Whether you are published or not, you’ve probably heard that novelists these days need to help promote their books.
It’s a little scary to think about that, because most of us prefer to sit in our little cubbyholes and read and write and do email. The last thing most of us want to do is get out there and do icky book promotion.
Unfortunately, just about every publisher on the planet thinks differently. They all believe that you care more about your novel than anyone else does. They all think that you know more about your novel than anyone else does. They all think that you ought to be promoting your novel harder than anyone else is.
And they’re right. We’ve discussed various methods of promotion on this blog, and I’ve written many columns in my Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine on book promotion. Normally, I’ve talked about new and cutting-edge methods of book promotion.
One method I haven’t talked about very much is one of the oldest and best-known methods: Public speaking. Many of my novelist friends earn extra bucks by speaking (and selling their books at the back of the room).
Publishers LOVE writers who speak, because a writer who speaks is a writer who sells books and who is earning money while doing it.
Next Monday night, I’ll be beginning a series of teleseminars with my friend Mary Byers, who’s been speaking since 1988 and is a member of the National Speakers Association. In this series, we’ll cover four topics: Getting Engagements, Setting Fees, Preparing for the Engagement, and Growing Your Business. Click here for more info on this teleseminar series.
I do quite a bit of public speaking on “how to write fiction.” What I’ve not done yet is to do public speaking to promote my novels. But I intend to start doing that, because I think it’s a smart thing for any novelist to do. So my main reason for doing this teleseminar series with Mary is to LEARN HOW TO DO IT.
I hope many of you will join me in learning from Mary. It is NEVER too early to start public speaking. The best time to start is long before your book is published. That way, you’ll have a “platform” that you can use in promoting your novel when it finally does hit the shelves. You’ll also develop the skills you need to do well in radio and TV interviews about your book. Plus, you’ll make MONEY by speaking, and that’s always a good thing to have.
One final note: If you have a speaking platform in place, publishers will consider that a “plus” when considering whether to publish your book. Why? Because if you can help promote your book, even a little bit, then the book is that much more likely to earn its advance.
In the meantime, can you define “platform”?
Although I have done some public speaking, I find it hard to promote myself as a speaker as well. Most people want to know “what have you written?” or “where are you speaking now?” Something of a catch-22.
Personal definition – just my personal understanding:
Platform = database of people to whom you can promote your book.
For example: the list of people who read your blog,
or subscribe to your monthly newsletter,
or who have asked you to speak,
or who belong to the same internet loop,
or who have indicated an interest by contacting you (even in a cursory manner)
to whom you can email a notification of your book.
It would also include a list of media people with whom you have a nodding acquaintance.
It helps if you correspond with some of these media personnel. A compliment on a well-written story, a question about a series they’re working on, anything to begin a two-way correspondence, something so they recognize your name. Just don’t be a pest.
Great timing! I have a very small public speaking platform and one of my friends is encouraging me to create a flyer about myself so she can promote me to her church conference. I haven’t done it yet because I’m unsure what to put. The teleseminar will help me figure out the right information to add! Looking forward to it!
As a children’s author, I think I have a bit of an advantage over adult fiction authors. Schools love to have authors come in. Kids love to talk about writing books.
When my picture books came out, I arranged tea parties at local churches and little girls came out in droves!
I talked with all of them and had a blast. Don’t know that I have a “platform,” but I do have speaking opportunities.
When I launched my self-published book in August, I knew I’d need to get out speaking to promote it. Problem is, even though I have two speaking engagements lined up for next year, I’m not sure how to line up more of those gigs and how to sell myself as a speaker. I’m looking forward to the teleseminar – looks like exactly the kind of information I need to boost my speaking (and book sales).
But if you’re unpublished, unconnected and already have a full-time job in a cubicle farm, won’t you have a hard time finding people who are interested in hearing you speak?
Hello? Bueller?
If you want to see a full blown panic attack, just put me and “public speaking” in the same sentence.
Lynda, I so know your anxiety about public speaking. When the local community college hired me to teach English, the anticipation of public speaking made me go into a tailspin. However, after 10 years of teaching, I realized something (aside from getting used to being in front of an audience).
I am a mediocre speaker on any topic other than my passion — the written word. At the risk of sounding arrogant and full of myself, one year the college decided to tape a class of every person teaching in the department. You can only imagine how mortified I was at being on film and then anticipating the critique to follow.
During the taping of my 3.5 hour class, the camera person (a 22-year-old male) was so engaged in the class that he raised his hand to eagerly participate! That one event changed how I viewed myself as a speaker, and realize that I am my hardest critic.
I know you can’t relate now, but public speaking can be fun, even for us shy types.
I am painfully shy one on one. My anxiety is in social situations. For some reason speaking in front of people is the easier part. I was a communications undergrad and I have done a lot of public speaking as a pastor’s wife. But meeting people for the first time, going to parties/mixers or networking among people I don’t know and trying to “be myself” one on one to a publisher scares the spit out of me. Will you be blogging about that later?
I am soooo looking forward to this seminar! My computer is down right now — will I be able to access it to download it later when I get my laptop back?
Anyone interested in public speaking needs to join a local Toastmasters club for a year or two (or more!). Excellent training and best value for the experience (about $100 a year, more or less). I joined a club after reading a recommendation to do so in one of Tom Peters’ books. The main website will direct you to a local club. You learn a lot, meet interesting people, and have a captive audience to talk about your writing to boot.
When are the teleseminars?
I need to know about the booking and fees stuff. I’ve done lots of public speaking to promote my product, but at first it was free (if I sold packtrips I was happy) because one sale would make it worth the effort. Then I stopped that business, and all the former people (schools, churches, boy-scout groups, small stuff) offered to pay me to come with my llama and yak. And they all said the same thing: “Do you have a book?”
Well, the book I had was too technical, a breeder’s manual. And next three efforts weren’t exactly family fare. So finally, after much hair-pulling, I have almost finished the humorous YA llama book that suits my speaking platform.
Now I need to figure out how much to charge, and how to get the word beyond my existing circle for engagements.