Promoting a Book

Once a book is written, how does one go about promoting it? Things have changed out of all recognition since the days when authors like Anthony Berkeley, Ethel Lina White, and many others declined to allow their publishers to print biographical information or even, in some cases, to publish their photographs. Nowadays, authors - even those whose publishers boast substantial publicity departments - have to get stuck in and promote their books. But it doesn't come naturally to many writers. Most of us still value our privacy, and we're very well aware that self-promotion is, as always in life, fraught with danger. It can become tedious (and self-defeating) when an author keeps banging on endlessly about their magnum opus.

So with The Golden Age of Murder, I'm groping for a suitable balance. Mind you, I simply can't resist announcing that The Times has this morning described the book as a "richly rewarding study of the genre" - definitely a quote to cherish, and the sort of thing you dream of as an aspiring writer!

I can also report that the book has been chosen as one of Lovereading's Books of the Month for May, and that I've also written a number of articles linked to the book for a range of publications, including Oxford Today in the UK and Publishers' Weekly in the US..

In the run-up to publication, I'm also taking my first ever blog tour, contributing to some wonderful and very varied blogs. I'm truly grateful to the bloggers in question - when you read their blogs (and you should!) the generosity of spirit that is the hallmark of the best blogs and indeed the best bloggers is very evident. The plan for the tour is as follows:

27 April - Janet Rudolph's blog - Mystery Fanfare
28 April - Margot Kinberg's blog - Confessions of a Mystery Novelist
29 April - The SleuthSayers blog - Rob Lopresti has kindly invited me on to his fortnightly slot
30 April - Sergio Angelini's blog - Tipping My Fedora
1 May - Elaine Simpson-Long's blog - Random Jottings
2 May - Moira Redmond's blog - Clothes in Books
3 May - John Norris' blog - Pretty Sinister Books.
4 May - Patti Abbott's blog - Pattinase
5 May - B V Lawson's blog - In Reference to Murder
6 May - Christine Poulson's blog - A Reading Life
7 May - Kristopher Zgorski's blog -Bolo Books

All these blogs appear in my blogroll, which incidentally I hope to update soon. The blog tour is timed to coincide with my trip to Malice Domestic, when, among other nice activities, I'll be taking part in a panel about the Golden Age moderated by Doug Greene, a real expert on the subject. Doug read an early version of the book and also kindly allowed the publishers to reprint some wonderful photos in his possession.

Then it's back to the UK, and more events, including festivals in Carlisle, Cheshire and London. Believe it or not,I'm also a keynote speaker at a conference about James Ellroy in Liverpool in July, and again my subject will be the Golden Age. Preaching to the unconverted, perhaps, but I'm sure it will be fun.

Before that, in mid-May, there is Crimefest at Bristol. On the first afternoon of the convention, I'll be moderating a panel focused on (yes!) The Golden Age of Murder, with a terrific group of panellists including this year's CWA Diamond Dagger winner, Catherine Aird. Lots to look forward to...

Author promotion

There was a time when authors didn’t have to ‘do publicity’. Anthony Berkeley published his first crime novel anonymously. When he used the name Francis Iles, it was two years before people realised he’d written the books – though actually, that was quite a good publicity gimmick, because there was a lot of debate about Iles’ identity. Agatha Christie was famously shy and I know other authors who hate promoting themselves.

But in the modern age, publishers expect authors to do their bit to promote their books. The vast majority of crime writers don’t have massive publicity budgets, so it’s a matter of doing what one can. And this sometimes involves public speaking, something I used to hate. This might seem odd, given that as a lawyer, I’d done plenty of advocacy. But that is rather different.

On Saturday I had the pleasure of speaking at the Nottingham Readers' Day, doing a talk I'd never done before - on Golden Age fiction (hence my current flurry of posts on this subject!) I decided not to over-prepare, but simply to focus on conveying my enthusiasm for the topic, and this seemed to go down pretty well. An added bonus was the chance to meet Gordon Griffin at last - he has read many of my audio books, and done it really well. An example of an enjoyable semi-promotional experience.

Elizabeth Spann Craig’s marvellous blog often has very helpful tips on promotion, and it repays reading by anyone who is uncertain about this area. For my part, early on, radio interviews used to worry me a good deal. So did my first appearances at Bouchercon. I remember reading an extract from my first novel at Toronto in front of an audience including the great Reginald Hill (who had kindly come to offer moral support) and I can still recall how nervous I felt. To make matters worse, I’m naturally quietly spoken, so it’s easy to become inaudible.

But practice does help a lot. I find that I don’t worry about public speaking in the same way now, simply because I have done a good deal of it, and I think I’ve improved my performance from very uncertain beginnings. I’ve also decided that if I can cope with the potential humiliation of appearing on a ‘Mastermind’ panel, maybe I can cope with most public arenas. If public speaking bothers you, I do urge you not to give up on it. Audiences want you to do well, not to fail. If you remember they start out on your side, that is half the battle.