Bart King

By BART KING/Special to The Oregonian

A Message from Your Publisher’s Marketing Department

Dear Author,

Congratulations on your book’s upcoming release!

As you know, this is an exciting time in publishing, and every day brings us new opportunities and challenges. Right now, the role of authors like you has never been more important to the book marketing process!

To dispel any mysteries about your book’s publicity campaign, let’s look over our Author FAQs.

1

. Can the Marketing Department help me schedule public events?

Yes! We help by giving you the freedom to schedule these events yourself.

2

.) Are marketing materials available to help promote my book?

That’s another “affirmative”! We will happily provide design services for flyers, postcards, posters, etc. However, due to cost considerations, we are not able to mail these marketing materials. To procure them, simply swing by our offices, which are conveniently located in Bangor, Maine.

3

. I’ve scheduled a TV interview in New York on a nationally syndicated network. Can you help with my travel expenses?

Unfortunately, we no longer have a travel fund for authors to make media appearances. However, your self-funded trip to New York has a silver lining. Outside of Los Angeles, more celebrities live in New York than any other American city. (And inside L.A., nobody reads.) So see if you can persuade a Big Apple luminary to blurb your book!

Failing that, write your own blurb using the slightly altered “nom de plume” of an A-lister. (Ex. “Immersing yourself in this book is like getting into a scalding hot tub — bracing at first, then enervating.” — Anthony Hopkins)

4

. The Washington Post is interested in my new book. Will you send them a review copy?

No. In our experience, traditional book reviews no longer have much impact on the marketplace. In today’s rich media environment, we believe readers are perfectly capable of finding the right book for themselves. And when they do, their “word-of-mouth” advertising is priceless!

5

. Very well — to help readers become aware of my book, would you take out an ad for it?

See, it’s that kind of optimism that will help you make your book a success!

6

. What steps IS the Marketing Department going to take?

First, a suggestion. As you know, w

riters tend to be introverts who dislike conflict. And odds are that you know a writer who’s more successful than you. So try to coerce your colleague into a promotional opportunity. For example: “I see you’re doing a reading at Powell’s. Why don’t we co-present our books — it’ll just make the event that much better!”

Second, on your book’s release date, we will issue a “Grand Premier” press packet and send it to all media outlets. This is an auspicious way to let the world know about your astounding accomplishment!

(Note: By press packet, we mean “tweet.” By media outlets, we mean our Twitter followers.)

If you have any other questions about marketing, please hesitate to contact us. And our heartfelt congratulations on your book — we are excited to help make it a success!

Sincerely,

The Marketing Department







