Subliminal Advertising: How far will fans go to help authors get noticed?

An old friend emailed me last night and told me the funniest story about how he helped promote me. Here's his email:

I was in Chapters with my wife and the kids on the weekend, and I went to look for CKT in the mystery section, and there was NOTHING! I went to one of the computers, and while you are listed, stock was ZERO.

I was waiting for my wife, so while I waited I went to ALL SIX of the computer terminals, searched for Cheryl Kaye Tardif, clicked and left up the page with YOUR name and YOUR titles before I left the store.

Heh, heh, heh, the book-reading public in Ottawa's west end doesn't know they were affected by subliminal advertising!

ALL SIX terminals!

My friend's story made me laugh, but it also made me really thankful to have friends and fans like him. It isn't easy trying to get noticed in an industry that now sees over 400,000 new books in the US alone, per year. Book marketing takes up a lot of my time. Word of mouth is always the best form of advertising, but just having my books visible is also important. I wonder if anyone in Ottawa saw those computer monitors and bought my books as a result. :-) Email me if you did!

Over the years I've had fans email publishers asking them to publish my books or make a large print version. Some fans have gone into their bookstores and turned my novels so that the covers faced out. Some fans have left my bookmarks in libraries. And of course I've had fans tell their friends and family about me and order my books for gifts.

Is the end of the world coming for the book industry?

New York Magazine published an article that looks at the downward spiral of the book business. As writer Boris Kachka says, "The book business as we know it will not be living happily ever after." He goes on to describe the "horror" that is now the book world--slow sales, staff cuts, empty offices and more. Indeed, he paints a sad picture of the industry in which I lay my future and my dreams.

But I'm still hopeful, still clinging to the thought that people are still reading books. What else could they be using my novels for? As I like to say: "There's always light at the end of even the darkest tunnel." Those in the book industry need to step into that light--all of us, from authors to agents to publishers to distributors to booksellers. There's always hope.

However, I can't get the image of shredded books out of my mind. No author wants to think of their publisher having to shred books. But it happens. 25% of books published are fated to die a slow death by shredder.

Kachka talks about the huge advances that the elite writers receive--those debut novelists that publishers risk everything for. I'm thinking it's time to level the playing field. Publishers are slowly coming around to that line of thinking.

As an author I can take a huge advance and not see anything more for years, or I can take a smaller advance and receive royalties every quarter. The way I spend money, the latter is probably best. Of course that doesn't mean I'd turn down a $1,000,000 advance. But I'm a suspense author who has a vested interest in seeing bookstores and publishers succeed. I believe we'll see a more cautious approach to advances to authors in the future. We'll probably see smaller print runs, maybe using print-on-demand (the technology, not subsidy).

I believe that publishing companies AND authors will have to think outside the typical bookstore box. Many authors I know would prefer to market online as opposed to doing cross-country book tours. Even Margaret Atwood prefers not to do a barrage of signings. I coach new authors to stick close to home, do signings in their city or town first, then branch out, keeping costs down.

The internet opens a lot of doors for authors and publishers--especially if they're creative in their marketing. I held a 30-day virtual book tour after the release of my last novel, Whale Song, guest blogging on a variety of sites and blogs. It was quite successful. However, it could have been more successful if it had been advertised more to the media, bookstores and online. This is where I see publishers saving money and creating more buzz. The internet opens up the book market to the world. Why not use it?

Don't get me wrong; I love doing book signings. Apparently, I'm an anomaly because I truly enjoy meeting people and selling my books in a bookstore. But online promotion is the future.

There will always be people reading something. Most of my friends (non-authors) love reading and have book collections they add to regularly. Books are comforting, easy to take on holidays--nothing says "relaxation" like reading a good book on a Mexican beach.

Personally, I'll take a lesser book advance than the 2.5 million a fellow countryman was paid (for multiple translations). I'd even take less than the 1 mill. another fellow Canadian received for advance. I realize it's a marketing ploy; it ups the interest in the book, but let's get real.

