The Writer’s Life: Book Promotion

Writing the “Great American Novel” takes time, patience, commitment, and a talent to write. If motivated, willing to learn, and can string words together that make sense, you can write a book, too. 

In 1976, I worked for ReadWrite Educational Programs. My job was to develop curriculum, train teachers, and teach students the art of speed reading and study skills. I needed short stories for my students to read, so I wrote a few, too. One such story was “The Light,” about an alien abduction that was two pages long. My boss read it and said, “This looks like an outline for a book. Ever think of writing one?”

I said, “I can’t write a book.”

To which he responded, “You never know until you try.”

I tried, and in 2012 The Abduction of Joshua Bloom was finally published. It took me 46 years, but I succeeded. Four novels followed and in 2021 my masterpiece, The Lip Reader, was accepted for publication by Paper Angel Press. From start to finish, it took me four years to write. I’m improving. 

I also wrote a book about a deaf child, Goodbye Tchaikovsky, and a series of three books about a pre-teen with psychic powers: The Koolura Series. The sense of accomplishment I felt holding each book in my hands after publication brought joy and tears. That was especially true with The Lip Reader, a novel about the love of my life growing up under stressful circumstances in Tehran, Iran. 

Once the book is on the market, what’s next? Write another one? For sure. But that newly published novel won’t sell itself. Isn’t that the job of the publisher? Yes and no. Today, publishers expect manuscripts to be near perfect before they even look at them. Once published, they will add the new book to their website, place it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other book selling web sites, and if you’re lucky, in bookstores, if one can be found.

The everyday promotion is left to the writer. For me, writing a book is a lot easier than promoting. I follow what the experts say needs to be done. The smartest thing to do is hire a publicist to do all the grunt work, but that fee starts at $8000. I took their advice on things I could afford and do, considering my deafness. I built an email list, started my own website and blog, which has attracted over 32,000 visitors, and enter book contests. After The Lip Reader was published, I entered it in the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. To my surprise, it won first place in its division, Inspirational (Fiction). 

When a book is finished, I send out copies to critics, writers, and friends to read and review. Reviews are a reflection of how people react to an author’s work. For example, The Lip Reader has been rated 28 times with 4.9 out of 5 stars. 

Competition is stiff. Amazon, the largest book retailer in the world, carries over 33 million titles. My six books get lost with so many choices. They have to be promoted or else collect virtual dust. 

How do I promote my books? I do what I do the best. I write about them on my blog. That’s what this piece is all about. I include links throughout the article for book readers to click on and learn more about my books. If they like what they read, they’ll purchase the book, and hopefully, write a review. 

I enjoy writing because it’s an escape to new worlds I create. Now, that’s some superpower. And you have the power to compliment writers by reading their books and writing honest reviews. I’m counting on you to do that for my novels.