The eternal question...how do I get people to read my book?

The trouble is saturation. It's so easy to get stuff out there these days that it's very difficult for a reader to choose between good and bad -- you can't really tell from the cover, most of the time. Apparently the top selling fiction is romance these days.

The Otter said:

Maybe I'm just venting.

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First of all, and congratulations. Your editorial reviews are terrific, the cover is lovely, and your reader reviews are uber-positive.

I'm not convinced of the power of social media for a trade published author. SPers rely on it (maybe not so much anymore), but they mostly speak to each other and boost each other around each others' followings. Plus, teens aren't getting their info the way adults are on SM. They don't use Twitter or FB much. They're on Instagram and Snapchat.

The market IS saturated, but with the reviews you've gotten, and the still-unique subject matter, you are probably already hovering above many, many books. I think word-of-mouth and hand-selling is really important, especially with younger readers (although I realize your book isn't so narrowly targeted.) Have you thought of going straight to the sources where recommendations are made for teens: Librarians? Your local junior high or high schools, local public libraries? Maybe teen reading groups? Or groups of parents of neuroatypical kids?

I would hope HC is getting your book into decision-makers' hands, too. You could ask. If they are, it could be you have to be a little patient for it to build traction. I realize that's a double-edged sword, since with the next wave of new releases, yours gets left behind by the publicists and readers alike. I understand your frustration, but lots of books build slowly while people are finding their way to them.

The hard fact is that only one debut book in a million is super successful, a Harry Potter or a Twilight. And even they take a year or three to really take off.

Most of my favorite writers had modest beginnings. Over time, as each new book comes out, it begins to sell your older books. That's when it's useful to have a web site where readers can find your older books, and discover in what order it's best to read books in any series that you've created. It's also useful to create an Author Page on Amazon and Goodreads. Your readers can sign up to Follow you, meaning they automatically get emails whenever your next books come out.

You are over the hump. You are a certified pro writer. Now you have to handle the practical realities of being a pro - the chief of which is: WRITE ANOTHER BOOK.

The Otter said:

I realize these are difficulties that most writers are struggling with, it's just frustrating that I've reached my ultimate goal of being in bookstores across the nation and yet I still find myself in this position of desperately trying to stand out. (And given that bookstores are on the wane, unfortunately, I feel like being on bookstores shelves isn't quite as big a deal as it used to be. Though it's still a big deal.)

Maybe I'm just venting.

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Like Elaine says, social media isn't going to help you much when you're trade published. (The way it was phrased to me was "it may get you some sales, but not enough to make a difference.") Expectations are in a completely different ballpark as they are with a self-pubbed novel, and (as I understand it) the publisher has done most of the marketing work they're going to do before the pub date.

I sympathize with your frustration. Have you reached out to your publicity people and asked what you might do? Have you asked what they're doing? I assume you're agented - does your agent have thoughts or ideas on the situation?

And truly, congratulations on what looks like a really lovely book. I can't wave my Magic Wand of Proper Sales Numbers, but I can tell you that you've got a lot to be proud of, and I hope you know that.

Congrats on your book!

I was going to suggest the same thing as Elaine....go to the schools. If you can get the teachers reading it, they will have the kids read it...and then the parents like to know what the kids are reading etc...it has a trickle affect. My sons teacher loved Wonder, so she had her entire class read it and then they saw the movie to. Of course...Julia Roberts is an A lister celeb so that helps!

And yep...the youth are on snapchat and instagram.

Congratulations on the latest book, Otter! I think you're doing everything you *can* do -- reaching out to local libraries and bookstores. I would also reach out to schools. And I don't think being active on social media would do much good either...I've noticed that most of the people who follow writers on SM are, well, usually writers themselves.

It sounds like you're doing all the right things, and you've even got your next book ready! I think you're doing wonderfully. <3

Congratulations. You are way ahead of where I want to be, so I can't really give advice as someone who has been there. If I were you I would be working on my next book, getting myself out to schools, libraries and bookstores to put a face to the name on that book sat on the shelf. Maybe do what Brandon Sanderson did, visit a town and hand out a few copies to employees of book stores because if they like it they will recommend it. Bookstores have employee recommended books, which could be yours if you give some away.

