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Nancy Fulda · 08-09-2013, 05:06 AM

>>1) This something that makes sense to do?

From a marketing standpoint, absolutely. Building local connections is great -- it's not so much about hand-selling books to people in the audience. It's about establishing yourself as someone to pay attention to. The kind of folks who attend library presentations are often also bookshop owners, members of literary clubs, other librarians... There will be lots of interesting people to meet, with fascinating perspectives on all aspects of publishing.

>>2) Should I bring books to hand out? If so, just book one, or more?

It never hurts to have books handy. How many, and whether you display them prominently or only bring them out when asked will depend on the nature of the event and your personal marketing style. When in doubt, err on the side of caution.

>>3) What are the kinds of topics it would make sense for me to talk about
>>(assuming they don't assign one)?

Who's the audience? Local students? Other librarians? Aspiring authors? Friends of literature? You want to pick a topic that is relevant and useful to the people who will be listening. Assuming the library doesn't assign you a topic, I'd suggest giving them two or three options and asking which they'd prefer.

>>4) What the heck do you do with things like this?

Uh... have fun?

>>5) Do I market this? how? I do not have much of a local following... cause
>>I never marketed locally.

Press releases. I cannot emphasize this enough. Learn how to do them -- and yes, you can write your own and no, local papers will not think that is weird. All the big companies do it, too.

Robert J. Sawyer's page on Getting Good Press is an excellent reference. In our modern world, you probably don't need to put together paper press packages. Most local papers will have a 'contact' button or a 'news tips' link that is especially designed for press releases.

Here's the thing -- and this is VERY important -- write your press release as if it were a news article. Newspapers run on a deadline. Sometimes they have too many stories. Then you're out of luck. But sometimes the day is slow and they need something to fill up page five, and so the editor will flip through the press releases and looking for something to shove in there. When I send out press releases, I'll sometimes be contacted by journalists who want to write a detailed story. But nine times out of ten, the newspaper will simply run the press release verbatim.

Also important: The main purpose of the press release is NOT to get people to attend your presentation. If they do, so much the better, but the point of the press release is to establish yourself as someone worth talking about. You are an Interesting Local Author. People cared enough to invite you to speak at the shiny new library. You are worth paying attention to -- this is the message you want newspaper readers to take away. The next time you do a signing, or a presentation, or whatever, send out press releases again. And again when you release a new series. Don't get pompous, and don't try to pitch the events as more significant than they really are, but don't be shy about positioning yourself as an interesting local author, either. You never know what might come of it.

Oh, and make sure the press release includes a web site and contact information, in case journalists want to get in touch with you.

08-09-2013, 05:06 AM	#6
Nancy Fulda I write stories. Posts: 700 Karma: 16437432 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Northern Germany Device: kindle	>>1) This something that makes sense to do? From a marketing standpoint, absolutely. Building local connections is great -- it's not so much about hand-selling books to people in the audience. It's about establishing yourself as someone to pay attention to. The kind of folks who attend library presentations are often also bookshop owners, members of literary clubs, other librarians... There will be lots of interesting people to meet, with fascinating perspectives on all aspects of publishing. >>2) Should I bring books to hand out? If so, just book one, or more? It never hurts to have books handy. How many, and whether you display them prominently or only bring them out when asked will depend on the nature of the event and your personal marketing style. When in doubt, err on the side of caution. >>3) What are the kinds of topics it would make sense for me to talk about >>(assuming they don't assign one)? Who's the audience? Local students? Other librarians? Aspiring authors? Friends of literature? You want to pick a topic that is relevant and useful to the people who will be listening. Assuming the library doesn't assign you a topic, I'd suggest giving them two or three options and asking which they'd prefer. >>4) What the heck do you do with things like this? Uh... have fun? >>5) Do I market this? how? I do not have much of a local following... cause >>I never marketed locally. Press releases. I cannot emphasize this enough. Learn how to do them -- and yes, you can write your own and no, local papers will not think that is weird. All the big companies do it, too. Robert J. Sawyer's page on Getting Good Press is an excellent reference. In our modern world, you probably don't need to put together paper press packages. Most local papers will have a 'contact' button or a 'news tips' link that is especially designed for press releases. Here's the thing -- and this is VERY important -- write your press release as if it were a news article. Newspapers run on a deadline. Sometimes they have too many stories. Then you're out of luck. But sometimes the day is slow and they need something to fill up page five, and so the editor will flip through the press releases and looking for something to shove in there. When I send out press releases, I'll sometimes be contacted by journalists who want to write a detailed story. But nine times out of ten, the newspaper will simply run the press release verbatim. Also important: The main purpose of the press release is NOT to get people to attend your presentation. If they do, so much the better, but the point of the press release is to establish yourself as someone worth talking about. You are an Interesting Local Author. People cared enough to invite you to speak at the shiny new library. You are worth paying attention to -- this is the message you want newspaper readers to take away. The next time you do a signing, or a presentation, or whatever, send out press releases again. And again when you release a new series. Don't get pompous, and don't try to pitch the events as more significant than they really are, but don't be shy about positioning yourself as an interesting local author, either. You never know what might come of it. Oh, and make sure the press release includes a web site and contact information, in case journalists want to get in touch with you.