When I Came West (Part Thirty)
So now I have a book!
Seeing the packet of advanced reader's copies and press kits arrive in the mail was, indeed, a special day. I have heard other writers express that holding a new book in their hands is akin to holding a newborn baby. I've never had a child but I will agree that there is a sense of wonder and amazement at seeing a tangible object full of color and texture and words, where before there existed only a computer screen and manuscript pages. But too soon that wonder turns into a list of things that must be done to promote the book. I set about mailing off the ARC's and PR information to bookstores and newspapers in the target market and the colleges and universities I had attended.
When I received my ten author's copies, I sent them off to those people who had assisted me as readers and/or editors. I dedicated a notebook to recording details of my transactions with the book with pages labeled: review copies, thank you copies, in person sales, mail order sales and trade copies (where I give someone a copy of my book in exchange for other goods or services). I ordered my first box of books from the University of Oklahoma Press (64 copies with my 40% author's discount cost $598.00--thank goodness for credit cards).
I began to receive congratulations from a percentage of the people who had received my email announcement and a small flurry of book orders began to arrive. The woman at the post office has become accustomed to me appearing with a canvas bag full of padded mailers addressed to readers across the country--even one for a fan in Japan. One potential purchaser inquired via email about the cost tacked onto the book price for postage. I explained that the mailers cost .99 and the domestic postage for each book ran $2.38, so I was, in fact, losing a little money by only charging $3.00. And, yes, it was true that she could purchase the book for less cost on amazon.com.
These are the kinds of small but important issues that a writer must be aware of. The business of selling books is very different from the art of creating a story. And part of the business must be dedicated to public appearances, including speaking engagements, writing workshops, panel presentations and even the time invested in chatting with people about the book at the local coffee shop or grocery store. And all of that means that I must be diligent about keeping a personal calendar as well as a calendar on my website so that interested parties will know when and where I'll be appearing.
One more thing to add to the list: send out email announcements at least a week or ten days prior to a public event!