I wrote a short story prequel recently which is free as an ebook and very cheap as a paperback, this could be another way to generate a following as readers can get a taste of your style of writing at little to no cost to themselves.

As I said earlier, you are far ahead of where I am, but these are things I would consider to help build a following and put my name above others when it comes to who gives out recommendations to their customers.

Otter, I was just thinking of one other thing (while I procrastinate writing the Night of the Dark Soul chapter of my own book...) When you get a gig at your library, maybe take flyers around to your local school librarians. Then you have something specific to invite them to. It seems easier to get people's attention when there is an actual event, rather than, "Hey, I live around here and I wrote a book."

I thought the Eternal Question was "Pepperoni or sausage?"

Jeff

WeaselFire said:

I thought the Eternal Question was "Pepperoni or sausage?"

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No. It's "My place or yours?"

AW has two forums that are better places to post this question than here. Did you look there before posting here?

• Book Promotion Ideas and Advice

• General Publishing Discussions

Lots of research has been done on promotion, both formal and public and informal and private. Promotion of all sorts of products, including books.

What I remember most is another Hard Fact: promotions do only a little good - if any. Even the most massive campaigns only alert potential readers to the existence of a work of art. And only one in a thousand readers actually buy. Still, it's something that makes authors feel a little better about doing all the hard work of creation.

Publishers only get behind a particular work when they hope a book will take fire from a modest investment in PR. Word of mouth is by by far the most effective seller. Promoters hope their PR ignites a "viral sensation." Few do. Readers through inoculation from massive floods of ads are very resistant to buying - or even downloading samples or downloading free products.

To repeat: every book you publish is an ad for all your books. After doing whatever amount of PR you feel comfortable doing: WRITE ANOTHER BOOK.

First off, congrats! Second, I think your book looks amazing and has a really beautiful title. I would second the advice of giving away some copies to local schools and libraries.

First, I empathize. It's a tough business, and there's only so much you can do. I did a bunch of social media stuff that, AFAIK, did not pay off much in sales, though it must have drawn eyeballs: GR giveaways, Twitter giveaways, blog tours and guest posts.

Do you have a list of people—friends, fellow writers, librarians, whoever—who might be interested in your book? Could you send a copy on a tour, inviting but not requiring them to post honest reviews when they're done? This has worked well for members of debut groups, in terms of getting reviews.

Did you have a launch at your local indie? If not, could you still set up a reading there and invite everyone you know? Indies can be leery of YA readings, so emphasize the adult cross-over interest.

Do you have a local paper that reviews books? Send them a copy, if your publisher didn't (often they don't). Emphasize that you are local and your book is from a major publisher, and it is interesting and timely because X and Y. Mention the starred review. Follow up. If you schedule a bookstore event, try to get the paper to give you coverage before that event. It's in their interest to do so; they like "time hooks."

Does your state have a book award? Find out how to get nominated. (Usually your publisher or a bookseller can do it.) I was a finalist for mine, and this is one of the few things I've seen a definite sales bump from. Not huge, but definitely there.

Something I haven't really tried: Find bloggers and BookTubers who have positively reviewed books you would consider comps. Pitch them and offer a free copy.

Looking at BookScan (which doesn't include library sales), I can see where my book has sold the most, and it's the area where I live, hands down. For any YA book, especially a book like yours, library and school sales will probably be significant. Beyond that, though, local matters. Making connections with friendly booksellers who can hand-sell your book matters.

In terms of social media, I don't have a lot of followers or post much, but it's useful just to be available there, because readers sometimes do contact me. Mainly via FB, Instagram, and my website.

Finally, don't obsess too much over the number of reviews. They're not always the most reliable guide to what's selling, in my admittedly limited experience. That's my wisdom, such as it is.

ETA: I've seen your book on both B&N and indie shelves where I live. Congratulations! Next time, I will buy a copy.

