By Jane Tulloch
Writing a book is one thing, the publication process is another but the promotion of the book, once published, is something else altogether and is rarely considered by the first time author. I can only comment on my own efforts in this direction but there are many books on the subject already available.
In my case I just wrote the book I wanted to write - Our Best Attention. Simples! However, after the first efforts of publication (thank you Comely Bank Publishing) and the euphoria of the book launch (thank you Blackwell’s bookshop) it was time to develop a clear book promotion strategy. I felt that it was a matter of matching the book to its potential readership and working out how to bring it to their attention.
This is what I did:
• Analysed my book. Who might enjoy it?
• Worked out where this potential readership might be best located
• Worked out how best to connect with this potential readership
• Analysed which of my own personal skills were most likely to facilitate this connection
• Made the connection.
Findings
As my book is based in the 1970s, more than 40 years ago, the potential readership is older adults. Given that it’s about the activities of a large department store, it seemed likely to be of most interest to older ladies, either previous customers of such a shop or former staff members.
Many older ladies enjoy membership of a variety of ladies associations of various types e.g. Women’s Institutes, church group and book groups, for example.
Writing a book is one thing, the publication process is another but the promotion of the book, once published, is something else altogether and is rarely considered by the first time author. I can only comment on my own efforts in this direction but there are many books on the subject already available.
In my case I just wrote the book I wanted to write - Our Best Attention. Simples! However, after the first efforts of publication (thank you Comely Bank Publishing) and the euphoria of the book launch (thank you Blackwell’s bookshop) it was time to develop a clear book promotion strategy. I felt that it was a matter of matching the book to its potential readership and working out how to bring it to their attention.
This is what I did:
• Analysed my book. Who might enjoy it?
• Worked out where this potential readership might be best located
• Worked out how best to connect with this potential readership
• Analysed which of my own personal skills were most likely to facilitate this connection
• Made the connection.
Findings
As my book is based in the 1970s, more than 40 years ago, the potential readership is older adults. Given that it’s about the activities of a large department store, it seemed likely to be of most interest to older ladies, either previous customers of such a shop or former staff members.
Many older ladies enjoy membership of a variety of ladies associations of various types e.g. Women’s Institutes, church group and book groups, for example.
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