Personal Publicist for a not so Celebrity Author - Chitra Soundar

When my first book came out in the UK in 2010, other than a card from my publisher Walker Books, I did not do anything to celebrate it, publicise it or promote it. Only my Mum knew and she was proud. Even though it was my 14^th or 15^th book internationally, in the UK it was my first and it had fizzled out like a firecracker on a wet Diwali night. 

While I placed four picture book titles in India in 2012, life went on in the UK in a pattern of day job and rejections. The Indian books started coming out in 2014 and it coincided with my moving from a full-time job to a part-time situation. Now I had time to go into schools and I had found my sea legs so to speak.

            In 2015 – after five years of waiting, I had a second book accepted with Walker Books and a picture book with Otter-Barry Books. And to top that, my Indian picture book Farmer Falgu series too was going to be distributed in the UK by Red Robin Books and suddenly I realised four books were all going to come out in the last quarter of 2016.

            I decided it was unusual and cruel for a writer to have four books coming out in the same quarter. At the same time it was opportunity. (The Law of Lemons and Lemonade).

I didn’t want to throw the opportunity into oblivion as I had done before in 2010. Here is what I did to maximise the air cover I got while the smell of new books was still lingering on my doorstep.  So I decided to hire a freelance publicist.

But before I go further, here is the disclaimer - I’m not saying this is for everyone - because it does cost hard-earned money (money I earned at the day job or the advance I got for these books whichever was on top of the pile at the ATM). But at that time, I wanted a boost to my brand and I wanted to do justice for these two "diverse" books to be noticed. Would I have done this (or been able to) if I didn’t have a day job? Perhaps not.

            So for those who are curious, here is how I handled hiring a personal publicist even though I was not a celebrity author.

Step 1: Write a publicity plan

            I looked up the guidelines in the SCBWI publicity grant guidelines and I modelled one on it. I didn’t get the grant. But I had done the research At least I knew what I wanted to do.

Step 2: Find a Publicist

            I looked for freelance publicists who could be commissioned to work directly with me for my books. I found five who specialised in children’s books out of which two responded. One said No and the other agreed. I met with her and we planned a campaign for the two books that had a definite date and also because it fit within her budget.

Step 3: Surprise the Publisher

            Firstly we informed our publishers that I was going to take care of my publicity by ploughing back the advance. It did make them sit back and watch what I was up to. I also wanted to make sure we were not stepping on toes and both the official publicist and the freelance publicist knew who was doing what.

Step 4: Send word to the world

            Then my freelance publicist sent out review copies, blog posts requests, bookshop and festival requests. And we had to wait. Ah the waiting game, I knew how to play it. I’m a writer. I knew how to chew bed sheets, go on walks, cry into the pillow and press the refresh button on my inbox a million times a day while I waited.

Step 5: Start the in-house campaign

            While the publicist was focussed on the outside world, I was focussed on what I could do in the meantime. Here are some things I did while I waited.

·      Spruce up my website – I reformatted my entire website to look new, fresh and welcoming for all the new people who might look me up when they receive our publicity requests

·      Create posters – this is where Canva.com came in. I spent an unhealthy number of days on Canva designing posters to print, blog graphics and post cards and stuff. Canva actually sent me an email saying, “You’re here a lot, do you want to go pro?”

·      Write blog posts for my own website – I started writing about the books ahead of the launch to create anticipation.

·      Find friends who would host my blog – in addition to whom the publicist was contacting – I reached out to friends who were happy to host me on their blogs.

·      Create classroom content and extras for school visits – I have a small site under my banner for kids stuff – it has puzzles and activities and intro to my illustrators and such. I updated a lot of this content for the new books.

·      Request the illustrator to do a blog post – Frané Lessac (illustrator of Pattan's Pumpkin) was amazing. She agreed to be interviewed for my site and hosted my content on her blog too. 

·      Request the illustrator for resources - Frané Lessac was kind enough to make me colouring sheets and craft activities etc.

Step 5: Plan the book launch

            I did hit a block when I came to this. My freelance publicist wasn’t going to arrange the launch and I had to cold-call a number of South London bookshops. Most of them turned me down and a few looked me up and then turned me down.

            I turned to the amazing Nicky Potter who did publicity for Otter-Barry Books for help and she introduced me to the North London bookshop Pickled Pepper Books. They are amazing, aren’t they?

            Of course I wasted more time on the Internet planning the launch. I invited everyone I knew, create events in Facebook and ordered matching cupcakes. A wise author once said, “A launch without cake is no launch at all.”

Step 6: Write insane number of blog posts

            The publicist had arranged for me to blog on different sites. I had to find an angle that was different and unique to their blog about the same two books. I wrote over 25 blog posts in a matter of five weeks, not including the ones I had promised friends to write on their blog too. At one point I was so worried I was going to run out of things to say. Luckily my early life as a chatterbox came in handy.

Step 7: Make a Trailer

            I loved wasting time on the computer while watching reruns of Big Bang Theory. So I decided to try my hand at making a trailer. My one day course with SOA on how to make videos using iMovie by Shoo Rayner, came in handy. Interestingly, I learnt a few things along the way.

