How do you promote a book anyway?
Things I’m doing, learning, and hoping for.
The French Honeymoon is out in just under six weeks and I’ve got book promo on my mind. This is my first thriller, but I’ve previously published two Young Adult novels in the U.S. so this isn’t exactly my first rodeo.
And yet, it feels completely new. Book marketing evolves every year. The media landscape is so much smaller than it was a few years ago and social media, well . . . [gestures vaguely into the chaos]. The French Honeymoon is also published by a new-to-me publisher, Sourcebooks, which is renowned for its data-driven strategies.
There are many things my publisher has done and is doing to get the word out about my book but today I wanted to share a behind-the-scenes of some of the things I’m doing to promote The French Honeymoon and the reasons why.
But first, here’s the only tried-and-true method to sell a book:
It’s word-of-mouth, my friends. It’s as simple as that. It’s people talking about the book, and more people talking about it, until the snowflake turns into a little ball, which turns into a bigger ball, which goes rolling and rolling and rolling.
That’s it, that’s the trick. And that means I control absolutely none of it. I can’t make people love my book. I can’t force them to talk about it (but pretty please, will you?).
For me, that means I’m going to do the things I enjoy. The things I’d regret not doing.
Last week, I hosted a prelaunch buzz event at Ladurée SoHo in New York City for select media and influencers. I’d pitched the idea to my marketing and publicity team a few months ago, and they were enthusiastic about it. The novel features many French luxury brands and Paris hotspots, and I daydreamed about hosting a glamorous event at Ladurée. Imagine my surprise when they agreed to host us, closing up their restaurant for the evening. Not only that, but they generously provided the food, drinks, and even invited some of their contacts (!!!).
I consider myself a raging extrovert, so the idea of pitching my book for the first time to people I’d never met before (for the most part) only scared me a little bit. I enjoyed meeting all the guests, ate way too many raspberry cream pastries (but also not enough), and got to buy a new extra-sparkly outfit for the occasion.
Did it generate buzz? I don’t know how to quantify these things but I’d say at least some. Will it lead to sales? No idea. Did it make me feel like I was doing something fun and exciting to hopefully get some exposure for my novel, especially toward an audience that wasn’t solely book-focused? Totally.
Lessons learned: Ask for what you want. You truly never know. Look for opportunities outside of the book world. Also, if you like throwing a party, throw the damn party.
Now, let’s talk about blurbs! You may have noticed that I’ve been slowly revealing mine on Instagram, pairing each one with a giveaway. I stole the idea from my dear friend Erica George, author of Witty in Pink (among others). For each blurb, she set up a giveaway of one of the author’s books, and I thought it was such a great thank-you gift to the blurbing authors, so I’m doing the same thing for The French Honeymoon.
Will it sell copies of my own book? Honestly, I don’t expect it to. What about the exposure? Again, I doubt it will be all that significant. But I’m seeing it as a community-building exercise, authors supporting authors. Plus it makes me happy to give away copies of books by authors I admire.
Lesson learned: It doesn’t matter what you do, it’s always about the people. This is what AI will never take from us: people want to be around people, to feel seen and appreciated. That’s why we write books. That’s why we read. That is, ultimately, what I want to foster in my work and in my life.
What else? I’m no stranger to embarrassing myself on the internet (exhibit A and B) so you can safely expect more reels in which I pretend to be completely natural but that I recorded twenty times over, with breaks to throw my phones across the room and swear my heart out. See PG version here.
Lesson learned: Sure, I wrote a dark and twisted thriller but I want to keep doing whatever is the opposite of taking myself too seriously.
Next up: I love a book launch event. I didn’t get to have one with Kisses and Croissants because of the pandemic, and I really can’t pass up an opportunity to celebrate my hard work with my friends. This time around, I’m so ecstatic that Barnes & Noble Upper West Side agreed to host my launch event on Wednesday, April 16 at 7pm. It was my top choice location, another lesson in asking for what you want. Here’s the event page.
And then, there’s this newsletter, which I really enjoy writing. If you do, too, would you please consider sharing it on Substack, or with a friend who might be interested?
If you’re curious about the topic of book marketing, you’ll love this post by Andrea Bartz.
The French Honeymoon is available to preorder from wherever you like to buy books!
Thank you so much for sharing this. As a debut author (also with Sourcebooks and coming out this August), I devour posts like this. And the word of mouth is working because I've been seeing your book cover (and those key chains) all over Instagram! I'm so excited to read.
Such beautiful photos. I feel uplifted and glamorous just looking at them. Love the vibe!