The only thing harder than publicizing a book is publicizing a book during a pandemic. If I’m honest with myself—and all of you—Secrets of the Hotel Maisonneuve won’t sell unless it garners some much needed attention.
Every author, artist, and artisan can tell the same story.
If you’d like to help the authors in your life, here are fifteen relatively painless ways to make a difference.
Engage them on social media! Share or retweet their posts so your friends can find out about them. Ask questions, post favourite quotes.
Ask your library to stock their books. The Halifax Public Libraries turned down Secrets of the Hotel Maisonneuve when I requested it, but others have asked them to add it to their collection, so I haven't given up.
If you don’t see a book on the shelf at your local book store, ask for it by name.
If you do see it on the shelves, then maybe rearrange the shelf to make it more prominent (This is a little nefarious, but I do it for my friends. Any bookseller who thinks this is a bad idea can just let me know).
If you read their book, leave a review on Goodreads, Chapters or Amazon. Although writers are looking for good reviews, we learn from our mistakes, and poor reviews count, too. (Once a book has 50 to 75 reviews on Amazon, it may be featured in Amazon newsletters, which are influential). It doesn't have to be long. "I really liked it!" counts! So does "The Greatest Book Since War and Peace!"
Post a link to your reviews on social media.
Invite your friends to join their Facebook pages, or follow them on Instagram
Give their books as gifts.
Gift a copy of a book to a teacher — in my case, a teacher in grades 5 to 7.
Post a photo of you (or a family member) reading their book
Pin their book in Pinterest.
Suggest their book to a book blogger. I wouldn’t be upset if the blogger hates it.
If you’re a teacher, see if the author can visit your classroom (via Zoom or Teamviewer) until all of THIS is over.
Tell the TikTok world about the book.
If you pick one or two things that feel comfortable, you can make a huge difference in the life of a favourite author. Together, we are mighty!