Public Relations Helps Authors Sell Books

 is the first step to becoming a famous author. Any author, whether self-published, ebook published, or traditionally published can become famous in today's industry. It just takes a little leg work and some promotion.

I hit the "do or die" stage of my writing career three years ago. It was time to turn my hobby into a profession. Over the next few months I talked to everyone, offered to take any job, and learned the golden rule of self-promotion - listen first. In turn, listening revealed a valuable truth. The public loves to meet authors and the public does not care if writers are traditionally published. If the writer wrote it, and the public read it, then it is published.

Host Your Own Promotion Event

This revelation spawned several self-promotion ideas, the best being "Breakfast With An Author." The concept is simple: book a room for two hours, talk to people, deliver a ten-minute speech, and mingle with potential writers and fiction (or non-fiction) fans. For ten dollars, participants enjoy coffee, donuts, and an inspiring chat. The best part is: you have fun while learning to promote yourself.

I started my self-promotion campaign by making a common blunder: attracting the wrong crowd. Instead of marketing to book readers and buyers, I advertised to other writers. After stepping back re-evaluating things, I began to advertise and attract fiction fans. Before I knew it, attendance rose. Soon, I was rewriting my speeches and transforming them into something my audience wanted to hear. I went from How to Create Dynamic Heroes to Where Have All the Heroes Gone?

Library Events

In the beginning, local libraries sponsored the event free of charge. They supplied the room and the coffee, and paid me a small speaker's honorarium. This quickly changed when the library insisted I join its volunteer network as a sign of good will. Volunteering proved to be time consuming and defeated the purpose of the events - to establish myself as a professional speaker and writer.

Over time, I decided it would be more profitable to host the event independently. I would charge $10 per attendee and would make, on average, between $100 and $200 for three hours of work. While I never lost money, it did take a while before I generated a good income.

Setting up an event like this is relatively easy. The first step is to decide whether you want the event sponsored by a group or if you want to host it yourself.

If you decide to have the event sponsored, you'll follow the steps below:

Step 1: Call the organization and ask for a personal interview. Don't offer credentials or idea suggestions until face to face with the organization's representative. If the organization does not see an immediate benefit, it will not support your event or your ideas. So, let them see how you can bring people or money in.

Step 2: Learn the art of public speaking. Guests will not buy your book if they do not believe you are capable of writing a good book and they will not attend a second event if they do not believe you are a real writer.

Step 3: Arrive on time, dress professionally, and put a smile on your face. Never dress casual.

If you decide to sponsor the event yourself, follow the steps below:

Step 4: Choose your audience. Who would be most interested in your event? Who would you like to see attend your event?

Step 5: Locate a place and time to host your event. You can host your event at the local library, in a hotel meeting room, in your church's foyer, or some other establishment.

Step 6: Be yourself. My self-promotion efforts won't work for other writers. We could talk on the same topic and host the same event in the same building, but attract an entirely different crowd. The audience came to see a writer, not someone that writer is trying to be.

Step 7: Be ready for the unexpected. These events have a way of attracting speaking opportunities, which in turn, increases writing assignments, which in turn, improves the success rate of your promotion efforts; all of which creates a momentum with the potential to turn any writing and speaking hobby into a full-time career.

The Business of Selling Books

A smart writer will invest time in public speaking, building a fan base, and self promotion. All of this will help sell books and interest publishers in your future manuscripts. Most mid level publishers are interested in authors who self publish. Make sure to include your self promotion projects and mailing lists in the query letter. The publisher wants to know what you are doing to become famous.

Caveat: Do not host an event like this at a bookstore without a firm, legal contract. Several of my colleagues were shocked to find bookstores requiring a percentage of all book sales, a booking fee, and a bill for a portion of all advertising costs, whether the author approved the arrangement or not.