by Anne R. Allen
One of our most popular posts in recent years has been a guest post from mystery author Sue McGinty. She wrote about Hometown Marketing, and the importance of getting our books known in our own communities.
It helps if you’ve written those books with that community in mind. Not just to sell to that community, but because readers are interested in authentic settings and armchair travel: regional fiction sells to people all over the world.
I’m not saying we should only write for and about folks in the town we grew up in. But instead of writing for a mythical version of our high school English teachers, authors do better when they write for real people. Those people might hang out in the place you live. Or work in the industry you work in, or belong to the same church or arts community.
But My Book Will Appeal to Everybody!
According to Robert Lee Brewer of Writer’s Digest, one of the biggest mistakes new writers make is thinking that they are writing for “everybody.” We want to be universal! Like Dickens, Tolstoy and Shakespeare.
I sure thought I could write for some general audience — an undefined “them” I believed to be out there. I was going to write Universal Truth.
But I soon discovered that nobody can write for “everybody.” Somebody is bound to hate stuff you love and vice versa. So don’t write for those people. Write for people who like what you like. People you know. Not that you need to have bonded over salted caramel mochas at your local Starbucks. But learn who they are.
One of the things I learned back when I was on the query-go-round was that a certain type of agent almost always reacted positively (or at least kindly) to my work, and others…not so much.
Agents who had a background more like mine and liked books I like were more likely to ask for a read. Not really surprising, but a revelation when I realized that I could avoid a whole lot of rejection letters by researching personal stuff about agents instead of mass-querying “them.”.
And you know what agents were most likely to want to read my work? Agents in my state. Yup. Being local matters.
Write In Language That’s Familiar
Let your regional flag fly. No, you don’t have to give all your characters Boston accents because you grew up in Dorchester. But you also don’t have to assume a detached, authoritative professorial voice if that’s not how you and your friends speak. (Unless your protagonist is a detached, authoritative professor, of course. Academic fiction sells too — see our “Book of the Week.”.)
I always feel sad when I get heartbroken — and often angry — messages from unpublished authors who are obviously writing in English as a second (or third or fourth) language. They can’t make inroads into the English-language publishing world and want me to get them an agent or publisher. I tell them that if I tried to write fiction in Urdu or Polish or Italian (which I actually studied for years) I would get constant rejection too.
I had a message recently from a young woman whose English skills might have been learned from watching Borat movies. She thought I was cruel to say self-publishers look amateurish if they use incorrect grammar, since English grammar is so hard.
I know colonialism has a lot to answer for. But even though more people may read English than read your native language doesn’t mean you should try to write for all the inhabitants of the former British Empire.
I urge writers like this young woman to get established in your own language first. Succeed, and you can hire skilled translators to offer the book to the whole planet — later.
It sure worked for Steig Larssen, and his Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Once he got to be #1 in Sweden, he could conquer the publishing world.
Write for Your Neighbors, not Movie Stars
You’ve heard jaded people say that to get published, “it’s not what you know it’s who you know.” And in a way, that’s true.
No, I’m not talking about sending your opus to George Clooney because your aunt once sat next to his second cousin on a plane. I’m talking about writing for the people you actually know. Especially the ones who read books.
Joining a local book club might help you write successful books better than taking a marketing class. (Just don’t try to push your own book on the group.)
And if you’re writing a regional story, instead of picturing your protagonist as a movie star, try picturing the guy at the gas station or the waitress at your local coffee shop. Not only will that help you write more interesting characters, but it will keep you grounded in your local setting.
And, as Ruth Harris wrote last month, being an “everyday star” can often create a more satisfying career than being a superstar.
Regional Fiction Sells
A lot of us read as much for setting as we do for story. Think of how many authors we read for armchair travelling. We want to visit Tony Hillerman’s New Mexico, Louise Penney’s Quebec, Anne Cleeves Northeast England and Carl Hiaasen’s wackadoodle Florida. Most of us hardly remember the plots of mysteries like these. But we remember being there..
As people working from home escape from big cities to smaller towns, they want to know more about the region where they’re now living. What better way than to read regional fiction set in your new home?
And what made Where the Crawdads Sing such a success? I don’t think it was the not-exactly-innovative plot. It was the amazing setting — and the author’s knowledge of the native wildlife. Delia Owens knows the swamps of North Carolina inside and out from animal behavior studies she did there — and her local knowledge brought her fiction to life.
