by Linda Meyer

A warm welcome, a full house for my workshop, and the chance to review good stories from some of the friendliest writers around—key ingredients for a successful writers’ conference, at least from this presenter’s point of view. For these reasons, the recent Idaho Writers’ League (IWL) state conference in Idaho Falls was a rewarding experience for me as a presenter, editor, and publisher. From the long but lovely twelve-hour drive, to the well-organized-and-attended events and productive critique sessions with individual writers, the entire weekend was a joy.

So, now that I’ve said all kinds of nice things, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Like writers the world over, the good folks in Idaho need to move beyond their comfort zones. In my workshop, “What’s Inside the Publisher’s Job,” I blazed through a fifty-minute overview of what’s going on inside a publishing house from the time a manuscript is submitted for review, to the long tail of marketing the title once it has progressed to the publisher’s backlist. To accompany my presentation (and to distract the attendees from my long, tall self pacing across the front of the room), I distributed piles of super-secret inside info in the form of Ink & Paper Group handouts: submission review forms, manuscript formatting tips, sample production schedules, marketing plans, and more. There were lots of smiles, nodding heads, note-taking, and questions throughout, but a few looks of apprehension too, particularly when I reached the part about how a modern author’s work is not done when “The End” is reached, nor even when the manuscript has found a home with a publisher and has made it through editing, design, and production. And I saw a few shudders in the room as I suggested that post-production is when the hard work begins—actually marketing the book.

More than ever, an author must work in tandem with his or her publisher to support his or her book in the marketplace. (Enough political correctness; I’m calling my author he from here on out.) Given today’s difficult economy and the proliferation of competing titles, he, the author, must put forth extra effort to promote his book and himself as a writer. Since writing is usually a solitary activity, more than a few authors have been known to be introverted, ill at ease in crowds, and maybe even a bit media shy. Add to this the “technology intimidation factor,” and you have all the makings of an author reluctant to try his hand at marketing his work to today’s media-savvy consumers.

Here’s where things get interesting. A publisher will be well served by grilling…er…politely asking her (yes, her) author about his comfort zone and how they might work together to stretch the boundaries of that happy place. So the author would rather be trampled in a bull ring than speak in public? How about creating a simple audio or video podcast for syndicated download to iPods and other such mobile devices? Or maybe the author has a healthy fear of bucking broncos and live broadcasting. Try prerecording a cable TV or radio interview so bloopers can be edited before the segment is aired. And speaking of radio, a call-in radio tour can be a great option for an author who is unable to travel but enjoys being on-air (for longer than an eight-second ride, of course). Community radio stations such as KBOO in Portland can be wonderful resources for an author able to position himself as an expert on a theme relevant to his book. Oh yes, and does Mr. Fun-loving Children’s Author freeze up at the thought of reading aloud in public? There just might be a spotlight-loving drama student eager to present Rex the Rodeo Clown to an audience of little people and their book-buying parents, with the smiling author on hand for autographs.

“Help me help you,” (thank you, Jerry Maguire) is a good tagline for mutually beneficial book marketing. A publisher should try to work with an author’s strengths while building his marketing know-how. After all, today’s author will likely continue to market his books long after their publishing release season has passed, which is good for everyone concerned. Once the book is on the backlist, his publisher will continue her marketing efforts as time, energy, and money allow.

I’ll send you off with one of the super-secret files shared with the IWL members: our own Allison Collins’ Marketing Plan Template. This is the place to record ideas—everything from back-cover blurbs to book launch events to what I like to call “Oprah-dreams.” This brainstorm document can form the basis of a kick-a…I mean, wonderful, marketing plan.