Marketing Yourself to the Marketing Department

Being a writer in the marketing department of a publishing house puts me in a somewhat unique position. I really feel for the writers who've poured so much of their heart and time into their novel or picture book for which I now feel responsible. Not to say that other members of the department don't. At the end of the day, we're all on the same team and want to achieve the same goal - to make money off the book. Obviously the more money a book makes overall will lead to more royalty payments for you, and more money for the house, which is what the marketing department is in place for - to generate sales.

I think about my authors a lot, especially having just finished my first novel after an exciting and tedious three years. I feel especially sad for the novels and picture books that I love for which I can do nothing because of budgetary issues. 

But hold on, because while I may not be able to do anything special for a first-time author or little for a mid-list author with solid, though not outstanding sales, there are some things you can do, though I won't lie and say that all of them are cheap.

But first, here's a brief recap on how marketing departments within publishing houses are structured: 

In general, the staff is divided up by book format - so there will be a hardcover marketing team that works on novels and picture books, a paperback marketing team that handles reprints (when a book that was formerly released in hardcover moves into paperbacks) and originals, a Novelty marketing team that works on books geared to really young kids like board books, sound books, and even pop-ups, and a licensed marketing team that handles all books based on TV or movie characters, also known as a media tie-in. So what I'm talking about here are books that are published alongside TV shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora, The Naked Brothers Band, and movie tie-ins like those that came out for Narnia, The Golden Compass, etc. The "teams" I've mentioned aren't large at all and usually consist of three people - a director, a manager, and an assistant or an associate. Oftentimes though, there are only two people on a team and since hundreds of paperbacks, hardcovers, and each of the formats listed above come out per season, each of us is working on a ton of titles at a time.

Okay, now with that very basic structure laid out, here are a couple of ideas for you to mull over:

1. Ask your Editor who your marketing contacts are and write him/her/them a letter introducing yourself. It's always nicer to get a sweet letter from an excited author than to get a passive-aggressive one accusing you or not doing your job, hence leading to dismal sales (yes, I've received these types too). 

- Generally your editor should be your in-house contact for all marketing queries even after you send the letter. It really isn't until you have an established relationship with your marketing contact that you should freely contact marketing

- Make sure that your editor gives you the names of the folks who work in conventions (these people handle making sure your books are represented at all of the major conferences throughout the year like the International Reading Association show (IRA) in May, the American Library Association (ALA) conference in June and January, the Texas Library Association (TLA) conference, among others.

- Also make sure to get the name of your publicity person - he or she will handle getting press for your book, whether by pitching local, regional or national media. By national media I mean shows like the "Today Show," which is nearly impossible to get on and for which only a small number of title are pitched, or sending your book out for reviews

- The Library or School marketing team also plays a role here - especially in children's publishing - as this department can promote your book in their e-newsletter or advertise it in one of the many review publications that exist - if the reviews are good!

2. Become friendly with the staff of with your local independent bookstore! As a writer I know it's tough to be outgoing at times - there's a good reason I prefer to communicate with words, but like all businesses, you have to network and writing is no different. So strike up a conversation with the local manager and mention you've published a book and that you're interested in doing a reading. Since stores are always looking to generate traffic and make money on sales, if you can guarantee a number of attendees - either friends, family, fans - don't hesitate to say so! And if you're a children's writer and have or know of children that are in the target age range of your book, don't hesitate to contact the teacher, or any teacher friends. Try working with the school and the store to make a class trip. It's a win-win situation for everyone.

- Also don't be afraid of going to your local Barnes & Noble or Borders stores and making friends with the manager. While yes, there's more red tape involved with national chains, remember that store manager wants to make money and if you can guarantee a gathering of people or he/she is intrigued in your story, you could be golden! Make sure to

inform your publicity department of ANY signings you book on your own so that they can alert local media

3. Build your own website! It doesn't need to be too flashy but it needs to hold the basics - a title listing with covers, a bio, a question & answer area that really introduces you to your readers. Activities - for kids to do on their own - or if the book is older, a reading group guide for individuals or book groups, are also good to post so that people keep talking about your book. Don't forget to make sure your editor is aware of your website so he/she can add it to the back of your book in reprints or on the back of your upcoming book. Every mention helps! And make sure your editor passed on your web info to your marketing contact so that in case he/she wants to do advertising (and a lot of publishers are turning to online ads because they're cheaper and let's face it, we're all on the web all the time), they can link back to your site.

- Also, keeping an up-to-date blog on your website is another way you can connect with your readers and keep them posted on your latest work!

4. If your book has a 'hook' - e.g. a character is autistic, a teen is pregnant, etc. - do some research on the topic at hand. The marketing teams don't have a lot of time but with enough pestering and the hard part (the research!) done, often we'll have time to send out a finished book with a letter from the author and/or a member of the marketing department to an appropriate list of schools, associations, etc.

So these are just some of my ideas for now. Some are basic, yes, but I'm still thinking so stay tuned! And of course, be sure to post any ideas you may have here in the comments section!