Move The Needle . . . A Needle . . . Some Needles
Marketing Tips: Part One
by Federico Erebia, SCBWI guest blogger
The writer’s primary job is to write the best book they can write. Once it’s written, many authors choose to move on to their next project(s), and they do very little to market that book before its launch. Well-known and prolific authors may have well-oiled, marketing and publicity teams working to promote their books, and the author simply attends events.
But what about a debut author? Or an author waiting for their first contract? Can they, should they, think about marketing and publicity? The answer, of course, starts with That depends . . .
I’ve heard many authors ask, “Do I really need a website?” or “Do I really need to be on social media?” and the response is often, “You don’t need a website. . . . You don’t need a social media presence. . . . You can’t ‘move the needle.’”
Those responses may be technically correct, but I have a different perspective, with a “That depends” undertone.
Before I started my writing career a couple years ago, I had spent thirty years honing my woodworking – cabinet and furniture making – while working part time as an internist and HIV provider. My clients were primarily word-of-mouth referrals, but I also shared my work on social media [primarily Facebook]. With a mixture of talent, hard work, persistence, good luck, and intuition, I’ve had my work featured in various magazines and newspapers:
A local television program featured a story about me and my unlikely friendship with a squirrel. Persistence, luck, and intuition lead to a Boston NPR interview about my self-published picture books:
In other words, I have more M&P experience than the average debut novelist.
In the last two years, I’ve observed dozens of book launch campaigns. I was fortunate to have been chosen for the Poets & Writers publicity incubator [a three-month, weekly intensive in marketing and publicity basics]. I’m also learning from hundreds of other debut authors in my debut groups.
Let’s start by defining needle. I was a complete unknown in the publishing industry. My Pre-Launch Campaign goal has been to increase awareness of my name, and of my book. Those are the needles I want to move. In time, name and book recognition should lead to the movement of a third needle: Pre-Order book sales. But my ultimate goal is a fourth needle: getting fifty reviews on Amazon by the end of the year [more on that later].
The following anecdotes occurred before my first trade review was published [later, I’ll explain why this caveat is important]:
I live in a suburb of Boston. When I walked into the New York Public Library in February 2023, the librarian knew who I was – she recognized the Pedro & Daniel book cover on the swag book tote I was carrying - because of my Twitter posts; she showed me that she had already ordered my eARC, based on my book descriptions and the early reviews I shared in those posts. At that time, digital ARCs had been available for two weeks, and physical ARCS were many weeks away.
When I walked into a New Hampshire independent bookstore in March 2023, the bookseller knew my book, and he showed me the Pre-Order requests he had already received. I did not know this out-of-state librarian or bookseller, but they knew about me, and more importantly, they knew about Pedro & Daniel.
I had moved my needles. Folks were aware of Pedro & Daniel months before its launch. Without my efforts, when would they have known about it?
But those are anecdotes, and my scientific background tells me that data are needed to support a claim.
Next week, I’ll delve into dozens of specific things you can do to help promote yourself, your book(s), and your brand: websites, social media, media kits, pre-orders, giveaways, street teams, blurbs, and so much more.
I’ll also share data: proof that I moved some needles.
For now, I will leave you with a time-lapse video of the south-facing façade of my workshop. It took two of us five months to install, one thin strip at a time:
About Pedro & Daniel:
“An unforgettable journey of resilience and, most of all, love. . . Stunning.”
- Kirkus Reviews, (starred review)
"Luminous . . . Riveting . . . Uplifting and heart-wrenching."
- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Pedro and Daniel are Mexican American brothers growing up in 1970s Ohio. Their mother resents that Pedro is a spitting image of their darker-skinned father; Daniel likes dolls; neither boy plays sports. Both are gay and neurodivergent. They are alike, but they are dissimilar in their struggles, their dreams, their approach to life.
Pedro & Daniel is a sweeping and deeply personal novel that spans from childhood into adulthood. Together they find joy and laughter, as they endure an abusive home, coming out, first loves, first jobs, and the AIDS pandemic, in a coming-of-age story unlike any other.
ISBN: 9781646143047
Publisher: Levine Querido
Publication date: June 6, 2023
About Federico:
Federico Erebia is a retired physician, woodworker, author, and illustrator. He received a BA from the College of Wooster, and an MD from Brown University. Pedro & Daniel (Levine Querido, June 6) is his debut novel. He is on the SCBWI Impact & Legacy Fund Steering Committee, was chosen for the inaugural Poets & Writers publicity incubator for debut authors, is a Grubbie Debut Author, and is a member of the Boston Author’s Club and several other writing groups. He lives in Massachusetts with his husband, and their furry bubbies, in the home he redesigned and renovated.
Website: https://FJEbooks.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FedericoErebia
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/FedericoErebia
Book cover and interior illustrations by Julie Kwon
Headshot credit: Joel Benjamin
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