The author questionnaire is the book marketer or publicist’s first opportunity to glean information about the author, their work, their connections, and anything and everything that can help connect the book to more future readers.
Marketing
Marketing a Hiking Book in the Winter
By Sadie Moses
We were very honest when posting these pictures. It wasn’t like we were saying in mid-December, “This is what the forest looks like right now! Go try it and tell us how it goes!” But the pictures did allow us to create social media content highlighting the beauty of these forests and reminding those of us who were still hibernating that Oregon (and the Pacific Northwest in general) can be a very beautiful place in the spring and summer. It allowed us to get people excited for new adventures after they finally thawed out.
The DNA of a Tip Sheet
By Jasmine Gower
The tip sheet is the DNA of any traditionally published book. It is a breakdown of every element of a book from its length to its market appeal, and, like DNA, it’s entirely invisible from the outside.
Marketing One Book with Multiple Stories
By Emily Frantz @Youngestelf
I read Edgar Allan Poe in October. Why? For his scary stories. I know what I’m getting from any of Poe’s stories before I read them. Book publishers signal this to me in many ways.
Six Books to Read While You Wait for Sleeping in My Jeans
By Jessica DeBolt
Set to publish in Fall 2018, Sleeping in My Jeans follows sixteen-year-old Mattie Rollins as her life gets turned upside down. When Mattie’s mother packs the family and as many clothes as they can carry into their beat-up station wagon, Mattie hopes it’s only for one night. But as the days go on and Mattie’s mother still isn’t able to find them housing, the reality of their situation begins to sink in.
Sleeping in My Jeans will publish fall 2018, but in the meantime check out these similar YA titles. If you enjoy them, you’ll be sure to fall in love with Sleeping in My Jeans.
Why Book Publicists Should Download Litsy
By Sydney Kiest
You’ve probably never heard of Litsy, and you’re not the only one. But what is it exactly? Litsy is a mobile iOS app (an Android version is in the works) that launched in the spring of 2016 by the founders of Out Of Print, a clothing company all about books. It brands itself as “a place to organize, interact with, and document all things books,” and Bookriot has deemed it as what would result “if Instagram and Goodreads had a perfect baby.” The layout looks and feels like the Instagram app, and similarly, you can scroll through a timeline of images uploaded by users. If you want to find something more specific—perhaps you are looking for reviews on a book you are considering purchasing—you can use the search tool to find authors, titles, etc. Essentially, it is an ideal marketing tool for those wishing to promote upcoming titles.