Do you have an agenda? Are you promoting a book? Maybe you’re involved in an organization or a cause. You hear (read) me nagging you all the time to promote, promote, promote. But don’t promote your agenda on my time. Don’t engage in Yellow Promotion.
What do I mean by this? Undoubtedly, you are familiar with the term, Yellow Journalism. This means to taint the news by using sensationalism or exaggeration, for example. I consider Yellow Promotion the practice of infringing on the time and space of others in order to promote your own product or agenda. It may be a matter of upstaging a colleague or fellow author.
I can’t tell you how many times authors bring their books or information about their organizations to me while I’m working at a book festival. I pay for the booth, I may have traveled a distance. It is my opportunity to connect with my potential customers and clients. So don’t walk onto the event grounds—gaining FREE admission—with your book or material on your cause, cozy up to my booth in front of my potential customers and try to sell me something. Get your own booth.
Likewise, when I arrange to speak at a writers’ conference, spend months preparing a workshop and pay my own travel expenses, I do not appreciate it when someone slips into my class and uses my time to promote his or her product or cause to my audience.
I know, I know, I tell you over and over again to promote however, whenever and wherever you can. But this does not mean infringing on someone else’s valuable time and space. It’s not cool, folks.
I’ve known authors to come on the grounds of large book festivals, set up their own tables, put up signs and proceed to sell books without paying the fee. Others will come in with handout material and stand across from our booth luring passersby away from us. Of course they are usually booted out. This is pure thievery.
If you want to sell books at a book festival, rent your own booth. If you want to connect with an audience, hone your speaking skills, search out venues, arrange to be invited, pay your dues and you will have your own audience. As I said, Yellow Promotion is not cool. So be cool. Promote honestly and with the blessings of others. If you want to promote yourself in my workshop or at the book festival where I have a booth, do so subtly. Here are some ideas:
• Walk around wearing a sandwich sign or tee shirt advertising your book.
• Leave your business cards in the restrooms, buffet table, etc., but NOT at my booth.
• Network with folks during breaks at conferences and in the food court at book festivals.
• Talk to me about your book/cause after my presentation. Or pick up my card at a book festival and ask if you can email me.
I know how creative you are. How about sharing some of your own ideas with my blog readers?
In the meantime, for more about how to promote your book, read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html