Release Day -- For An Author

My new novel, THE HOUSE ON PRIMROSE POND, just came out from New American Library on February 2, 2016, and I’m excited, happy and proud. I am also as busy as I can possibly be because now that the book is done and has made its debut, I can’t simply bask in the warm sun of pride and satisfaction—far from it. Instead, I now have to help sell the novel with whatever means and methods are at my disposal. In the dog-and-pony-show of book promotion, authors today are required to be both dog and pony, and so it is with a woof and whinny that I bravely set forth. I did not have a huge budget for publicity, but I did have a budget. Yet before I even considered how to use the money I did have earmarked for this purpose, I explored all the free options available to me, mostly in the form of social media. I tried Twitter—twice—and could not seem to get into the swing of it, so I let it slide. Interestingly enough, the senior publicist at my publishing house, New American Library, told me that while she used to encourage authors to use all forms of social media, she now felt such an approach was overwhelming and instead advised them to select the platforms that really appealed to them and focus on those. So I took her advice and have focused on Facebook, creating an author page which I try to refresh often. I also use Pinterest, creating boards for each new book I publish, and Goodreads, though I need to get up to speed on that. I find each of these platforms different, engaging and fun. I like the possibilities for connection they offer, and I like how wide a net they allow me to cast. From my computer in Brooklyn, I can easily communicate with readers in California, South Carolina and Canada—what a privilege, and what an opportunity.

What else have I done? Because the book is set in New Hampshire—a first for me—I
decided to try mining all the regional possibilities and opportunities that I
could. This meant contacting libraries within the state and bookstores
throughout New England. Even before pub date, I was able to arrange several
library and bookstore visits—score! I also assisted the in-house publicist with
setting up a blog tour, because that is another way to reach new readers. And I
requested that the publisher make bookmarks showing the cover of the book to use
as promotional pieces and giveaways; in fact, I will be happy to send a bookmark
to any readers of this blog who would like one!

I know many writers who object to this form of self-promotion, finding it
uncomfortable and unseemly, and I understand how they feel. We writers are often
solitary souls, and we spend a lot of time sitting alone in a room—or in a
crowded café—furiously writing down the stuff that comes into our heads. So
getting out there to beat the drum may feel awkward.

And yet if we don’t do it, our most precious creations are in danger of being
unseen, unread, unloved. I know this would make me deeply unhappy. First and
foremost, I write for myself, because I need this particular form of expression
to organize my inner life and give meaning to my days. But I would be lying if I
said that I didn’t care about being published and read, because I do—very much.
Which brings me back to the dog-and-pony-show. Like it or not, we have to
participate; to abstain puts us at a serious disadvantage. Nor is this really a
new phenomenon; Dickens went on reading and speaking tours, as did Dylan Thomas
and many other respected and revered writers. It’s just the conventions that
have changed. Instead of book tours, there are more apt to be blog tours. We
reach our readers through electronic means, but they are just as passionate as
readers of the past have been. So it is our job, and even our mandate, to find
and connect with them before we can truly touch their hearts.

About Yona Zeldis McDonough

Yona Zeldis McDonough is the author of six novels; her seventh, THE HOUSE ON PRIMROSE POND, will be out from New American Library in February, 2016. In addition, she is the editor of the essay collections The Barbie Chronicles: A Living Doll Turns Forty and All the Available Light: A Marilyn Monroe Reader. Her short fiction, articles and essays have been published in anthologies as well as in numerous national magazines and newspapers. She is also the award-winning author of twenty-six books for children, including the highly acclaimed chapter books, The Doll Shop Downstairs and The Cats in the Doll Shop. Yona lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, two children and two noisy Pomeranians.

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