Marketing A Book Ain't What It Used To Be

When I went about the process of writing a book about little Tenney, Minnesota, I certainly had no idea what would await me at the other end. Never having navigated the highways and byways of the publishing world, I realize now how clueless I really was. But I must say it’s been a wonderful experience, though I still feel, at times, like a fish out of water. My publisher, Mill City Press in Minneapolis, has been wonderful to work with. They are very author-centered, giving authors complete publishing control, yet providing the kind of support and advice that first-time authors, such as me, are looking for. Choosing to do my own sales and marketing of the book has been a decision I have both cursed and rejoiced in, mostly the latter. There is a certain pleasure in holding in my hands nearly every book that gets purchased….signing my name, packaging it up, and personally mailing each and every copy. Time consuming? Yes. Gratifying? Most definitely. It makes me feel more connected to the people who are reading the book.

Any modern author knows and understands that a presence on the Internet is by far the most important element in marketing a book in today’s world. Hence, the need to establish my book’s website: www.tenneyquilt.com , as well as a blog, where I write on an ongoing basis about the book, about Tenney and about its people, past and present (http://tenneyquilt.blogspot.com). It’s all about getting that book title out there for the world to see. The days of just selling one’s book to bookstores and relying on people to go to those bookstores to find your book, are long gone. It can be difficult sometimes for folks in today’s older generation to understand that.

It is interesting for me as the author to see where The Tenney Quilt is popping up on the web. Of course, the book appears in the two places where it needs to be: www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com, the websites where the average person goes to buy books online. I was happy to see that it came up as #14 on the list of books in Amazon’s “Quilt History” category list. The book is in www.hotbooksale.com in the “Social History” category. And it is interesting to see it on the Japanese and French versions of amazon.com, in those native languages, in Hong Kong’s paddyfield.com (in the “New and Recommended” books), on the Mexican www.book.com.mx site (in Spanish), on the Kinokuniya Bookweb in Japan, and multiple sites originating in the United Kingdom. Of course the chances of people actually purchasing The Tenney Quilt off these sites is quite slim, I suppose, but it is all very interesting to see where it will pop up next.

Meanwhile, I’ll continue to schedule book talks and signing events so that I can retain the personal connection that the Internet does not provide. I keep the book events updated on this web site (scroll down to the bottom of the page). If you have any suggestions (or connections!) for such events, please contact me.