What I've learned (so far) from Book Marketing
I was just soaking in what I hope are not quite the last rays of summer sunshine. Although the weather is still spectacular here in Portland, Oregon, the air definitely feels just a little more fall-ish than summer-ish. It’s been a great summer, but I’m also ready for all that fall brings: wool sweaters, pumpkin butter (thank you Trader Joe’s), tea, my birthday, my anniversary, my kids’ birthdays, and Halloween. The Ginocchio family has a lot to celebrate in the fall.
I spent some time today reflecting on my post writing journey so far, with Roads to Family. It was always a dream to write and publish a book and I thought that accomplishing these goals meant that I was done. Afterall, the book is here – in my hands, on the shelves in schools, libraries, and bookstores. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. Writing and publishing a book are just two of the initial steps necessary to get a book in people’s hands. What needed to follow was a slew of publicity and marketing activities.
The problem was, marketing in general felt, well, very uncomfortably self-promotional.
So I had to pause and take stock on what exactly I was doing and why. I had to remind myself that selling books was not about me at all. It was about believing in a concept and working to get that concept out into the world. Selling books is not the end goal in and of itself, but the more books sold, the more likely I’ll reach my ultimate goal of changing the way we teach and talk about human reproduction, so that it is inclusive of all the ways we create humans and form family. The book, along with my lessons and classes, and my efforts to get modern reproduction (insemination, IVF, donor conception and surrogacy) into Oregon’s Health Standards will hopefully move the needle in the right direction.
With my eye on the prize, and endless support from Lerner Publishing, I dug in. I soon had a multi-tabbed spreadsheet with an accompanying twenty-five page word document of ideas and possibilities: reviewers, professionals and organizations, libraries and bookstores, bloggers, newsletters, podcasters, TV, radio, author pages, social media, collaborations, workshops and classes, events, and on and on and on. After letting my ideas free associate for a couple weeks, I froze. I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know where to begin, or how to evaluate which activities would prove to be the most effective and worthwhile.
I thought long and hard about this quandary, and came to realize that some of the possible marketing activities were of very little appeal to me, whereas some of them felt like they’d be fun to do. So, I used that as my criteria. If I thought a promotional/marketing activity would juice my batteries, I’d do it. If I thought the activity would bum be out, I’d put it lower on my list.
So, here are my five favorite marketing activities I’ve taken on since the book was published (April 2023) – the ones that I’ve gotten great joy out of.
Book Launch Party. Friends, family and neighbors gathered at a local wine bar. We ate, drank and mingled in celebration of my first born book! And our local bookshop, Wallace Books, was right there with me, handling all the sales.
Smutty Jeopardy. I facilitated a game of jeopardy at Rose City Book Pub. We got into it, we laughed, and I learned some eye-opening new terms from the participants.
Sundae in the Park. Over a hundred kids stopped by my booth at a neighborhood summer festival (music, games, arts and crafts, and ice cream sundaes). We designed, built, and tested boats made from wine corks. I got to sign books, and meet families of all shapes, colors, and sizes.
Oregon Library Association Conference. I was selected to participate in the Oregon Library Association’s Annual meeting in Bend. I attended conference sessions before and after the Author’s Fair, so not only did I get to share my book with Oregon’s amazing librarians, I also got to learn from them as well.
Reviews. I invited authors, educators and organizations to read and review my books. I felt totally vulnerable sending out those email requests, and held my breath as I waited for their comments. And, I loved reading their endorsements! I know I said this project wasn’t about me, but my ego did get stroked with all the compliments. I am grateful to those who reviewed, posted, and shared Roads to Family with the world, in such a positive way.
I have more marketing ideas up my sleeve for the fall! I hope that they not only help me with book sales, but that they provide me with additional opportunities to fulfill the book’s mission - to change the way we teach and talk about human reproduction and family formation.