Update on Marketing/Publicity
for People Along the Sand: A Novel
Hello,
As promised, today I’ll discuss what has/hasn’t worked for marketing/promoting People Along the Sand. (You can find my initial marketing/publicity ideas in an earlier newsletter.) It’s not quite 2.5 months after the pub date, and I’m not going to ask my publisher the sales numbers until six months after the pub date, so this assessment might be premature. But I’ll share what I know right now, then do another update then.
First off, I want to discuss the production of the book. I’m satisfied with it—I especially love the cover—but there are a few things I’d change, which I want to note for you, and for myself, in case I ever start a publishing company:
The interior pages are white, which looks fine, but they’d look better cream-colored.
I received a blurb (a quotation that praises the book) from the writer Kathleen Rooney right after I approved the cover. I should have insisted this blurb be placed on the cover, even if the publisher had to reupload the files to do that.
This book is printed on demand, which is common now. An order comes in, the printer prints it. This technology has improved exponentially recently, which is why I didn’t insist physical book plates be made, and my book stored at a warehouse, then shipped out when ordered. However, I saw a few too many copies where the ink on the title page was smeared, so if I did again, I’d set up a small print run using book plates.
Metadata: this is data about the book’s data. My publisher posted the book widely online, which I’m grateful for. However, I think the metadata itself could have been more specific. As far as I know, the novel was described only as “literary fiction.” Adding “Beach Bill,” “Oregon,” and other descriptive words or phrases might have helped people find it online.
It would have been great to get the epub or PDF on NetGalley or some kind of review service before it came out.
Fortunately, the publisher for my forthcoming story collection should do all five of these things.
As far as what didn’t work for marketing/publicity, only one action falls into that category: only one bookstore reached out after the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association ad/galley giveaway, and I’d already talked to that bookstore in person and could have given them a galley then. I’ll rank everything else roughly in order of what I think worked best.
I had an interview in the Oregonian, first online then in the print version. I noticed an uptick in holds at the library right after, which probably also means an uptick in sales. I can thank the publicist for that.
I went in person to over twenty-five independent bookstores in Oregon this summer to spread the word. Many of them bought the novel, and displayed it on their shelves, like above at Paulina Springs Books in Sisters. I think going in person was more effective than sending out sell sheets via snail mail, but maybe both worked (I’ve heard repetition is helpful in marketing).
My in-person events have sold books. I sold four at the Portland Book Festival, fourteen at a small book house party with some friends, over twenty after the Annie Bloom’s launch reading, and two at a Roundabout Books reading in Bend. I’d like to do more readings this year, COVID-permitting.
I saw some upticks in people marking the novel to-be-read on Goodreads after some online coverage: a shoutout from the University of Oregon, a long-form press release from the UO honors college, a short essay in Women Writers, and most recently, a wonderful review by the writer Erin Pringle. The publicist helped with the UO connections; I approached the other two outlets.
The Kirkus Review has been helpful when I approach libraries. I know at the very least the King County library system (Seattle) bought an ebook because of it. Kirkus Review editors also handpicked the novel’s online review to be included in a hard-copy issue (they included only about 6 percent of the online indies in the hard copy), which also might have encouraged other libraries or bookstores to buy it.
My family and friends have bought copies. They send me screenshots, share photos on social media, and gift them. It means a lot to have that base/support, even as I expand beyond it (friends and family who bought the novel and are reading this—thank you!).
I’m not sure whether placing my One Story in Little Free Libraries or having a few reviews on Goodreads prepublication helped, but I’m sure they didn’t hurt.
I hope this rundown helps you on your own publishing journey, or just satisfies your curiosity. I’ll share some sales numbers in the spring.
Please stay safe out there!
Rachel