This was a talk I went to yesterday, aimed at writers with small publishers, or self-published. I took as many notes as possible but, inevitably, missed a lot. The main gist was to think local and regard national coverage as a bonus.

The pattern of buying by the bookshops is changing, as we know, with fewer reps and more central buying. The chains will only allow reps from the biggest of the publishing conglomerates to visit stores. Surprisingly (to me at any rate) WHS are more open to local authors than they are to publishers’ reps. So are Ottakars, but that could well change in the near future.

Two growth areas in book selling:

1) the internet: Amazon, own website, etc. Make sure the cover looks appealing on screen. With Amazon specifically, make sure they have all the info they need – image, synopsis, get the classification right, and get some good reviews posted up.

2) book groups. The Richard and Judy effect. Apparently there are now more than 2000 established book groups. Word of mouth is a very powerful force. Get your book onto a few book group lists and it can snowball. Get it into local libraries and ask them to feature it in any reading events they hold. Ask them if you can help organise an event.

Write publicity material to suit the target audience. (For instance, there’s no point in sending photographs to your local radio station.)

Arrange interviews with local radio and newspapers, local and specialist magazines. Print out your material, quote from it, and leave a copy with the interviewer. Have soundbites and quotes ready, also a couple of amusing anecdotes. Keep mentioning the title! Always be available for interviews and be friendly – if they like you, they’ll remember you.

Arrange booksignings/talks at bookshops, local tourist venues, schools, festivals. Watch out for anything related to your book – for instance, if it’s about life on an organic farm, watch out for farmers markets, organic events, country fairs.

That’s about all I can dredge up at the moment. If I think of any more, I’ll add it. In the meantime, here’s a few useful links:

http://www.booktrade.info

http://www.booksellers.org.uk

http://www.sfep.org.uk

http://www.publishing-services.co.uk

Dee, thanks for that. It was obviously a good meeting, and the book group advice seems particularly helpful.

One thing I've noticed recently is that there are a lot of online booksellers beyond the mighty Amazon - either independent bookshops with their own sites, or purely online ones, and I'm sure it would be worth getting in touch with them too.

Apparently in the recent OFT brawl over the Ottakar's takeover, Waterstone's were stunned by how un-local and un-helpful they were perceived to be, and they've actually said they realise they must get busy trying to change their image and the perception of their attitude. It might just be the psychological moment for an author to drop by their branch and chat up the manager...

Emma

<Added>

Wrote this as part of a post on the rejection pledge thread, then realised it would be more appropriate here.

'I was alternately amused and despairing at a Soc of Authors meeting on Marketing [last year] to realise that just about everything that was said about getting a book published and selling well - fiction or non-fiction - had to be qualified by 'well, of course it's different for literary fiction.'' The conclusion seemed to be that not even the trade really knows how to market lit fic!

Thanks Dee (and Emma).

Interesting and useful stuff.

Nik.

Yes, Emma, you're right, there are other online booksellers, but Amazon were the only one mentioned – and the only one I’m familiar with so I understood the references.

Good point about Waterstones. Perhaps the time is right for a trip to Lancaster. In fact, now I come to think about it, Lancaster Waterstones is mentioned in TWH… so they can't say no, can they?

Dee

so they can't say no, can they?

Not unless it's in there as the portal to Satan's cavern...

Mind you, to hear some book trade people go on, you'd think everyone knew it was, and Ottakar's the Pearly Gates themselves .

I think all other online booksellers are only something like 1% out of the total of 7% of all bookselling that's online, but they'd seem relatively easy to get at.

Emma

I think you've got something there Dee.

All budding writers should ensure that at least one scene in their novel be in the local bookstore, then how can they possibly object to stocking it? Slip in a mention of the local library and all the local media outlets and half the work's been done for you.

I like it.

Hehe!

No, it’s only a ‘turn left at Waterstones to get to the castle’ sort of mention – but nevertheless, it’s there.

How about a series:
1) The Writing Group Murders
2) The Locked Library Mystery
3) The Body in the Bookshop
4) Death and the Local DJ
5) Murder at the Magazine
and so on, all featuring a clever and daring detective who is also the local newspaper's literary editor?

Emma

Great titles, Emma!

I already have a feature set up with the local newspaper because I emailed them and asked what their newsdesk deadline was. It’s a weekly paper, and I said I needed to know if an accident happening on Thursday afternoon would make it into that week’s edition. Because the paper is mentioned in the story, they asked if they could run a feature on the novel when it’s published.

Dee

Because the paper is mentioned in the story, they asked if they could run a feature on the novel when it’s published.

That's seriously canny. Go girl!

And Now I know why writing historical fiction is such a bad idea - I don't think the editor of the 1819 edition of the Morning Post is still alive, dammit! In fact I don't the think the paper at all is alive.

Emma

All helpful stuff, Dee. Thank you for posting!

I've got a short story in an anthology by local authors - our local WH Smiths and Waterstones are stocking it. I think also a small twn bookstore and a village post office. The Amazon listing is a bit of a wash out - because it's on their 4 - 6 weeks delivery and I don't think anyone knows it's there(!)- but we did get a local book group to read it and some coverage in the local paper (not as much as we wanted - lol!)

I was hoping to get some reviews from the book group but people tend to be a bit shy - said they'd love to read it and did but daunted by writing about it.

Also an interview on the local BBC radio station.

One mistake we made - the book was printed by the University press and we have a "publishing company" to distribute it - but the details, email etc, are not printed in the book - also we don't have a website.

Just in case that's helpful to anyone...

Sarah

Hi Sarah, what's the anthology called? Got to get the title in at the very least, take it from a shameless plugger. I'd love to get a copy (it's the least I could do!).

By the way, I heard a story about a writer I know from another writers' site (yes, there is one). He got good local paper coverage for his first novel, but satirised local paper journalists in his second - now he is persona non grata as far as they are concerned. They strangely failed to cover the release of his third. He seems to be doing very well despite it, however.

Hi Roger,

Since you ask (!)- 'Liquorice Ice Cream and other Just Desserts' though I don't remember any pudding in my tale...

The Amazon link is

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1898837953/qid%3D1145876925/202-4497303-2924607

but if you're serious try

hirdpublications@roushous.karoo.co.uk.

I think the marketing manager may have one or two left!

Sarah

Getting the pedant hat out again (man, that's had a lot of use recently), it should actually be 'Just Deserts'.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/just-deserts.html

The meaning as a barren and desolate area actually makes a lot more sense to me than the sweet trolley thing ever did.

Jon

<Added>

Edit ... and just to prove that the OED concurs...

http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/deserts?view=uk

Jon

<Added>

<b>More</b> ... mind you, it's just occurred to me that this is probably a deliberate error given the actual complete title of the book.

Should have thought that through more carefully I suppose.

Sigh.

Jon

<Added>

Finally... and of course, 'deserts' in this context never meant 'a desert' at all. It's from the French 'to deserve'.

That's it, I'm off down the pub.

Jon

Thanks Dee, that's really informative. I've been giving this some thought myself, and is the main reason I went for the website. It's a great tool to refer people too, and also a link to buy the novel when it comes out. Of course, everyone in the UK will have to ship a copy from the US, but there's not much I can do about that yet!

Just off to work on my new novel 'Showdown at Borders' now.

JB