Renown author Bernice McFadden (Glorious, Sugar, The Warmest December, Loving Donovan, and This Bitter Earth…to name a few of her titles from my personal collection) posted on her Facebook page, “I think Af-Am authors need to start their own grass-roots revolution….. ” I am sure at the time it was just a random musing, but as the weekend progressed 84 people “liked” the comment and it garnered nearly as many comments.
I thought the idea in and of itself was interesting since over the past few weeks there seems to have been an insurgence of blogs, posts, tweets, and discussions on what mainstream authors (mainly African-American) can do to increase awareness, since it is apparent that a message is being sent that (our) readers are only interested in “Urban/Street Lit.” Even author’s who once held coveted contracts are finding it hard to land deals in today’s market. The consensus is that many gifted writers are falling by the wayside because they can’t get the notoriety they deserve. Note: I am not sure if this was Ms. McFadden’s line of thinking when she posted the comment.
Could a revolution work, what would it consist of, who would lead the way, where would it begin; were just a few of the questions being asked. Although I don’t know the answers to those questions, I do know that such a movement would require authors to stop viewing each other as competition, and acknowledge that although we may not care for a particular style or genre, we are all in this together and need to lift each other up if we are going to make our mark on the literary world.
Second, no revolution has ever been successful without followers who are willing to dig into the trenches, and go to work. In this case, authors would need the support of the readers they are trying to reach…and not just black readers but people, in general, who love to read good books. This feat takes us back to the initial problem; if authors are being shut-out of publishing houses, bookstores, and literary events (as invitees); how do we reach the masses who would be needed to make this revolution successful, since it is no secret that many do not have access to the financial resources required to compete with the promotional/marketing plans of many publishers.
Ironically, at the time Ms. McFadden was posting her status update, I was working on my February Newsletter, which featured an article on how family, friends, book clubs, and avid readers could support independent authors.  These suggestions do not require a lot and like most successful grass-root movements, it shows that word-of-mouth is the best marketing tool known to mankind. If each person tells ten or more people, and each of those people tell ten or more, the results can be phenomenal, and before you know it, the revolution has been begun.
Social Media
Facebook has over 500 million subscribers. That’s more than the number of people who completed the 2010 U.S. Census. They are the leader in social networking, but there are 100’s of social media sites out there and the numbers are growing daily. With today’s technology we can post something on one site and have it automatically feed to numerous other sites. So not only do we have word of mouth but with the push of a button we can share information with hundreds if not thousands of people.
- Post what you are reading on social media
- “Like,” “Share,” “Repost,” “Retweet,” etc. If you see a post about a book, event, blog or anything an author has written, click the like button, comment, or retweet. It’s been proven that people are more inclined to read something if someone else has acknowledged it.
- Take a photo holding a book you have read and in the caption write a brief review or recommendation, then share on your social pages. You can also make this your profile picture for an hour, a day, or longer.
- If the author’s website has a social media toolbar use the features to share the website information.
- Newsletters and eblasts you receive can be shared. With services like Constant Contact, email addresses cannot be captured. The host will only know it was forwarded but never who the recipient(s) are.
- Write Reviews for books you have read. Authors want to know what you think. Amazon, Goodreads, and Shefari, to name a few, are good sites to post reviews; but also check the authors website to see if there is a page designated for this purpose.
- Follow the author on your favorite social media sites by joining their actual pages/groups dedicated to their writing. This way you are not bogged down with their personal information but still get information pertinent to their writing career.
Stay Abreast of What’s Hot
Oftentimes readers do not know where to go to get the latest information on new writers, literary events, etc. Below are a few sites I have found to be beneficial in this area.
Avid Readers ^ Book clubs ^ Family ^ Friends
- Always, when possible, attend local book signings, book release parties, and other literary events.
- Request books at your local library and bookstores that are not readily available in your area. If they receive enough requests they may stock the book.
- Does your place of employment host events that allow exhibitors to come in? i.e. craft shows, cultural events, vendor day, etc. Why not extend an invitation to your local authors?
- Is your club or civic organization hosting a banquet or other event? Are they selling ads for a program, or looking for vendors? Reach out to your local author. It is give and take, and the author should be happy to support the community.
- Are you an entrepreneur? Swap business cards and advertisement pieces with an author. When sales are made place each others information in customer packaging. Try getting 4 – 5 business people offering different products to participate.
- Do you own a business, work for a business, or patronize a business that has room for a “community table”? This is a table set-up in the lobby or corner of a office where people from the community can come in and display promotional items (no larger than a postcard). You can get some material from the author and place them on the table, or let the author know where you have seen such displays.
- I thought this was a great marketing tool. No matter where I go in my hometown, I am guaranteed to see at least 3 vehicles with a 8″ x 8″ decal located in the bottom corner of the rear window; advertising a local barbershop. He gives customers 1 free cut a month, in exchange for them displaying the decal. I haven’t figured out how to present this, but once I do, I hope family and friends will be receptive to the idea.
- Be a walking billboard. Do you like wearing t-shirts and hats, or carrying book-totes? Some authors have these items available for festivals and other events. If you see a author rocking their custom gear, see if they are willing to give you an item or two.
- For book clubs, encourage your local bookstores (especially independent stores) to host authors, then attend the events. If you know a store is hosting an event, make sure your author friends are aware.
- When your club selects a book of the month, buy the books from the same bookstore. This could prompt the store to stock the book. If so, see if they will place a placard by the book with a blurb from your club about the book.
- In addition to your monthly book selection, showcase a new author. Request promotional material from authors who contact you but aren’t selected as your book of the month; then pass out the materials at your meetings.
- Create a spotlight page on your website, or invite a local author to your meetings and allow them to do a 10 minute pitch.
- A few times a year, host a local author’s meet~n~greet and invite family, friends, and co-workers. It can be at a restaurant where each attendee pays for their own meal. Authors can introduce themselves, do a quick pitch and afterwards sell their books.
- Books make great gifts. Give books by independent authors instead of those on the bestsellers list. Chances are, your reader friends already have those anyway.
- Video’s are all the rage…create video’s of book club meetings, do author interviews with visiting authors, create video reviews, and then post on your own youtube channel, or website. Examples, check-out the Sisterfriend Book Club Channel and Who Is Tasha.
So what say you? Are you ready for the revolution!
Much Love,
Tracy
Tracy L. Darity is the author of He Loves Me He Loves Me Not! and Love…Like Snow In Florida on a Hot Summer Day. Both available in Kindle. For more information please visit www.TracyLDarity.com.
