An all-expense paid trip! A book character named after you! These were the prizes WestBow Press gave to the reader who most successfully promoted the newest installment of their Women of Faith fiction series. Details and publicity suggestions to help readers promote Alaska Twilight, a suspense novel by Colleen Coble, were made available at the author’s web site (www.colleencoble.com).
Creative? In book
publishing, yes—but in the television business, it is a well-known strategy.
Coble´s publicist adapted another medium´s campaign. Instead of a TV
appearance, she offered volunteer publicists a novelty: the opportunity to
appear as a character in a Christian novel.
Creative publicity strategies are approaches that differ from
or add a new twist to popular or traditional promotional campaigns. You can
come up with new ways to publicize your books too. You do not have to inherit a
bent for creativity. If you think you
are not the creative type, perhaps the following steps can help.
Would you
like a cup of tea?
Some say creativity is completely spontaneous, with no rules
or guidelines. Others say it is a matter of focus. I say creativity is like the
process of brewing tea.
White, Green,
Oolong or Black?
What tea do you prefer to drink? Why? There are lists that
rank the oxidation of tea leaves from zero to maximum. Your criteria for
choosing tea might be different, but the key is: do you know what you like
about that tea? Do you know your book?
Have you explored the pages to catch topics or themes that may be used
as marketing tools? Little details lead
to big ideas. What angles can you explore in your product?
Steeping
Good tea undergoes steeping. Creativity requires a period of
incubation. Let the quest for ideas brew
in your mind. You do not have to think
about your creative issue 24/7. In fact, performing unrelated tasks can help.
As you shop, go for a walk, or do other things, be on the lookout for ideas to
inform your product marketing. Jot down your
thoughts.
Expect periods of mental blankness. Do not be frustrated. In due time, there will be a creative flash
or a gradual insight.
Straining
Bear this in mind, the mesh of deadlines, budget, marketing
goals and cultural norms has a way of reshaping and reforming creativity to
make your ruminations more pragmatic and successful. Welcome them!
Blending Additives
Lemon, sugar, milk, honey, herbs, fruit jams or tapioca? There are no set rules on what you can add to
enhance the flavor of your tea.
Incentive programs bring in customers. It helps to see what others are doing – radio
programs, supermarket handouts, video stores, dry cleaners, or pizza
shops. Look at other cultures and
industries. Go into the Web. Creativity begets creativity, and the Web has
plenty of examples that you can tailor to your publicity plans.
How about tea and ginger or cinnamon? Perhaps you can pair up your book with
another item; a Bible and a devotional in one package might sell better than
just the devotional alone.
Serving Tea
It is delightful to behold a tea tray with a variety of finger
foods: scones, sweets or petite sandwiches.
In book publicity, you do not need just one big idea. You can have several creative campaigns. For example, if possible offer a selection of
authors on a particular subject. A book
on prayer by one author might appeal to one reader, but not to another. Each book might require its own creative
tweak.
Coffee
Please
Not everyone drinks tea.
You will have critics of your creative publicity strategies. That is the nature of doing something
different, not necessarily new. Do not
expect success immediately. Not all concepts
will work. The C in creativity stands
for courage.
Note:
This article was published in the Interlit Magazine on September
2006. Interlit is an international
quarterly print magazine distributed globally to publishers and printing corporations. Interlit was published by Cook Communications Ministries
International based in Colorado Springs, Colorado USA