Update: I bought the book and posted about it on social media, which won’t do much for you, given my number of followers, but in the process I saw that quite a few other readers had Instagrammed it, so yay! Keep in mind, your publisher does more to get it out there than you know. (It was faced out at my local indie store, so yay again!)

First off, congrats! You earned a level of success that many cannot, getting published with a major publisher.

The Otter said:

Is the problem that the book is a niche interest? I don't think so. Stories about characters on the spectrum have gone mainstream recently, with shows like THE GOOD DOCTOR and Netflix's ATYPICAL coming out and plenty of other YA novels focusing on neuroatypical characters. I've read several wonderful examples lately. So it seems like my book should fit right into an existing subgenre.

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I have a counter to the above assertion you made. Maybe it is useful, or not at all. It is for you to consider. Also, you are comparing video and books; these are very different media.

One of the first things I did, when researching my first book to write, was to find some competitor books. I then Google'd what fans loved and hated about the books. I learned a great deal of information, but one thing that stood out was escapism. The author of one fan page gushed about Harry Potter for having endless feasts, and so on. I realized that readers pick up books for a sense of escapism from their real lives, problems, and what not. For someone starving in a poor area, maybe reading about the feasts at Hogwarts was super appealing to them. Maybe they took the time to go to their local bookstore or library to check out a copy to get their mind off their hunger.

Maybe the book will never go mainstream, because it may offer too little or no escapism for readers. Maybe, reading blurbs, the ailments are red flags to readers with their own problems in life. It's apples and oranges, but might a starving YA reader choose something else (maybe opt to re-read Harry Potter) than choose to read of health issues of an MC?

Enlightened said:

First off, congrats! You earned a level of success that many cannot, getting published with a major publisher.



I have a counter to the above assertion you made. Maybe it is useful, or not at all. It is for you to consider. Also, you are comparing video and books; these are very different media.

One of the first things I did, when researching my first book to write, was to find some competitor books. I then Google'd what fans loved and hated about the books. I learned a great deal of information, but one thing that stood out was escapism. The author of one fan page gushed about Harry Potter for having endless feasts, and so on. I realized that readers pick up books for a sense of escapism from their real lives, problems, and what not. For someone starving in a poor area, maybe reading about the feasts at Hogwarts was super appealing to them. Maybe they took the time to go to their local bookstore or library to check out a copy to get their mind off their hunger.

Maybe the book will never go mainstream, because it may offer too little or no escapism for readers. Maybe, reading blurbs, the ailments are red flags to readers with their own problems in life. It's apples and oranges, but might a starving YA reader choose something else (maybe opt to re-read Harry Potter) than choose to read of health issues of an MC?

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...

*hands you a copy of The Hate U Give, which offers nothing in terms of escapism and instead, serves up a heaping portion of painful reality*

You're comparing two completely different genres. Harry Potter is Fantasy. Otter's book is YA Contemporary. While Contemporary can sometimes be geared towards escapism, I don't think that's what Otter's book is about. Some people read to escape. Others read to be exposed to the realities of others.

Btw, THUG has flattened all of its competition, including books that are aaaallll about escapism.

Putputt: I think we have different views of "mainstream." My comment was geared more toward demographic maximization, and reaching interests of the broad masses. I commented on my interpretation of "mainstream" used in the OP's first post. I thought the OP compared apples and oranges (a logic fallacy)-video to book comparison-as to why the book is not on its way to go mainstream. The escapism element was an example to support my interpretation of "mainstream." Did I interpret the OP's use of "mainstream" correctly? Maybe not.

I would have thought mainstream in this context just means non-niche, traditionally published, and perhaps a degree of commercial success.

Grats on the publication Otter; I don't have anything useful to add other than I hope to see your Cathedral of Bones book out on a shelf at some point!

Congrats Otter.

I've now had four books published in the mainstream by smaller publishers and every time I hope: Maybe this time! Maybe this will be the one that starts the avalanche!