Heck, I'll take a signed contract with Berkley or Bantam or any one of the BIG GUYS, an advance between $100K-500K, plus royalties, and I'll work my @$$ off to promote my "baby". Where do I sign? My agent is Jack Scovil at Scovil Galen Ghosh (formerly Scovil Chichak Galen) Literary Agency.

So where will the book industry be in 5 years? I have no idea, but I can tell you one thing: The suspense is killing me!

Read the New York Magazine article.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
Canadian suspense author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention

http://www.cherylktardif.com/

Things I hear at my book signings...

Have you ever been asked a question that makes you want to reply with something sarcastically witty and a bit funny? Well, I do. :-)

When I'm signing books at a bookstore, I am often asked questions that I don't expect. Below are some of these questions, followed by my thoughts of what I sometimes wish I could say. Keep in mind that at a signing, I am dressed professionally and standing behind a table with a banner on the front that reads: "Meet bestselling author Cheryl Kaye Tardif":

*Can you tell me where to find the book: Political Warfare and Toxicology...blah..blah
(because I so obviously look like not only a bookstore employee but an intellectual...hmmmm)

*Where's the washroom?
(go outside, walk about 5 blocks, then pick a house...)

*What are you selling here?
(my book...? I'll throw in a free bookmark.)

*Can you give me a discount on this cookbook?
(do you have an iRewards card? If so, I'll give you 10% off.)

*Where's the bus terminal?
(Hmmm...I'm inside a mall...my guess is...OUTSIDE...?)

*What's your name?
(uh, let me check that big sign in front of my table.)

*Will the author be coming in to sign books?
(yup, she'll be here all day)

*Your sign is crooked.
(Thank you. Do you want a free bookmark to go with the book you're going to buy off my table?)

*Can you watch my bag for a few minutes?
(got anything interesting in there? Chocolate maybe?)

*Does your book have....you know...lots of...sex...in it?
(Not Whale Song, but my other two have enough to heat things up. Why, did you want more sex?)

*So Divine Intervention is about psychic government agents. Are you psychic?
(I knew you were going to ask me that.)

Now don't get me wrong, I love meeting people, and I know they're just looking for someone to help them out. I actually don't mind, and I'm known by some bookstore staff to be the author who will show people where other books are, point out the way to a section, or pass out store fliers and sell iRewards memberships.

But it is funny when you look at it from my perspective and I can't help the thoughts that sometimes come into my mind. Mostly I just think them, but I did actually say some of them out loud, including the last one. :)

To read what my friend and fellow author Karen Harrington hears at her signings, please go HERE.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, bestselling author
http://www.cherylktardif.com
http://www.whalesongbook.com

"How should I promote my book launch?"

Recently, a writer friend had some questions regarding advertising book signings and launches. She asked if she should have had the store put up posters and showcase her book in the front window prior to her book launch. I gave her some advice, things I wish someone had told me at the very beginning.

In the beginning, I was bold...yet I didn't have a clue what to do either.

A few years ago, I didn't really get the difference between a book launch and a book signing. I suppose I could have helped myself out by actually attending some of both, but I didn't and my first "launch" suffered for it. Instead of making it a big celebration, my first book launch had no hoopla, just me at a table in front of the store, handing out business cards. Oy, I was so green I never knew I shouldn't give out cards unless they're to business contacts. No one else wants them. I know better now, but back then I had no idea what I should or could do for a launch party. Now I know it's only limited by my imagination and the fire code of the store. :)

Book signing:

A book signing is an event where you go and sign and sell books. It's that simple. There's only as much hoopla as you can create, based on any news to do with your book. But believe me, I look for anything newsy that can add some hype to my signings. News equals excitement, and excitement means sales, and sales mean I get to write another book. :)

I rarely have any form of advertising for my regular signings, other than in my writers organizations' newsletters and what I post on my site and blogs--mainly because people tend to forget, and so far it hasn't proven to bring in that many more people for it to be cost effective to run advertisements in newspapers. I just look at every person who walks in the store as MINE. Okay, I'm not that vain, but I do look at anyone as a prospective buyer. It seems far easier when I'm not worried about whether my invitees have arrived or if they'll even show. I always know that there will be people walking through the doors, and it's my job to greet them and make them feel welcome. (And give them my bookmarks.)

