Two New Markets and A Reminder

My fellow writer, public speaker and musician Martha Kendall was happy to report two weeks ago that her article was accepted by a publication some of you might want to try:

Active Over 50
A magazine for active older adults in Silicon Valley that's published in print and online by Larry Hayes

Remember that you don't have to live in Silicon Valley to submit an article. Rather, take whatever subject you're interested in and include details specific to those within the readership. If you're an avid walker who happens to live in Wisconsin, for example, you could write an article about some favorite hikes you did while visiting this area.

That approach — of taking a general topic and localizing it to reach a lot of smaller markets — is a great way to promote your area of interest or book aimed at that subject, a lesson strategy Martha knows well.


The Reminder

Martha wrote her article as part of her ongoing promotion for her nonfiction book, Full Cycle, about her family's bicycling trek across Spain. Along with the article, she submitted a bio that includes the book title. Such a mention goes a long way toward reaching those in an author's target market, a necessary task discussed in the post previous to this one.

When Martha's article was published this week, however, she found that her book's title was accidentally omitted. Martha said that's led to a refinement in her procedure for dealing with those who publish her work. Next time, she says, when she thanks someone for accepting her work for publication, she'll provide a gentle reminder to include her writing credentials.

Thanks for the great advice, Martha.


Second Market

I just received an email advertising Ecotone, a literary magazine put out by the University of North Carolina (Wilmington) Department of Creative Writing. I get a lot of such emails, but what caught my eye were contributors, many of them heavy hitters like former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, novelist Ann Beattie and nonfiction writer Peter Trachtenberg.

Founded in 2005, the magazine's website states:

Each issue brings together the literary and the scientific, the personal and the biological, the urban and the rural. An ecotone is a transition zone between two adjacent ecological communities, containing the characteristic species of each. It is therefore a place of danger or opportunity, a testing ground. We embrace and celebrate these ecotones by breaking out of the pen of the purely literary and wandering freely among the disciplines.

The submission period starts Aug. 15 and goes through April 15, so you might check out the archives to see if what the magazine publishes is similar to what you write. If so, here are the submission guidelines.

Happy writing!

How Authors Find Their Audience

Maryellen Hess said she self-published her psychological thriller, Come and Get Me, which she describes as fiction with a social message, i.e., the wounds left by domestic violence.

She writes:

Now I have the difficult challenge of finding those readers who want engaging fiction that also reflects society's flaws. Can you offer any advice as to how I can target those readers?

Here are my ideas:

Hire Someone

While this suggestion might seem glib, not to mention insensitive to those who don't have a lot to spend, it isn't. Instead, this is my attempt to make writers realize they are business people who have taken the time, energy, and in the case of self-publishers, expense to create a quality product. The next step is to actually hire those who can help market and sell the book, the first step of which is to find all possible markets.

Rather than hire an expensive, full-service marketing and sales agency, authors can choose to consult with specialists who can help the author develop a marketing and sales plan that authors can then follow to reach those who might be interested in the book.


Research

Authors should make a list of every possible subject the book touches upon — messages, places, themes, historical events, activities — which will tell you who the book might appeal to.

The under each subject, list every group, organization, association that might be interested in that subject. Don't forget to include those groups that might be interested in you, the author, such as alumni organizations, clubs you used to belong to, places you used to work, etc.

By way of example, let's look at the description of Maryellen's book:

After two years in prison Ben Rice is ready to re-unite with his wife Kate. Their divorce means nothing. He owns her, and always will.

Kate's marriage to Ben buried her for years. One especially brutal night finally cracked the layers of shame and hopelessness. For her own life and that of their small daughter, Kate's testimony to years of abuse put Ben in prison.

Kate rebuilt her life and her dignity. Life has become normal, and she believes she is free of Ben at last. Then she learns Ben is out and Emma is gone. Kate must play this new game by Ben's rules. He plays a game of come and get me, dangling his daughter as the prize Kate must win.

That is when Ben makes one final and inexplicable demand. Blindly Kate must make a choice that could end in horror, or that will renew her own will to survive.

Here's a possible list of subjects, and subsequently, possible audience:

• those who have, or had, a loved one in prison

• anyone who's divorced

• victims of domestic violence

• people who enjoy thrillers, including book clubs themed around that genre

• those who volunteer for child abduction organizations

• those who read books like Maryellen's (she can go to Amazon, look up books like her own, then go to the websites/blogs/Twitter of those authors to find the readers who have joined the site or follow the author)

Maryellen said she's also worked at various social service agencies, which invariably have regional, state and national offices that have websites, newsletters, etc.


Participate

Whether you hire someone to find your audience, or do it yourself, the last step is to interact with those possible readers. This can mean:

• writing guest posts for blogs

• writing articles for magazines, newspapers, newsletters

• taking part in book groups formed around those various subjects

• speak to groups — either via online chats, local or regional radio stations or in person — about how your book relates to the topic they're interested in

• offer workshops related to the theme of your book and offer your book for sale


Plan for the Next Book

Ideally authors will find their audiences before a book is published. If you happen to be a cart-before-the-horse author, as many of us might be, use this post-first-book round of promotion to get your feet wet. Record every step you take. Once you've established a system, and more importantly, the many contacts you establish, you'll have an excellent structure from which to launch your next book.

Don't forget to consult industry standards, like John Kremer's 1001 Ways to Market Your Book (he has a tremendous website titled Book Marketing and Book Promotion dedicated to this topic) and Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book.

I hope that gets you started, Maryellen, and helps anyone else on the road to publication.

Happy writing!