What sort of promotion should an unpublished author do?
The answer is so simple that I'm still sporting the imprint of my palm on my forehead. I've been to conferences, signings, lectures, and workshops...as an attendee, naturally. I've participated in online workshops, read countless interviews, and
What kind of promotion can an unpublished author do? The same as a published author:
Write Another Book
Yeeeah. I know. Earth-shattering revelation, right? To have a following, you need to have more than one crumb on the trail. How many crumbs? The magic number varies. Five seems to be a good target. How often does one need drop a crumb? That answer is in flux, much of it due to evolving expectations around ebooks. Once upon a time, one book per year was acceptable then the number crept closer to two books per year. Latest numbers floating around out there are four books per year with the books being a magical combo of novels and novellas.
The wiser professionals issue reminders not to flood the market with too many releases per year -- that ties back to basic economic theory of too much supply drops perceived value. Let's not forget all that consumer-behavior research on too much choice crippling buyer decision that leads to no acquisition. Oh, and there's the age-old argument of quality versus quantity. Did I mention too many books being a threat author sanity?
Often the most effective solution is the most obvious solution. Best promotion an author can do:
Write Another Book
How many books a year do you, dear reader, think an author should release? Are you satisfied with the occasional novella from your favorite novelist or would you prefer they use their time to get the next novel to you faster?
Really great post - and you are not a token! I think this is true for all of us. It's easy to lose the "moar writing" in all the to do lists, alas.
ReplyDeleteAaaah, the dreaded Opportunity Cost! Do I write or do I go to the signing? Do I write or do I answer the interview questions? Do I write or do I... nap? ~evil laugh~
DeleteI think once a year is reasonable for full novels. I don't need/expect novellas to tide me over. If an author wants to write a novella to explore a side character I am thrilled. As an unpublished author the best way to get my interest is to post an excerpt/short/novella so I get a taste of your writing and story...then I will be looking forward to your novel and will spread the word around.
ReplyDeleteI read something about how digital books are putting more pressure on authors to produce more because readers can get a hold of books so much quicker now and at such a cheap price. Not sure if there is a solution to this problem.
Oh, you make an interesting point to consider. Can samples/excerpts suffice to maintain consumer interest while waiting on the Next Release? Is a novella needed to maintain interest, while an excerpt is enough to spark interest? If we knew that, we'd be closer to answering the quality-vs-quantity per-author question.
Delete~drums fingers on chin~
I love these sort of philosophical marketing questions!
author Linda Poitevin writes an awesome UF series. She is good about posting on FB/twitter/blog snippets and teasers for the next book as she is writing. Sometimes just saying the scene she wrote today made her sad/mad/happy. that keeps me thinking about it. You don't have to go overboard, once a week or every other week. Just mention the characters or storyline.
DeleteIt seems the pressure to produce is a factor for everything, but I know as a reader that I always want my faves to have a new book out.
ReplyDeleteI use to be that way. Since I have been talking with authors through reviewing I have more respect for what goes into the writing of a book (kind of like how you treat waitresses after you have worked as one, longest 5 weeks of my life! ) and there are so many other books out there to read while I wait for the next book in my favorite series :)
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