Ginger Scott's Blog - Posts Tagged "tips"
Rope Learning
I've worked as a journalist for years. I have also worked in public relations and digital media for nearly a decade. I currently teach it at ASU. I felt pretty confident going into this whole book launch thing that I could at least tread the publicity waters better than some of the other newbies out there.
Turns out, though, not only am I a rookie author, but I'm pretty green at book publicity, too. So, in keeping with my theme of sharing my knocks and bruises (and triumphs) as I go, I bring this latest post.
1. You really can do it without hiring a publicist, but damn is it hard. I don't have what you would call a "big bank roll" to fund my writing passion enterprise, and I know a lot of you are in the same boat I'm in. But, having pitched hundreds of bloggers (and connected with a wonderful bunch of them), I truly can appreciate the value of having a well-connected team there to swoop in and kick off a blog tour for you. Let's just say my first book has been on more of a blog 'hitchhiking' rather than a tour.
2. You think you are planning in advance, but think more in advance. I thought I had things lined up well, but I hadn't really done any pre-publicity prior to my launch. You need to think ARCs (advanced reading copies), early reviews and even cover reveals. I didn't have much to spend on a cover, so I used my own shot of the actual Coolidge High field, a really pretty friend as a model and some help from a few graphic design colleagues to whip my cover into shape. But with a little advanced planning, I could have hyped my cover a little more.
3. And finally, speaking of covers...this is probably a good place to spend your initial funds. You don't have to go crazy, but a compelling stock image goes a long way. I lucked out with a shot I had on file from an earlier travel-writing assignment. Knowing I won't have that for book 2 (yes, that's right, book 2) means I will have to work the cover a little harder this fall when I aim to launch again. And you can bet your ass I'll be hyping the cover reveal!
I hope some of these tips will help someone out there. And thank you to the many amazing readers, some from the other side of the world, who have embraced Waiting on the Sidelines. I hope to serve you all well with the rest of Reed and Nolan's story soon. Stay tuned for blogs on the fun stuff behind the books and a little preview or two as I sit up until the wee hours writing.
Turns out, though, not only am I a rookie author, but I'm pretty green at book publicity, too. So, in keeping with my theme of sharing my knocks and bruises (and triumphs) as I go, I bring this latest post.
1. You really can do it without hiring a publicist, but damn is it hard. I don't have what you would call a "big bank roll" to fund my writing passion enterprise, and I know a lot of you are in the same boat I'm in. But, having pitched hundreds of bloggers (and connected with a wonderful bunch of them), I truly can appreciate the value of having a well-connected team there to swoop in and kick off a blog tour for you. Let's just say my first book has been on more of a blog 'hitchhiking' rather than a tour.
2. You think you are planning in advance, but think more in advance. I thought I had things lined up well, but I hadn't really done any pre-publicity prior to my launch. You need to think ARCs (advanced reading copies), early reviews and even cover reveals. I didn't have much to spend on a cover, so I used my own shot of the actual Coolidge High field, a really pretty friend as a model and some help from a few graphic design colleagues to whip my cover into shape. But with a little advanced planning, I could have hyped my cover a little more.
3. And finally, speaking of covers...this is probably a good place to spend your initial funds. You don't have to go crazy, but a compelling stock image goes a long way. I lucked out with a shot I had on file from an earlier travel-writing assignment. Knowing I won't have that for book 2 (yes, that's right, book 2) means I will have to work the cover a little harder this fall when I aim to launch again. And you can bet your ass I'll be hyping the cover reveal!
I hope some of these tips will help someone out there. And thank you to the many amazing readers, some from the other side of the world, who have embraced Waiting on the Sidelines. I hope to serve you all well with the rest of Reed and Nolan's story soon. Stay tuned for blogs on the fun stuff behind the books and a little preview or two as I sit up until the wee hours writing.