Regional Publishers Don’t Require an Agent
If you are planning to go the traditional publishing route, you can also find friendly and supportive regional publishers who are looking for regional fiction. Most regional publishers don’t require an agent, and they’re looking for authors who live and can market in the area.
My mother, Shirley S. Allen found a home for her academic mystery novel with a mystery publisher that specialized in New England cozies, called Mainly Murder Press. She found them very helpful and supportive,. They liked that she had a ready-made audience in her circle of New England academic acquaintances..
Marketing Fiction Locally is Easier
Here’s where it gets sweet. With regional fiction, you have a ready-made hook to get local newspapers, radio and TV to interview you. You can speak to local groups like Friends of the Library, Lions, Rotary, AAUW, or whatever group is most likely to have readers in your demographic. That includes retailers other than bookstores as well. If you’re a quilter, writing about a quilter protagonist means you can market to quilters. How about a launch in a fabric shop or art gallery?
“Oh, but I don’t want to sell to the local Rotary club. I want to sell to the world!” Sez you. But think about it. Local people have friends and relatives all over. If they buy your book for a relative in another region, and that relative likes it and tells her friends…you have that “word of mouth” we’re all looking for. Think of your hometown or community as the center of a wheel with spokes that go in all directions.
Not everything has to be done online. I think everybody’s a little burned out on spending on social media these days. I’m not telling you to drop your social media marketing, but you can cut back and look around you. People are getting out and about everywhere. Why not get your books out there with them?
by Anne R. Allen (@annerallen) July 18, 2021
What about you, scriveners? Do you write regional fiction? Have you thought of setting your story in your home town or state? Have you done any hometown marketing?
BOOK OF THE WEEK
Retired theatrical director Paul Godwin longs for the quiet life of a college professor, but can he woo his famous wife away from the New York stage to become part of his academic life in small-town Maine? Not easily, especially after the dean accuses him of having a fling with a student and then is found dead in circumstances that make Paul a prime suspect in the investigation.
Anne–Smart post. As always, intelligent and on-target. Thanks!
I’m a Big Apple girl and write about the Big Apple as I see it—with humor, affection, skepticism. Lots going on here and lots to write about.
Ruth–It does help to live in a place that everybody wants to visit! 🙂 Your books are perfect for spending a little time in the Big City without leaving the comfort of home.
I’m with you there, Ruth – NYC has always been my home, so it’ll be home to my characters as well!
Irvin—Vive NY! We will never run out of stories, will we? 😉 Ruth
Good Sunday morning, Anne, and to Ruth as well. I’ve published an 8-part (so far) crime series covering true cases I was involved in. Investigating, that is – not committing. I set the scenes in my hometown of Nanaimo, a city of 100,000 on Vancouver Island, right across from the City of Vancouver which is one of the most exotic, erotic, and expensive places on the planet. From feedback, the setting seems to connect with readers, probably because “The Island” is such a popular tourist destination and just a lovely, lovely place to be murdered. Enjoy your day!
ps – Nanaimo is the Indian word for too many shopping malls.
Garry–You crack me up! 🙂 It doesn’t hurt to live in a tourist destination spot. Vancouver island is such a beautiful place to visit. And, like the mythical idyllic towns of Cabot Cove and Midsomer, it seems a lovely place to set a murder mystery. I don’t know why we love those mysteries set in quiet idyllic settings, but I sure do.
Write local… Your advise, Anne, held true for me.
My very first self-published book was titled Maynely A Mystery and, my local bookseller was pleased to tell me, was a best-seller on Mayne Island, BC–my island home.
Writing Maynely A Mystery was a challenge. Doubly so because I kept telling myself, “People like me don’t write books”–I have dyslexia. So when I finally held the paperback in my hands I was more than ready to party. I invited island musicians–Mayne Island is blessed with many–to appear with me on stage. It was a night I will always remember.
And I’ve been fortunate to continue to rely on the support of Mayne Islanders as I continue on my author journey.
Leanne–I just had to go look up Mayne Island. What a marvelous setting for a novel! And congratulations on being a bestseller there! That’s exactly what I’m talking about. A book launch with local musicians is a brilliant idea!!
Ahoy ahoy,
Great advice here, Anne. Additionally — at least in our community — shopping local is a Big Deal. Lots of people are trying to change their habits & stop in at local businesses before heading over to Amazon.
Authors, if you live near an independent bookstore, this is a train onto which you might jump.
