WHERE STORIES TAKE FLIGHT: Day 100--Pre-Release Publicity for Books, Part One

So you've written a novel, now what? This article applies to independent and contracted authors. One of the mistakes I made with The Pet Washer was that I did not promote it until after publication. My friends knew it was coming out, but I missed the opportunity to hit the ground running.

My second novel, Dead Girls Don't Cry, is with my copyeditor right now. I plan to release it in July and I started the pre-release publicity this month, April. Ideally, I'd like more than three months of lead time, but I don't want to publish it too late in the year. June release dates are optimal to hit the summer reading crowd, especially for YA.

As things stand today, I have a finished manuscript, but not a polished manuscript. The book cover is with the designer and is also not completed yet. In short, my bun is still in the oven. You might wonder how or why I would promote a book in such early stages.

The big houses spend six months on pre-release publicity. Error on the side of starting too early rather than starting too late. In fact, you can begin promoting your book while you're still writing it via your author blog, Facebook page or Twitter. It familiarizes people with you and your project. They say consumers have to see something seven times before they purchase it. With pre-release publicity, you promote your book over and over and by the time it's out, many readers will have already decided to purchase it.

So what can you do with a cover-less draft of a novel? I will share what I am doing in a series of posts as I approach publication. I write that my manuscript is seeking representation, but I am proceeding for now as though I'm self-publishing. I haven't decided yet whether I will shop the manuscript to agents. Nothing prevents me from doing both--preparing for publication and shopping agents at the same time.

Contracted authors are not off the hook when it comes to marketing. Unless they are BIG, they are expected, nay required, to promote their books too. Agents/Publishers will be thrilled if you already have a platform in place. In fact, it could be the difference between landing a contract and being passed over. There is no downside to getting your book off the ground as soon as possible.

Pre-Publicity, The Early Stages

The Announcement--If you click the tab at the top of this blog labeled, "Coming Soon", you can read all the pertinent details of Dead Girls Don't Cry--the genre, the word count, the blurb, the general release date and a sentence from the book. As I get closer to publishing, I will clarify, add new details and an excerpt.
Social Media--I'm tweeting as my protagonist, Leah French. In the book, she sets up a social account with the username, DeadGurl17. I am tweeting lines from the book on Twitter@DeadGurl17. Please follow Leah!
Share Everywhere--I list all my future projects on the right sidebar of this blog. It's never too early to get people used to your book titles. When they are published, your community should not be surprised, they should be expectant. I also talk about my book and it's release date at my speaking engagements. Everywhere I can, I put it out there that I have a new book coming out soon.
Seek Advice Early--I am seeking advice from readers, authors and friends about my plot, my cover, my character names and my settings. Not only does this involve people in my novel, which generates a sense of partnership, but I would rather hear the advice now rather than after I publish. The advice I got on The Pet Washer came after publication. "Fixing" a published book is not nearly as fun as publishing a "fixed" book.
Prep Your Pitch--Your pitch is your blurb and a summary of your book in one sentence. It's good practice to start early. Crafting the the blurb is often the most difficult writing an author will do. I have changed my Pet Washer blurb four times at least. I'm doing my market research in advance this time. I would rather publish with a blurb that is already audience-tested and author-approved so that I can focus on other things after publication. In addition, I need this blurb ready to go for marketing purposes before the release of the book. If you're seeking an agent, you will need these for your query letters. The process of creating and refining the pitch can start the day you begin Chapter One!