One of the things I loved about working with Panoma Press was that they thought about publishing with a marketing mindset. They could see the value in having my book launch to coincide with International Women’s Day on 8th March. The link? Margaret – the character in my book, who was also a real person – was a woman who simply lived ahead of her time.
We live in an age where wanting to opt out of marriage and domesticity in favour of a career on the stage, or having children when unmarried and expecting to keep and raise your own babies is nothing more than simply a woman’s choice, only a few years ago it was very different. Once it was a matter for secrecy, lies, and subterfuge. We’ve come a long way since then.
In terms of marketing a book, picking the launch date is important. There are many events throughout the year which can make it ideal, or perfect timing. Working with a publisher who ‘gets’ the connections and works hard to make those connections work for the author and the book is wonderful – and not something to be taken for granted.
Here’s a quick bit of advice for any author, with any type of book: List all the themes your book aligns with and, consider the angles to increase that alliance so that your marketing efforts are able to be doubled around that theme. Then find dates that correspond with those themes. Some examples might also include events that celebrate Amnesty, Thanksgiving, or even a saint’s birthday. There’s a lot you can do with this line of thinking and working with your publicist and publisher to get the right flavour could do wonderful things for your book.