The Manual of Book Signings and Other Promotional Techniques
By Patrika Vaughn
Advocate House
32 pages 
http://www.acappela.com 
Writing-related 

So often, we read how-to books that become redundant after the first fifty pages or so. Patrika Vaughn eliminates that risk by keeping The Manual of Book Signings and Other Promotional Techniques to 32 pages. 

This manual is one of many how-to books, published by Advocate House, geared towards the writer who needs a little help in marketing or seeking new outlets for their creativity. 

Many writers do just that – write. After they’ve finished their work and have had it accepted for publishing, many are at a loss as to how to promote their book. And with the state of the publishing industry, authors who are not John Grisham or Booker Prize-winners are often left to do their own marketing. But writers are writers, correct? Shouldn’t marketing be left to the marketing professionals? Well, yes and no. Unless you are published by a major publishing house, you can expect little in the way of assistance in marketing your publication. 

Marketing your own work is not necessarily a bad thing. It means you have control over how you position your work. If you are a writer of historic fiction, you have leeway to market yourself to local civic or historic groups. If you are a self-help writer, you can get yourself booked to talk at local discussion groups. The manual is a great idea-sparker for getting your book noticed by local organizations you may not have originally realized could benefit from a reading by you. 

Since many writers are not necessarily natural marketers, Vaughn’s manual is a good source of ideas for writers who have no natural inclination towards marketing. That said, it is also a good resource for writers who may already know something about marketing their work, or are just looking for a little inspiration. 

The Manual features a Check List for Setting Up a Signing, an extensive list of DOs and DON’Ts, and a section called Secrets of Successful Publicity. While some of the DOs and DON’Ts may seem obvious, it never hurts to hear well-worn advice as a reminder. 

If you’ve just published a book and are wondering “What’s next?,” The Manual of Book Signings and Other Promotional Techniques can help steer you in the right direction.

Bernadette Geyer is the author of the poetry chapbook What Remains (Argonne House Press, 2001). Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Rattle, Flyway, The Potomac Review and other publications. Geyer is a poetry editor for WordWrights magazine, and is co-director of the Washington Prize poetry book competition, sponsored by The Word Works. Geyer's non-fiction has appeared in Hotel Insider, Marco Polo Magazine, and a previous issue of AbsoluteWrite.com. Her web site is http://bernadettegeyer.homestead.com.