It hasn't happened yet (despite two of my novels getting into the airports - which is a big deal in Australia), but I just keep plugging away knowing that bit by bit my fan base is growing and that one day I really will write the breakthrough book, and that's when everyone will discover my backlist.

As for now, I have to keep my day job, so have little time for marketing activities. I just keep writing.

Massive congrats on the book!

ElaineA said:

Otter, I was just thinking of one other thing (while I procrastinate writing the Night of the Dark Soul chapter of my own book...) When you get a gig at your library, maybe take flyers around to your local school librarians. Then you have something specific to invite them to. It seems easier to get people's attention when there is an actual event, rather than, "Hey, I live around here and I wrote a book."

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I know nothing about the publishing industry, but one of my kids' schools had an event where a published writer came to the school talked to the kids about being a writer and then the school sold signed copies of their books. Schools love that sort of thing - anything that's going to get kids engaged with the written word, and it looks good on their website and for the school inspectors to be able to say they've had an actual published writer come in and give the kids a talk on being a writer.

If you also include info on what neuroatypical means and helping kids to understand the challenges people face and the importance of being kind, understanding etc, a) you'll be getting a really important message across to the kids and b) teachers have to show inspectors that they're including subjected related to diversity in the curriculum*, so that's a plus point for you going to give a talk in a school compared to someone who writes some other genre. And also, if kids get what a book is about, they're more likely to read it.

*they do in the UK, anyway, though I can't imagine that it would be that different in other countries

We've got a signed copy of one of the books by the writer who came to my kids' school. I'd never heard of him before the event.

Congrats, Otter!

I'm going to disagree a little bit with some of the others and say that I think social media is important. Not to directly market to teens - as we all know, teenagers don't like being told what to do, and they hop about social media platforms like anything. No, social media - and I'm talking specifically Twitter here - is good for making links wit the influencers. First and foremost, I'm talking bloggers. Certainly here in the UK, book bloggers - and for YA most are adults - wield a hell of a lot of influence, both via their blogs and their Twitter feeds. They wield influence with each other, but also curious teen readers and to some extent publishers. Getting them on side and championing your books is a big, big boon. As for how you do it, I had a few on side to begin with when I was releasing my YA books - they liked what I'd written, and followed me, and by interacting with them every so often they stayed on side. Now I didn't do a great job of this but even with the little work put in I could see a rewards, and I can see plenty of authors who do, and they've got those bloggers on side and promoting their work. IMO bloggers are quite sheeplike so if you get one big hitter to champion you all the better... Twitter is also good for librarians, booksellers and book groups. I've had librarians approach me to ask about events off the back of me interacting with another librarian. Being seen, and interacting people - and I'm not a pro at this - has opened up opportunities to me.

I'd also think about how you can use your own personal links. I approached my old schools, and they were delighted to have me come in and talk to the students and sell books. You could also approach schools local to you with an offer of an event or workshop. Friends and colleagues who had kids were happy to put in a word for me with the schools their kids went to, and I did some events off the back of that. A friend in PR submitted a piece about me to the local paper, and I was approached by a local book group to do a book festival. It wasn't a great event at the time, but the local book club have turned out to be my biggest Twitter supporters. I also did an event for their annual book festival with two other authors which worked so well we did it at a couple of other book stores across London, using our combined links. A blogger I follow is involved with a larger book fest and needed some help judging; I volunteered, and my name got positively linked to the festival. I joined a group of London based children's authors - they regularly promote each other's work to each other's followers.
Again, I could have made way more of my links and connections but even with doing very little stuff happened.

Anyway, I'm babbling (and I don't mean any of this to sound patronising if you're already doing these things), but as someone who didn't make more of their own networks and is fristrated about it, I feel quite strongly about this stuff. Twitter and events won't translate to sales immediately but longer term they're well worth it for building a career. You can also invest in the services of a "book PR" person to run a blog tour for your new book when it comes out. This is a fee but is probably worth it for getting introduced to bloggers.

Great advice RaggyCat, and I would take it if I had the time. Still working full time to pay the rent and support my writing habit.