If I feel I need posters, I've learned not to wait for bookstores to make them. Other than Audrey's Books in Edmonton, which always makes up lovely posters for all my signings, and a few Chapters stores, most bookstores are just too busy to design signs. So I have a local print shop make posters for my special events. They're 14 x 17, I think, full color, announcing my name, author of... and date/time of event. I ask the stores to post them about 5 days before the event. Any earlier and people forget. Occasionally, I'll go to my signing and discover that my posters were never displayed, but usually they'll be up near the front door and often near the bathrooms. If I've been able to get some media attention (newspaper interviews or radio or TV interviews), then that's a bonus. But it's not easy to be newsworthy for all your events all of the time.

Book launch:

A book launch is a celebration, a big party to celebrate your book's arrival and everything you have gone through to get this far, and it's a party for YOU.

This is the one event that you need to have posters up on the walls, fliers to the bookstore a week before to add to customers' bags, media attention, tons of blogging about it, and lots and lots of hoopla. To ensure that you get great promotion for this exciting event, go to the store the day before and see how they're promoting you. Then you can ask them to display your books if they're nowhere to be found.

Also, for a launch, you'll want to send out an invitation to anyone on your email list and newsletter list. Ask them to bring a friend or two (or ten!), and make sure you ask them to RSVP, since you'll need to know how much food and drink to supply. Once you have this list, realize that about 10% won't make it, another 10% might not buy. 80% should be sales. Bad weather the day of the launch will increase the percentage of the first two and lower the last. Make sure the bookstore knows about your RSVP list ASAP. They need to know how many books to order in. Send your guests a "friendly reminder" about 2 days before.

A launch should always be eye-catching, big and bold. You need to create excitement. That's what separates it from a regular book signing. Some launches will have champagne and strawberries, others will have pop and veggies and dip. Some will have food that fits the theme of their book. I served two kinds of seafood dip; however, I just couldn't serve whale. I'm sure my friends were glad about that. :)

Most book launches will have:

• entertainment
• door prizes (I always ask local businesses to donate prizes in exchange for a sponsorship mention of them on my posters and I get awesome prizes this way...including a free limo ride for my family and closest friends to my last book launch)
• munchies (a couple of party trays and a cake with your cover on, at minimum)
• a mike for you to read a chapter and talk about your new "baby"
• an MC to introduce you and make you look good (either a friend or the store manager if she knows you)
• advertising in-store and elsewhere (community bulletin boards, schools, churches etc)

It's your party, so have fun! This really isn't the time to worry about sales. The more events you do, the better you should get at selling your book. If you have a bad signing (like 3 or less), evaluate why. When you have an exceptional signing (like 30+ books), also evaluate why. I always ask myself 'what worked?' and 'what didn't?'

How should you promote your book launch? By doing anything and everything you can think of to ensure its success and to make sure that everyone attending has a party they'll never forget. That way they'll be first in line for your next book launch, which (if you use these tips) will now be bigger and better than the last. :)

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author of Whale Song

Why are Cheryl Kaye Tardif novels NOT in every bookstore in Canada and the US?

Since 2003, after my first novel was published, I've often been asked why my novels are not in every bookstore across North America. There are a few reasons for this, actually, but one of the main reasons is that the book industry just doesn't work like that. Yes, you'll certainly see the top 25 or so bestsellers in every store. These are big name authors who have proven time and time again that their books sell by the truckloads, and the 1 or 2 breakout authors whose book flies off the shelf at record speeds may be among them.

Believe me--I would be quite happy (and possibly a bit manic) to see my novels in every bookstore. It is a partnership between so many divisions of the publishing industry that helps increase a book's availability. I know one thing for sure, there are thousands of authors whose books have less exposure than my novels.

My publisher has been writing articles for Foreword Magazine, an industry standard for the book world, and his latest article touched on something I have believed since day one. If I want my books to sell, I have to do whatever I can to 'move' them off the shelves. I owe it to myself. Every author does.

