On September 29, 2013, Midge Raymond is participating in the launch of Adventure by the Book’s Author Academy in San Diego. Adventures by the Book, founded by Susan McBeth, offers worldwide opportunities for readers to connect with authors’ travel and events. The Author Academy, an ongoing series of monthly events for authors, is a new component of this organization and to kick off the series, Midge will be doing two workshops based on her book Everyday Book Marketing. The morning workshop will focus on book marketing basics, and in the afternoon workshop, authors will have a chance to create a customized marketing plan for their books.

Everyday Book Marketing is for the published author who is not only a writer but who also has another career, a family, and any number of other obligations that require fitting book promotion into a budget where both hours and dollars may be hard to find. The book includes everything from book marketing basics to Q&As with authors and industry experts.

I wrote the book for all writers but for myself as well—because so many things are constantly competing for my time, it’s an ongoing challenge to find balance. I needed to find ways to stay connected to my writing as well as find the time to promote my work. So I look for ways to fit both writing and promotion into my regularly scheduled life—whether it’s taking notes for a story in line at the post office, or taking fifteen minutes to write down a list of ideas for new blog posts. I was amazed by what I could fit into the stray moments of each day, and by doing that, I’m better able to stay connected to everything that needs my attention. I realized other writers probably deal with these issues as well. So I wrote—and try to live by—first Everyday Writing and then Everyday Book Marketing.

I certainly wished I’d had something like the latter when I published my first book, and thanks to my many writer friends, in a way I did—this is why I included the Q&As, so that readers could get some of the same wonderful tips and advice I got from friends and colleagues. Now, I find myself being asked a lot of questions, both as writer and a publisher (Ashland Creek Press), and I like the idea of having all of this information in one place. I truly love the writing community that emerges from sharing the experience of putting a book out into the world—and I hope this is one thing that comes through in my book: by being generous toward other writers, you’ll not only be helping fellow authors but you’ll find yourself with new opportunities to help promote your own work.

As an example, if you have a blog, offer to host a guest post by a fellow author, and you’ll likely be invited to do the same—and both of you will reach new readers. If you make a habit of promoting and attending other writers’ events, you’ll find your own events being shared and attended in ways bigger than before. Always share great news from authors you know, and they’ll be happy to share yours. Keep in mind that you’ll want to do these things not to expect anything back but because it’s fun and generous—but trust that in the end,  it’ll come back to you in all sorts of ways.

Another great way to pay it forward is via social media—Facebook and Twitter are especially popular among writers. As I teach workshops based on Everyday Book Marketing, I often expect the writers who attend to be more Internet-savvy than I am—so I’ll expect to touch lightly on websites, blogs, and social media, only to learn that many authors need to start from the beginning, from how to create a website to how to write a good blog to how to navigate social media. So Everyday Book Marketing has a lot of information on that, from getting started to keeping going—with info on how to maintain a sense of privacy as well, which is always important when it comes to social media.

Another thing I learn in workshops is that many writers don’t have a strong grasp of how the publishing industry works (the Q&As from industry experts in Everyday Book Marketing are especially helpful in this regard). All writers benefit from having a good understanding of how things work, as well as how they’re evolving. I always recommend that writers take a look at Publishers Weekly (the subscription is expensive, but your local or university library may have it), become a member and/or sign up for the free newsletter by Publishers Lunch, and subscribe to Shelf Awareness, which is free. Knowing all the news in publishing will help you keep track of what’s new and what’s changing.

With opportunities shrinking in some ways (and expanding in others), positivity and perseverance is key for us all. As a publisher, I’m always disappointed when a great book gets passed over for industry or media reviews—and this has happened to many of our wonderful books. As a marketer, I know how frustrating it can be when what you’re doing doesn’t seem to achieve much—whether it’s trying to promote an event that’s not well attended, or whether no one responds to interview requests.

I’m very stubborn, though—I keep writing, keep sending out review copies for our authors, and keep promoting. The only other option is giving up—and that’s basically not an option! I’d like to find a publisher (and a great editor) for my next fiction project, and yet I know there are fewer opportunities than there used to be and that I’ll need to be open to anything.

In fact, for all but the most entrepreneurial authors, I’d suggest seeking a traditional book deal first; working with a good publisher means your book will be professionally edited, proofread, and designed — all of which are challenging and/or costly unless you happen to have all of these skills already. If you have a publisher, you’re also likely to get at least a bit of marketing support, which is so helpful. However, with traditional book contracts harder to come by these days, I think self-publishing is a great way for authors to get their work out there. I’d recommend first doing as much research as possible to get an idea of what’s involved; all authors need to be sure to take their time and create as professional a product as they can. There are a lot of resources for self-published authors. Everyday Book Marketing includes Q&As with several self-published authors. Joe Konrath is a successful self-published author with a blog for new authors. L.J. Sellers, whose Q&A is in Everyday Book Marketing, blogs about writing, self-publishing, and more. And Jane Friedman is a fabulous resource for all things publishing.

My biggest hope for Everyday Book Marketing is that it offers writers a good understanding of how the components of publishing and promoting books work, as well as how they are evolving in publishing today, to help writers find their footing and know what they can do to bring an audience to their work. What the book encourages, I hope, is for writers to see all the options and then to choose what best fits their book and their everyday lives—whether this means a two-month in-person book tour, or a six-week virtual blog tour. The most important thing is for writers to consider everything, then choose whatever is manageable.

I think the most important affirmation for writers marketing their books is this: Remind yourself that it’s about connecting with readers, not about royalties or bestseller lists or other versions of “success.” Success often happens one reader at a time. Writers need to remember to set goals they can control; you can’t control whether your book becomes a mega-bestseller, for example, but you can control the ways in which you find your readers and interact with them, whether it’s online or at book clubs or at events.

My own affirmation as a publisher is: Take the long view of each book—know that some of them, because they deal with environmental themes, are a bit ahead of their time and that it could take a while for them to find their audiences. Unlike bigger publishers that generally choose books based on their presumed market potential, we choose books we love and, along with the authors, we go find markets for them.

For marketers an important affirmation is one I also use for myself: Strive to do what you can, in the time you have, and keep a good balance among life, writing, and promotion. Every author wants his or her book to be a huge success, but if we focus on this, again, we’re focusing on something we have no control over.

For me, this all comes together this way: Do your very best to achieve your own version of success, and keep everything in perspective.

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Writing It Real members, please feel free to get in touch with Midge with any questions or comments you have. She loves getting feedback and hearing ideas about  what people need in terms of writing resources, which is how Everyday Writing and Everyday Book Marketing came about. Visit her website and click on contact Midge.