“I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends”

By M.J. Moores on February 6, 2014 • ( 0 )

Publicity Tip #19 ~

You don’t have to go it alone.

Many writers are introverts – it goes with the territory: working alone, typing away, hitting the delete button, thinking, typing some more. Then, when we’re published, we’re told if we want to make money we have to do public appearances.

With the right planning and organization, you and a handful of other writers can support each other – Tag Team! If you already belong to a writers group then reach out to them. If you your community is based online and members are spread out over the country, do some research and try to find local groups you can reach out to.

Why?

The more the merrier – Organize your public appearances in conjunction with other writers. To avoid competition, try to work with people you get along with who write in a different genre or sub-genre than you.

Do a reading/signing together.

And, should the dreaded “no show” happen (which, with some forward planning and publicizing even a small group of interested parties will come), you won’t be alone. With two other writers, there will be two other spouses/partners and at least one friend from each… that’s a nice little crowd of 6 people, not including you and the other writers.

Now, you won’t make a lot of money with just a crowd of immediate supporters, but you will gain invaluable experience. And, if you plan your event in a public location like a book store, library, or cafe there will be a constant stream of visitors who could potentially hear you or your cohorts read – and they just might decide to stay.

There’s strength in numbers – you know it’s true. And don’t stop at just one event. The more places you go, the more your name will get out there. And that’s what we want, right? It all starts with a little recognition and a lot of luck. So go ahead and tell the world, “I wrote a book!”