{"id":1214,"date":"2013-05-21T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2013-05-21T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/?p=1214"},"modified":"2023-12-14T15:38:01","modified_gmt":"2023-12-14T23:38:01","slug":"devourer-of-words-005-the-big-sell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/devourer-of-words-005-the-big-sell\/","title":{"rendered":"Devourer of Words 005: The Big Sell"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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KATIE’S FIRST DRAWING TUTORIAL!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devourer of Words 005: The Big Sell<\/h1>\n\n\n
Marc Bernardin<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Toucan<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Marc
Marc Bernardin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve convinced a publisher to take on your book. You\u2019ve found a team of collaborators who are all bringing their A game. You\u2019ve figured out a way to write it that won\u2019t embarrass anyone. (You still haven\u2019t conquered the idea that they\u2019ll all find out you\u2019re a fraud, a guy who\u2019s barely pretending to be a writer\u2014but that\u2019s simply because you are<\/em> a writer. We all feel that way. Don\u2019t worry.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now comes the most crucial part: figuring out how to spread the word. After all, if people don\u2019t know about your book, they won\u2019t buy your book, and no one likes shouting into the wind. There are lots of reasons to make entertainment, but chief among them is to entertain . . . and for that you need an audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, as you begin wrestling for ways to get some press for your title, here are some things to keep in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.<\/strong> No One Will Sell Your Book Harder Than You Will.<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re just starting out, and you\u2019re lucky enough to be published by a company that has a dedicated public relations department\u2014and we\u2019re pretty much just talking about Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image, and IDW\u2014the thing you\u2019ve gotta keep in mind is that they publish a lot of books every month. Yours is just one of 15 or 30 or 52. And, since you\u2019re not Matt Fraction or Scott Snyder or a member of the Joss Whedon phalanx, their PR efforts are not going to head in your direction. So you have to get out there and do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have to email every website editor, tweet at every freelance writer, ping anyone and everyone you can find who writes about comics and tell them you\u2019d love to send them a review copy and schedule a quick Q&A. Be as enthusiastic as you possibly can, but try and be as refreshing as you can. It\u2019s easy to fall into the trap of saying things like \u201cI could not be happier with my penciler . . . she\u2019s bringing the words on the page to life in a way I never could\u2019ve imagined.\u201d All of which may be true, but that will make you just recede into the background, along with the other dozen similar interviews that hit the web that day. Find ways to stand out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.<\/strong> Learn When Final Order Cut-Off Is<\/strong>.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

This is the single most important date when it comes to releasing a book into the wild, as it is the day when retailers order your book. You could do all the press in the world when your comic\u2019s released; you could take out billboards and skywriters and 30-second spots during The Walking Dead<\/em>\u2014if the stores don\u2019t order the book, they can\u2019t it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So start building your buzz before FOC. Do a first wave of press a few weeks before that. Call as many retailers as you can\u2014you\u2019ll find they\u2019re really receptive to talking to creators, to hearing what the book\u2019s about. Offer to send them a PDF so they can take a look. If you\u2019re lucky enough to have a few local stores, pay some visits; tell them you\u2019d love to do a signing when the book drops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, you should try to schedule a second wave of press timed to the actual book release\u2014you still need to motivate the consumers\u2014but never forget that your first buyer is buying your book months before everyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.<\/strong> Hit Them Where They Ain\u2019t<\/strong>.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to doing press, there are some usual suspects. You know who they are. You know the websites, the blogs, the tumblrs you should hit, because that\u2019s where everyone hits. But try to find some new outlets. If there\u2019s a theme in your work that speaks to a niche publication, hit them up. One thing I regret not doing when my first DC book, The Highwaymen,<\/em> came out, was not hitting up the AARP <\/em>magazine. Yeah, I know. But it was a non-superhero story about a pair of gray-haired retirees who came out of retirement to kick a lot of ass. How is that not a story that the AARP\u2019s publication might want to bring to their millions of readers? Missed opportunity on my part. Don\u2019t miss any of yours. Think the hard think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doing a lot of press can be something of a grind. Yes, it\u2019s a meaningless complaint, but it\u2019s true. You will be answering a lot of the same questions, over and over again. The trick is to find a way to make it fun for yourself. And remember: You can always reframe any question so that you\u2019re answering the question you want to answer, not necessarily the one you were asked. And email\u2014the method for doing most of these interviews\u2014makes that incredibly easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.<\/strong> The Big Caveat<\/strong>.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

A while back, Warren Ellis conducted a wee experiment. He had two comics coming out during the same month. One was through one of the Big Two, I believe, and the other was independently published. He did a boatload of comics press focusing on one title\u2014hitting almost every web outlet that travels in comics\u2014and virtually no comics press to push the other. And, when all was said and done, they sold about the same. Now, this is Warren Ellis. He has an audience and a passionate one at that. Retailers know this and they will order what they think they can sell. And, lo, they did. And Uncle Warren knows how to work the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, that is just one isolated case, but it\u2019s worth considering: It is entirely possible to do all the press you possibly can, and it won\u2019t make a darn bit of difference. Sometimes, the market simply wants what it wants and you can\u2019t convince it otherwise. Trust me: I\u2019m the last guy to write Static Shock.<\/em> I know this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you\u2019d hate yourself if you didn\u2019t try your hardest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marc Bernardin\u2019s Devourer of Words appears the third Tuesday of every month on <\/em>Toucan!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Written by<\/p>\n\n\n

Marc Bernardin<\/div>\n\n\n

Published<\/p>\n\n\n