Marketing Advice from Self-Published Author Josiah Bancroft

After you had submitted the book for a contest, the author Mark Lawrence picked it up and decided to become the books 'champion.' This opened a lot of doors for you. Can you tell us a little more about the role he played and why that was a turning point in your publishing story?

It would be hard to overstate Mark's role in getting Senlin Ascends published. After discovering the book through his Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO) contest, he shared the book with everyone he knew, including his writer friends and his agent, Ian Drury, who would eventually become my own agent. He blogged about it on his site, and he flogged it on Reddit's r/fantasy forum, Facebook, and Twitter. His publicizing efforts had their intended effect. After three years of languishing, my book began to sell.

Behind the scenes, Mark offered me a ton of invaluable advice, from pointing out a dead link on my Goodreads page to explaining how I should interpret trends and sales. I like to think I've taken advantage of the opportunity he provided me, but I have no illusion that my success is owed entirely to the luck of my book finding its way into Mark's hands. This is both the most discouraging and, potentially, the most liberating aspect of publishing: Luck is the primary variable in the equation of success.

Are there specific book publishing and promotion resources you can recommend for self-published authors?

Probably the most productive thing a self-publisher can do is to find a community to contribute to and converse with. I learned this lesson late, but there's nothing more helpful and hopeful than sharing your work with an active and healthy community. I think it's best if that community isn't only composed of writers, but really, the composition of the community is not as important as its culture. I found a supportive community of readers, bloggers, and writers through Mark Lawrence's SPFBO and in r/fantasy. It took me a while to figure out how to interact with them; I am not the most socially adept person. But I discovered that a little politeness goes a long way.

How has working with a traditional publisher like Orbit helped expand the audience for your book?

Orbit has put a ton of effort into getting the book into the hands of authors, reviewers, and national publications, which has resulted in some lovely press for Senlin Ascends, including a write up in the Washington Post and a blurb in the Toronto Star. The fine folks at Orbit gave me the opportunity to speak to their sales force and to a room full of book buyers, which was an incredible experience. They produced a promotional video and organized many interviews with bloggers and venerable sites like Goodreads. They ran contests and placed some prominent ads, and they're working to organize panels and other in-person engagements later this year. Working with professionals has taught me that I am a very good writer and a terrible publicist. Having their help has been transformative.



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