Everyone knows the publishing world is in
upheaval and it’s a dog-eat-dog world as far as promoting books is concerned.
At first the various ways to connect through social media seemed to be
heaven-sent, yet now, after only a year or two, folks on authors’ chat groups
across the Web lament that book sales are flagging. They say that the kinds of
promotions that used to work are not as effective anymore.
What’s an author to do?
My
own debut mystery
DESOLATION ROW was published by Stairway Press of Seattle
just this spring, and of course I have been going full-tilt with online
marketing. Lately I’m turning the bulk of my attention back to mystery number
two, but when I write for days on end and let the promotion slide, my sales
figures fall. So, like a yoyo, I pop right back to do more online marketing.
You know the drill. Facebook, Twitter,
Goodreads, blogging and/or guest blogging. And now, as if all us authors didn’t
have our hands full already, Everyone
says that an author has to add Google+
What is a poor besieged author to do?
In an earlier incarnation in life I was a
vice president of public affairs with American Express. This was in the late
eighties when the company was pioneering the concept called cause-related
marketing. Now I have begun my own version of that, and I suggest that you at
least consider it. It isn’t something you will have to do daily. The concept is
no longer brand new in the world of marketing, but it is not yet old hat in the
book world.
Simply put, you as an author know what
charitable causes have resonance with you. Find one that also relates to
something in your book. Then promote the fact that you will donate a part of
your royalties to that worthy cause. Both sides of the equation win. Even if
this does not sell more of your books today, you show your true colors as a
caring person about something that is not frivolous, something that is near and
dear to your heart. The homeless, arts in your community, a hospital funding
drive. The list is truly endless.
For example,
DESOLATION ROW is set
against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. In 1968 a young bride from Texas uses
her CIA-honed skills to catch the real killer when her husband lands in a
Canadian jail for murdering the draft-resisting son of a United States senator.
Read the whole book and you will find that the overall thrust is pro-soldier
and anti-war.
Because of that ethos, and because I have
supported the organization for more than 30 years, I am choosing to donate a
portion of my royalties to the Paralyzed Veterans of America. When I talk about that, I not only share with
readers where my heart lies but also profile a worthy organization that does
essential work. Remember: the connection
between your writing and your cause is key.
I urge you to look at your writing and
your own causes. See what will work to make both sides of that equation gain
prominence and profile. A position that is win-win for all concerned is always
best. And as we used to say back in the day—slightly amended to what I am doing
now…WRITE ON!
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Kay Kendall is an international award-winning public relations executive
who lives in Texas with her husband, five house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. A
fan of historical mysteries, she set her debut mystery during the Vietnam War,
a key conflict of last century not already overrun with novels. Kay says her
mysteries feature women caught in their own battles during that unusual war
era. "In Desolation
Row I explore what life was like for a
typical young woman--not a headline maker, not a Hanoi Jane or Angela Davis,
but a moderate who nonetheless got swept up by history's tides during the
turbulent sixties. All that turmoil lends itself to drama, intrigue, and
murder." Kendall's now working on her second Austin Starr mystery, Rainy Day Women.
by Jordan McCollum