CS–Yes! Local bookstores like to carry local books. Tourists are always looking for something to read about the area. Partner with your local bookstore and you’ll have automatic sales.
Regional isn’t my thing (hard to do with science fiction set in a far off galaxy), but I do write for people ! know – the ones who like my other books!
Alex–As I wrote this, I realized I wasn’t really going to help the sci-fi writers. (Although paranormal and fantasy writers might benefit from regional settings.)
But writing for your “tribe” is a kind of regional writing too. Writing for real people you know is always good marketing.
I had the same thought as Alex, but I did imagine what Anne said, too. I want to write for those readers who live outside the galaxy, which is one way of being “regional.”
Steph–I guess “a galaxy far, far, away” is a region, too. 🙂
This is excellent advice, Anne. And so true. I write my Grafton County Series for the locals, and they love seeing their towns in print. They also wonder where I’ll dump the next body (I often dump fictional corpses near local landmarks or places known only to locals). In the nice weather I hit all the Old Home Days, and sell out at every event. They rush my booth, wrapped in crime scene tape, like I’m a movie star. LOL It’s a blast!
Sue–You are indeed the big local star I’m talking about. How exciting to sell out your events and get so many hometown fans. I love the idea of a booth wrapped in crime-scene tape!
Absolutely fabulous food for thought, Anne. I’m headed off for a week’s vacay and will doubtless be thinking about this coolness in my own way. You’re right in your last comment, epic fantasy/sci-fi has a universal setting, but there are regional flavors. I’ve seen several publishers say they’re only interested in fantasy with a non-Western/medieval background. Whoops for me, but not a big problem- I don’t know much and I don’t know nobody, but I know what I’ve seen.
In Delaware we’re not far from “Amish” country (actually a bunch of different folks but all looking similar to us rubes). And on all the restaurant book-racks, tourist gift shops, and other places you can see tons of– get this– Amish romances. No lie: many in the PA Dutch communities give their kids a year to “go out” into the secular world, see what’s there for them as they maybe finish high school, and then decide if they want to stay there or come home. So of course the protagonist meets another potential love-interest, but the one the parents had picked out is waiting… And that evidently has a big market around more than just here– I don’t think that many Amish read them, it’s all a kind of vicarious tourist experience!
Your point about grammatical English is spot-on. There are probably more Chinese or Indian speakers who want to learn English than there are Americans. But they don’t want to learn to speak it like they already do; they want to master the intricacies, the slang.
Will–Great point about Amish romance. Yes, it has a big market all over the world. It’s very regional in subject matter, but not in audience. In fact, as you say, it’s not for the Amish at all.
But Fantasy is problematic. Even if you decided to write fantasy set in a Lenape / Nanticoke mythological ancient Delaware world, you’d have people all over you for cultural appropriation. I know a writer who did exactly that–setting her story in an imagined ancient setting in her own region of California. The only way she could make it work was to make the ancient people blue and not use any words or phrases that suggest the people are related to real life indigenous people. And I don’t know if you could get away with anything set in Asian mythology unless that was your own racial heritage.
So people of European descent kind of have to keep to European settings, even for fantasy. Interesting that a publisher only wants non-Western settings. They would have to make sure the authors were of the proper ethnicity.
Terrific post, Anne!
My thrillers are set in small-town Montana where I’ve lived for 30+ years. I know the slang, the residents, the downtown bars and restaurants where upstairs rooms used to be brothels, the homes where murders and suicides took place and the surviving families who still live there. I’ve admired the stunning mountain view from a roadside pullout where a bride shoved her new husband over a cliff.
Idyllic settings in many ways make crimes more horrific b/c people believe (wrongly), “That could never happen here.” But it can and does.
Personal connections at local venues are my favorites–I talk to book clubs as a result of meeting people in zumba classes or at the community college. I speak often to senior groups who are enthusiastic readers. The radio station and weekly newspapers regularly interview me. The owner of the airport gift shop just purchased multiple copies of all my books–who knows where those might wind up? As you say, spokes in the wheel.
A friend has done successful book signings at a supermarket that’s on the road to Glacier Park, picking up both residents and tourists.
I love splashing around in my regional pond.
Debbie–It indeed sounds as if you’ve been profitably “splashing around in your regional pond.” Personal connections in local venues are golden. Sounds as if you’ve done everything just right!
I need to get back to what I used for settings in my writing, which is my local town plus places I used to visit a lot, here in Connecticut. I think what really works for everyone who has commented is that the local setting for your particular slice of the world really makes the story.
