The adage “don’t judge a book by its cover” has been proven to be bad advice not only for readers but also for publishers’ marketing teams. As it turns out, books’ covers are often exactly what they’re judged by.
Marketing
Best Practices: A Social Media Guide for Authors
By Faith Muñoz @FaithAMunoz
For authors, social media is a wonderful place to share with friends, family, the writing community, and the world at large how fun and stressful the publishing journey can be. But if you’ve never used social media to promote yourself or your book, it can be hard to know how to get started.
YA Authors and Social Engagement
By Kali Carryl
Today, there is an entire world of social media enabling authors to engage with fans, which helps them learn about marketability, understand the reception of their work, and see their audience in a whole new way. We see this popping up particularly among YA authors, who generally have a great appreciation for the loyalty and passion of their young readers. More importantly, it has opened the door for authors to adopt the additional role of a social media influencer, and the results of this new development are delightful and heartwarming, particularly in the YA community.
Book Marketing for Good: The Importance of Reaching a Young Adult Readership
By McKenna Green @McKennaKGreen
As a culture, we are growing more inclusive every day, but not all young readers grow up in the same environment. Not every town offers good examples, not every family is understanding, and not every book teaches the same thing. When you’re marketing a novel to a young adult readership, it is important to understand that while the internet is a map to nearly every young reader, it can also be the thing that destroys a novel.
How to Plan a Successful Book-Launch Party
By Sydnee Chesley
A book launch is an exciting time. It’s the one moment when all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into a book finally pay off. It’s the one moment when everyone forgets about all the publicity and outreach they’ll still have to do in the upcoming months—or even years—and just wants to celebrate the fact that the book is finally out there in the world, in the hands of readers. And the best way to celebrate is to throw a launch party. While launch parties are relatively simple to put together, there are a few key things that should be kept in mind during the planning process. Follow these simple tips and you will have the foundation for a great party.
Reaching Queer Readers
By Morgan Ramsey
The LGBTQ community has historically functioned outside of mainstream culture, but now it is slowly becoming more visible. This is also reflected in the publishing industry: we are slowly starting to see more queer themes and characters in books, especially in young adult fiction. However, the LGBTQ community is still an untapped audience for many large publishers and independent presses. By excluding this group from their marketing and promotion strategies, publishers lose out on a valuable and loyal audience.