The following is my reply to my publisher's latest article on Foreword's website:

In the years (okay, decades) that I've been researching the book industry, I've heard these statistics many times. And they're so true. I've also heard how publishers in the US are publishing nearly 200,000 new titles a year. This sheds some light on why my 3 novels aren't on every bookstore shelf. Can you imagine the size the bookstore would have to be to accomplish shelving every title? But it is a common assumption with aspiring or newly published authors that their books will be everywhere, in every store automatically. That's just not the case.

Today's authors have to take on the role of marketing even more than ever if they want to succeed. You can't wait for the sales to happen; you have to go out and get them. Book signings are a plus. I love doing them, meeting people and talking to fans. But most authors, including me, can't afford to tour all across the country 2-3 times a year. And publishers certainly can't pay for all of their authors to do so either.

I was the first author from Kunati Books to hold a virtual book tour (VBT). For one month, I blogged, wrote articles, answered intervews, spoke on radio shows--I loved it. VBT's are becoming more popular every year, and I believe that's where author tours are heading. Even bestselling author Margaret Atwood knows the trials of traveling; she invented the LongPen, a device that signs books with the author in one city and readers in another. I've signed up for that too.

I embrace the marketing of my novels and I am excited to do so. With three novels published, I am constantly searching for new ways, new ideas, and the majority of them involve online marketing. From my own experience, I can say that being computer savvy is a huge advantage as more and more authors are turning to internet marketing. Authors experienced in web design, HTML code, navigating the internet, and those who blog regularly and update their websites routinely have a headstart. I believe in working smarter, not necessarily harder.

Selling books is a partnership between everyone involved--author, agent, publisher, distributor, booksellers...they each have their role, and the common one is to sell books. Today's authors have to be bold, daring, open to learning, open to selling, persistent, and driven. That's how you become one of the 2.1% of authors who sell more than 5000 copies.

If you'd like a better understanding of the book industry, please read my publisher's article:
Staggering Statistics in Book Publishing can Read Like a Stephen King Horror Novel. Is There Any Hope for Authors and Publishers?

I invite you to leave a comment here and on the Foreword page.

What do you think about these statistics and the book industry's future?

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention

Canada's oldest bookstore to close doors

"Another one bites the dust." For the last two years, I've watched Canadian independent bookstores fight to compete with the 'big boys'--major big-box outlets and Internet retailers, but it seems like a fight to the death. As a Canadian, I cheer them on, hoping they'll succeed. As an avid reader, I mourn their loss. As an author, I feel their disappearance is sadly inevitable. Business, after all, means survival of the biggest and most powerful. It's like watching a giant game of Pac-Man. Something is gobbling up our independent bookstores one at a time, and now we're about to lose "Canada's oldest bookstore"--The Book Room in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Book Room is expected to clear out inventory and close its doors for the final time at the end of March 2008, about eight weeks from now. Eight weeks...and then we'll have to say goodbye to a Nova Scotian icon. Founded in 1839, The Book Room has survived two World Wars, the Halifax Explosion and the Great Depression, and it will be a great loss to Canadian booklovers and to its local community. Charles Burchell, president of The Book Room, is justifiably disappointed. "The Book Room has been an institution in Nova Scotia."

The explanation given for its imminent closure? Increased competition, deep discounting from big-box and Internet retailers, as well as dual pricing issues. In Canada, books have traditionally been printed with two prices--Canadian and American. Canadian prices have always been quite a bit higher, but the recent strength of the Canadian dollar has put much pressure on the entire book industry. Canadian customers want US pricing, with that price on the back cover of books; publishers can't afford to discount their books to US pricing when they've based everything on a higher Canadian price, and booksellers are forced to either lower prices and take a loss or lose their customers and their business.

"Out with the old, in with the new" might be an exciting way to ring in the New Year, but in the book business, the saying is a painfully discordant reminder to make way for the "big-boys", at the expense of tradition.

Farewell to The Book Room. Booklovers across Canada will miss you.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, bestselling author of Whale Song