so very important that we frequent our local bookstores & spend our hard-earned cash (even when we don’t have much of it), supporting both our fellow authors & our local bookstores.
So thanks again.
Hey, Charile aka C. S. I agree, we gotta support each other. Saw your piece in “New Times.” Wahoo! Hope there’s more where that came from.
Oops, Charlie. Sorry for the typo in your name.
Excellent tips! I do buy books by other authors and I request their books at my library. My publisher is big on library distribution, so that’s one area I focus on.
Sounds like you’re doing all the right stuff. I love libraries and what they do for the community.
Excellent list, Sue, thanks! I’m launching a new book in a couple of weeks and will use your tips.
Two more venues where I’ve enjoyed hometown success: book clubs and active-senior developments. Both are delighted to have an author give a talk to them. They’re ardent readers and book buyers. They also like power point slide shows with photos of locations that I used in the books.
Active-senior developments is a great idea, Debbie Burke. And I do work with book clubs. Thanks for the comments.
Debbie, I like your idea about showing photos of locations mentioned in your books. Great idea.
I love all of your suggestions, Sue. Many bring back happy memories of marketing my first book. And to add to the many suggestions, I turned my book launch into a party by asking local musicians to perform. Introverts, like myself, may be overwhelmed by the idea of direct selling to booksellers. But I’m happy to report that it’s my experience that they are very approachable and friendly.
A launch with music. I like it. Thanks so much, Leanne.
Great idea! My new memoir is set in South America. I could play traditional South American music at my signings, etc. Thanks for the suggestion.
Sue, great suggestions! Thanks. I write non-fiction and my friend writes fiction. We teamed up as a guest of a local tearoom during a nearby town’s wine walk last December. We sold books, made new friends and had a great evening. The tearoom owner was a delight and refused to take any commission.
As an inveterate tea drinker, I love your idea of a tearoom launch, Elaine Thomas. There must be one in San Luis Obispo somewhere. I’ll check. Thanks.
All great ideas! And I’m glad I used many of these tips in 2017–looking forward to another success at the SLO Library for November’s launch 🙂 But a tearoom launch, now that might just be the best of all worlds…
Utterly fabulous ideas! I’ve done some, never considered others. I feel energized!!
Wahoo! Thanks for the good words, William Hahn.
hey Sue! What great ideas — and now I have something all in one place that I can stick under the noses of my author clients who moan about marketing!
Every action you suggest takes very little time, in the overall, and eventually will create a solid network that could produce long-term positive results not only in selling books, but bolstering confidence. Think of how several of your ideas would help an author feel more professional, more focused on their career, etc. — I love that 7am presentation tale, cracked me up.
Thanks for sharing — very thorough and very interesting!
Thanks so much, Maria D’Marco. I appreciate your enthusiasm.
Great blog, Sue. You didn’t miss much and provided local authors with such informative information. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the comments, Tony Piazza. You’re a great marketer yourself and a great asset to our Central Coast Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Let’s get together and talk marketing soon.
I love the Little Free Library idea! We sometimes have shelves in cafes and pubs in the UK where people can leave books for other patrons, I might donate some of mine!
I love them as well, Icy Sedgwick.We have one.
Sue, great job. Thanks to Anne for showcasing your ideas. Now, darn, no more excuses left to get my work out there! I’m with you on supporting our fellow authors. I focused a writing column on doing so, especially when an author donates her time and expertise to a writing organization, usually for free. Not only can we explore a new author, but we can say thank you to them.
I wish there was a location where writers could go to connect with book clubs. I think many of us would love to share the stories behind our stories with readers. Anyone have any thoughts on that.
Good job. Lots of info from you, Sue and from the other writers who’ve chimed in.
Thanks so much, Judythe. We should talk some about connecting to book clubs. The local libraries are a good source. I attend the one in Los Osos on the Third Thursday of every month and the Morro Bay Library has a mystery book club I’ve spoken to, not sure of the day or time.
I read your post with interest as I am promoting my debut memoir (September 2019) in Lancaster County where I grew up Mennonite. Fortunately I am following many of your tips but have not thought of a scripted reading with actors, quite a novel idea!
Marian Beaman, a Mennonite, now that’s interesting. We had a few in Michigan where I grew up. Re the scripted readings, they were Anne R. Allen’s idea.
One more suggestion, we have no bookstores anywhere near where I live, but a gift shop/secondhand store carries my books. Also, I’ve done book launches at a chocolate store, and local coffee shop. I love doing book and craft fairs too.
Hey Marilyn M, I’ve gotten so many good ideas from you over the years. And thanks for the gift of of your friendship
Thank you for these ideas, some of which are new to me. I’m eager to get to work, even though I find marketing very painful. Here’s another idea some might like to know: The gift shop at our town’s hospital is lovely, packed with quality items. I asked if they would sell my memoir and they are open to it. Details are yet to be worked out.
Wahoo! Linda K. Thomas. Our two local hospitals have gift shops. Great idea. Will check them out.
Great tips, Sue! I want to reach out to libraries and bookstores locally, and you’ve given me reasons to get cracking! Thanks.
Thanks for the comment Rolynn Anderson. You’re great at marketing.
Outstanding suggestions and, in my case, so timely! I just published my first book about 2 weeks ago. Looks like I’m following your advice–I’ve ordered author business cards, signed on to a book signing, a library presentation, a Rotary function and a church meeting. As you mentioned, I was able to sit down and have coffee with some local indie bookstore owners. What an education that was…it seems to be all about relationships.
I love all the possibilities you have enumerated and am excited to try them. Again, great timing for me and much appreciated.
Best of luck with your book, Kenneth Strange. There’s no feeling like publishing that first book. So empowering, you feel like you could accomplish anything!
Kenneth Strange, I just bought your book!
Hi, Sue, I truly enjoyed reading your blog. The tips you share are invaluable. A couple of them I use already but the others are new to me. I will definitely consider your advice when I publish my next book. Thanks.