We writers can spend a long time writing and polishing our memoirs, but when it comes time to promoting our magnum opus, we fail to invest enough energy to bring that same book to the attention of the public that might want to buy—and—read the memoir we have labored to bring into the world. Marketing a memoir is key here.
I know one man who has written twenty books‚ but does not promote them. None of them are reaching much of an audience.
He loves to write books and loves to think of himself as a published writer—with 20 books no less—but I don’t think he is being read.
On the other hand, I want people to read what I have written. I want to earn income from my work. That is why I believe in marketing a memoir until it reaches its intended audience. Without a readership, I do not feel satisfied as a writer. I am, after all, in a conversation with a reader.
The articles below give you many ideas for marketing a memoir It has long been my belief that the public reading is an effective means of doing so. It is likely that your memoir’s prime audience is local (hometown, state, region) or group specific (retired ministers, parents of a suicide, travel photography). These audiences are well reached through a reading at one of their venues—physical or virtual.
But there are many other ways of marketing a memoir. These include guest blogging, interview articles, Facebook and Twitter outreach, and paid advertising among others.
I hope the posts below will stimulate you to organize your efforts of marketing a memoir.
How to Have a Successful Book Reading–Author Book Reading Tips
A successful book reading requires a little planning upfront. If you use the following tips, you will have a great book reading and engagement with your audience.
At a recent author book reading, I read from my mother’s memoir, We Were Not Spoiled, to a group of Senior College people. Since the program was offered in Lewiston, Maine, where my family is from, I looked forward to the event because I knew that the space would have many individuals who had known my mother, me or many people in my family. [Free Membership required to read more. See below. ]
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What an Author Needs to Bring to a Book Launch–What You Need to Organize a Book Launch
Most of the people I work with opt for self-publication. As independently published authors, they are the ones who organize their own book launch. Writing a memoir is a long haul and it is refreshing to have an event to gather friends and family and fans together to acknowledge that an end and a beginning are occurring. The Memoir Network has participated in a number of book launches. Here is a distillation of what has made these launches successful. Follow the tips below to organize a book launch. [Free Membership required to read more. See below. ]
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Tips for Doing a Memoir Reading Program
Q. I am about to have my first opportunity to read from my newly-finished memoir. Any tips for a memoir reading program so that I can make the most of the opportunity? A. I have many tips for a memoir reading program, but I will limit myself to five.
How to Organize a Virtual Book Tour
As part of my winter/spring virtual book tour for the Memoir Network Writing Series, I did a stop at Sandra Beckwith’s informative buildbookbuzz.com blog.
Jitters Over Don’t Let Writer’s Block Stop You Launch
I have felt the book jitters as my new book Don’t Let Writer’s Block Stop You has gone out into the world. My anxiety is under control, but it remains a low-level anxiety. Were I to give in to it, I would be succumbing to a version of the writer’s block—the one that postpones publication—and […]
After a Book is Published: We Were Not Spoiled.
What happens after a book is published? As readers of this blog know, I recently published my mother’s memoir, We Were Not Spoiled. The book had been five years in the writing and had gone in and out of my focus. When I started to interview my mother and write the text, she had been […]