Promotion Angling

I had some cards produced for my book signing at Fiction Addiction on July 3. It is all part of the promotion game.

Indie/Self-publishing is a wonderful thing. It isn’t as new as you might think. L. Frank Baum self-published “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. Of course, back in the year 1900, publishing required a press. Baum contracted the George M. Hill Company to print the pages and hand-assembled the first copy himself, and probably many others I expect. These days, with Print-On-Demand and E-Book services, self-publishing has become a lot easier with respect to the production of the print itself.

However, advertising and promoting is entirely up to the author unless one is able to spend fortunes to hire companies to carry that load. Most indie-authors are not in that position. Add to that the dwindling presence of bookstores and the task gets harder. You may not be aware, but the brick-and-mortar bookstore is becoming a thing of the past. I did an extensive search and found only 20 books stores in all of South Carolina. When I contacted them about carrying my book or a book signing event, 5 or so were in the process of closing their doors forever, and an equal number never replied back, suggesting they may have already closed. There is no need to discuss bookstore chains, of which there are few and which require negotiations with buyers, stocking fees, and other hurtles.

Fortunately, I found a bookstore in my state that is not only in operation, but is willing to do a book signing. It is a yearly event they host specifically for indie-authors. I couldn’t be more grateful. The insert card provides avenues to contact me, as well as a heads-up for my next novel. The card will go in any sold books of course, though generally I consider these cards a freebie-giveaway to call attention to “On a Sphere’s Edge” and “The Curmudgeon Code”.

Given the fading away of the local bookstore, the indie-author has to come up with ways of promoting their work in the global marketplace. The little fish have to swim in the deepest waters. The insert card is another lure in my tackle box.