·      Get permission from everyone before you release the trailer into the world. Of course my publisher Janetta Otter-Barry was impressed and so was her team. My illustrator Frane Lessac loved it and she was happy to consent.

·      Use original photos, text and permitted content. Luckily I had my own photos and where required those in public domain I could use and attribute.

Step 8: Prepare for diversions

            As the first book’s publicity was proceeding, the freelance publicist had landed a full-time job. Now she was no longer available to promote my second book. But before I could panic, she managed to secure the services of another publicist and made sure the work continued uninterrupted. Things are always fluid and coping with them as they come was one of the things I do at my day-job and that was useful in dealing with this.

Step 9: Keep a Calendar

            I had so many balls up in the air that I had to create a calendar of events and blog posts and keep them updated. By now bookshop visits were coming in and they were spread across a range of 3-4 months. My calendar resembled a jigsaw puzzle in colour. I hoped I could find the edges if everything fell apart. 

Step 10: Be grateful for kindness of friends

            Few days before the launch, a school librarian reached out to me and asked if I could do two libraries and her school in her borough as a pre-launch promotion. I was so grateful for the support. Except fate interfered and sent the flu virus to land on me and the day before the launch I was on the road armed with my books and a stack of tissues.

And so, the freelance publicists who worked on the campaign had opened many doors I hadn’t been able to approach. I got into some really wonderful festivals and bookshops, got noticed by some organisations who would not have heard of me otherwise, got some print reviews in teachers’ magazines and trade publicity magazines.

It gave me the boost I needed and putting in all the work on my own, hours in front of a computer not writing, sweating the details of fonts and images on websites proved very productive.

            Whether you are traditionally published and want a leg up for your new book or you are self-published and want to build a brand, it might be a worthwhile option to look into. It is hard work and it involves spending money and I did a lot of DIY work myself – like posting letters, printing posters, writing blog posts, sprucing my website etc. But it was a good learning experience and I can build on the contacts I have now been introduced to.

Follow me on Twitter : @csoundar

or Find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChitraSoundarAuthor 

Visit my virtual home at www.chitrasoundar.com  

Work, Rest and Play by Ann Evans

It's a bit like a busman's holiday being a writer. I mean, how many other professions actually continue to do their job after hours, just for fun?

I don't know about you, but I seem to spend my days in front of the computer - or writing - or reading, it's how I earn a crust. So when it's time to put my feet up, or have a day off, what do I usually find myself doing? Yep, you've got it – sitting in front of the computer - or writing - or reading!

I mean, does a painter and decorator dash home after a day of painting and decorating to splash more paint on his walls? I don't think so! Or does a motor mechanic swop work boots for slippers and then slide under the chassis of his car? Probably not – and certainly not by choice!

So how come writers get so absorbed in the whole world of writing and books that it takes over our lives. (Unless it's just me and I really need to get out more!)

It is nice though when you do find time to do something completely different like going out into the countryside on a warm sunny day and relaxing with a friend over a refreshing drink. Trying not, of course to chat about books and writing.

Then there's visiting the grandchildren – that's always a lovely thing to do. Oh! But what's their favourite pastime? You've got it – reading. So it's either Sam aged 2 perched on my lap while I read to him or Megan and Brennan aged 7 and 5 respectively reading to me. And what's the routine before bedtime – yup! They get a bedtime story each.

Me and my tribe - not reading!

I enjoy trying to keep fit and visit the gym whenever I can or just go for walks. But even before I set out I'm deciding what to think about during my walk or gym session. Exercising, I've found is the perfect opportunity to think up new plots or solve difficulties in something I'm working on. It's sometimes a bit annoying if you find you've arrived back home and you're only halfway through a particular chunk of dialogue though.

Bedtime is my reading for relaxation time, and two great books that I've just read one after the other were Stephen King's Under the Dome and 23.11.63 – which is based around Kennedy's assassination.

Two very long reads, so now my reading time is encroaching on sleeping time, because I just couldn't put them down, and usually only closed them when the book slid from my hands as a nodded off.

Last weekend, I painted the outside brick wall of the lower part of my house. It needed smartening up. I bought a nice big tin of red-brick paint and set to, carefully painting every brick. Believe it or not I really enjoyed it. The sun was shining and I was nowhere near my computer or a book or a notepad. Not even a pencil!

Halfway through I found myself thinking that if I'd stopped and thought was a massive job it was (a bit like writing a novel) I'd never have started. But by doing one brick at a time, and one area at a time, it soon built up. Just like writing a book or a story. Don't be put off by the massive task ahead, just do it a little at a time. Brick by brick.

So even my DIY ended up being connected to writing in a vague sort of way. I'm not complaining though. Reading and writing - I count myself very fortunate that I can indulge in these totally absorbing activities.

But I wonder how other writers drag themselves away from their work – and do they really drag themselves very far from it at all?

www.annevansbooks.co.uk