Midweek Notes from a Practicing Writer
Three quick updates from my desk.
- Just under two weeks to go before my October 12 workshop on Being Your Own Book Publicist, which is being offered as part of the International Women’s Writing Guild (IWWG)’s Poetry Palooza fall programming (you can still register—there’s a discount for IWWG members). So I’ve begun preparing the presentation, an updated version of one that I’ve offered in the past. I think that I’ve got everything under control, but it never hurts to ask: What’s your best tip/resource for book promotion? (“Bonus” for poetry-related and/or pandemic-related ideas!) If you care to share in comments, you might end up quoted in my presentation!
- It may not be my own “best” tip, but one way that I continue to promote Birthright: Poems (even as the second anniversary of its release approaches) is by sending individual poems out for possible reprinting. This week, having caught one themed project with an imminent deadline, I sent a relevant poem from the book for consideration. We’ll see what happens!
- Coming soon (sometime tomorrow)—the October issue of The Practicing Writer 2.0. I’m just giving it a final proofreading.
Hi, Erika,
My tip: Get involved in your local poetry scene. Go to poetry groups, readings, etc., so when your time comes, you’ll be known and welcomed to give a reading. A reading I did recently from my novel in verse ended up being discussed in someone’s newsletter.
Make your book launch collaborative. Invite 2-3 astute readers of your work to each choose and read a poem from your new book, then briefly (1-2 minutes) comment on it. Your reading can follow theirs, and the listeners ears will already be tuned to your work.
This kind of launch models the collaborative relationship between poet and reader.
Thank you both for your comments!