Personally I’ve loved using my town for settings in my books (last book I just published featured story with a setting at our local annual festival and another featured our local town park), as it does give that flavor of weird normality that one can only find at home.
G. B. All that local stuff gives your work a richness of detail that readers love. Where do you live in CT? I went to Middletown High. 🙂
You just made my day!! My next book of fiction is titled Enosburg Stories. All of the stories take place in Enosburg Falls, Vermont. The novel I’m currently working on is set in Sheldon Springs, Vermont. It doesn’t get much more regional than Franklin County, Vermont!
Liz–Those seemingly peaceful little New England towns make great settings for any kind of fiction, from horror to mysteries to steamy romances. Your books sound like fun!
I’m having fun with it. If the pandemic ever lifts, I’ll need to do some in-person library research. But I’m having fun in the meantime!
Thanks, Anne. Great insight. I write non-fiction with a local focus based on oral histories. My first collection comes out this fall and I’m making a list of as many area promotional opportunities as I can think of. Do you have any tips on assembling an advance team on a local basis?
Elaine–Great idea for a series! I’m sure you’ll find lots of local venues interested in promoting your book.
But as for “advance teams”–I don’t believe in them. The way I don’t believe in Bigfoot. I don’t know any people who want to drop their own work to do advertising work for some random author for free. I know the marketing advice is always “go out and get a street team”. But I don’t know anybody on a street team who’s willing to do anything but read and review a free book. I’ve been put on plenty of “street teams” without my knowledge, and I can say I have not done my due diligence as a minion. 🙂 Do give ARCs to local bookstore owners, but they probably won’t read them. Maybe some clerks will, and that would be good. And you can send them to local newspapers and magazines, but don’t count on a response. You do better by writing a personal note to a reporter you know and give her a hook for an interview, like “Local author grew up in the “haunted house” in new novel.”
Well, I”m already using a regional setting, but unfortunately, outside the UK and US, it’s hard to find regional publishers unless you have proximity to a major city. In many parts of Canada, that’s tricky. The nearest city for me is in another province and over 500 miles away. In my own province, I probably have to look at Toronto or Ottawa, both of which are almost 1,000 miles away We do have published authors here, but suspect mostly indie. It’s…different here. Still considering my options.
mevrouwbee–I’m not saying all regional books should have regional publishers. 🙂 I’m just saying that’s a possibility for regional writers. But New York publishers accept books with regional settings all the time. After all, Where the Crawdads Sing was published by Putnam (owned by the Random Penguin.) You might have a better chance with a Toronto publisher than New York or London, though. And you can promote it in Canadian publications and maybe get on local TV. All the hometown marketing tips work wherever your setting is, no matter how small the town. You might find a Canadian agent who’s interested in your neck of the woods.
This is right on. I live in a Chicago suburb, and I love setting stories in Chicago and referring to local legends, train stops, landmarks, etc. Some of my short stories with regional American settings have done well in British and Australian publications. It’s strange to me to think of America as exotic, but sometimes we do want to be transported someplace else for a while!
Jen–That’s what I’m talking about! Your “region” doesn’t have to be a small town. It can be a neighborhood of a big city. People all over the world are interested in what it’s like to live in a legendary city like Chicago.
Smart post, Anne, and you are making me think. I’m sitting here with the possibility of two offers coming in this week (one from a British publisher, another from Toronto) – my agent has scheduled calls this week with both. I’m SO tempted to go with the international one, but in my mind all weekend has been: how will I do book tours over there?? How will I go to libraries and meet readers, like I always do every single month of the year, when we’re not in covid? I don’t know how these things can be done, and I am not enough of a name to sell books on the basis of that name. Will keep you posted. Thanks for the reminder to take all things into account.
Melodie–I ran into exactly this problem when I first published with a UK publisher. I went over to do a book tour, which mostly fizzled. There were only so many interviews I could give about how I liked Lincolnshire sausage and poacher cheese and how many tourist sites I’d visited in Nottingham. They wanted me to talk about regional things, not stuff about my book.
Melodie–And congrats on getting two tempting offers!
Great post. All my books take place in California, specifically in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Santa Barbara area. But I never thought of looking for publishers in either of those places. I’ll have to do that. Thank you.
Patricia–Not all regional publishers are looking for fiction, but if you find one, they’ll be much more interested in publishing books set in their area. Best of luck!